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Efim Bogoljubov vs Alexander Alekhine
Alekhine - Bogoljubov World Championship Rematch (1934), Pforzheim GER, rd 9, Apr-25
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni. Russian Variation (A44)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-15-07  zealouspawn: Bogoljubov just looks out-classed here
Nov-15-07  RookFile: No different than most other days - Alekhine, Capa, and Lasker all took turns slapping Bogo the clown around.
Mar-14-08  Knight13: Wow, I didn't know the super-passive, super-solid, super-defensive Benoni ever got used in WCC matches. Black usually go ...Be7 and ...Bg5 to try to trade off his bad bishop but Bogo went 4. f4? which is a mistake since now Black can just place a bishop on g7 and make it look shiny.
Aug-05-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: From Alekhine's annotations to the fourth game:

<This game - more than any other - proves how useless from the sporting point of view was the arrangement of this second match, and at the same time explains my indifferent play on a number of occasions.>

It's one thing to read this from the pen of Alekhine-not that its utter contempt much impresses me-but the 'Bogo the clown' bit from a random Internet type is over the top and what one would politely call disrespectful of a great player.

Bogo wasn't in the class of the players named in the post above, but few were. Ever.

Dec-15-12  Absentee: <perfidious:
It's one thing to read this from the pen of Alekhine-not that its utter contempt much impresses me-but the 'Bogo the clown' bit from a random Internet type is over the top and what one would politely call disrespectful of a great player.>

I think it's the chronological distance that clouds the judgment of some people. Just imagine if someone called Ivanchuk "Chuck the clown" or Shirov "Shirov the clown"... According to chessmetrics, Bogoljubov was even ranked #1 for a short period in 1927.

Apr-16-13  Everett: And 4.f4 is actually not a terrible move, though it may not have been followed up properly in this game. Palliser gives it some pages in his "defending vs d-pawn" book.
Apr-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Absentee ....Just imagine if someone called Ivanchuk "Chuck the clown" or Shirov "Shirov the clown"....>

One need only read numerous comments on Radjabov on the Candidates' page by posters who could never get near either player named above....

<....According to chessmetrics, Bogoljubov was even ranked #1 for a short period in 1927.>

This seems something of a stretch, but Bogo had a nice run in tournament play, including his win at Moscow 1925, from which only Alekhine (for, shall we say, obvious reasons) was absent, of the top players.

Feb-21-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <perfidious:...It's one thing to read this from the pen of Alekhine-not that its utter contempt much impresses me-but the 'Bogo the clown' bit from a random Internet type is over the top and what one would politely call disrespectful of a great player.>

I agree. Very very disrespectful. Bogoljubov had a Larsen-like approach to chess that increased his chances of winning and losing. He never beat Capablanca but in Capablanca vs Bogoljubov, 1922 he posed some serious problems.

Feb-21-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: Clowns are highly skilled professional entertainers; I'm sure they wouldn't be offended by comparison with a famous chess player.
Jun-24-15  Tomlinsky: On his reply 1...c5 in this game Alexander Alekhine wrote in My Best Games of Chess 1908-1937...

“I consider the choice of this move (which, as a consequence of my success in this game, became fashionable for a time) as one of my chess sins. Because, if a champion, being human, cannot sometimes help adopting inferior opening moves, he must at least avoid those that he himself considers as not quite satisfactory.”

Jun-24-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Tomlinsky> This self-criticism on the part of Alekhine reminds me of his comment after 1.e4 g6 in Alekhine vs V Mikenas, 1933.
Feb-17-25  tbontb: Alekhine as Black surprises with the theoretically dubious Czech Benoni and Bogoljubow responds positionally to maintain an objective advantage after 10.Qd2. However, allowing 13....Nxe3 after the provocative 11....Ng4 (better 13.Bg1) allows Black to at least equalise. Perhaps frustrated, Bogoljubow offers the exchange of Qs (better 24.Qd3) and the advantage decisively swings to Alekhine. After the further blunder 26.c4 the game is simply lost.

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