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1
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- “A True Master of Openings, Pawn Structure, and Endgames”
- By: Rockwell
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- Akiba Kivelovic Rubinstein was born December 12, 1882 in the polish
city of Stawiski and raised in a Jewish Family. Rubinstein was not
a young prodigy, a matter of fact he first learned to play chess
at age 16 (pretty late compared to all the other chess greats who
started around age 5)! After placing 5th in a tournament at Kiev
in 1903, Rubinstein gave up his schooling in theological studies
for a professional chess career (wow, that takes some guts).
A few years later, and with some improvement in his game
Rubinstein is able to enter the international chess scene.
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3
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- As with almost all great chess players Rubinstein had a problem,
in this case it wasn’t alcohol addiction it was a mental disorder
known as anthrophobia (fear of people and society). This one disability
haunted him for the rest of his life and caused him an almost unimaginable
amount of suffering, amazingly however Rubinstein was able play
and compete with the best of them. His games are still studied and
cherished to this very day.
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4
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- At a time when many considered Akiba as the number one contender
for the world champion title it was Schlecter not Rubinstein, in
1910, who was given a chance to challenge Lasker for the world title.
Remember, at that time The World champion was the one to decide
who he was going to play for the world championship, and for the
most part it was who was able to raise the cash needed to play the
world champion. Rubinstein, unable to raise the funding required,
never had a shot to play for the world championship.
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5
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- As time passed Rubinstein’s mental health slowly worsened. In
1911 he complained of a fly that continually disrupted his concentration
during tournaments. When asked if he was all right he replied “Oh
I’m fine, I just need to see a doctor about this fly.” During this
time it was said that it was increasingly difficult to visit Rubinstein
at 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.”
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- It is something that has never been done before Rubinstein, and
hasn’t been done in as short of a time since Rubinstein. In 1912
Rubinstein won 5 tournaments in a row in the same year! It took
fifty years for another man, Bent Larsen, to achieve this same feat,
however it took Larsen 3 years to win 5 tournaments in a row opposed
to Akiba’s 1 year.
- Rubinstein’s wins were at: San Sebastian, Pistyan, Breslau, Warsaw,
and Vilna.
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- In his games, Akiba’s talents lied in his mastery of openings
and pawn structure, and a skill in endgame that leave many in awe.
He was most famous for being able to link the kind of opening to
a certain kind of endgame. Rubinstein, for the most part, liked
symmetrical responses (suck as 1.e4 2.e5 and 1.d4 2.d5) and was
thought of as a true positional player.
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- By this time there was a growing demand for there to be a match
between Rubinstein and Lasker, unfortunately due to the start of
Rubinstein’s deep psychological problems and the rise of the Cuban
chess star Capablanca combined with the break out of World War I
was the beginning of the end for Rubinstein.
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- The 1914
- St. Petersburg tournament was a disaster for Akiba. Remember this
is the tournament where the top 5 finalists were given the title
of “Grandmaster.” Rubinstein did not qualify in the top 5.
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- Rubinstein’s failing health can be seen very evidently in his
chess games, where he would at times miss a mate in two! His shyness
and lack of confidence led to a deterioration of his chess abilities.
After the conclusion of WWI, Rubinstein played with moderate success
in tournaments, with an amazing win at Vienna in 1922 where he placed
ahead of Alexander Alekhine and Richard Reti. After 1932, Rubinstein
never competed in chess tournaments again, all though he was invited
to do so.
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- Shortly after his retirement from chess, Akiba checked into a
psychiatric clinic where he spent his days staring into a mirror
until the final years of his life which he spent in Belgium with
his family until his death in 1961.
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- Ironically the very thing that tormented Rubinstein saved his
life, for when WWII broke out the Germans left him alone because
of his madness.
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- First prize in: Ostende, tied with Bernstein (1907), Carlsbad
(1907), Vilna (1909), Saint Petersburg, tied with Lasker (1909),
Warsaw (1912), San Sebastián (1912), Breslau, tied with Hard (1912),
Pistyan (1912), Vilna (1912), Göteborg (1921), Vienna (1922), Hastings
(1923), Southport (1924), Marienbad, tied with Nimzovich (1925),
Lodz (1927), Rogaska-Slatina (1929).
- Second prize in: Warsaw (1910), San Sebastián, tied with Vidmar
(1911), Carlsbad, tied with Schlechter (1911), Stockholm (1920),
Göteborg (1920), Hastings (1922), Baden-Baden (1925), Hannover (1926),
Budapest (1929).
- Third prize in: Ostende (1906), Warsaw (1919), Is It (1921), Merano
(1924), Breslau (1925), Dresden (1926), Scarborough (1930).
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- In all of chess history there are a select few individuals that
stand out among the rest, Akiba Rubinstein is one of these people.
His great suffering and his perseverance through it is an example
we can all learn from, and through his life and his chess he has
been able to leave behind a legacy we will never forget.
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Notes