Alexander Alekhine vs José Raúl Capablanca
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | José Raúl Capablanca | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1888 |
| Died | 1946 | 1942 |
| Country of birth | France | Cuba |
| Star sign | Scorpio | Libra |
Who they are
Alexander Alekhine
When Alexander Alekhine arrived in Buenos Aires in September 1927 to challenge José Raúl Capablanca for the World Championship, the chess world expected a formality. Capablanca had not lost a competitive game in eight years. Grandmasters whispered that chess had reached its apex in the Cuban — that the game, played perfectly, would always draw, and that Capablanca was the player who played perfectly. Alekhine, a Russian émigré living in France, was a fine attacking player, perhaps the best combinational talent of his generation, but attacking chess against someone who never made errors was considered…
Full biography of Alexander Alekhine →
José Raúl Capablanca
The story begins, as so many chess legends do, with a four-year-old watching his father play. In Havana, Cuba, in 1892, José Raúl Capablanca sat beside his father and watched the pieces move across the board. He had not been taught the rules. No one had explained the moves. But children observe what adults say cannot be taught, and when his father's knight moved incorrectly, young José spoke up. His father, startled, challenged the boy to a game. He lost. The child who had never formally learned chess had already mastered it.
Full biography of José Raúl Capablanca →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Near contemporaries - 4 years apart.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: France and Cuba.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or José Raúl Capablanca?
- José Raúl Capablanca. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, José Raúl Capablanca in 1888.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). José Raúl Capablanca is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.