The people behind the game
Max Euwe
A mathematician and amateur who beat Alekhine in 1935. He later served as FIDE president from 1970 to 1978.
- Born
- 1901
- Died
- 1981
- Country connections
- Netherlands
At the board
The games. The ideas.
Explore classic encounters and championship battles. Play every move, or jump straight to the moments that tell the story.
1935 · World championship · Game 26
The Pearl of Zandvoort
Known as the Pearl of Zandvoort, game 26 of the 1935 championship is a study in central pawns and coordinated pieces.
Read the position
Every move sets the scene.
Use the controls to explore the full game, or select an annotated moment below. Each explanation describes the position immediately after its highlighted move.
Complete move list 47 moves
The journey
A remarkable path.
Euwe combined elite chess with mathematics and teaching. His career also included chess writing and administration: he led FIDE from 1970 to 1978. His championship victory and subsequent rematch with Alekhine remain the defining contests of his playing career. [1]
Explore the championship record →The championship record
Time with the crown.
- 1935–1937Open world championship
Reigns are periods of title ownership, not a count of championship victories. Open-ended reigns reflect the record checked on 18 October 2026.
Sources & credits
Biographical details and title records checked . Country connections describe the player’s career and background, rather than a live federation listing.
Portrait: Harry Pot for Anefo ]] · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl. Displayed in monochrome and cropped.
![Harry Pot for Anefo ]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Max_Euwe_1963.jpg){kind=link}