Alexander Alekhine vs Reuben Fine
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | Reuben Fine | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1914 |
| Died | 1946 | 1993 |
| Country of birth | France | United States |
| 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 →
Reuben Fine
In 1948, FIDE organized a round-robin tournament in The Hague and Moscow to determine who would succeed Alexander Alekhine as World Chess Champion. Five players were invited. The sixth invitation — by many accounts the most interesting one — went to Reuben Fine of New York, ranked by most contemporary observers among the top two or three players in the world. Fine declined. He was in the middle of his psychoanalytic training and felt that his professional obligations took priority over competing for the world title. He was thirty-three years old. He never played serious…
Full biography of Reuben Fine →
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 United States.
- 22 years separate their births (1892 and 1914).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or Reuben Fine?
- Alexander Alekhine. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, Reuben Fine in 1914.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). Reuben Fine is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.