Last October in Amsterdam’s Hotel Carlton, careful hands hoisted a huge white tomcat onto a small table set on a dais. Cautiously the beast sniffed at a checkered board, turned away disinterested.

SOME of our friends were aghast when they learned, by cable, that Dr. Alexandre Alekhine (white) had defeated World’s Champion Dr. Max Euwe (black) by playing KKt-B3 on his sixth move, after opening ...