World Chess Championship 1927

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The World Chess Championship 1927 was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and marked the long-anticipated showdown between José Raúl Capablanca (Cuba), the reigning champion, and Alexander Alekhine (France), the challenger. After 34 tense games over two and a half months, Alekhine won the match, becoming the ★4th Official World Chess Champion★. This encounter became one of the most legendary clashes in chess history.

World Chess Championship 1927, Alexander Alekhine, José Raúl Capablanca

📷 Alekhine, Querencio, and Capablanca, Buenos Aires 1927, Unknown author, 1927 – Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Winner: Alexander Alekhine

Born: 1892, Moscow, Russian Empire
Died: 1946, Estoril, Portugal

By 1927, Alexander Alekhine had emerged as Capablanca’s most persistent challenger, known for his tactical imagination, precise preparation, and psychological insight. In preparation for the match, Alekhine developed a vast repertoire aimed at unsettling Capablanca’s positional equilibrium. Despite limited state support and no precedent for a Soviet player contesting the title abroad, Alekhine secured French citizenship and organized backing. His style—sharp, calculating, and unrelenting—proved decisive. He called the match «the greatest psychological contest of my life.» Alekhine’s victory shattered Capablanca’s aura of invincibility and established a new standard for preparation in world championship play.

“For my victory over Capablanca, I am indebted primarily to my superiority in the field of psychology.” — Alexander Alekhine

Opponent: José Raúl Capablanca

Born: 1888, Havana, Cuba
Died: 1942, New York City, USA

A prodigy and the 3rd Official World Champion, Capablanca was revered for his clarity, speed, and positional mastery. He had captured the crown from Emanuel Lasker in 1921 and remained undefeated in serious competition until 1927. Yet, Capablanca entered the Buenos Aires match underprepared. Relying on his natural ability, he brought no second and dismissed Alekhine’s chances. It proved a costly miscalculation. Despite late surges in the match, he was unable to recover. In subsequent years, Capablanca tried persistently—but unsuccessfully—to negotiate a rematch. His legacy, however, remained intact: he was and is widely regarded as one of the greatest natural talents in chess history.

«I have known many chess players, but only one chess genius—Capablanca.» – Emanuel Lasker

Match Overview

📍 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
🗓️ Dates: September 16 – November 29, 1927
✅ Format: First to win 6 games, with draws not counting toward the total
⏱️ Time Control: 40 moves in 2.5 hours, followed by 16 moves per hour
💰 Prize Fund: 10,000 gold pesos, guaranteed by Argentine Chess Club and government support
📄 Main Sponsors: Argentine Chess Club, supported by national cultural institutions

Historical and Cultural Significance

The championship elevated Argentina to a central position on the global chess map, showcasing Buenos Aires as an international cultural hub. The match’s atmosphere blended European formality with Latin American enthusiasm. With growing geopolitical tensions in Europe, Alekhine’s exile status and Capablanca’s symbolic role as a bridge between East and West added subtle diplomatic undertones. Media coverage was intense across Latin America, Europe, and Russia, with Soviet journals framing Alekhine as a symbol of Russian intellectual prowess abroad. The Queen’s Gambit Declined featured in 32 of 34 games—highlighting the clash between Capablanca’s harmony and Alekhine’s disruptive ingenuity.

World Chess Championship 1927, Alexander Alekhine (FRA), Jose Raul Capablanca (CUB)

World Chess Championship 1927 Games

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Game 31

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Game 33

Game 34

World Chess Championship 1927

Alexander Alekhine, France

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World Chess Championship 1927 Sources

Quote Sources

General Sources

Photo Credits

📷 Alekhine vs. Capablanca, Buenos Aires 1927
Unknown author: Photo taken in 1927, showing (left to right) Alexander Alekhine, arbiter Dr. Carlos Augusto Querencio, and José Raúl Capablanca during the World Chess Championship match in Buenos Aires. (License: Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Sources, image credits, and attributions for this championship are listed on this page. For general information about the World Chess Champions timeline, visit the main page.