At the beginning of the new year, it is good to remember the oppressed Ukrainian and Iranian loved ones who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of humanity from the slavery of ignorance and bigotry. may their soul rest in peace and their memory cherished.

Wishing a year full of peace and friendship for all the inhabitants of the earth.

Let's continue with another classic - a game of Alekhine 's featuring the Qb1-a2 maneuver.

Alekhine wrote: 'White has to solve two problems: to relieve the knight on f3 from the unpleasant pin and at the same time to find an effective antidote to the threatening advance of Black's f-pawn.

This also defends against White's threatened Qe4, as Alekhine remarked

Vacating the a2-square - and not only for the bishop . . .

15...Nxe3 16.fxe3 Bf6 would have maintained the balance.

This loses right away. Much more interesting was 2 0...cS!?

22.Qe2 would have won simply. Alekhine/Kotov do not mention this possibility. After the text move White had to win the game all over again - which he did.

'Surely the white queen doesn't lack space here?' you'll probably say. Yet Rozentalis decided that he could not break through on the kingside and that he had to open the position up somehow. He managed to come up with a really fantastic concept.

The queen is looking for activity on the queenside to create a second front!