Alexander Alekhine vs László Szabó
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | László Szabó | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1917 |
| Died | 1946 | 1998 |
| Country of birth | France | Hungary |
| Star sign | Scorpio | Pisces |
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 →
László Szabó
In the spring of 1950, chess's governing body FIDE organized the first official World Championship Candidates Tournament in Budapest — and it was played on Hungarian soil, in front of Hungarian crowds, with a Hungarian player competing seriously for the right to challenge world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. That player was László Szabó, and while he finished fifth in a field containing the greatest players alive, his presence alone announced something unmistakable: Hungarian chess had arrived at the summit of the game, and Szabó had carried it there.
Full biography of László Szabó →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: France and Hungary.
- 25 years separate their births (1892 and 1917).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or László Szabó?
- Alexander Alekhine. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, László Szabó in 1917.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). László Szabó is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.