On Nov 22, 1:50 am, "help bot" wrote:

In addition to, perhaps, not liking to defend, it should
be noted that, in his prime, Alekhine had little *need*
to defend. No doubt some exceptions could be found,
but for example in his book "My Best Games of Chess",
Alekhine rarely was on the defensive.

Of course! That particular sample is biased. It's a bit like saying
"In games that they won, the Boston Red Sox were rarely outscored." For
a "best games" collection Alekhine was not about to include any games
showing him losing a defensive battle. Heck, at times he'd even change
the moves to show himself winning faster than he actually did.
But it's quite true that in his prime Alekhine was rarely on the
defensive. Few players were so insistent on, and successful at, gaining
the initiative early in the game.

Having shifted to a new position, Mr. Kingston has yet
to provide *any* substantive support for the idea that
Alekhine was starved for ideas in classical "style"
positions, instead, suggesting I read some book.

I realize, Greg, that it might be a novel experience for you actually
to read something thoroughly before passing judgement on it, but you
might find it refreshing. The Coles book is still widely available in
the second-hand market. I highly recommend it. Even if you don't agree
with everything Coles says, you will probably find it a very
interesting read. If, after having read it, you still want to discuss
it, let me know.

In reply, may I suggest TK read Alekhine's book, instead
of relying upon Mr. Coles to *do his thinking for him*.
Just an idea. It's a thick book, and in truth, the most
boring games therein may well be the Queen's Indians,
which just happen to be hypermodern in style! :D

Which Alekhine book would you suggest? Decades ago I bought and read
through both his best games collections (1908-23 and 1924-37). Those
same old copies still sit on my shelf now.
Some years ago I acquired and reviewed "Alexander Alekhine's Chess
Games, 1902-1946" (McFarland, 1998), which has every game he ever
played that survives -- over 2,500 of them. Looking at its openings
index, the most frequently played openings a

1. QGD Orthodox -- about 335 games
2. Ruy Lopez -- 330
3. French Defense -- 240
4. Other symmetrical QP -- 175
5. Sicilian -- 165
6. QGD Slav/Semi-Slav -- 125
7. Nimzo-Indian -- 100
8-9. Caro-Kann -- 90
8-9. Vienna Game -- 90
10. Queen's Indian -- 70