San Remo 1930
The reigning World Champion arrived on the Italian Riviera and simply overwhelmed the field. Alexander Alekhine won thirteen games, drew two, and lost none — 14 out of 15 — finishing three and a half points clear of Aron Nimzowitsch. It is remembered as one of the most one-sided results ever posted by a world champion in a strong international field.
◈The champion comes to the Riviera
San Remo 1930 was the first great international tournament held at the Casino di Sanremo, and it drew a formidable field of sixteen masters. Alexander Alekhine, who had taken the world title from Capablanca in 1927, headed a line-up that included Aron Nimzowitsch, Akiba Rubinstein, Efim Bogoljubow, Rudolf Spielmann, Milan Vidmar, Savielly Tartakower and Géza Maróczy. The games were played by day in the casino; in the evenings the same hall was given over to dancing.
The tournament was a single round-robin over fifteen rounds. On paper it promised a hard fight among several former and future title contenders. In practice the champion turned it into a procession.
◈Fourteen out of fifteen
Alekhine won his first five games, and by the finish had conceded only two draws — to Bogoljubow and to Spielmann — while winning everything else. He also beat both of his nearest pursuers in their individual games, defeating Nimzowitsch in the third round and Rubinstein in the penultimate one.
The final margin was crushing. Alekhine scored 14/15; Nimzowitsch, in second, finished on 10½, with Rubinstein third on 10 and Bogoljubow fourth on 9½. No one else came within three and a half points of the winner.
◈A performance for the ages
San Remo caught Alekhine at the height of his powers. His +13 =2 −0 result, achieved against a field studded with world-class opposition, is routinely cited among the most dominant tournament performances in the game's history — and it proved to be no fluke. Eighteen months later, at Bled 1931, he would repeat the feat on an even grander scale.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alekhine, Alexander | 14/15 | +13 -0 =2 | games → |
| 2 | Nimzowitsch, Aron | 10½/15 | +8 -2 =5 | games → |
| 3 | Rubinstein, Akiba | 10/15 | +9 -4 =2 | games → |
| 4 | Bogoljubow, Efim | 9½/15 | +8 -4 =3 | games → |
| 5 | Yates, Frederick Dewhurst | 9/15 | +7 -4 =4 | games → |
| 6 | Ahues, Carl Oscar | 8½/15 | +6 -4 =5 | games → |
| 7 | Spielmann, Rudolf | 8/15 | +5 -4 =6 | games → |
| 8 | Vidmar, Milan Sr | 8/15 | +4 -3 =8 | games → |
| 9 | Tartakower, Saviely | 7½/15 | +5 -5 =5 | games → |
| 10 | Maroczy, Geza | 7½/15 | +3 -3 =9 | games → |
| =11 | Colle, Edgard | 6½/15 | +5 -7 =3 | games → |
| =11 | Kmoch, Hans | 6½/15 | +5 -7 =3 | games → |
| 13 | Araiza Munoz, Jose Joaquin | 4½/15 | +1 -7 =7 | games → |
| 14 | Monticelli, Mario | 4/15 | +2 -9 =4 | games → |
| 15 | Grau, Roberto | 3½/15 | +1 -9 =5 | games → |
| 16 | Romi, Massimiliano | 2½/15 | +1 -11 =3 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alekhine, Alexander | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Nimzowitsch, Aron | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Rubinstein, Akiba | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Bogoljubow, Efim | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Yates, Frederick Dewhurst | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Ahues, Carl Oscar | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Spielmann, Rudolf | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 8 | Vidmar, Milan Sr | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 9 | Tartakower, Saviely | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Maroczy, Geza | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | Colle, Edgard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | |
| 12 | Kmoch, Hans | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 | Araiza Munoz, Jose Joaquin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 14 | Monticelli, Mario | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | Grau, Roberto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 16 | Romi, Massimiliano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.