Alexander Alekhine — San Remo 1930

dates: 16 January–4 February 1930
location: San Remo, Italy
score: 14 / 15 — thirteen wins, two draws
winner: Alexander Alekhine

Participants in the San Remo 1930 chess tournament — Group photograph of participants in the San Remo 1930 tournament, won by Alexander Alekhine.

Alexander Alekhine won the 1930 San Remo tournament with fourteen points from fifteen games. The reigning world champion scored thirteen victories and two draws, finishing three and a half points ahead of Aron Nimzowitsch. Sixteen players competed in a single round robin in the Italian coastal city.

Alekhine defeated both Nimzowitsch and Akiba Rubinstein, who finished second and third. Only Rudolf Spielmann and Efim Bogoljubov drew against him. His results therefore combined success against the leading contenders with consistent victories throughout the field.

The complete fifteen-game schedule includes long struggles as well as short wins. The third-round victory over Nimzowitsch gave its name to Alekhine’s gun: two rooks stacked on a file with the queen behind them. Alekhine also played both sides of the Ruy Lopez and encountered French and queen’s-pawn systems. The draw against Spielmann interrupts the first winning sequence, while the later draw against Bogoljubov separates two further runs of victories.

Study the rounds in their original order, with every supplied move retained. Train as Alekhine to follow the champion’s decisions or choose an opponent to examine the other side. Both colors are available in all fifteen games, including the two draws. Completing either side contributes once to the collection’s progress counter.

Alexander Alekhine's Profile

Tournament results

San Remo 1930 final standings and crosstable
No.	Player	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	Place
1	Alexander Alekhine	**	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	14	1
2	Aron Nimzowitsch	0	**	0	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	10½	2
3	Akiba Rubinstein	0	1	**	0	1	½	0	1	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	10	3
4	Efim Bogoljubow	½	0	1	**	½	0	1	½	1	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	9½	4
5	Fred Yates	0	½	0	½	**	½	1	1	½	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	9	5
6	Carl Ahues	0	0	½	1	½	**	1	½	1	0	0	½	1	1	½	1	8½	6
7	Rudolf Spielmann	½	½	1	0	0	0	**	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	0	8	7–8
8	Milan Vidmar	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	**	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	8	7–8
9	Géza Maróczy	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	**	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	7½	9–10
10	Savielly Tartakower	0	½	0	0	1	1	½	½	½	**	0	0	1	½	1	1	7½	9–10
11	Edgard Colle	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	½	1	**	0	½	1	0	½	6½	11–12
12	Hans Kmoch	0	0	1	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	1	**	½	0	1	1	6½	11–12
13	José Joaquín Araiza	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	**	½	½	1	4½	13
14	Mario Monticelli	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	½	**	½	½	4	14
15	Roberto Grau	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	1	0	½	½	**	½	3½	15
16	Massimiliano Romi	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	**	2½	16

Each numbered column refers to the player with that number. Each symbol shows their game result. 1 = win, ½ = draw, 0 = loss; ** = same player. Points are out of 15.

Completed 0 / 15

Game 1: Opening against Monticelli

Monticelli defended a Ruy Lopez against Alekhine. The champion began his tournament with a victory as White. The recorded game ends after 34 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Mario Monticelli 1-0	San Remo	1930	34	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 2: A long Ruy Lopez against Yates

Yates played the Ruy Lopez with White. Alekhine won their long encounter with Black. The recorded game ends after 66 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fred Dewhirst Yates – Alexander Alekhine 0-1	San Remo	1930	66	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 3: The original Alekhine gun against Nimzowitsch

Nimzowitsch defended a French against Alekhine. By 26.Qc1, Alekhine had arranged his queen behind two rooks on the c-file, the formation later known as Alekhine’s gun. The pressure on the c-file and the advance of the queenside pawns give this game a distinctive strategic theme. Nimzowitsch, the eventual runner-up, resigned after 30.h4.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Aron Nimzowitsch 1-0	San Remo	1930	30	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 4: Vidmar’s queen’s-pawn opening

Vidmar began with a queen’s-pawn setup against Alekhine. Alekhine’s fourth consecutive win came with Black. The recorded game ends after 57 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Milan Vidmar – Alexander Alekhine 0-1	San Remo	1930	57	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 5: Five straight against Maroczy

Maroczy defended a Queen’s Gambit against Alekhine. The champion won his fifth consecutive game. The recorded game ends after 58 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Geza Maroczy 1-0	San Remo	1930	58	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 6: Spielmann holds the French

Spielmann challenged Alekhine’s French Defence. Their short draw was the first of only two games Alekhine did not win. The recorded game ends in a draw after 20 moves.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Rudolf Spielmann – Alexander Alekhine 1/2-1/2	San Remo	1930	20	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 7: A new winning run against Kmoch

Kmoch defended a queen’s-pawn opening against Alekhine. Alekhine returned to winning immediately after the draw. The recorded game ends after 39 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Hans Kmoch 1-0	San Remo	1930	39	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 8: Tartakower’s Dutch Defence

Tartakower chose the Dutch Defence against Alekhine. Alekhine won with White to continue the second winning sequence. The recorded game ends after 50 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Savielly Tartakower 1-0	San Remo	1930	50	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 9: Winning with Black against Ahues

Ahues opened with a queen’s-pawn setup. Alekhine’s victory added another full point with Black. The recorded game ends after 33 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Carl Ahues – Alexander Alekhine 0-1	San Remo	1930	33	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 10: Romi’s Queen’s Gambit defence

Romi defended a Queen’s Gambit against Alekhine. Alekhine won again before facing Bogoljubov. The recorded game ends after 48 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Massimiliano Romi 1-0	San Remo	1930	48	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 11: Bogoljubov earns a draw

Bogoljubov faced Alekhine’s Slav Defence. Their draw was the second and final half-point result in Alekhine’s schedule. The recorded game ends in a draw after 46 moves.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Efim Bogoljubov – Alexander Alekhine 1/2-1/2	San Remo	1930	46	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 12: A French Defence against Araiza

Araiza defended a French against Alekhine. Alekhine began his closing run of four wins. The recorded game ends after 36 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Jose Joaquin Araiza Munoz 1-0	San Remo	1930	36	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 13: Colle’s queen’s-pawn setup

Colle opened with a queen’s-pawn system. Alekhine won with Black to keep the final winning run going. The recorded game ends after 28 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Edgar Colle – Alexander Alekhine 0-1	San Remo	1930	28	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 14: Beating the third-place finisher

Rubinstein defended a Queen’s Gambit against Alekhine. Alekhine defeated another of the tournament’s leading finishers. The recorded game ends after 46 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Akiba Rubinstein 1-0	San Remo	1930	46	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 15: Fourteen points in the final round

Grau opened with an English setup against Alekhine. Alekhine’s final victory completed thirteen wins and two draws. The recorded game ends after 38 moves with Alexander Alekhine winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Roberto Grau – Alexander Alekhine 0-1	San Remo	1930	38	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Alexander Alekhine in a historical portrait from the George Grantham Bain Collection. This is a portrait, rather than a photograph of San Remo 1930. — Alexander Alekhine in a historical portrait from the George Grantham Bain Collection.

Sources and image credits

By IgniteChess Editorial Published 2026-10-07

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