Akiba Rubinstein

Akiba Rubinstein

Infobox chess player
playername = Akiba Rubinstein


caption= Rubinstein around 1907/1908
birthname = Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein
country = POL
datebirth = December 12, 1882
placebirth = Stawiski, Poland
datedeath = March 15, 1961
placedeath = Antwerp, Belgium
title = Grandmaster
worldchampion =
womensworldchampion =

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (12 December, 1882, in Stawiski, Poland15 March, 1961 in Antwerp, Belgium) was a famous Polish chess Grandmaster at the beginning of the 20th century.

Biography

He was Jewish, [ [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/jews.html Edward Winter, Chess and Jews, 2003] , retrieved April 26, 2007] and his family planned for him to become a rabbi, yet he did not finish his studies and chose to devote himself to chess entirely. The decision came in 1903 after he won fifth place at a tournament in Kiev. He learned to play chess when he was 16 [Hooper and Whyld, "The Oxford Companion to Chess"] and had been training with the strong master Gersz Salwe in Łódź, and playing frequently against him.

Rubinstein flourished especially from 1907 to 1912. Beginning from his win at Karlovy Vary in 1907, through a shared win at St. Petersburg in the same year, he culminated it in a record string of wins in 1912. He won five consecutive major tournaments that year: San Sebastian, Piešťany, Breslau (the German championship), Warsaw and Vilnius (although none of these events included Lasker or Capablanca)."The World's Great Chess Games", Reuben Fine, (McKay, 1976), p.79-80] Some believe that he was better than world champion Emanuel Lasker at this time. [citation
last=Silman|first=Jeremy|author-link=Jeremy Silman
year=2007
title=Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master
publisher=Siles Press
isbn=1-890085-10-3
page=477
] Ratings from Chessmetrics support this conclusion, placing him as world #1 between mid 1912 and mid 1914. [ [http://db.chessmetrics.com/CM2/Summary.asp?Params=190510SSSSS3S000000000000111000000000000010100 Chessmetrics Summary for 1905-1915] , retrieved on 25-Apr-2007] Reuben Fine, on the other hand, believed he was not quite as strong as Lasker, and was also eclipsed by José Raúl Capablanca after 1911.

At the time when it was common for the reigning world champion to handpick his challengers, Rubinstein was never given a chance to play Lasker for the world chess championship because he was unable to raise enough money to meet Lasker's financial demands. His plans were damaged by a poor showing at the St. Petersburg in 1914 (not placing in the top five). A match with Lasker was arranged for October 1914, but it never took place because of the outbreak of World War I. [ Harvnb|Silman|2007|p=477]

After the war Rubinstein was still an elite grandmaster, but his results lacked their previous formidable consistency. Nevertheless, he won at Vienna in 1922, ahead of future world champion Alexander Alekhine, and was the leader of the Polish team that won the Chess Olympiad at Hamburg in 1930 with a superb record of thirteen wins and four draws. A year later he won an Olympic silver.

After 1932 he withdrew from tournament play, mostly because his schizophrenic tendencies Verify source|date=July 2007 became prevalent; he was suffering from anthropophobia, a fear of people and society. [ [http://www.starfireproject.com/chess/rubinstein.html starfireproject.com] ]

Although he lived for almost 30 years afterwards, he left behind no literary heritage like the other great grandmasters, which may be attributed to his mental problems.

During World War II when the Nazis eventually arrived to haul the aged Jewish grandmaster from his asylum to the death camps, he was so patently insane that they abandoned the attempt. [ [http://www.chessville.com/Keene/spielmann.htm Keene] ]

Chess heritage

He was one of the earliest chess players to take the endgame into account when choosing and playing the opening. He was exceptionally talented in the endgame, particularly in rook endings, where he broke new ground in knowledge. Jeremy Silman ranked him as one of the five best endgame players of all time, and a master of rook endgames. [Harvnb|Silman|2007|pp=477-88]

He originated the Rubinstein System against the Tarrasch Defense variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 (Rubinstein - Tarrasch, 1912). He is also credited with inventing the Meran Variation, which stems from the Queen's Gambit Declined but reaches a position of the Queen's Gambit Accepted, with Black one move ahead.

Today, he certainly has no shortage of lines named for him. The "Rubinstein Attack" often refers to 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e3 0-0 6 Nf3 Nbd7 7 Qc2. The Rubinstein Variation of the French Defence arises after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nd2) dxe4 4 Nxe4. The Rubinstein Variation of the Nimzo-Indian is the most popular non-classical line of the Nimzo-Indian [ [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/explorer?node=112308&move=4&moves=d4.Nf6.c4.e6.Nc3.Bb4&nodes=10703.11482.11470.75542.75543.112308] Popularity of the non-classical line of the Nimzo-Indian from chessgames.com] : 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3. Of course, there is also the Rubinstein Variation of the Four Knights Game which arises after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 Nd4, and the Rubinstein Variation of the Symmetrical English, 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc7, a highly complex system which is very popular at the grandmaster level.

The Rubinstein Memorial tournament in his honor has been held annually since 1963 in Polanica Zdroj, with a glittering list of top-flight winners.

Notable chess games

* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1119679 George Rotlewi vs Akiba Rubinstein, Lodz 1907, Tarrasch Defense: Symmetrical Variation (D02), 0-1] A very impressive attacking combination; "perhaps the most magnificent combination of all time" (Carl Schlechter)
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1119726 Akiba Rubinstein vs Emanuel Lasker, St.Petersburg 1909, Queen's Gambit Declined: Traditional Variation (D30), 1-0] This game ends in an interesting position where Lasker has no good moves (zugzwang).
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1075094 Akiba Rubinstein vs Karel Hromádka, Moravská Ostrava 1923, King's Gambit: Declined. Classical Variation (C30), 1-0] A nice game full of tactics and hanging pieces. The former Czech champion Karel Hromádka fights well, but at the end Rubinstein prevails.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1119757 Akiba Rubinstein vs Carl Schlechter. San Sebastian 1912, 1-0] Capablanca has heaped enormous praise on this game, calling it "a monument of magnificent precision." A quintessential game of Rubinstein.

Chess diagram|=
tright
Mattison-Rubinstein, 1929
=
| |kd|rd| | | | |=
|pd| | | | |pd|pd|=
pd| | |pd| |pd| | |=
| |pd|rl| | | | |=
| | | |pl| | | |=
| | | | |pl| | |=
pl|pl|pl| | | |pl|pl|=
| |kl| | | | | |=
Black to move (his twentieth move)

* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1066873 Hermanis Mattison vs. Akiba Rubinstein, Carlsbad, 1929, (C68), 0-1] A famous rook and pawn ending that seemed "hopelessly drawn", but was won by Rubinstein. The editor of the tournament book said that if this game had been played 300 years earlier, Rubinstein would have been burned at the stake for dealing with evil spirits. [Citation
last = Purdy|first = C.J.S. |authorlink = Cecil Purdy
title = C.J.S. Purdy on the Endgame
year = 2003
publisher = Thinker's Press
pages=223-26
ISBN=978-1-888710-01-8
]

References

Further reading

*cite book | author=Donaldson, John and Nikolay Minev | title=Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King | publisher=International Chess Enterprises | year=1994 | id=ISBN 1-879479-19-2
*cite book | author=Chernev, Irving | title=Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games | publisher=Dover | year=1995 | id=ISBN 0-486-28674-6
*cite book | author=Kmoch, Hans | translator=Barnie F. Winkelman | title=Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces/100 Selected Games | publisher=Dover | year=1960 | id=ISBN 0-486-20617-3

External links

*
* [http://www.starfireproject.com/chess/rubinstein.html Starfire bio]
* [http://www.chess-poster.com/great_players/rubinstein.htm chess poster bio]
* [http://www.supreme-chess.com/famous-chess-players/akiba-rubinstein.html Supreme Chess bio]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Akiba Rubinstein — (Aufnahme um 1907) Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (* 12. Oktober 1882[1] in Stawiski nahe Łomża; † 15. März 1961 in Antwerpen, Belgien) war ein bedeutender polnischer Schachmeister. Er gehörte in de …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Akiba Rubinstein — (né le 12 décembre[1] ou le 12 octobre[2] 1882 à Stawiska, Pologne, da …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Akiba Rubinstein — Nombre Akiba Rubinstein …   Wikipedia Español

  • Akiba Rubinstein — (12 de diciembre de 1882 15 de marzo de 1961) fue un gran jugador de ajedrez de principios del siglo XX. A pesar de que no llegó a ser campeón del mundo, sus partidas se estudian aún hoy, y tienen una gran influencia en el ajedrez actual. Nacido… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Akiba Kivelovic Rubinstein — Akiba Rubinstein, um 1907 Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (* 30. Septemberjul./ 12. Oktober 1882greg.[1] in Stawiski nahe Łomża; † 15. März 1961 in Antwerpen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Akiba — ist ein männlicher Vorname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Akiba kommt aus dem Hebräischen עֲקִיבָא und ist eine Nebenform zu Jakob.[1] Namensträger Akiba ben Josef (hebräisch עקיבא בן יוסף; um 50/55–135), gewöhnlich Rabbi Akiba genannt, gehört zu den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rubinstein — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Akiba Rubinstein (1882−1961), polnischer Schachspieler Alexander N. Rubinštejn, Geburtsname von Alexander Stein (1881−1948), lettischer Journalist Anton Grigorjewitsch Rubinstein (1829−1894), russischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rubinstein — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Rubinstein es el apellido de varias personalidades: Antón Rubinstein, compositor ruso. Akiba Rubinstein, ajedrecista polaco. Ariel Rubinstein, economista israelí. Arthur Rubinstein, pianista polaco. Ida Rubinstein,… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Rubinstein — Famous people named Rubinstein include:* Anton Rubinstein, a Russian pianist, composer and conductor, not related to Arthur. * Arthur Rubinstein, a famous Jewish Polish pianist, not related to Anton. * Amnon Rubinstein, an Israeli scholar,… …   Wikipedia

  • Rubinstein — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Patronyme Rubinstein est un nom de famille germanique. L étymologie renvoie à l allemand rubis (Rubin) et pierre (Stein). Le patronyme pouvait donc… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”