[Event "Vilnius All-Russian Masters"] [Site "Vilna (Vilnius) rue"] [Date "1912. 08. 31"] [EventDate "1912. 08. 19"] [Round "9"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [White "Ossip Bernstein"] [Black "Akiba Rubinstein"] [eco "C48"] [WhiteElo "

[Event "Vilnius All-Russian Masters"] [Site "Vilna (Vilnius) RUE"] [Date "1912.08.31"] [EventDate "1912.08.19"] [Round "9"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [White "Ossip Bernstein"] [Black "Akiba Rubinstein"] [ECO "C48"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "44"] 1.e4 {Notes by Akiba Rubinstein from " Novoe Vremya" 1912, which were translated and published in the August 1912 issue of the "American Chess Bulletin".} e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 {This little-known defense makes the game complicated and avoids the overworked variations of the Four Knights' opening. Whether the move be correct, the future will decide. Opposed to it is the principle that no piece should be moved twice in the opening without real need.} 5.Bc4 {The retreat to a4 would keep the queen pawn pinned only temporarily; therefore the bishop takes up a more aggressive position at c4, threatening the points d5 and f7.} Bc5 6.Nxe5 Qe7 7.Nf3 d5 8.Bxd5 Bg4 9.d3 {If White also captures the b7 pawn, he will have to face a still livelier attack.} c6 10.Bb3 Nd7 11.Bg5 {In this dangerous position Bernstein finds the best plan of defense; the white king flees to the queen's wing and Black's onslaught comes to an end. Every other move would lose; for instance: 11.h3 Bxf3 12.gxf3 Qh4 13.Rf1 Ne5 and wins. Or 11.Be3 Ne5 12.Bxd4 Bxd4, and White has no defense against the threat of 13...Qf6.} Qd6 12.Nb1 Qg6 {Also 12...Ne5 came under consideration.} 13.Be3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Qg2 15.Kd2 Nxf3+ 16.Kc1 Rd8 17.h3 Bxe3+ 18.fxe3 Nde5 19.Qf1 Qg5 20.Qe2 {Not 20.Qf2 because of 20...Rxd3.} Nd4 21.Qd2 Ndf3 22.Qe2 Nd4 {After 23.Qf2 (or 23.Qe1) would follow 23...Nxb3 24.axb3 Rxd3, etc.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Gothenburg"] [Site "Gothenburg SWE"] [Date "1920.08.14"] [EventDate "1920.08.02"] [Round "9"] [Result "0-1"] [White "Rudolf Spielmann"] [Black "Akiba Rubinstein"] [ECO "B29"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "104"] 1.e4 {Notes by Akiba Rubinstein and Rudolf Spielmann.} c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.c4 Nc7 5.d4 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qe4 d5 8.exd6 Qxd6 9.Nc3 e5 {Rubinstein: The best continuation is 9...f5. If White's queen leaves the e-file, then 10...e5 with good development. If 10.Qe2, then Black can play 10...g6, followed by ...Bg7 and ...e5.} 10.Bf4 {!} f6 11.Rd1 Qb4 {Rubinstein: After this move Black runs into difficulties. Better seems to be 11...Qe6 or 11...Qe7, with the possibility of putting the queen on f7.} 12.Bc1 Be7 13.a3 Qa5 14.Qc2 {! Spielmann: Avoiding the threat 14...Bxa3. In case of 14.b4 Black has 14...Nxb4, and against 14.Bd2 he could play 14...Qb6 15.b4 f5, followed by 16...Nd4.} e4 {! Rubinstein: Black's queen is in danger - the threat is 15.b4 when White wins at least a piece. The ideas behind the pawn sacrifice are to free the queen and obtain good attacking chances.} 15.Bd2 {Spielmann: Not 15.Qxe4 because of 15...Bf5 16.Qe3 O-O with a strong attack. Unclear is 15.b4 Bxb4!?.} exf3 16.Nd5 Qc5 {Spielmann: Here an interesting continuation is 16...Nd4 and if 17.Qe4 then 17...Qc5 18.Bb4 Bf5 with the advantage.} 17.Nxc7+ Kf7 18.Nxa8 Bg4 19.Be3 Qa5+ 20.Rd2 Rxa8 21.c5 {Spielmann: Also worth considering is 21.gxf3 Bxf3 22.Rg1.} Ne5 22.g3 Rd8 23.Bc4+ {Spielmann: White must make a difficult decision. After 23.b4 Qxa3 24.Qa2+ Qxa2 25.Rxa2, Black has good opportunities. I rejected 23.Qb3+ Be6 24.Qxb7 because of 24...Rxd2! 25.Bxd2 Qc5.} Nxc4 24.Qxc4+ Be6 25.Qb4 Qa6 26.Kd1 Rc8 27.Rc2 b6 28.Kc1 bxc5 29.Qe4 {Spielmann: If 29.Bxc5? Qc6.} c4 30.Bd4 Rd8 31.Re1 Bf8 32.Rd2 g6 33.Qxf3 {Spielmann: Not 33.g4?, because of 33...c3!.} Bf5 34.Qe3 Rc8 35.Bc3 Bd3 36.Qd4 Qc6 37.g4 {?! Spielmann: This loses. True, after 37.Qxa7+ Rc7 38.Qd4 (38.Qe3?? Re7) 38...Bc5! 39.Qh4 g5 40.Qh5+ Bg6 Black still has good counterplay.} Bc5 38.Qf4 g5 39.Qg3 Bd6 40.Qe3 Bf4 41.Qe7+ Kg6 42.Bxf6 {Rubinstein: This sacrifice is incorrect. Spielmann probably overlooked the point of Black's 43rd move. Better is 42.Re6 Qh1+ 43.Re1 Bxd2+ 44.Kxd2, but Black still keeps the advantage after 44...Qf3 45.Qxa7 Qxg4 46.Qe3 Qg2 47.Qg3 (if 47.h3 Bf5) 47...Qc6, intending ...Qa4 or ...Rd8.} Rc7 43.Qd8 Rd7 {! Spielmann: But not 43...Qxf6? 44.Qg8+ Rg7 45.Qe8+ and White wins the queen with 46.Re6.} 44.Qg8+ Kxf6 45.Qf8+ Kg6 46.Qg8+ Kf6 47.Qf8+ Rf7 48.Qh8+ Rg7 49.h4 Qd7 50.h5 Kf7 51.Re3 Bxe3 52.fxe3 Ke6 0-1

[Event "Match"] [Site "Lodz RUE"] [Date "1907.02.27"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [White "Georg Salwe"] [Black "Akiba Rubinstein"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "126"] 1.e4 {Comments by Akiba Rubinstein from "Neue Lodzer Zeitung", March 1907, No. 11.} e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Bb6 7.O-O Bg4 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.Bxd5 O-O 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Kg2 Kh8 13.c3 Qe7 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Bxb6 axb6 16.Qe2 Rfe8 17.Nd2 d5 18.f3 f6 19.Rfd1 Bf7 20.a3 Red8 21.Nf1 dxe4 22.fxe4 {White needs to put up with the weak pawn on d3, as in case of 22. d3 : e4 Black would take over the open d-file by playing f7-b3.} c5 23.c4 Rd7 24.Ne3 c6 25.Rac1 g6 {The aim of this move is the breakthrough f6-f5, but it happens too early. So the opponent is given an attacking chance on the f-file. First Black should have kept the enemy’s pieces bound to the weak pawn on d3 by tripling the two rooks and the queen on the d-file. The interference of the white knight on f5 was not to be feared, as it can be exchanged in the following move by f7-e6, which by no means would have been advantageous for White.} 26.Qc2 Rd4 27.Qf2 Rad8 28.Rc3 Be6 29.Qf3 b5 30.Nc2 R4d6 31.Rf1 Kg7 32.Ne1 b4 33.Rc2 Ra8 34.Rcf2 Bg8 35.Qe3 bxa3 36.bxa3 Ra5 37.Rf3 h6 {Gives the bishop a new exit square and prevents g4-g5 at the same time.} 38.Qf2 Re6 39.Qb2 Ra8 40.Nc2 Rf8 41.Qb6 Qd6 42.Rb1 Re7 43.a4 f5 44.gxf5 gxf5 45.Ne3 Bh7 46.Kh2 Kh8 47.Nxf5 Bxf5 48.Rxf5 Rg8 {Here Black could effect draw by f8 : f5, but thinks that he has winning chances on the g-file.} 49.Rf3 Reg7 50.Qb2 Rg6 51.a5 Qc7 52.Qf2 Rg2+ {Forced! There is the threat of c7-g7, then g6-g3.} 53.Qxg2 Rxg2+ 54.Kxg2 Qxa5 55.Rb7 Kg8 56.Rd7 Qd2+ 57.Rf2 Qg5+ 58.Kh2 Qe3 59.Rf5 h5 60.Rff7 Qd2+ 61.Kg3 Qe1+ 62.Kg2 h4 63.Kf3 Qg3+ {Draw because of eternal check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Consultation game"] [Site "Scheveningen NED"] [Date "1920.02.26"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "?"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Akiba Rubinstein"] [Black "Rudolf Johannes Loman / van Gelder"] [ECO "D63"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "59"] 1.d4 {Notes by Akiba Rubinstein from "Nederlandsch-Indische Schaakbond" 1920, pp. 59-60.} d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 {If 4.Bg5, then Black can play 4...h6 5.Bh4 dxc4.} Be7 5.Bg5 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 Re8 8.Qc2 c6 9.Bd3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 b5 11.Bd3 Bb7 {Compare this game with Rubinstein-Capablanca, St. Petersburg 1914.} 12.O-O Rc8 13.Ne5 Nf8 {Here 13...h6 is better and saves several tempi.} 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Bxe7 Rxe7 16.Bxe4 Qd6 17.f4 f5 18.Bf3 Rec7 19.Rfd1 Nd7 20.Rd3 a5 {Black's plan is, by playing 21...Nb6, to stop White's initiative on the queenside. If White plays Rc3, then ...Na4, and the rook has to leave the c-file. In case of b3, there follows ...b4.} 21.Nxd7 Qxd7 22.Rc3 a4 {If not, White plans b3, and the pawn on a5 is in danger.} 23.Rc5 Qd6 24.g4 g6 25.g5 Kf7 26.Qc3 Qe7 27.d5 {White breaks through in the center, but h2-h4-h5 and then d5 may be better. Black would be unable to do anything against this plan.} b4 28.Qe5 exd5 29.Bxd5+ Ke8 30.Be6 {Here the game was adjourned because of the late hour and 30.Be6 was the sealed move. White has a significant advantage. On 30...Rd8, there follows 31.R1c4 Rd6 32.Rd4!!, and Black cannot capture the bishop by 32...Rxe6 because of 33.Qh8+ Kf7 (33...Qf8 34.Rd8+) 34.Rd8 and wins. If 32...Rxd4, then 33.Qh8+ Qf8 34.Qxd4, and Black has no defense against the many threats. Upon being shown these lines, van Gelder and Loman resigned without further play.} 1-0