"Chess is vanity," observed former world chess champion Alexander Alekhine. Indeed, humility is a rare affliction among chess experts. Efim Bogoljubov was a born optimist unperturbed by losses, and Alekhine used him as a punching bag in two title matches while ducking his arch rival, Jose Capablanca. (Capa refused to pose with a film star, saying, "Why should I give her publicity?") In his heyday, Bogoljubov boasted, "When I am white, I win because I have the first move. When I am black, I win because I am Bogoljubov." He claimed that Alekhine hypnotized him and blithely explained away his steady losses to the new generation: "The young demons ...

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