Game 59 in the book: A. Alekhin—Z. v. Balla, International Tournament at Budapest, 1921. A Queen's Pawn Game annotated by Alekhine, who plays White.
5.c45. P—B 3 would be more in accordance with the system springing from B—B 4. The main object of the text-move is to avoid the beaten track.
5…Nf6If 5. ....Q—Kt 3 White could have answered 6. Kt—B 3!, and if Q×Kt P; 7. Kt—Q Kt 5, etc.
7…Ne4This demonstration is clearly premature, White being better developed. 7. ....Q—Kt 3 was also unfavourable for Black, on account of 8. P—B 5!, Q×Kt P; 9. Kt—Q Kt 5, etc. On the other hand, he could have obtained a fairly satisfactory game by 7. ....B—Kt 5; 8. B—Q 3, P×P; 9. B×B P, Castles.
11…g5Having embarked on a dangerous voyage, Black is compelled to persevere at all costs. This advance makes it unsafe to Castle King-side, without inconveniencing White in any way. Better was 11. ....Castles; 12. Castles, Kt×Kt; 13. P×Kt, B—K 2; 14. K R—K 1!, and if 14. ....P—Q Kt 3; 15. P—Q 5, etc., although in this case also White's superiority in position is manifest.
13.Ne5If this Knight had been compelled to retire, perhaps to Kt 1 or Q 2, Black's preceding manœuvre would have had some measure of justification.
15…b6If 15. ....Q×K P; 16. B—Q 4, Q—B 5; 17. B—Kt 5 ch, followed by 18. Castles, with a winning attack.
16.O-OIntending the following sacrifice. But owing to the complications to which it gives rise, I would prefer now-a-days the simpler variation, 16. B—Kt 5 ch, B—Q 2; 17. B×B ch, K×B; 18. Castles, as now the Black King is left in the centre, and White obtains a strong attack (18. ....K—B 2; 19. Q—Kt 4!). But White hoped for a still better result with the text-move, and his opponent lends himself to it by accepting the sacrifice.
16…Bd716. ....Castles (K R) would clearly be equivalent to suicide.
17.Bd3The most energetic way of taking advantage of Black's compromised position; in reply to this move Black should decide upon: 17. ....Castles (Q R)!; 18. Q—Kt 4!, Q×Q; 19. P×Q, K—Kt 2; 20. B—K 2!, threatening P—B 3, after which Black would have lost a Pawn, with a long end-game in view. But he cannot resist the bait of the Rook, and this indiscretion costs him the game.
23.Qd7If now 23. ....Q—B 1, then 24. Q—K 7 followed by mate in two moves.
Alexander Alekhine, My Best Games of Chess 1908–1923 (1927) · Public domain · source