Game 66 in the book: Dr. K. Treybal—A. Alekhin, International Tournament at Pistyan, April 1922. A Ruy Lopez annotated by Alekhine, who plays Black; the finish is the longest combination he ever undertook.
8…Rb8This move, although recommended by Collijn’s Lärobok, is distinctly inferior to 8. ….P—Kt 5, for it abandons the Q R file to White without any compensation.
11…Bd7Indirectly defending the Pawn attacked, for if 12. Kt×Kt P, Kt×P; 13. Kt×B P, Kt×Q P (or Kt—B 4); 14. B×Kt, Q×Kt and Black has an excellent game.
12…Qc8Insufficient would be 12. ….Kt—Q 5; 13. Kt×Kt, P×Kt; 14. Kt—Q 5, Kt×Kt; 15. B×Kt, P—Q B 3; 16. B—Kt 3, B—K 3; 17. B×B, P×B; 18. R—R 7, R—R 1; 19. R×R, Q×R; 20. Q—Kt 4, Q—B 1; 21. B—R 6, R—B 2; 22. R—R 1 with advantage to White. The text-move prepares the following series of exchanges, and allows Black to adopt a more complicated line of play, commencing 13. ….Kt—Q 1, and 14. ….P—Q B 4 should White choose to prevent 13. ….Kt—Q 5 by 13. B—K 3.
13.Kh2Preventing a subsequent sacrifice of Black’s Q B at K R 3. But as the danger was not imminent White would have done better to continue his development by 13. B—K 3. After the text-move Black has at least an equal game.
18.f4The variation 18. B×B, Q×B; 19. P—K B 4, P—K B 4 would not yield White any advantage. The text-move is the prelude to a hazardous King-side attack, since Black will get in first with an energetic counter-attack in the centre.
31…Qb5The only move to win. It threatens both 32. ….R×P and 32. ….P—Q 7! followed by 33. ….P—B 6. If White plays 32. K—Kt 2, then 32. ….B—R 4! and 33. ….R—Q 1 would also win without difficulty.
33.Qf4Anticipating the continuation 33. ….P×B=Q; 34. R×Q, R—B 1; 35. Q—Kt 4! with drawing chances, since Black’s K R 8 is not of the same colour as his Bishop. By the ensuing combination, the longest which I have ever undertaken, Black avoids this doubtful variation and secures a winning Pawn-ending.
39.f7+The key-move of a variation enabling White to recover his Rook. As we shall see shortly, Black’s winning manœuvre initiated by 33. ….Q—Q 2 ch! comprises no less than 20 moves!
40.Qb3+It is astonishing that a master of the strength of Dr. Treybal, so conspicuously endowed with the imaginative sense, should not have perceived 40. P—Kt 6 ch!, the only logical continuation. Black could not have answered it by 40. ….K—Kt 1, on account of 41. P×P ch; nor by 40. ….P×P for in that case White would have forced a draw by perpetual check, e.g.: 41. Q—Kt 3 ch, K—B 3; 42. Q—K B 3 ch, K—K 2; 43. Q—R 3 ch, K—K 1; 44. Q—R 4 ch, K—Q 1; 45. Q—R 8 ch, K—K 2; 46. Q—R 3 ch, K—B 2; 47. Q—Kt 3 ch, etc. The only move to win was consequently 40. ….K×P!, leading to the forced continuation: 41. Q×R, Q×P ch; 42. K—B 3, Q—B 6 ch; 43. K—Kt 2, Q—Q 7 ch; 44. K—Kt 3, Q—K 6 ch; 45. K—Kt 2, Q—K 5 ch; 46. K—Kt 3, Q—K 4 ch; 47. K—Kt 2, K—R 4!; 48. Q—B 3 ch, K×P; 49. Q—R 3 ch, K—Kt 4; 50. Q×P, Q—K 7 ch; 51. K—Kt 3 or K—Kt 1, Q—Kt 5 ch; 52. any, Q—B 4 ch or Q—R 4 ch, and Black wins by forcing exchange of Queens next move.
40…Kg6And White can only give a few harmless checks, e.g.: 41. Q—K 6 ch, K—R 4; 42. Q—K 2 ch, K×P! and wins.
Alexander Alekhine, My Best Games of Chess 1908–1923 (1927) · Public domain · source