The Duel

I am convinced that cultivating the memory of the past and studying the classics is always useful and valuable, above all because it enables us to understand and face with greater awareness the facts and problems of the present. Much has already been written about the giants who have preceded us, and in particular, the Cuban José Raúl Capablanca and the Russian-French Alexander Alekhine, but a new approach can surely offer different and interesting perspectives. In El Duelo, Alessandro Bossi and Claudio Brovelli delve into the lives of these two legendary world champions, who left an unforgettable mark in their time (the first forty years of the twentieth century) and who remain, in part, due to their very different personalities and their relationship with the game, inimitable examples for all future generations of chess players. The choice to present the two biographies in parallel (in my opinion with good reason), clearly and effectively shows similarities and differences, not only in the style of play, but also in the approaches to the life of the two protagonists. With very accurate historical descriptions and presenting the facts in chronological order, the authors take us on a journey through the lives of these two chess legends. So the personalities emerge, in many ways antithetical but equally fascinating: White-headed, kind and charming in society, precocious, brilliant and almost invincible on the chessboard, and Alekhine, who combined a wonderful talent with a work capacity, a competitive attitude and an energy that was truly enviable. Alekhine was rational and focused on pursuing his goal of beating his rival. The Cuban champion represented for the young Russian player a reference and a model, first to be studied from a critical and very penetrating perspective and then to be surpassed and beaten. The fact that, after taking away his world title in the year 1927, Alekhine had always rejected Capablanca.

The Duel, the opportunity for a rematch, will always be a cause for regret for chess fans, but it also shows that the new World Champion was fully aware that he had accomplished a feat that was perhaps unrepeatable. The numerous masterpieces they both created on the chessboard, which constitute for the public their most important legacy, enrich this volume and underline key moments of their respective careers. The games are well analyzed by the authors, who illustrate to the reader how the diverse conceptualization and different styles of the duelists” (Capablanca's more strategic and positional versus Alekhine's more aggressive and combinatorial) are instructive and even entertaining. today, for all those who love chess and want to improve their understanding of it. The value of this volume also lies in the pieces where Bossi and Brovelli, with careful accuracy, have cited both direct impressions of the two protagonists (interviews, articles, letters and quotations from their works) and evaluations (in the comments and memoirs of their contemporaries). In this way, a contest of broader meaning is described, which helps to understand the characters, the epoch and the specific contexts. Among the witnesses is Esteban Canal, the great champion of Peruvian origin who spent much of his time in Italy. He had the privilege of fighting both Capablanca and Alekhine and becoming friends, if not friends, with them. One of the authors, Alessandro Bossi, was lucky enough to meet Canal personally and hear directly from him the numerous episodes and anecdotes described in this book. Enjoy your reading!

GM Michele Godena, March of 2022