San Remo 1930

Alekhine's masterpiece. The World Champion won with 14/15, finishing 3.5 points ahead of the field. One of the most dominant performances in elite chess history.

Alekhine Unbound

By 1930, Alexander Alekhine was at the peak of his powers. He had defeated Capablanca in 1927 and was defending his title regularly. At San Remo, he produced a performance that defies belief: 14 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses. His only draw came against Bogoljubov, his regular championship challenger. Everyone else was crushed.

The field included virtually every strong player in the world: Aron Nimzowitsch, Akiba Rubinstein, Rudolf Spielmann, Milan Vidmar, Efim Bogoljubov, and others. Yet Alekhine finished 3.5 points ahead of Nimzowitsch, who was second. The margin was so large that it seemed Alekhine was playing a different game entirely.

The Queen Sacrifice

Alekhine's game against Aron Nimzowitsch from this tournament became one of the most famous in chess. After building up a massive positional advantage, Alekhine sacrificed his queen with 25.Qb4!!, a move so stunning that Nimzowitsch reportedly stood up from the board and paced the room. The queen sacrifice led to a forced mating attack that remains one of the most celebrated combinations in chess history.

San Remo 1930, along with Bled 1931, represents Alekhine at his absolute peak, before alcohol and personal problems began to erode his play in the mid-1930s.