ALEKHINE AND HIS CATS

World chess champion Alexander Alekhine with his cat

Once, during a chess tournament in Salzburg, Paul Keres accidentally discovered why Alexander Alekhine always had a cat with him when he competed.

Young chess genius Paul Keres

Keres had just come out of the toilets and walked down the corridor towards the tournament hall. A portrait of Hitler was on the wall, and Keres paused for a moment to look at it.

Portrait of Adolf Hitler

Suddenly, Alekhine, a cat under his arm, rushed out of the hall. He opened the front door, put the cat down and hit it with his foot.

Keres looked at Alekhine, startled.

"I lost that game," said Alekhine, smiling shyly.

"Flying low. I think it's going to be rainy," he added.