Akiba Rubinstein was one of the world’s strongest players in the early 20th century, with an impressive list of tournament victories. Below, I explore his life and games.
Photo: Wilhelm Willinger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Table of contents:
Biography
Early life
Akiba Rubinstein was born in 1880 in Stawiski, Poland. He was one of 12 children, although most of his siblings would die at a young age. Raised by his grandparents, Rubinstein began to play chess around the age of 14 and started to play more seriously around 16.
Lodz
1902 was an important year for Rubinstein, as he moved to the city of Lodz, one of the most important chess cities in the world at the time. There he had the chance to improve rapidly, by playing regularly against strong players. His early progress was shown in a match against Salwe the following year, which ended in a draw (7-7). This result allowed both players to qualify for the 3rd All-Russian Championship held in Kiev later that year, where Rubinstein achieved a respectable 5th place finish.
A swift ascent
The next few years saw Rubinstein continue to improve his play. In 1904, he won a match against Salwe, and the following year shared 1st place with Duras at the secondary tournament at Barmen. This result earned Rubinstein the master title. Also in 1905, he won a short match against Mieses by the score of 3-0.
At the 4th All-Russian Championship, held in St Petersburg in 1906, Rubinstein improved on his previous result to finish in shared second place, behind Salwe. That same year, he finished 1st at a tournament in Lodz, and 3rd at the very strong tournament in Ostend, behind only Schlechter and Maroczy.
Joining the elite
1907 was an especially successful year for Rubinstein. He shared 1st place with Bernstein at Ostend-B, ahead of players such as Mieses and Nimzowitsch, and won another match against Salwe (16-6). However, the highlight of the year was Rubinstein’s clear 1st place at the incredibly strong tournament in Karlsbad, ahead of a field which included Marcozy, Nimzowitsch, and Schlechter. At the end of the year, Rubinstein followed this up with another tournament victory, this time at the 5th All-Russian Championship, held in Lodz. It was clear that Rubinstein was becoming one of the world’s strongest players.
St Petersburg 1909
In the next few years, Rubinstein continued to compete successfully in strong events. 1908 saw him win matches against Teichmann and Marshall, as well as another tournament in Lodz. However, 1909 was even more impressive. Rubinstein shared 1st place with World Champion Lasker at the St Petersburg tournament, ahead of an incredibly strong field which included Spielmann, Duras, Bernstein and Teichmann. He also won his individual game against the World Champion.
Warsaw, San Sebastian and Karlsbad
In 1910, Rubinstein moved to Warsaw. He was the favourite going into the Warsaw Championship that year, but, to the surprise of the chess world, he finished only second, behind Flamberg. However, he crushed Flamberg in a match later that year, by the score of 4,5-0,5.
The following year, Rubinstein shared 2nd with Vidmar at the famous tournament at San Sebastian, behind only Capablanca. However, he won his individual game against the rising Cuban star and went undefeated throughout the tournament. Rubinstein also shared 2nd place at Karlsbad that year with Schlechter, behind only Teichmann. At the Warsaw Championship, Rubinstein took clear 1st place, avenging the previous year’s result.
1912
1912 was perhaps the best year of Rubinstein’s chess career. He won the tournament in San Sebastian ahead of a strong field which included Nimzowitsch, Spielmann and Tarrasch, before also taking clear 1st at Bad Pistyan. There he finished with 14/17, an incredible 2,5 points ahead of Spielmann in 2nd place. Rubinstein then shared 1st with Duras at Breslau, before taking clear 1st at the Vilnius All-Russian Masters tournament, ahead of Bernstein, Levitsky and Nimzowitsch. Today, many regard Rubinstein as being the strongest player in the world in 1912.
WWI
Following this success, Rubinstein challenged Lasker to a match for the World Championship, which was set for 1914. However, Rubinstein’s form began to suffer. He did not play in any strong events in 1913, and was eliminated in the preliminary tournament at St Petersburg 1914. The World Championship Match did not end up taking place, as the start of WWI in 1914 made this impossible.
During the war, Rubinstein competed in various events in Lodz and Warsaw. This was an important time for his personal life, as he got married in 1917, and his son was born the following year. At the beginning of 1918, Rubinstein travelled to Berlin, where he finished last at the Berlin Four Masters, behind Vidmar, Schlechter and Mieses. However, he performed better at the Berlin Grandmasters, finishing 2nd, behind only Lasker, and ahead of Schlechter and Tarrasch.
Sweden
Rubinstein moved to Sweden in 1919. Many important chess events took place in Sweden after the war, as it had not suffered the same economic damage as many other European countries. There he finished 2nd at Stockholm 1919, won a match against Bogoljubow in 1920, and finished 2nd in Gothenburg, behind only Réti, that same year. In 1921, Rubinstein finished 3rd at The Hague, behind only Alekhine and Tartakower, won a tournament in Triberg, and co-authored an important book on chess openings.
Another World Championship opportunity missed
Rubinstein spent much of the 1920s traveling around Europe and competing in strong tournaments. His results mixed encouraging successes with disappointments. Rubinstein finished 4th at London 1922, and challenged Capablanca to a match for the World Championship. However, the match did not take place, as Rubinstein was unable to raise the necessary amount of money. Rubinstein won a strong tournament in Vienna that same year, ahead of Tartakower, Wolf, Tarrasch and Marcozy, and decided to move to Germany.
Mixed results
In Germany, Rubinstein competed in various events, notably finishing 2nd, behind only Alekhine, at Baden-Baden 1925. Also in 1925, Rubinstein shared 1st with Nimzowitsch at Marienbad, and took 3rd at Breslau, behind only Bogoljubow and Nimzowitsch. However, not every tournament was a success: he suffered disappointment at Karlsbad 1923 (12th), Mӓhrisch-Ostrau 1923 (10th), and Moscow 1925 (=12th).
The next few years were a time of change for Rubinstein and his family, as they moved to Belgium in 1926, and their second son was born in 1927. In 1928, Rubinstein went on a tour of America, playing various simuls and exhibition games. He continued to perform well in strong tournaments when he returned to Europe, finishing 4th at Karlsbad 1929, 2nd at Budapest 1929, behind only Capablanca, and winning a tournament at Rogaska Slatina in 1929, ahead of Flohr.
A new decade
At the turn of the decade, Rubinstein remained one of the world’s strongest players, despite reaching 50 years of age. He took 3rd place at the famous tournament in San Remo in 1930, behind only Alekhine and Nimzowitsch, and finished 3rd again at Scarborough that same year.
He also competed successfully for the Polish team at Olympiads. At the Olympiad in Hamburg in 1930, Rubinstein went undefeated and recorded the best result on board 1, scoring 13 wins and 4 draws. This helped the Polish team to achieve the gold medal. At the 1931 Olympiad in Prague, Rubinstein again played on board 1, guiding the Polish team to a silver medal. Also in 1931, Rubinstein travelled to Palestine, giving various simuls. This had a powerful effect on the growth of chess in the region.
Later years
However, in 1932, Rubinstein’s mental health was deteriorating, and he left professional chess. His family suffered a loss of income and struggled financially. Fortunately, Rubinstein and his wife survived WWII, although details of his life at this time are unclear. After the war, Rubinstein gave a simul in Liège, Belgium, scoring 24 wins, 2 losses, and 4 draws. However, this did not mark a return to professional chess.
In 1950, Rubinstein received the grandmaster title. Despite this, his life did not become any easier, as his wife died a few years later, in 1954. Rubinstein subsequently moved to a home for the elderly. His health continued to deteriorate, and he died in 1961, in Antwerp, Belgium, at the age of 80.
Legacy
Today Rubinstein is remembered as one of the strongest players never to become World Champion, and generations of players have grown up learning from his games. He also made great contributions to opening theory, and important lines in the Nimzo-Indian and French Defence, among others, bear his name.
Game Analysis
Rubinstein won an instructive game against Swiderski in Vienna 1908, which illustrates the importance of exchanges.
Lessons from this game:
- Doubled pawns can be useful if they control important squares and the rooks can make good use of the open file they provide. In this game, black’s doubled f pawns are more a strength than a weakness.
- Knights are most effective when they have support points in the centre. In this game, black’s knights on e4 and d5 are very powerful.
- Moving the same piece multiple times in the opening can lose time, and give the opponent a lead in development.
Puzzles
Rubinstein – Mieses, Lodz 1905
Rubinstein – Duras, Karlsbad 1911
Leonhardt – Rubinstein, Bad Pistyan 1912
Rubinstein – Maroczy, Gothenburg 1920
Solutions
Further Reading
To find more about Rubinstein’s life and games, the following are useful sources:
Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, Volume 1,
Rubinstein’s chessgames.com page,
his chess.com page,
this YouTube video by Lucas Anderson,
and the website chesshistory.com, run by Edward Winter.
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