"In 1935, an international team tournament was held in Warsaw.  Alekhine played top board for France, of which he was a naturalized citizen.  However, on this trip he arrived at the Polish border without a passport.  When the officials asked him for his papers he replied:  "I am Alekhine, chess champion of the world.  I have a cat called Chess.  I do not need papers.'  The matter had to be cleared up by the authorities."  Reuben Fine.  The Psychology of the Chess Player.

He's one of the strongest players who ever lived.  He was World Champion for a total of, like, 17 years!  A record that hasn't been broken.  He's also the only player to die with the title.   Some have calculated his historical rating to be around 2650 but don't you believe it.  If he was alive today he could beat anyone including Fischer.  But Alekhine was also a bit of a badass.  Take a look at these fun Alekhine facts.

• Alekhine was an alleged member of the Communist Party.
• He spent two weeks in a prison accused of being a spy.
• Once Alekhine had beaten Capablanca for the title, Alekhine totally avoided his former Cuban friend refusing to even mention his name in public.  The rules at the time said that the Champion decided when rematches would occur and Alekine used every trick in the book to stall long enough to ensure that it never took place. 
• Alekhine was a heavy drinker.  He once appeared at an event so inebriated that he began to urinate on the floor.  During his 1935 match with Euwe, he was found before a game lying drunk in a field.
• He was married five times and became impotent early in life.
• During World War II, Alekhine became a Nazi collaborator.
• He would often bring his cat with him to tournaments and would have him by his side while he played!
• He had a pair coveralls with a picture of a cat on them that he would wear to psyche out his opponent!
• In his book, The Psychology of the Chess Player Reuben Fine, calls Alekhine, the "sadist of the chess world."
• Here's a great story.  Once, Alekhine was scheduled to give a simultaneous exhibition for 40 boards.  Well, a high ranking politician showed up and wanted to play so a 41st board was added.  When Alekhine reached that board, he overturned the table .
• He was Russian but defected to France or something.  The Russians tried to have him killed as a result.  But after his death, the Russians embraced him, calling him "Russia's greatest player."  Nice.

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