49.Rg6

After the move 49...Rf3, Euwe reviewed two other continuations, 49...Kh7 & 49...Re2+, and then commented: <After the text move the game was abandoned as a draw...>.

Euwe then provided a variation to show the draw after 49...Rf3: 50.Rg4 d3 51.e6, (51.Rxe4 d2 52.Rd4 Rf4 53.Rxd2 Rxb4), 51...Rf8 52.Rxe4 Re8 53.Kg3 d2 54.Rd4 Rxe6 55.Rxd2 Re7.

<sneaky pete: The game was adjourned after 41 moves.> The same sources as above state that the sealed move was Euwe's 42.. gxf5.

Are you sure that <Parkwijk> is not a suburb of Amsterdam?

According to <Skinner and Verhoeven> and also <Complete Games of Alekhine 3d Volume 1925-1927 by Fiala and Kalendovsky, House Moravian Chess 1998, p354-386> the round venues are consistent with this match collection: Game Collection: Alekhine-Euwe match 1926/7.

As far as the score of this game goes- <Pawn and Two> can you check your source again, and especially the edition and year?

Here's what I've got on the end of this game from <From my Games 1920-1937 by Max Euwe, London 1946, p38-42>, notes by Euwe:

However, our database has game 8 of the match listed as <Amsterdam>, but it was in fact played in <The Hague>.

So if I was going to send in a correction slip for that game- which I think was necessary- then I should send in slips with the city location for all 10 games of the match, to be consistent.

Also, city locations for this match are more precise, because two other games were not played in <Amsterdam>.

Game 4 was played in <Zutphen> and game 9 in <Rotterdam>.

With regard to <Kmoch's> biography of Euwe agreeing with the <49...Rf3> score, maybe that means there might not be a definitive answer to the conflicting sources on the score.

I'm loath to trust <Kmoch> on anything myself, but that may be a personal bias.

However, I have also found an early occurence of 49.. Rf3. On January 8, 1927 appeared B Van Trotsenburg 's weekly chess column in "Algemeen Handelsblad" with an extensive analysis of this endgame. He starts with the position after White's 48th move. After 48.. d4 49.Rg6 he gives two lines as examples, the first one with 49.. Kh7 and the second one with 49.. Rf3. Although he did not mention the end of the game at all, I would think this indicates rather that the move has not been played. However, this is nevertheless speculation.

My book states this 1939 copyright was also published in the United Kingdom by Constable and Company, Ltd.

In my book, the gamescore shows 49.Rg6!. Euwe then comments why this move will make the draw clear, <An unexpected reply, after which the game is a draw.> Euwe then explains why 49.Rg6! is so effective, White is threatening to queen his e-pawn ahead of Black's d-pawn, forcing Black to have recourse to ...Rf3, after which Rg4 will render the passed pawns harmless.

This comment by Euwe, may be one of the reasons for thinking this game ended after 49.Rg6!. However, he later states the draw was not final until after move 49...Rf3.

Euwe continued the gamescore with 49...Rf3, and provided two fairly long variations for other continuations: 49...Kh7 and 49...Re2+.

After 49...Rf3, Euwe stated the game was then abandoned as a draw, and he provided a variation showing the draw <see my last post>.

In your edition, perhaps a decision was made to shorten the comments, and the gamescore.

The game itself is interesting, and appears to be fairly evenly balanced, with a draw likely until the excitement starts with 36...Kh8.

Euwe thought 36...Kh8 was necessary to remove his king from the g-file, due to future break by White with f5. However, Euwe admitted he had not considered White's response 37.Bh4.

After 37.Bh4, fortunately for Black, he was still able to keep an equal position, with counter-chances on the h-file.

Euwe incorrectly indicated that 41.Qg2 was a losing move. However, Fritz verifies the position was still equal after 41.Qg2.

Euwe stated that Alekhine took 40 minutes for his move 42.f5. Euwe considered this move was White's best practical chance to save a lost position. Euwe stated that 42.Re1 was inadequate because of 42...Rf3 to be followed by Rhh3. However, Fritz shows that White can still draw: 42.Re1! Rf3 43.g5 Rhh3 44.Qe2!, or 42.Re1! Rf3 43.Qe2.

After 42.f5??, Black had a winning position, which he maintained until his error 48...d4??.

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In the following lines, both sides have serious alternatives which are not mentioned by Trotsenburg. I will add a few of them (TT), when necessary, but my main aim are the very interesting positions at the end.

Here Trotsenburg continues with 49.Kg2 Rf5 (TT: Kg7!) 50.b5! This great breakthrough is Alekhine's idea for counterplay. Thereby, White changes the character of the position dramatically.

In a first variation, Black takes on b5: 50.. axb5 (TT: cxb5! is stronger) 51.a6 bxa6 52.Rxc6 e3 53.Rxa6 e2 54.Ra1 d4 55.c6 d3 56.c7 Rf8 57.Rh1+ Kg7 58.Rg1:

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Five passed pawns instead of three in the last diagram! Here Trotsenburg shows that 58.. d2? is a mistake, and thereby he has proved what he announced before: White has created some chances to save.

But what is the correct evaluation of this position? Here my analysis starts. Black wins! Black has indeed 5 winning moves! No rook move wins! The only winning pawn move is 58.. b4. Four (of six) king moves win! One of the wrong king moves is easily found: 58.. Kf7?, because of 59.Kf2(3) Ke6+ 60.Ke3. The other one is not too difficult to find: 58.. Kg8? 59.e6! (only move) and now White can force the rook to leave the f-file with e7, and then White's king stops the opposite pawns. This plan doesn't work with Black's king on the h-file, say 58.. Kh8 59.e6 d2, and here 60.Kf2 gives no check. Finally, 58.. Kg6 wins, because Black reaches the White's e-pawn via f6 or f5, respectively.

The second variation given by Trotsenburg deals with 50.. e3, which wins in some sense a tempo(?), as he notes: 51.bxa6 bxa6 52.Rxc6 e2 53.Rh6+ Kg7 54.Rh1 d4 55.c6 d3 56.c7 Rf8 57.Rg1!

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Here Trotsenburg demonstrates that 57.. Kf7 wins, but that's wrong! 57.. Kf7? 58.Kf2 Ke6+ 59.Ke3! (instead of his 53.Ke1?).

I like this position even more than the other one, and here is my view. Black has three winning moves. No rook move wins! No pawn move wins! Only the three king moves to the h-file win! That's funny, isn't it?