by Alexander Munninghoff, 352pp. (New in Chess 2001)
‘I am certain of victory over Euwe’, said World Champion Alekhine in 1935, and he was hardly the only one to underestimate the Dutchman’s chances. Euwe’s win came as a shock. This magnificent book, filling a gap in the literature of chess, shows that Euwe’s world title was the result of his iron will, his methodical drive and his energetic handling of all aspects of the game.
Max Euwe has been called a genius of order and the chess logician. He wrote more than 70 books, many of which are still in print today. By bringing his world title under the aegis of the world chess federation FIDE he profoundly changed the history of chess in the twentieth century. It was Euwe’s diplomatic determination as President of FIDE that saved the Match of the Century in 1972 between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.
Alexander Münninghoff tells the unforgettable tale of the fifth World Champion. His gripping story is illuminated by numerous photos and fifty games with the original annotations of Max Euwe.
