MARK RUBERY CHESS
Akiba Rubinstein (1882-1961) was one of the strongest players never to become world champion. By 1914 he was the winner of five successive tournaments and a match with Lasker was on the horizon before all plans were derailed with the commencement of World War 1. After the war he was amongst the top five players in the world till 1933 when he stopped taking part in serious tournaments.
An innovative player in the opening, his name linked with important variations in the Nimzo-Indian, Queens Gambit, and French Defence to name a few. It is his mastery of rook endings where the Rubinstein legend is most grounded as the following game demonstrates.
St Petersburg, 1909 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.d3 0–0 11.Nbd2 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nf1 Bf6 14.g4 Bg6 15.g5 Be7 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Rxe5 Nb6 18.d4 Nd7 19.Re1 Bxg5 20.Bxg5 Qxg5+ 21.Qg4 Qd8 22.Ng3 Nf6 23.Qf3 Qd7 24.Kh2 a5 25.a3 Rab8 26.Re5 Rfe8 27.Rg1 b4 28.Rxa5 bxc3 29.Qxc3 Ne4 30.Nxe4 Rxe4 31.Rd5 Qe7 32.Rc5 Re2 33.Qg3 Qd6 34.Qxd6 cxd6 35.Rc7 Rxb2 36.Rgc1 Kf8 37.Bc2 Ra2 38.Bxg6 hxg6 39.R1c2 Rxc2 40.Rxc2 (Black’s advantage in this ending is that he has only two pawn islands as opposed to White’s four. Spielmann’s pawns cannot protect each other and are thus more vulnerable) (Tartakover wrote ‘Rubinstein is a rook ending of a chess game that was started by God a thousand years ago’ The great man now goes about his business in living up to such lofty claims)… Ra8! 41.Rc3 Ra4 (Optimally placing the rook) 42.Rd3 Ke7 43.Kg3 Ke6 44.Kf3?
(44 Re3+! Kd7 45 Rf3 f6 46 d5 with good drawing chances)…Kd5 45.Ke2 g5! (Improving the structure on the kingside) 46.Rb3 f6 47.Ke3 Kc4 48.Rd3 d5 49.Kd2 Ra8 50.Kc2 Ra7 51.Kd2 Re7 52.Rc3+ Kxd4 53.a4 Ra7 54.Ra3 Ra5! (Blockading White’s main hope) 55.Ra1 Kc4 56.Ke3 d4+ 57.Kd2 Rf5 58.Ke1 (58 a5 Rxf2+ 59 Ke1 Rb2 60 a6 Rb8 61 a7 Ra8 offers no solace either)…Kb4! (The king will now blockade the pawn, allowing the rook to harass White’s pawns) 59.Ke2 Ka5 60.Ra3 Rf4 61.Ra2 Rh4 62.Kd3 Rxh3+ 63.Kxd4 Rh4+ 64.Kd3 Rxa4 65.Re2 Rf4 66.Ke3 Kb6 67.Rc2 Kb7! (The final accuracy. Preventing Rc8-g8 and preparing to cross the c-file with his king after Ra4-a6-c6) 68.Rc1 Ra4 69.Rh1 Kc6 70.Rh7 Ra7 71.Ke4 Kd6 72.Kf5 g6+ 73.Kxg6 Rxh7 74.Kxh7 Ke5 75.Kg6 g4 0–1
It is rumoured that after the game the defeated Spielmann shouted the following at his opponent in admiration. ‘Akiba, if you lived in the Middle Ages you would have been burned at the stake: what you do in rook endings can only be called witchcraft!’