British players defeating reigning world champions

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The postman arrived just as I was leaving the house on the departure day for Leipzig, delivering inter alia the latest issue of the Deutsche Schachzeiting. I hastily jammed the mail into the rest of my luggage, which included my opening indexes, then around 40 thick looseleaf files, effectively a handwritten ChessBase. There was a significant excess luggage charge at the airport.

<snip>

Apologies for snipping the rest of your post (which as Kevin Thurlow said was fascinating), but the bit you wrote above reminded me of something I read in a chess book recently, and I was ready to find the book and quote it, but frustratingly I can't locate the passage in question, or even the book (it might even have been in a chess magazine).

The anecdote concerned someone carrying several suitcases full of opening preparation around Europe and nearly missing a train connection when trying to get the suitcases on and off trains. The story stuck in my mind because it was such a contrast to how things are now, and I'm hoping someone can remind me where I read this!

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Another happy memory of Skara is a snowball fight in which I got the better of Ray Keene...but that is another story."

Any chance of a rematch at the 2013 British Championships? That would break all records on YouTube...

[Jon Mahony]

I’m told Yates (an member of the original Leeds Chess Club!) beat Alekhine a couple of times, I’m not sure if this was during Alekhine’s title reign (either of them) though

[Richard James]

I’m told Yates (an member of the original Leeds Chess Club!) beat Alekhine a couple of times, I’m not sure if this was during Alekhine’s title reign (either of them) though

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012103

[Event "Hastings Six Masters"]
[Site "Hastings"]
[Date "1922.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine, Alexander"]
[Black "Yates, Frederick"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D30"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1922.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nbd2 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. Qc2
Nbd7 9. O-O c5 10. Rad1 h6 11. Bh4 cxd4 12. exd4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Rc8 14. Qd3 Nd5
15. Bg3 N7f6 16. a3 Nh5 17. Qe4 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Rc7 19. Bd3 Nf6 20. Qe2 Qd5 21.
Nc4 Qh5 22. Nce5 Rfc8 23. Rfe1 Bd6 24. Bb1 Ng4 25. Nh4 Bxe5 26. dxe5 g5 27. f3
gxh4 28. fxg4 Qg5 29. gxh4 Qxh4 30. Qd3 Qg5 31. Rf1 Bd5 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Rxd5
exd5 34. Bg6 Ke8 35. Rxf7 Rc1+ 36. Kf2 Qh4+ 37. Ke3 Qe1+ 38. Kf3 R8c3+ 39. bxc3
Rxc3+ 40. Bd3 Qf1+ 41. Ke3 Rxd3+ 42. Qxd3 Qxd3+ 43. Kxd3 Kxf7 44. Kc3 Ke6 45.
Kd4 a6 46. a4 b5 47. a5 b4 48. g3 b3 49. Kc3 Kxe5 50. Kxb3 Kd4 51. Kc2 Ke3 52.
Kd1 Kd3 0-1


http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012179

[Event "Karlsbad"]
[Site "Karlsbad"]
[Date "1923.05.06"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Alekhine, Alexander"]
[Black "Yates, Frederick"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E62"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1923.04.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "17"]
[EventCountry "CSR"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d5 Nb8 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. e4 a5 10. Be3 Ng4 11. Bd4 Nge5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. c5 dxc5 14. Bxc5 b6
15. Bd4 Ba6 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Bf1 Bxf1 18. Rxf1 c5 19. Bxe5 Qxe5 20. Qb3 Rab8 21.
Qb5 f5 22. Rae1 f4 23. Qd7 Rbd8 24. gxf4 Qxf4 25. Qe6+ Kh8 26. f3 Qg5+ 27. Kh1
Rd6 28. Qh3 Be5 29. Re2 Rdf6 30. Nd1 Rf4 31. Ne3 Rh4 32. Qe6 Qh5 33. Ng4 Rxg4
34. fxg4 Rxf1+ 35. Kg2 Qxh2+ 36. Kxf1 Qh1+ 37. Kf2 Bd4+ 38. Kg3 Qg1+ 39. Kh3
Qf1+ 40. Rg2 Qh1+ 41. Kg3 Qe1+ 42. Kh3 g5 43. Rc2 Qf1+ 44. Kh2 Qg1+ 45. Kh3
Qh1+ 46. Kg3 Qd1 47. Rc3 Qg1+ 48. Kh3 Qf1+ 49. Kg3 Bf2+ 50. Kf3 Bg1+ 0-1

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I’m told Yates (an member of the original Leeds Chess Club!) beat Alekhine a couple of times, I’m not sure if this was during Alekhine’s title reign (either of them) though

Alekhine became world champion in 1927. Richard has posted the games in question, which were before that period, but Alekhine was close to being the strongest player of that time even then. I believe (though I'm not sure) that he was as strong as Capablanca in the early 1920s even before he defeated him in the 1927 match. Certainly the 1923 Karlsbad victory by Yates over Alekhine is famous for the combination played, and deserves to be put in any collection of British players defeating the strongest players of their era.

[Richard James]

I’m told Yates (an member of the original Leeds Chess Club!) beat Alekhine a couple of times, I’m not sure if this was during Alekhine’s title reign (either of them) though

Alekhine became world champion in 1927. Richard has posted the games in question, which were before that period, but Alekhine was close to being the strongest player of that time even then. I believe (though I'm not sure) that he was as strong as Capablanca in the early 1920s even before he defeated him in the 1927 match. Certainly the 1923 Karlsbad victory by Yates over Alekhine is famous for the combination played, and deserves to be put in any collection of British players defeating the strongest players of their era.

Hi Chris

If you haven't already done so , check out Jeff Sonas's Chessmetrics site. I'm sure you'll spend many happy hours there.

Sonas rates Capa above Alekhine throughout 1922 and 1923, at first by some way, but with Alek gradually narrowing the gap. Alek is No. 1 in the first 3 months of 1924, until Lasker returns to the top spot following his success at New York.

[JustinHorton]

I think it was the only game the USSR lost at that Olympiad.

It was indeed.

[John Moore]

Doesn't help with reigning world champions, but Alexander beat Botvinnik in 1946 and he beat Euwe as well in an England - Netherlands match which doesn't seem to have made it to my ancient Megabase.

John Nunn beat Karpov at Rotterdam in 1989.