AVRO 1938 chess tournament

The AVRO tournament was a double round robin tournament chess and took place in the Netherlands in 1938. It was named after the sponsor, the Dutch broadcasting company AVRO. It took eight players participated, as the strongest players were at that time the world: world chess champion Alexander Alekhine, the former world champion José Raúl Capablanca and Max Euwe, the future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik and the master player Paul Keres, Reuben Fine, Samuel Reshevsky and Salo Flohr. The winners are divided Keres and Fine, with Keres decided the direct comparison with 1.5:0.5 for themselves. Capablanca, who had lost in the previous 29 years, only 26 tournament games, defeated in four games in this tournament. This is due to a mild stroke he suffered during the tournament.

The AVRO tournament was the best-manned chess tournament, which was held to date. It was organized in hopes to determine a challenger for World Champion Alekhine. However, it did not have the status of official candidate tournament, and the outbreak of World War II prevented a world championship fight for more than a decade. However, when the World Chess Federation FIDE, the World Cup organized in 1948 as a result of Alekhine's death in 1946, he was invited six of the participants in the AVRO tournament is only Capablanca, who had already died, and Flohr, who was replaced by Vasily Smyslov, were missing.

Organization

The opening ceremony was held in Amsterdam on 4 November 1938. It was played from November 6 to 27 in the following cities:

As transport was mainly used the railway, according to Groningen, the participants traveled by airplane. The slopes games were played in Amsterdam.

Botvinnik complained afterwards that the constant trips to the different venues were very exhausting. Also Alekhine declared that he would never again play under these conditions.

Tournament

In the first half of the tournament dominated Reuben Fine, who started from 6 games with 5.5 points. But then he lost with white against Keres, who at this time had 4 points. In the second half Fine won only a game, but still had to take two more defeats. Keres played after his victory against Fine all remaining games draw.

Final Table

Statistics

• Longest match: Alekhine - Fine ( 0:1): 68 trains
• Shortest game: Flohr - Fine ( ½: ½ ): 19 trains
• Won lots of: White: 17
• Black: 7
• Draw: 32