Alexander Alekhine
The only World Champion to die while still holding the title.
Photo: George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress · Public Domain (PD-US)
Biography
Born in Moscow in 1892 and later a naturalized French citizen, Alekhine defeated Capablanca in a grueling 1927 match in Buenos Aires and famously never granted him the rematch he spent years requesting afterward.
He lost the title to Max Euwe in 1935, then won it back in a 1937 rematch. He died in Portugal in 1946 while still champion — the only titleholder ever to do so — leaving the championship vacant until a 1948 tournament (won by Mikhail Botvinnik) crowned a successor.
Playing Style
Sharp and deeply combinative, celebrated for complex attacking combinations calculated many moves in advance — the doubled-rooks-behind-the-queen formation on an open file is still called "Alekhine's Gun" in his honor.
Notable Games
Alekhine vs. Nimzowitsch
The game that gave "Alekhine's Gun" (queen and both rooks stacked on one open file) its name.
Fun Facts
- His death while still champion left the title vacant for the only time in chess history.
- That vacancy directly led to FIDE taking over organizing the World Championship from 1948 onward.
- He struggled publicly with alcoholism for much of his later career.