Alekhine speaks!

Historical knowledge and information regarding our great game.
Post Reply
User avatar
Gerard Killoran
Posts: 1006
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:51 am
Contact:

Alekhine speaks!

Post by Gerard Killoran » Thu May 20, 2021 4:24 pm

The link below takes you to a video of Alekhine and Euwe signing contracts for their return match and giving brief statements to camera.

https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/205190 ... ia_1250700

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5820
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Alekhine speaks!

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu May 20, 2021 5:11 pm

That's great! Alekhine seemed quite jovial, not at all what I expected.

David Sedgwick
Posts: 5249
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:56 pm
Location: Croydon
Contact:

Re: Alekhine speaks!

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu May 20, 2021 5:37 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Thu May 20, 2021 5:11 pm
That's great! Alekhine seemed quite jovial, not at all what I expected.
Alekine may have been genuinely grateful that Euwe had agreed to a speedy return match.

User avatar
Gerard Killoran
Posts: 1006
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:51 am
Contact:

Re: Alekhine speaks!

Post by Gerard Killoran » Thu May 20, 2021 5:52 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Thu May 20, 2021 5:37 pm
Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Thu May 20, 2021 5:11 pm
That's great! Alekhine seemed quite jovial, not at all what I expected.
Alekine may have been genuinely grateful that Euwe had agreed to a speedy return match.
Euwe thought he would win the return match quite easily, he didn't anticipate Alekhine kicking the booze.

Another video, this time from the 1948 World Championship Tournament.

https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/205190 ... ia_1151608

'The participants of the World Chess Tournament, draw lots in the Council Chamber of The Hague; V. Smyslov, P. Keres; S. Reshevsky; M. Botvinnik and M. Euwe hand over their numbers to the mayor of The Hague, W.A.J. Visser. The next day (March 2) the actual tournament starts in one of the halls of The Hague. Euwe plays against Keres; Smyslov to Reshevsky. Keres paces, after having set, thinking about the stage. The moves of the chess players are displayed on a large demonstration board.'

Nick Ivell
Posts: 1138
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:33 pm

Re: Alekhine speaks!

Post by Nick Ivell » Thu May 20, 2021 6:20 pm

More than passable French from the great man there. A language, of course, traditionally spoken well by the Russian aristocracy.

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: Alekhine speaks!

Post by NickFaulks » Thu May 20, 2021 7:07 pm

He had been living in France since 1921.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

Neville Twitchell
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:22 am
Location: Harlow, Essex
Contact:

Re: Alekhine speaks!

Post by Neville Twitchell » Sun May 23, 2021 12:21 pm

Fascinating stuff. I had seen footage of Alekhine before and heard an interview with him (in English) made by the BBC in the late 1930s but this is the first time I have both seen and heard him at the same time. As Kevin has commented he seems surprisingly genial.

Post Reply