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Akiba Rubinstein
Rubinstein 
 

Number of games in database: 1,038
Years covered: 1897 to 1948
Overall record: +468 -163 =293 (66.5%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 114 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Queen's Pawn Game (121) 
    D02 A46 D05 D00 A40
 Orthodox Defense (51) 
    D63 D61 D55 D65 D50
 Nimzo Indian (39) 
    E34 E38 E46 E20 E40
 Tarrasch Defense (33) 
    D33 D32 D34
 Queen's Gambit Declined (33) 
    D37 D30 D31 D35
 King's Gambit Declined (26) 
    C30 C31 C32
With the Black pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (101) 
    C79 C77 C98 C84 C68
 Orthodox Defense (51) 
    D63 D60 D52 D61 D51
 Queen's Pawn Game (45) 
    D02 D00 D04 D05 A46
 Four Knights (43) 
    C48 C49 C47
 French Defense (42) 
    C01 C11 C10 C00 C09
 Queen's Gambit Declined (33) 
    D31 D30 D37 D06
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Rotlewi vs Rubinstein, 1907 0-1
   Rubinstein vs Lasker, 1909 1-0
   Rubinstein vs Salwe, 1908 1-0
   Rubinstein vs Hromadka, 1923 1-0
   Rubinstein vs Capablanca, 1911 1-0
   Rubinstein vs Duras, 1908 1-0
   Rubinstein vs Schlechter, 1912 1-0
   Alekhine vs Rubinstein, 1912 0-1
   Rubinstein vs Maroczy, 1920 1-0
   E Cohn vs Rubinstein, 1909 0-1

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Karlsbad (1907)
   Ostend Masters (1907)
   St. Petersburg (1909)
   Bad Pistyan (1912)
   BCF Major Open (1924)
   Hamburg Olympiad (1930)
   Polish Championship (1927)
   Rogaska Slatina (1929)
   Barmen Hauptturnier-A (1905)
   18th DSB Congress, Breslau (1912)
   Karlsbad (1911)
   Baden-Baden (1925)
   Vienna (1908)
   3rd All-Russian Masters, Kiev (1903)
   Ostend (1906)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   3 Carl Schlechter and Akiba Rubinstein Games Rob by fredthebear
   Carl Schlechter and Akiba Rubinstein Games by lobsters
   Akiba the Great by BAJones
   Akiba the Great by nbabcox
   Dry Rubinstein by Gottschalk
   19z Dry Rub by Littlejohn
   Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces by Karpova
   Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces by Okavango
   Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces by yesthatwasasac
   Veliki majstori saha 11 RUBINSTEIN (Petrovic) by Chessdreamer
   Akiba Rubinstein's Best Games by dwesturner9580
   Rubinstein vs World Champions Decisive Games by Okavango
   Akiba Rubinstein's Best Games by Okavango
   Akiba Rubinstein's Best Games by Retarf

GAMES ANNOTATED BY RUBINSTEIN: [what is this?]
   O Bernstein vs Rubinstein, 1912
   Spielmann vs Rubinstein, 1920
   Salwe vs Rubinstein, 1907
   Rubinstein vs Loman / Van Gelder, 1920


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AKIBA RUBINSTEIN
(born Dec-01-1880, died Mar-15-1961, 80 years old) Poland (federation/nationality Belgium)

[what is this?]

Akiba (Akiva, Akiwa) Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1) was born on 1 December 1880 (2) in Stawiski, Poland.(3) He was the youngest of 12 children of a family of rabbis and scholars living in extreme poverty.(4) Ten of his siblings died of tuberculosis in infancy, and his father also died a few weeks before Akiba was born.(4) Akiba was raised by his grandparents to become a rabbi and went to the Cheder,(UK, p. 15) where he got acquainted with chess at the age of 14.(5) At age 16, he became interested in chess theory (5) and decided to become a chess professional instead of a rabbi.(6) Around the turn of the century, Rubinstein moved to Bialystok, Poland and left his family.(7) He soon became too strong for G G Bartoszkiewicz, the best player of Bialystok and Rubinstein's first nemesis.(8)

Early Chess Career

Rubinstein moved to Lódz, Poland in 1902 (AS, page CV) where he faced Georg Salwe. They played a match in 1903 to qualify for the 3rd All-Russian Championship in Kiev, 1903 (UK, pp. 19-20) (TLY, p. 390). The match ended drawn at 7.0-7.0 (UK, p. 20) and both chessplayers competed in the Championship later that year.(9) In 1904, Rubinstein and Salwe played a second match and Rubinstein emerged as the winner (TLY, pp. 390-391). He crowned his international debut at the Barmen 1905 Hauptturnier by sharing first place with Oldrich Duras, and became recognized as a master.(10) In the fall of 1905, Rubinstein beat Jacques Mieses in a match by the score of 3.0-0.0 (included in Rubinstein - Mieses (1909)).

Rubinstein continued to improve in 1906, sharing second place at the 4th All-Russian Championship in St. Petersburg behind Salwe,(11) and winning Lódz 1906 ahead of Mikhail Chigorin. (12) At Ostende 1906, a 5-stage 36-player tournament won by Carl Schlechter, Rubinstein achieved an excellent third place (UK, pp. 58-73). He was also successful in local events in Lódz.

Ascending to the Top

Rubinstein shared first place together with Ossip Bernstein at Ostende B 1907,(13) before he had his final breakthrough by winning Karlsbad (1907). (14) Rubinstein was also successful in his last match against Salwe, winning 16.0-6.0 (TLY, pp. 395-402). The year 1907 concluded with Rubinstein's win at the 5th All-Russian Championship 1907-1908 in Lódz,(15) where he played probably his most famous game Rotlewi vs Rubinstein, 1907.

The year 1908 was a bit disappointing, as he managed only 4th place at both Vienna (1908) and Prague (1908). He won two matches, one against Richard Teichmann (16) and Rubinstein - Marshall (1908). He also won Lodz (1908).

A contender for the title

At St. Petersburg (1909), Rubinstein shared first place with world champion Emanuel Lasker and beat him in their individual encounter. He went on to win Rubinstein - Mieses (1909) and was successful in smaller events. A match against Jose Raul Capablanca was planned in 1909, but never took place for reasons unknown (UK, pp. 207-208).

In 1910, a quiet year for the chess world, Rubinstein moved to Warsaw, Poland (AS, page CV). The Warsaw championship 1910 ended with a surprise, since Alexander Flamberg won ahead of Rubinstein (UK, p. 210). Soon afterwards, the two masters played a match which Rubinstein won 4.5-0.5 (UK, pp. 213-214). Rubinstein did not participate in Hamburg (1910) with respect to his health.(17) A planned match against Bernstein, which was to start in December 1910 and consist of 16 games, was postponed several times and, in the end, never took place (UK, pp. 215-216).

Rubinstein beat Capablanca in their individual encounter and remained unbeaten at San Sebastian (1911), but he still had to share second place behind the young Cuban. He also had to be content with a shared second place at Karlsbad (1911), Teichmann's great triumph. The year concluded with Rubinstein winning the strong Warsaw championship.(18)

The year 1912 was Rubinstein's magical year. He won four consecutive major tournaments: San Sebastian (1912), Bad Pistyan (1912), the 18th DSB Kongress (1912) and Vilnius All-Russian Masters (1912).

World Championship Challenger

During San Sebastian 1912, Rubinstein wrote to Lasker that he wanted to play a title match against him. Lasker was still bound by the ill-fated negotiations with Capablanca.(19) Rubinstein officially challenged Lasker in August 1912, and the world champion accepted. The negotiations and the arrangement of the world championship took place mainly in 1912 and 1913.(20) The match was to take place in autumn 1914 in Europe, mainly in Germany and Russia. Rubinstein doesn't seem to have played serious chess in 1913, but probably prepared for the match. He spend a few months in Bad Reichenhall, a popular health resort in Germany.(21)

1914 - The end of a dream, but not of all hopes

Rubinstein only scored 50% at St. Petersburg (1914) and was eliminated in the preliminary tournament.(22) This had no influence on the planned world championship match, and Lasker went on with the arrangements for the match.(23) The outbreak of the First World War was the force majeure that forced the cancellation of the title match (UK, p. 304).

The First World War

From 1914 to 1917, Rubinstein was confined to Poland, a major battleground. He could only compete in events in Warsaw and Lódz and did so with success (UK, pp. 304-311). There were also good moments, as Akiba married Eugenie Lew in 1917 and their son Jonas Jacob was born on 24 January 1918 in Szczuczyn, Poland (AS, page Family Tree) (TLY, p. 26). He was able to travel to Berlin in early 1918 (UK, p. 311) and competed in several events. His play became uneven and very good performances took turns with very bad results. First, he won the Rubinstein - Schlechter (1918) match in January, and then came in last at Berlin Four Masters (1918). He followed up with a second place, unbeaten behind world champion Lasker, at Berlin Grandmasters (1918).

The post-war era

In late 1919, the Rubinstein family moved to Sweden where they lived until 1921 (UK, p. 323) (AS, page CV). He came in second in the Stockholm quadrangular tournament in December 1919 (behind Rudolf Spielmann, ahead of Efim Bogoljubov and Richard Reti) (UK, pp. 327-333). At the beginning of 1920, Rubinstein beat Bogoljubov in a match.(24) During a Simul tour through the Netherlands (20 March 1920), Rubinstein spoke about the world championship (UK, p. 370), since Capablanca had emerged as Lasker's main rival. He reminded the public of still having a contract with Lasker, yet did not deny Lasker's and Capablanca's right to play for the title. He thought that an official body should administer the world championship and also suggested a triangular match between Lasker, Capablanca and himself. However, Rubinstein had lost his financial basis in post-war Europe and couldn't raise the necessary funds. Capablanca met Lasker in The Hague in January 1920 and they drew up a draft agreement for a title match, not to begin before 1 January 1921.(25) Capablanca had already declared in August 1919 that Lasker, Rubinstein and he himself were considered the strongest chessplayers in the world and that he would accept a challenge from Rubinstein, if he won the title from Lasker.(26) Rubinstein ended the year with a good second place at Gothenburg (1920) and then won the small Göteborg Winter tournament, which extended from 1920 to 1921, in convincing fashion (TLY, pp. 29-34).

At The Hague (1921), Rubinstein came in third behind Alexander Alekhine and Savielly Tartakower. Rubinstein co-authored the Lärobok i Schack, one of the most important contemporaneous works on opening theory.(27) He went on to win the strong Triberg tournament, December 1921, ahead of Bogoljubov and Spielmann (TLY, pp. 44-52). Alekhine wanted to challenge the new world champion Capablanca already after The Hague (1921), but the Cuban granted Rubinstein the right of a first challenge. He had already accepted Rubinstein's challenge on 7 September 1921. Dutch chess officials suggested a candidates match between Rubinstein and Alekhine. Both masters agreed to the match. The winner would receive 1,000 Guilders, the loser 500 Guilders. The match was to take place not earlier than March 1922. In the end, Alekhine avoided the match.(28)

At London (1922), Rubinstein came in fourth and Capablanca drew up the London Rules.(29) Capablanca granted Rubinstein some time to meet the high financial demands, setting the deadline for 31 December 1923, but Rubinstein couldn't raise the funds.(30) After a second place at Hastings (1922), he came in fifth at Teplitz-Schönau, October 1922, but won 4 Brilliancy prizes (TLY, pp. 72-83). At the end of the year, he had one of his greatest successes at Vienna (1922). Rubinstein, who had to support his family and raise money for the title match, suffered a severe financial set-back when Austrian frontier officials impounded his prize money (TLY, p. 84). In 1922, the Rubinstein family moved to Germany, where they stayed until 1926 (AS, page CV). After winning Hastings 1922/1923 (TLY, pp. 96-100), Rubinstein had very disappointing performances at Karlsbad (1923) and Maehrisch-Ostrau (1923).

Although Rubinstein had to content himself with a third place in Meran, February 1924 he popularized the Meran variation of the Semi-Slav by beating the tournament winner in Gruenfeld vs Rubinstein, 1924. Rubinstein was willing to compete in New York (1924), but this was out of question for the organizers. Bernhard Kagan, responsible for contacting the European masters and trying to help Rubinstein, explained that the number of participants was limited and the Grandmasters who were already in New York had an influential word.(31) He competed in smaller events, before managing a good second place at Baden-Baden (1925). The year 1925 continued to be a successful one with a shared first place at Marienbad (1925). At Breslau (1925), he only shared third place and ended the year with a very disappointing performance in Moscow (1925), his first and only trip to the Soviet Union (TLY, p. 165). While his results improved in 1926, at Semmering (1926), Dresden (1926), Budapest, June-July 1926 (shared third to fifth place) (TLY, pp. 196-203), Hannover (1926) and Berlin (1926), they were not outstanding. The Rubinstein family moved to Belgium in 1926, where Akiba lived until the end of his life (AS, page CV). In the spring of 1927, Rubinstein visited Poland and won the Second Polish Championship in Lódz (TLY, pp. 212-221). On 19 March 1927, his son Samy Rubinstein was born in Antwerp, Belgium (AS, page Family Tree).

In early 1928, Rubinstein visited the USA, gave Simuls and played several exhibition games (TLY, pp. 348-362). An international tournament had originally been planned and then a match against Marshall was suggested in its stead, but neither took place. He shared third place with Max Euwe at Bad Kissingen (1928), but Berlin (1928) was a disappointment. Then came the year 1929, which was one of his best years and stands out among the post-World War I years. First, he scored +3 -0 =4 against the British players in the Scheveningen-style Ramsgate tournament, March-April 1929 (TLY, pp. 238-241). Then followed three large tournaments, where Rubinstein came in fourth at Karlsbad (1929), second at Budapest (1929) and won Rogaška Slatina (today Slovenia), September-October 1929, ahead of Salomon Flohr (TLY, pp. 265-273). Donaldson and Minev on these three tournaments: "Rubinstein's overall result, which included only three losses in forty-nine games, was 34 1/2 - 14 1/2 during the sixty-nine days span."(TLY, p. 238)

The end of his chess career

He reached third place at San Remo (1930). Rubinstein also competed in the Belgian Team Championship in March and beat Johannes Hendrik Otto van den Bosch (3.0-0.0) and Salo Landau (2.5-0.5) in short matches in June (TLY, pp. 282-286). After a third place at Scarborough (1930), Rubinstein played on first board for the Polish team at the Hamburg Chess Olympiad, scoring +13 -0 =4. Rubinstein, together with Savielly Tartakower, David Przepiorka, Kazimierz Makarczyk and Paulino Frydman won the Gold medal.(32) Possibly tired from the Olympiad, which took place in July, Rubinstein disappointed at Liege (1930) in August.

In the spring of 1931, Rubinstein conducted a Simul tour through Palestine. He was the first well-known chess master to do so and the visit had a great, positive and long-lasting influence on chess in Palestine.(33) Then came the Prague Olympiad, July 1931, and Rubinstein played on first board again for the Silver-medal winning Polish team.(34) He was invited to Bled (1931), (35) but did not participate. After a successful Scheveningen-style tournament in Antwerp, July-August 1931 (TLY, pp. 316-318), Rubinstein came in last at Rotterdam, December 1931 (TLY, pp. 318-321) which was followed in January 1932 by a consultation event, which also took place in Rotterdam. Rubinstein scored the most points (TLY, p. 322). This was the last serious chess event he participated in, ending his professional chess career in early 1932.

The later years

The Rubinstein family had moved to Brussels, Belgium in 1931, where his wife Eugenie operated a restaurant (TLY, p. 26). With Akiba retiring from chess in 1932, Eugenie had to feed the family (two children) and the situation became critical. An appeal for help was made in 1932 and the publishing house of the Wiener Schach-Zeitung tried to help by publishing the book Rubinstein gewinnt!, with an introduction by Jacques Hannak and annotations by Hans Kmoch. (36) Akiba stayed for some time in a sanatorium before being reunited with his family (TLY, p. 16). In 1936, Eugenie reported that Akiba's health at least hadn't declined compared to the years before and he still occupied himself with chess, having followed the Alekhine - Euwe World Championship Match (1935) also.(37)

The fact that the Rubinstein family survived the Holocaust seems like a miracle. Sammy spent 1943-1944 in prison but was released. Factors which helped them to survive: They were probably all Belgian citizens by 1940 living in Brussels, and the Germans had no clear plans for Belgium which affected its administration (about 44% of the Jewish population in Belgium perished in the Holocaust), in addition, Akiba hid in a sanatorium (TLY, pp. 18-19).

Rubinstein's last public appearance as a chess player was a Simul he gave in Liège, Belgium in March 1946, scoring +24 -2 =4 (TLY, p. 377). It was reported that he would participate in a tournament in Maastricht soon afterwards, but he withdrew (TLY, p. 19). The financial situation of the Rubinstein family became critical again, and an appeal to help him was made in 1948 (TLY, pp. 17-18). In 1950, FIDE awarded the Grandmaster title to Rubinstein.(38)

Akiba had two students, Paul Devos and the third correspondence chess world champion Alberic O'Kelly de Galway (TLY, p. 19). He was also visited by Daniel Abraham Yanofsky and Miguel Najdorf, who said that Rubinstein won two fantastic games against him, and possibly Euwe.(39)

After his wife Eugenie died in 1954, Akiba moved to a home for old people. Sammy and Jonas remember visiting him and analysing the games of the world championship matches between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov together.(TLY, p. 21) On 15 March 1961, Akiba Rubinstein passed away in Antwerp, Belgium (TLY, p. 21).

Contributions to Opening Theory

Akiba Rubinstein invented and popularized many important opening variations, or turned innovations by others into fully-fledged opening systems. Many opening variations therefore bear his name. Among them are the Rubinstein variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense (1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 e6 3.♘c3 ♗b4 4.e3), the Rubinstein variation of the French Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.♘c3 dxe4), the Rubinstein variation of the Symmetrical English (1.c4 c5 2.♘c3 ♘f6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 ♘xd5 5.♗g2 ♘c7), an important variation in the Four Knights Game (1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♘c3 ♘f6 4.♗b5 ♘d4), the important system against the Tarrasch Defence of the Queen's Gambit Declined with 6.g3 (introduced by Schlechter), and the already mentioned Meran variation in the Semi-Slav.

Testimonials

Garry Kasparov "Careful analysis shows that modern chess, proceeding from the Botvinnik era, is very strongly influenced by the games of Rubinstein, who was, essentially, one of the fathers of modern chess history." (40)

Vladimir Kramnik Rubinstein was “...an incredibly talented and fantastic chess player...Why didn't he become a World Champion? That's a mystery to me…” (41)

Boris Gelfand on the question if Rubinstein was his favorite player: "Yes, sure, definitely." (42)

Additional Information

An overview of Rubinstein's individual scores against the strongest players of his time: User: RubinsteinScores

An overview of Rubinstein's matches: User: RubinsteinMatches

An overview of Rubinstein's tournament career: http://www.phileo.demon.co.uk/uk_ar...

User: jessicafischerqueen 's documentary of Rubinstein can be found in three parts at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi3h... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQQO... and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sqG...

Sources and Footnotes

The most important sources, apart from contemporaneous newspapers, were Donaldson's and Minev's two volumes on Rubinstein and Anita Sikora's website on Rubinstein with a lot of original research. In order to save space, these sources will simply be abbreviated in the text and don't get their own footnotes. The abbreviation "UK" stands for John William Donaldson and Nikolay N Minev, The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein - Volume 1: Uncrowned King, 2nd edition, 2006, Russell Enterprises, Inc., Milford CT USA. The abbreviation "TLY" stands for John William Donaldson and Nikolay N Minev, The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein - Volume 2: The Later Years, 2nd edition, 2011, Russell Enterprises, Inc., Milford CT USA. The abbreviation "AS" stands for Anita Sikora's (User: anyi) website http://rubina.yfw24.de/.

(1) His forename is usually written Akiba with b. In the Hebrew alphabet b, v and w are the same letter and v is the correct transliteration. See the discussion in AS (page CV). Rubinstein himself once used the German transliteration Akiwa (cover of KARL 3/2013). His name is spelled Akiba in the biography because it is the official spelling on chessgames.com. Kiwelowicz is his patronym (other transliterations are Kivelovitch and Kiwelowitsch, see AS, page CV) according to Jeremy Gaige's Chess Personalia (p. 364 of the paperback edition, 2005, McFarland) since Poland was occupied by Russia at that time.

(2) Rubinstein's birthday was unclear for a long time, see the discussion on p. 384 of UK. The earliest sources gave 12 October 1882 (Gregorian calender, converted from 30 September 1882 of the Julian calender), while later sources gave 12 December 1882. It has lately been established that the birthdate on his gravestone, 1 December 1880, is correct, by Elzbieta Kusina and Jan Kusina of the Malopolska Chess Association, Krakow, Poland (19 April 2014, news of the Kenneth Whyld Foundation & Association, http://www.kwabc.org/index.php/17-l...).

(3) Tomasz Lissowski wrote a photo article on Stawiski, Irgendwo im Nirgendwo, KARL 3/2013, pp. 12-17.

(4) Ernst Strouhal, Alles Schöne war geistig..., KARL 3/2013, pp. 12-17. AS, page Family Tree. UK, p. 15. Strouhal notes that rabbis and Jewish scholars usually lived in great poverty in Eastern Europe at that time.

(5) Akiba Rubinstein, Wiener Schach-Zeitung, June 1926, pp. 164-165. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek". Rubinstein was answering Eugen Gömöri's question on how he became a chessmaster.

(6) Ernst Strouhal, Alles Schöne war geistig..., KARL 3/2013, pp. 12-17. Rubinstein's first chess book was Zosints' Instructor, written in Hebrew.

(7) Ernst Strouhal, Alles Schöne war geistig..., KARL 3/2013, pp. 12-17. This decision haunted him throughout his life, see for example TLY, p. 16 where the misunderstood story of the fly is explained. What pestered him was not an actual fly (it's a midrash) but the decision to leave behind his family and Jewish tradition to become a chess professional.

(8) Rubinstein vs G G Bartoszkiewicz, 1897 is Rubinstein's first recorded game. The date of the game is not clear: UK tentatively gives 1897 and played by correspondence (according to S. Postma, Jeugdpartijen van Beroemde Meesters), while Strouhal (see source (7)) has 1901 and played in Steins Café in Bialystok. Lissowski offers 1901 and 1902 as possible dates in Szachowa Vistula Chess Monthly, http://szachowavistula.pl/vistula/b...

(9) Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/...

(10) Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/.... UK, pp. 33-40. A play-off between Rubinstein and Duras ended 1.0-1.0 (two draws).

(11) Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/.... UK, pp. 43-50.

(12) Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/.... UK, pp. 51-57.

(13) Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/.... UK, pp. 79-88. Walter John criticized the Ostend (Championship) (1907) for not inviting Rubinstein instead of the two tail-enders (Generalanzeiger für Elberfeld-Barmen, 6 July 1907; reprinted in Wiener Schach-Zeitung, August-September 1907, p. 254. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek")

(14) Jacques Hannak called the Karlsbad 1907 tournament the "historical turning point of our chess history" (Der historische Wendepunkt unserer Schachgeschichte), because the youth triumphed over the established masters (Jacques Hannak, Wiener Schach-Zeitung, November-December 1907, p. 252. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek").

(15) Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/.... UK, pp. 117-125.

(16) Game Collection: Rubinstein vs. Teichmann, Match (1908)

(17) Wiener Schach-Zeitung, October-November 1910, p. 354. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek".

(18) UK, pp. 244-245. Salwe of Lódz was a special guest. This championship, played in December 1911, counted as the 1912 city championship.

(19) Emanuel Lasker, Pester Lloyd, 31 March 1912, p. 10. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek". See Lasker - Capablanca World Championship Match (1921) for more information on the negotiations between Capablanca and Lasker.

(20) UK, pp. 290-295 provides extensive coverage, e. g. the conditions can be found there. Lasker announced the successful conclusion of the negotiations on 28 August 1913 (Emanuel Lasker, Pester Lloyd, 31 August 1913, p. 11. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek").

(21) Wiener Schach-Zeitung, July 1913, p. 200. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek".

(22) The artificial division into a preliminary and a final tournament, instead of a double round robin event, was criticised by many people according to the St. Petersburger Zeitung (Wiener Schach-Zeitung, May-June 1914, p. 96. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek"). Rudolf Spielmann also criticised the format in the Münchner Neuesten Nachrichten, 31 May 1914 (Wiener Schach-Zeitung, May-June 1914, p. 97. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek").

(23) UK, p. 294 quotes the American Chess Bulletin (1914, p. 139): "Word comes from St. Petersburg that Dr. Lasker will go ahead with his arrangements to play the match for the championship with A. K. Rubinstein of Lodz." It's worth remembering that Carl Schlechter only scored 50% at St. Petersburg (1909), before drawing the Lasker - Schlechter World Championship Match (1910).

(24) Game Collection: Bogoljubov-Rubinstein Match, Sweden 1920

(25) Edward G Winter, Capablanca: a compendium of games, notes, articles, correspondence, illustrations and other rare materials on the Cuban chess genius José Raúl Capablanca, 1888-1942, 1989, McFarland 1989, pp. 108-109 (originally from the American Chess Bulletin, March 1920, pp. 45-46). Edward Winter notes that it is unclear why Capablanca didn't want to play prior to 1921. The consequence was that clause 15 stated that Lasker had the right to play a title match against someone else before 1921. Despite the signed contract, Rubinstein could have played a title match against Lasker, if he had raised the necessary funds. Also telling is Winter's comment on Capablanca's My Chess Career, published in early 1920 on p. 105: "...he also had to convince the chess world of his right to a world title match with Lasker." defending Capablanca from critics accusing him of self-laudation in this book.

(26) Winter, Capablanca, pp. 97-98 (originally from The Observer, 24 August 1919, p. 9).

(27) This was the fourth edition, Stockholm 1921, by Gustaf Collijn and Ludvig Collijn, written by Rubinstein, Richard Reti and Rudolf Spielmann (Aron Nimzowitsch also contributed). Sources are TLY, p. 26; AS, page Mysteries; there are also online resources from libraries, but the fourth edition is not publicly available.

(28) Toni Preziuso, Amerika! Amerika!, KARL 3/2013, pp. 36-37.

(29) Edward G Winter, The London Rules, 2008, http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

(30) Toni Preziuso, Amerika! Amerika!, KARL 3/2013, pp. 37-38. In 1923, Rubinstein tried to finance a trip to the USA as a part of his title campaign, but couldn't raise the money.

(31) Toni Preziuso, Amerika! Amerika!, KARL 3/2013, pp. 38-39 (Kagan gave the explanation in his Neueste Schachnachrichten, 1924, p. 176). According to Preziuso, it is not clear why Rubinstein wasn't invited. He was never considered and financial reasons appear unlikely.

(32) TLY, pp. 289-299. Wojciech Bartelski & Co., http://www.olimpbase.org/1930/1930i...

(33) TLY, pp. 368-371. Avital Pilpel, Rubinsteins Abenteuer im Heiligen Land, KARL 3/2013, pp. 46-49. For Rubinstein, the trip was not a success as he suffered a financial set-back.

(34) TLY, pp. 307-315. Wojciech Bartelski & Co., http://www.olimpbase.org/1931/1931i...

(35) Wiener Schach-Zeitung, July 1931, p. 220. Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek"

(36) TLY, pp. 16-17. An advertisement for the book in the Wiener Schachzeitung can be seen here: http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... (Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek").

(37) Wiener Schach-Zeitung, February 1936, p. 60 (originally from the British Chess Magazine). Provided in "ANNO / Österreichische Nationalbibliothek"

(38) Jeremy Gaige, Chess Personalia, 2005 (paperback edition), McFarland, p. 364.

(39) TLY, p. 19. Edward G Winter, Akiba Rubinstein’s Later Years, http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

(40) Garry Kasparov, On My Great Predecessors Part I, 2003, Everyman, p. 204)

(41) Interview with Vladimir Barsky, Kramnik Interview: From Steinitz to Kasparov, 15 May 2005, http://www.kramnik.com/interviews/61

(42) Interview on 5 June 2012, part 2, http://www.chessvibes.com/?q=report...

Last updated: 2019-07-25 18:40:22

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 42; games 1-25 of 1,038  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Rubinstein vs G Bartoszkiewicz 1-0171897corrC55 Two Knights Defense
2. Rubinstein vs NN 1-0181902?000 Chess variants
3. Chojnacki vs Rubinstein 0-1241903Handicap tournament000 Chess variants
4. Rubinstein vs NN 1-0221903Handicap tournament ?000 Chess variants
5. Rubinstein vs Salwe 1-0321903MatchD05 Queen's Pawn Game
6. Salwe vs Rubinstein 1-0301903MatchB56 Sicilian
7. Salwe vs Rubinstein 1-0491903ConsultationC55 Two Knights Defense
8. Salwe vs Rubinstein 0-1141903LodzC50 Giuoco Piano
9. Rubinstein vs A Rabinovich 0-14919033rd All-Russian Masters, KievA84 Dutch
10. N Kalinsky vs Rubinstein 0-13919033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC22 Center Game
11. Rubinstein vs P P Benko 1-01819033rd All-Russian Masters, KievA84 Dutch
12. M Lowcki vs Rubinstein 1-02919033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
13. Rubinstein vs F Duz-Khotimirsky 0-17519033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD05 Queen's Pawn Game
14. W K von Stamm vs Rubinstein 0-12719033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
15. Rubinstein vs B A Nikolaev 1-04019033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD37 Queen's Gambit Declined
16. V Yurevich vs Rubinstein 0-16419033rd All-Russian Masters, KievA02 Bird's Opening
17. Rubinstein vs S F Lebedev 1-05919033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC10 French
18. S Izbinsky vs Rubinstein 0-13619033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC81 Ruy Lopez, Open, Howell Attack
19. Rubinstein vs V Kulomzin 1-02019033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
20. Chigorin vs Rubinstein 1-03319033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC00 French Defense
21. Rubinstein vs S Levitsky ½-½3819033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC01 French, Exchange
22. Schiffers vs Rubinstein 0-12119033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC11 French
23. Rubinstein vs O Bernstein 0-12519033rd All-Russian Masters, KievC45 Scotch Game
24. Salwe vs Rubinstein ½-½3919033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD02 Queen's Pawn Game
25. Rubinstein vs Znosko-Borovsky ½-½2419033rd All-Russian Masters, KievD50 Queen's Gambit Declined
 page 1 of 42; games 1-25 of 1,038  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Rubinstein wins | Rubinstein loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 24 OF 52 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Sep-04-07  Karpova: The 1930 Olympiad in Hamburg:
http://olimpbase.org/1930/1930pol.h...
Rubinstein won (among others) against Maroczy, Stahlberg, Kmoch and Sultan Khan

Here's a picture:
http://olimpbase.org/1930/img/pol19...
(from left: Frydman, Tartakower, Rotmil, Rubinstein, Macarczyk, Przepiorka and Wrobel)

In 1931 (Prague) he couldn't play that good anymore as his mental illness had progressed. He scored +6 =7 -3 (but he won against Bogolyubov for example).

Sep-04-07  parisattack: Flohr - I see the percision in his play, certainly. But more for me is the sheer elegance of his play, the clarity of concept and execution; like a Mozart concerto. I think Flohr/Rubinstein very similar. There are so many players who could have been World Champion in their prime - Pillsbury, Rubinstein, Nimzovitch, Flohr, Reshevsky, Fine, Keres, Bronstein, Stein, Gligoric...
Sep-04-07  Karpova: After noticing that I had 4999 posts already I knew that the 5000th post had to be something special - and the Akiba Rubinstein page is the best place for my 5000th post!

<As you study his many historical achievements, keep in mind that Akiba Rubinstein had a nervous disorder known as anthropophobia (fear of people and society) for his entire life. His poor mental health was clearly an extremely difficult disability for him to contend with and caused him enormous suffering throughout his life. But, in spite of his disability, Akiba Rubinstein was able to compete brilliantly for many years with the best chess players in the world and his games are studied and treasured to this day.

Rubinstein was a powerful force to contend with between 1907 and 1912. In 1910 when Schlecter challenged Lasker for the World Champion title, many considered Rubinstein to be the best chess player in the world. In those days the challenger to the World Champion was required to raise the money and finance the match. The World Champion alone would decide which challenger to play and this was largely based on the funding available. Rubinstein never had a chance to play for the Chess World Championship but he is considered the strongest player who did not have the opportunity to compete for the title.

Rubinstein was increasingly troubled by his mental illness and in 1911 he complained of a fly that continually disrupted his concentration during tournaments. When asked if he was all right he said, "Oh I'm fine, I just need to see a doctor about this fly". Also during this time it was difficult to visit Rubinstein in his home. His wife warned many potential visitors, "Do not stay long, for if you do stay too long he will leave by way of the window."> written by Terry Crandall (go to http://olimpbase.org/1930/1930in.ht... and click on Akiba's name to read the whole article)

We know that Capablanca held him in high regards and Kramnik praises him to the skies in his thoughtful "From Steinitz to Kasparov" interview (Rubinstein is the only Non-Worldchampion to get this special treatment in the interview).

As Kramnik said, Rubinstein was a man of great talent (and it's a mystery to him that he never became Worldchampion) and able to produce stunning masterpieces during his whole career. Sadly, his mental disease lead to decline and his competitiveness suffered. It was especially bad during WWI and afterwards - he regained some of his competitiveness during the 1920s and 1930 as shown in my above post - but gross blunders made him suffer and spoiled a lot of his games. His chess knowledge, his talent, his passion - it was not gone but his competitiveness declined more and more as the mental disease progressed.

What I call competitiveness is the sum of all of it - a players mental and physical state added to his various chess skills. The infamous Fide K.O. WCs were events which only favored the most competitive one (the one with more stamina who is less likely to blunder) for example. Another example is Kramnik in 2005 - He suffered from Ankylosing Spondylitis and his competitiveness was almost gone but had his chess talent, his chess knowledge vanished? Sure, not! His amazing comeback in 2006 proved it. But Kramnik's disease was treatable - Rubinstein's wasn't. That's why we should be thankful for the uncountable great games he left, his numerous contributions to opening and endgame theory!

Game Collection: Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces

Sep-04-07  MaxxLange: I had no idea he lived so long as a sufferer of mental illness - tragic
Sep-04-07  Anyi: Thank you very much, Karpova, for your valuable and enlightening posts about Akiba Rubinstein; and also for your collection of his games, into which I had my first look today!
Sep-04-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <karpova> that really is a great 5000th post.
Sep-04-07  benjinathan: Beautiful post <Karpova>.

When my kids started playing chess I really had no interest until I saw this: Salwe vs Rubinstein, 1907

Now I am hooked.

Sep-04-07  slomarko: <<karpova> that really is a great 5000th post.> whats so great about that post i don't know. everybody knows those facts about Rubinstein.
Sep-04-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <slomarko: <<karpova> that really is a great 5000th post.> whats so great about that post i don't know. everybody knows those facts about Rubinstein.>

Not true that everyone knows those facts.
In any case, it's nice to have them all gathered in one post. Also linked to a great collection of Rubinstein's games.

As we say in America, who pissed in your cornflakes?

Sep-04-07  slomarko: <Not true that everyone knows those facts. In any case, it's nice to have them all gathered in one post. Also linked to a great collection of Rubinstein's games.> okay even if everyone doesn't know those things the great majority of chess fans have heard those facts 100 times. i'm not saying <karpoav> shouldn't write those "default" things about Rubinstein for beginners but you hailing the post as really great is a little pathetic IMO.

btw nice say where did you hear it, from some truck driver maybe?

Sep-05-07  Karpova: Thanks <Anyi>, <keypusher> and <benjinathan>!

Here's an article on Rubinstein:
http://chessbase.de/nachrichten.asp... but it's in German and I didn't find either an English or a Spanish version.

It would be interesting to know more about the way Rubinstein survived the Second World War (I need to get the two volumes of The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein: Uncrowned King but the Second one hasn't been released yet).

It's said that friends hid him in mental institutions but <JoinTheArmy> mentions German Troops finding him in his house: <Actually German troops actually went to his house, but found him so insane they didn't want to take the time to bring him to a concentration camp.> Akiba Rubinstein

Sep-05-07  Anyi: The chessbase article doesn't give us any details about how exactly Rubinstein survived the WWII either (at least not more than already known here). By the way, as I speak German, please feel free to ask, if you need something in the chessbase article translated. I myself have many questions about his life during World War I, when he had to make a living for his family without playing tournement chess. In one of the articles on the web it's mentioned that he had a wife and son, Sammy. What was his wife's name and what happened with Sammy? I have to say that I need to get the two volumes of The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein: Uncrowned King, too.
Sep-05-07  Karpova: I found an interesting article and quote the decisive parts:

<Akiba Rubinstein was born in Stawiski in 1882. He was the fourteenth child in his family. He was born approximately eight months after his father died of tuberculosis, and he was named Akiba after his father.

His father was one of the outstanding students of Rabbi Shimon Sofer of Krakow. He was the son of Rabbi Yaakov Yonatan Rubinsztejn, the rabbi of Grajewo, one of the students of the Chatam Sofer [2] who received rabbinical ordination from him at the age of eighteen.

His mother Reizel was the second daughter of the well-known philanthropist Reb Aharon Eliezer Denenberg, who became rich through the forestry business and donated a great deal of his fortune to the benevolent societies of Stawiski. Reb Aharon Eliezer Denenberg visited the Land of Israel and built a synagogue in Jerusalem that stands to this day. Every Wednesday, sixty Yeshiva students ate at his table, in honor of the birth of his son who was born after three daughters.

When Akiba's mother became a widow, it was very hard for her to take care of her many children, who were weak. Indeed, most of them died in their childhood or youth. During his childhood, the Rubinsztejn family moved to Bialystok after his mother married Rabbi Heller, who was known as “The Genius (Illuy) of Pinsk”. Akiba was educated in Bialystok along with Chaim, the son of the Illuy of Pinsk, who was the same age as him. Chaim was also a genius, who later became known as Professor Chaim Heller, a researcher into the sources of the bible in the traditional style. In his time, he was known as one of the spiritual leaders of Orthodox Judaism in the United States.>

<He married a woman from the Lev family of Szczuczyn during the First World War. He and his wife had two sons, Yonatan and Shlomo. He settled in Brussels, Belgium after the war. Many of the chess experts of the cities of the Low Countries were numbered among his students.

After the First World War, his health became shaky, and he began to suffer from headaches and nervousness. This affected his game. With the passage of time, his game suffered greatly, and he lost games of the second and third level. Despite this, even then he attained fine accomplishments as he played against great competitors, and he won prizes for the most sportsmanlike game.

He visited the Land of Israel in 1931. This was an uncommon event in the annals of chess in the Land. His health degenerated completely around the time of the Second World War, and he fell into depression. He became a loner, and withdrew from communal life. His economic situation also weakened, for he made a living from chess for all of his life. Chess institutions published his games in books, and he was supported from the proceeds.

During the Second World War, he was hidden in Belgium by his fans, and he remained alive. His youngest son was sent to a concentration camp, and survived due to his brilliant game, for the Nazi camp commander, who himself was a good chess player, did not want to forgo such a chess competitor.

His wife tended to him with boundless dedication, and took care of all of his needs. After her death, he entered an institution where he remained until the end of his life.> This was written by Akiva Fett and translated by Jerrold Landau.

<Rubinstein's two sons are counted among the best chess players of Belgium, and in accordance with Dr. Euwe: “Only the great name of their father disadvantages them”.

From an article in “Haaretz”, April 14, 1961.> Written by A. Cherniak and translated by Jerrold Landau

http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/sta... (144 and 146)

Sep-05-07  Karpova: The information in those articles do sometimes contradict with what I read elsewhere and should be taken with a grain of salt. Especially the parts covering his chess career are not that detailed and a bit superficial. But they are interesting nonetheless.

I read that his wife was called Eugenie Lev-Rubinstein which would fit to the information that she came from the Lev family of Szczuczyn. It's still kind of strange that her name is never mentioned though she survived the war, etc..

And the documented games he played against Najdorf are regularly mentioned but where can they be found?

Sep-05-07  FHBradley: I cannot but wonder how Rubinstein ever got married. Perhaps he was "relatively normal" in his early days?
Sep-05-07  slomarko: maybe he married a psycho like him.
Sep-05-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: <slomarko: maybe he married a psycho like him.>

That remark was totally uncalled for!

Sep-05-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: From what I have read his wife was a steadfast companion and sopport for Rubinstein. After WWII she had to make several appeals for funds to support him. She had a hard life with Rubinstein, and deserves sympathy.

In <The Defense> also Luzhin marries a wealthy woman from a good family.

Sep-05-07  Anyi: Thank you, Karpova, for finding that article in jewishgen.org. I found this article on the following page:
http://www.lodzjews.com/us/1r.htm
<Rubinstein Akiba (1882-1961) Chess player, champion of Poland, winner of many international tournaments. Born 12 XII 1882 in Stawiska near Lomza. At first played in Bialystok, 1901 moved to Lodz and started playing in the Lodzer Association of the Followers of the Chess Game. 1904 won the championship of Lodz and two years later second place at the championship of Russia and third place at the Inernational Tournament in Ostende. In the following years he acquired new successes and championship titles. He was known as a forerunner of the modern positional play. 1910 moved to Warsaw and in 1926 left Poland for ever. At first he lived in Berlin, then settled in Belgium. At the III Chess Olympiad in Hamburg (1930) played in the Polish team and contributed to the victory of the Polish team. During the WWII hided in the "Titeca" Hospital in Brussels. He spent the last years of his life in the Old Age Home. Died 14 III 1961 in Brussels. He is considered as the best Polish chessplayer of all times.> The interesting thing is that it gives a concrete place where he was hidden. Another thing I haven't yet read it that he lived in Berlin before settling in Belgium. And I have also found a mention of Luc Winants having received a photo from Akiba Rubinstein's daughter-in-law: http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...
Sep-05-07  Karpova: <Centre Hospitalier/Verpleegcentrum Jean Titeca Rue de la Luzerne/Luzernestraat 9, 1030 Brussels
Tel. : (+32.2) 735.01.60>

http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/...

and
http://www.cenim.be/index.php?page=...

From Winter's splendid page:
<Rubinstein, A.: 26 avenue de Dixmude, Antwerp-Berchem, Belgium (Ranneforths Schachkalender, 1932, page 111).

Rubinstein, A.: 46 rue Château d’Eau, Uccle, Brussels, Belgium (Chess Review, March 1948, page 1).> http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

Sep-05-07  parisattack: I believe there is a fairly extensive article on early-Rubinstein in the Chess History Quarterly (Fiala) but not sure the volume and there are now I think 13 of them. I will see if I can find it, post a synposis basics, unless someone wants to beat me to the punch?
Sep-08-07  Karpova: A novel from Ronan Bennett which is to be released soon: Zugzwang http://books.guardian.co.uk/origina... The protagonist Rozental is based on Akiba Rubinstein:

<As a keen amateur player, I would have gone in any case to watch the games, or at least as many of them as possible, time permitting. But there was another reason for my interest in the tournament. I had just begun to treat the great Avrom Chilowicz Rozental, that sad, shy man. Then 32 years old, Rozental was at the height of his powers. He had defeated Lasker in 1909, Capablanca in 1911. The year 1912 was his alone: his spectacular run of triumphs at San Sebastian, Bad Pistyan, Breslau and Warsaw transformed him into one of the most talked-about celebrities of the age. Across Europe, fashionable hostesses invited him to dinner parties, gentlemen to their clubs.>

It's centered around St. Petersburg 1914

Sep-08-07  Archives: <parisattack <I believe there is a fairly extensive article on early-Rubinstein in the Chess History Quarterly (Fiala) but not sure the volume and there are now I think 13 of them. I will see if I can find it, post a synposis basics, unless someone wants to beat me to the punch?>>

That would be great thanks!

Oct-07-07  Anyi: An interesting note in one of the articles on Winter's chess history page: <...the same Rubinstein who used to conduct in his native town of Lodz a chess column in a little Yiddish paper, printed in Hebrew characters.>

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

Wonder whether an edition or two of this Yiddish paper can be found in some archives...

Oct-18-07  Karpova: According "Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces" by Hans Kmoch (translated by Barnie F. Winkelman) Rubinstein never lost a match in his career.

Rubinstein - Salwe Lodz, 1903
The match ended 5-5 (no draws)
This was the famous match Rubinstein played against the strongest player in Lodz at that time after a year of studying.

Rubinstein - Salwe Lodz, 1903
The match ended +5 =2 -3 in Rubinstein's favor. Now there was no doubt about who was the strongest player in Lodz anymore.

I don't give the games of those two matches since a lot of the games seem to be missing from the database (Salwe has just 2 wins against Rubinstein in this database) and I'm not sure if the year is correct. Who knows more about it?

Rubinstein - Teichmann, Vienna 1908
The match ended +3 =1 -2 in Rubinstein's favor. Only one game is in the database: Rubinstein vs Teichmann, 1908

Rubinstein - Marshall Warsaw, 1908
The match ended +3 =3 -2 in Rubinstein's favor and the games are collected in <Archives> game collection: Game Collection: Rubinstein - Marshall Match 1908

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