World Championship 1929: Alekhine – Bogoljubow
Rather than grant Capablanca the rematch many felt he was owed, Alekhine made his first title defence against Efim Bogoljubow — a travelling match staged across six cities in two countries, and won as one-sidedly as the doubters expected.
◈The challenger nobody demanded
With Capablanca unable to meet the London Rules' financial terms — the same barrier Alekhine had once faced — the champion instead accepted a challenge from Efim Bogoljubow, a formidable tournament player but a clear underdog for the crown. Alekhine took a guaranteed fee, with any surplus going to his opponent.
The match wandered from Wiesbaden through Heidelberg and Berlin, then crossed into the Netherlands for games in The Hague, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.
◈A nomadic rout
Bogoljubow fought hard but was outclassed, and Alekhine closed out the match after twenty-five games with a score of +11−5=9, 15½–9½. Among its curiosities, the eighth game — won by the champion — is remembered as the last World Championship game ever decided by checkmate on the board rather than resignation.
It would not be Alekhine's final meeting with Bogoljubow: the two played for the title once more, in 1934, with the same result.
◈Cross Table
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alekhine | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 15½ |
| Bogoljubow | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 9½ |
1 win · ½ draw · 0 loss — click a game number to replay it.