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Capablanca abandoned his university studies at Columbia University, an Ivy League school, among the top colleges in the USA. He never again followed a post-secondary studies program. He must have been sufficiently challenged while he was pursuing his dream of challenging for the world chess title (successful in 1921), and serving in the Cuban diplomatic service. Capablanca did not publish that much, but his few books were very popular.
Alekhine enrolled in an elite law studies program at the highly regarded St. Petersburg University, while in his late teens. He completed a degree program there prior to the start of World War I, which began in August 1914.
After Alekhine left Russia / USSR in 1921, he continued his education at the Law Faculty of the Sorbonne in Paris, while in the process of becoming a French citizen. His doctoral thesis was on the Chinese prison system, but was evidently never completed. Nonetheless, he styled himself 'Dr. Alekhine', in the chess world, from the mid 1920s until his death in Lisbon, March 1946. This misrepresentation was not emphasized during his lifetime, but certainly was afterwards. In particular, Alekhine 'awarded himself' the doctoral designation as author in his many books and articles, which were well received and sold well. He was perhaps the most skilled analyst chess had seen to that juncture.
In chess, it was an era -- the 1890s to the 1920s -- of many top players using the 'Dr.' designation in their chess praxis. Six major examples included: 1) Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch -- he was a Doctor of Medicine and a practicing physician in his home city of Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland); 2) Dr. Emanuel Lasker -- a PhD in Mathematics, and a university lecturer and published mathematician, at several universities; 3) Dr. Milan Vidmar -- a PhD in Electrical Engineering and both a university lecturer and industrial engineer; 4) Dr. Ossip Bernstein -- a Russian PhD in Law and a successful practitioner in international law and business in Moscow, prior to the 1917 revolution, then again in France after leaving Russia; 5) Dr. Savielly Tartakower -- a Polish PhD in Law, a practitioner in his home nation, and then again in France after World War I; and 6) Dr. Max Euwe -- a Dutch PhD in Mathematics, and an instructor, professor, and published author in his field. Somewhat later, we saw three more top players in this category: 7) Dr. Mikhail Botvinnik, a PhD in Electrical Engineering, earned in 1951, while he was World Champion, who contributed significantly in power engineering systems; 8) Dr. Reuben Fine, a PhD in Psychiatry, who essentially retired from competitive chess when in his mid-30s, about the time he completed his PhD; and 9) Dr. Fedor Bohatirchuk, Soviet co-champion in 1927, a Doctor of Medicine who immigrated to Canada after World War II, becoming a professor of radiology at the University of Ottawa.
More recently, examples include Dr Miroslav Filip, Dr. Hans Berliner, Dr. Nikolai Krogius, Dr. Fridrik Olafsson, Dr. Robert Hubner, Dr. Kenneth Rogoff, Dr. Jonathan Penrose, Dr. John Nunn, and Dr. Jon Mestel. There are probably others!
Alekhine enrolled in an elite law studies program at the highly regarded St. Petersburg University, while in his late teens. He completed a degree program there prior to the start of World War I, which began in August 1914.
After Alekhine left Russia / USSR in 1921, he continued his education at the Law Faculty of the Sorbonne in Paris, while in the process of becoming a French citizen. His doctoral thesis was on the Chinese prison system, but was evidently never completed. Nonetheless, he styled himself 'Dr. Alekhine', in the chess world, from the mid 1920s until his death in Lisbon, March 1946. This misrepresentation was not emphasized during his lifetime, but certainly was afterwards. In particular, Alekhine 'awarded himself' the doctoral designation as author in his many books and articles, which were well received and sold well. He was perhaps the most skilled analyst chess had seen to that juncture.
In chess, it was an era -- the 1890s to the 1920s -- of many top players using the 'Dr.' designation in their chess praxis. Six major examples included: 1) Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch -- he was a Doctor of Medicine and a practicing physician in his home city of Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland); 2) Dr. Emanuel Lasker -- a PhD in Mathematics, and a university lecturer and published mathematician, at several universities; 3) Dr. Milan Vidmar -- a PhD in Electrical Engineering and both a university lecturer and industrial engineer; 4) Dr. Ossip Bernstein -- a Russian PhD in Law and a successful practitioner in international law and business in Moscow, prior to the 1917 revolution, then again in France after leaving Russia; 5) Dr. Savielly Tartakower -- a Polish PhD in Law, a practitioner in his home nation, and then again in France after World War I; and 6) Dr. Max Euwe -- a Dutch PhD in Mathematics, and an instructor, professor, and published author in his field. Somewhat later, we saw three more top players in this category: 7) Dr. Mikhail Botvinnik, a PhD in Electrical Engineering, earned in 1951, while he was World Champion, who contributed significantly in power engineering systems; 8) Dr. Reuben Fine, a PhD in Psychiatry, who essentially retired from competitive chess when in his mid-30s, about the time he completed his PhD; and 9) Dr. Fedor Bohatirchuk, Soviet co-champion in 1927, a Doctor of Medicine who immigrated to Canada after World War II, becoming a professor of radiology at the University of Ottawa.
More recently, examples include Dr Miroslav Filip, Dr. Hans Berliner, Dr. Nikolai Krogius, Dr. Fridrik Olafsson, Dr. Robert Hubner, Dr. Kenneth Rogoff, Dr. Jonathan Penrose, Dr. John Nunn, and Dr. Jon Mestel. There are probably others!
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