Alexander Alekhine: A World Champion in Belfast
Three World Chess Champions - Capablanca, Alekhine and Smyslov - have given simultaneous displays in Belfast. However, only one of them - Alekhine - was World Champion at the time of his visit. On the 15th July 1938 Alexander Alekhine, World Champion from 1927 to 1935 and again from 1937 until his death in 1946, wrote to William Minnis, secretary of the Ulster Chess Union, indicating his willingness to give a simultaneous exhibition in Belfast.
"Dear Sir
Following a suggestion from Mr. Cranston, Dublin, I beg to inform you, that, having decided to visit Ireland after the Plymouth Congress (5-10 Sept) I would be interested to know wether (sic) your Club would like to arrange a simultaneous exhibition of mine (30-35 boards) for which the suitable dates would be Sept 17th or 18th.
I would come to Belfast from Dublin where I intend to stay 2-3 days. My fee for such an exhibition would be 15 guineas, expenses included.
In case if your Club would be interested in this suggestion, please kindly answer per address above.
Believe me
Yours faithfully
Dr A Alekhine"
On Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th September Alekhine give simultaneous exhibitions over 35 boards in Dublin. On the first night he won 31 games, lost 1 (to C. J. Barry) and drew 3 while on the second night he won 28 and drew 7. He then travelled from Dublin on the Friday with J. J. O'Hanlon,(a former Ulster Champion but resident in Dublin since 1929) making a tour of the County Down coast on his journey north. He was met in Belfast by Harold Thomas, president of the Ulster Chess Union and by William Minnis. That evening he was interviewed for Northern Ireland radio.
On the Saturday evening Alekhine gave his exhibition at the C. I. Y. M. S. clubrooms, each of his opponents playing 10 shillings (50 pence for those too young to remember the old money!) for the privilege. Here is the Belfast News-Letter report from the following Monday:
"Dr A. A. Alekhine, the world's chess champion, who, with Madame Alekhine, arrived in Belfast on Friday, gave an exhibition of simultaneous play in Clarence Place Hall on Saturday evening. He was faced by thirty-four opponents, including some of the best players in the city as well as others from outside. One player travelled all the way from Enniskillen to have a game against the famous master, and some of the spectators came as far to watch the proceedings. Not one of the thirty-four succeeded in escaping defeat, though one or two seemed like securing a draw.
The players were seated at tables arranged around the hall, and Dr. Alekhine, in the middle, proceeded from board to board, making his move at each without hesitation and, as the games developed, with a grim satisfaction. His progress was not so much a walk as a military march, and to players in difficulties he came like Fate, ruthless, inexorable and inevitable. In less than an hour the click of an overturned King and a light laugh from some of the spectators marked the first victim, and others followed in fairly quick succession.
All the while Madame Alekhine sat at the top table busy with her needlework. It was reminiscent of Dickens's picture of the French knitting women sitting below the guillotine. She engaged in pleasant conversation with all comers, and at the same time, metaphorically speaking, counted the heads as they fell into the basket.
|
1 |
H. Thomas |
French Defence |
|
2 |
W. Minnis |
French Defence |
|
3 |
A. L. Davies |
Queen's Pawn |
|
4 |
R. Lennox |
French Defence |
|
5 |
"Alpha" |
Ruy Lopez |
|
6 |
J. Watson |
Ruy Lopez |
|
7 |
A. Orr |
Evans Gambit |
|
8 |
R. V. McNaughton |
Caro-Kann |
|
9 |
J. W. B. Dodson |
Ruy Lopez |
|
10 |
A. H. Summers |
Ruy Lopez |
|
11 |
T. Robinson |
Irregular |
|
12 |
H. C. Love |
Nimzo-Indian Defence |
|
13 |
Miss Allen |
Queen's Gambit Declined |
|
14 |
D. Weir |
Ruy Lopez |
|
15 |
H. Cooke |
Ruy Lopez |
|
16 |
J. Hammel |
Ruy Lopez |
|
17 |
J. Woolff |
Irregular |
|
18 |
J. Rossi |
Bishop's Opening |
|
19 |
D. G. Johnston |
Guioco Piano |
|
20 |
R. F. Green |
Queen's Pawn |
|
21 |
E. Thomas |
Ruy Lopez |
|
22 |
H. Walker |
Queen's Gambit Declined |
|
23 |
R. Ward |
Four Knight's Opening |
|
24 |
W. J. Baxter |
Ruy Lopez |
|
25 |
A. W. Turner |
Queen's Pawn |
|
26 |
J. L. Henry |
French Defence |
|
27 |
R. McVicker |
Irregular |
|
28 |
N. S. S. Barnett |
French Defence |
|
29 |
B. McCann |
Queen's Gambit Declined |
|
30 |
D. Maguire |
Queen's Gambit |
|
31 |
A. C. Montgomery |
Queen's Gambit |
|
32 |
E. Roberts |
Caro-Kann |
|
33 |
R. Donnelly |
Ruy Lopez |
|
34 |
B. Kellagher |
Centre Gambit |
The last game finished was that between J. W. B. Dodson, and Dr. Alekhine was able to seat himself at the board and gave it his whole attention. This may have accounted for Mr. Dodson's blunder which brought the game to and end. Mr. Harold Thomas, president of the Ulster Chess Union, briefly thanked Dr. Alekhine for his visit, and described his exhibition as a marvellous performance. None of the local players, he said, really expected anything but to be beaten, and the result showed that their pessimism was justified.
Dr. Alekhine, in reply, said he enjoyed the play very much. He had had little practice in that sort of play for may months, but his visit to Dublin had brought him into form. Had he come to Belfast first the result might have been different. As it was, some of them gave him plenty of trouble, and he had had to play his best to avoid defeat.
Dr. and Madame Alekhine left for Glasgow on Saturday night."
The report in Monday's edition of the Northern Whig also gives an insight into the exhibition:
"In just under two hours Dr. Alekhine had his opponents reduced to three, and two others resigned to leave Mr. J. W. B. Dodson, a member of the C. I. Y. M. S. Club, the only hope of earning a draw. Each had a Rook and five pawns, and Mr. Dodson appeared to be in as good a position as his opponent, but Dr. Alekhine brought himself a chair and in a few minutes beat Mr. Dodson also. The Belfast player put up a gallant fight, but had to bow to his more experienced opponent.
In his radio interview mentioned earlier, Alekhine had been asked whom he thought was the best player he had encountered in his Dublin displays and his answer was:
"Undoubtedly the Irish champion, Cox, who played a fine game against me last night."
Unfortunately none of the games from the Belfast exhibition appear to have survived. Instead below is the game Alekhine drew with Cox in the second of the Dublin exhibitions.
Alexander Alekhine - Thomas Cox simultaneous exhibition Dublin, 15 September 1938
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 Qc8 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 exd5 9.cxd5 d6 10.e4 Nbd7 11.Bf4 0-0 12.Re1 Re8 13.Nb5 a6 14.Nxd6 Bxd6 15.Bxd6 Nxe4 16.Bf4 Ndf6 17.d6 Qd7 18.Qb3 b5 19.Rad1 Rad8 20.Ne5 Qe6 21.d7 Re7 22.Qxe6 Rxe6 23.f3 g5 24.fxe4 gxf4 25.gxf4 Rb6 26.Re3 Kf8 27.Rde1 Rd6 28.Bh3 Rd2 29.R3e2 Rxe2 30.Rxe2 Nxe4 31.Bg2 f6 32.Nd3 c4 33.Nf2 f5 34.Nxe4 Bxe4 35.Bxe4 fxe4 36.Rxe4 Rxd7 37.Re6 Rd2 38.Rxa6 Rxb2 39.Kf1 c3 40.Rc6 c2 41.Ke1 Rxa2 42.Kd2 c1Q+ 43.Kxc1 Rxh2 44.Rb6 Rf2 45.Rxb5 Rxf4 46.Rb7 h5 47.Kd2 h4 48.Ke3 1/2-1/2