Alekhine, Alexander

Alexander Alekhine was a Russian-French grandmaster who reigned as World Champion across two periods (1927-1935 and 1937-1946) and remains the only champion to have died while holding the title. Renowned for his fierce, imaginative attacking play combined with deep positional and endgame skill, he defeated Capablanca in 1927 with a display of relentless tactical creativity. He was also a highly influential chess writer, with his annotated game collections considered enduring classics of chess literature.