Saturday, May 28, 2022

LCCC Meets Again June 6, 2022 - And Rubinstein - Part II


 LCCC Meets Again June 6, 2022, at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Brighton, Michigan, located in the Green Oaks Shopping Plaza. We start at 4pm and go until 9 or 10pm. It is just casual chess so feel free to stop by for a game or two....or three.

Now for Part II on the special but tragic life of Akiba Rubinstein:

Among the millions who fell victim to the Great War (World War I) was Akiba Rubinstein's (left) chess genius. The post-war Grandmaster was not the same chess hero of 1914, and who was to contest Lasker for the World Chess Championship soon. 

Rubinstein lost that supreme confidence in himself that is the necessary ingredient in all champions of any endeavor. He suffered now from an inferiority complex, deeming himself of being non-essential to the world. He no longer felt deserving of being a participant in the great chess tournaments after WW1. He even stated he felt unwelcome. He had always been modest, shy, retiring and self-degrading of his own talents, but now it was to the point of being a mental abnormality. More on that later.

There is little doubt that Rubinstein has added more to chess theory and technique than any Grandmaster at this time in history since Steinitz. The standard defense he developed to the Ruy Lopez opening is still in use today, banishing several variations for White to the sidelines for grandmaster play.

In the Queen's Gambit Declined, it was Rubinstein who perfected the fianchetto for the King's bishop against the Tarrasch Defense that gave him resounding victories over Lasker (1909) and Capablanca (1911).

He made improvements to opening theory for both sides of the board in many Queen Pawn openings, the Blumenfeld Counter-Attack, and the Sicilian Defense. 

In the opinion of many of the great chess players of this time, only Capablanca was playing at a greater level of perfection when Rubinstein was at his peak. But where Capablanca improved the theory of others to new levels of excellence, Rubinstein was creating new theory. Current GM's site that most modern openings today started with Rubinstein.

And Rubinstein's genius did not stop at the opening or the middle game. World Champion Emanuel Lasker said that Rubinstein played every move looking at the endgame. And it was debated then, as it still is today by chess snobs, as to who was the greatest endgame player at that time - Rubinstein or Capablanca? 

Dr. Jacques Hannak, who wrote books on both Lasker and Rubinstein stated in the 1920's that after WWI, "Rubinstein's character is too noble for the rough and tumble life. So concerned about his opponent being distracted, that as a matter of principle, Rubinstein would leave the board while his opponent thought. He would only return after his opponent moved. Naturally, with all that time lost for his own study of the game, caused Rubinstein a stunning number of upset losses."

Actually, this was the start of the end for Akiba Rubinstein, the chess player. In 1932, he withdrew from tournament play siting severe anthropophobia. That is a fear of social gatherings. In 1930 and 1931 it was said that Rubinstein would make a move and hide in a corner or behind curtains awaiting his opponent's next move.

Rubinstein stayed in Poland during WWI. There is no solid history as to where or how Akiba Rubinstein (a Jew) survived during WWII during the 1940's. Most believe he spent it in a sanatorium in Belgium. It is alleged that when the Nazis arrived there, they asked Rubinstein if he would like to work for the Nazis and help them with their war effort. The story is, Rubinstein rose from his bed, stood at attention and said, "I would be delighted to." The officer in charge stated, "He must really be crazy," and they left him there.

It is believed that schizophrenia took over Rubinstein's mind because of or during WW1, making Akiba Rubinstein one of the greatest chess players never becoming the World Chess Champion. He spent the last 29 years of his life either at the homes of family members or in sanatoriums.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

LCCC Meeting Monday, May 16 from 4 to 9pm. BWW in Brighton, MI - and GM Rubinstein


Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW)for those of you not in the know of our acronym world. See you there.

We are averaging 12 players an evening, so come on by for some casual chess or lessons if you prefer.

Now this is a second article your humble scribe has posted about Grandmaster Akiba Rubinstein (left). He had an eventful and tragic life. There is an excellent search bar on this site in the upper left corner if you wish to read that article and look at a game or two of his. 

Now on with GM Rubinstein's story:

Born December 12, 1882 in Stawiski - a ghetto in Russian-Poland. For generations, his ancestors had been rabbis and scholars of the Hebrew classics, but not ones to chase wealth or even middle class.

A few weeks before his birth, his father died, leaving behind a wife and TWELVE children! Akiba was moved to live with his grandparents, and they raised him and started his education to become a teacher of the Talmud and a full student of Hebrew, as his father and his father before him. And that is all Akiba wanted to do.

But at age sixteen, by chance he saw two children playing chess and was fascinated immediately. He found the only chess book in Hebrew at the time and devoured it. His grandparents mourned Akiba's new love.

At 19 Rubinstein learned that in the nearby town of Lodz, George Salwe lived. A chess champion who had crossed swords with the great Tschigorin. He left immediately for Lodz to see how he would fare. But even given rook odds, he was no match for Salwe. He was told by that local chess club that being a chess professional was out of his reach. No one had any faith in Rubinstein's chess ability, but Rubinstein.

Akiba returned to Lotz six months later and asked to play George Salwe again. Salwe said fine and Rubenstein won! The leaders of the chess club huddled together, and a 10-game match was agreed to take place between Salwe and Rubenstein.

The first match ended 5 to 5. A second match of 8 games was quickly agreed to, and Rubinstein won it with a 5 to 3 score! A new champion was crowned!

A year later in 1905, Rubinstien went to Kiev, Russia to play with the grandmasters of the day and he finished 5th. He had arrived as a chess player. He went then to Germany to play in that Championship and finished 3rd. In four years, he went from losing with rook odds to a grandmaster, to becoming one!

Next at Ostend, Belgium he finished 3rd over 36 entrants behind only Schlechter and Maroczy ahead, and Bernstein, Teichman, Marshall and Janowsky behind him!

The next year at Ostend he tied for 1st with Bernstein and at Karlsbad he won his first clear 1st! He now was mentioned in the same breath with Capablanca, Niemzowitch, Spielmann, Tarkakower and Vidmar. In St. Petersburg in 1909 he tied for first with the world champion Lasker while actually going 1-0-1 in their games in the round robin tournament.

Then in 1912, Rubinstein won five tournaments, all untied. A feat no grandmaster has done before or since. 

Inexplicably, in 1914 Rubinstein had a horrible tournament in St. Petersburgh. But none the less, a world championship match between Lasker and Rubinstein was scheduled.

Then, World War I broke out.

More next time. 

PS: The next meeting for LCCC at BWW will be on June 6th, as we skip the Memorial Day weekend.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

LCCC Meeting Monday May 2, 2022 from 4 pm until 9pm

 


The CLUB will be meeting this Monday at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Brighton, Michigan located in the Green Oak Shopping Mall. It is off of Lee Rd and US-23.

The time will be from 4pm until 9pm. It is free and players of all ages, strengths and experience are welcome. So are people who would love to learn the game. Lessons are also free. Stop on by.


Our more life seasoned members of the LCCC participated in the Michigan Senior Open.

Charlie S. (Top photo) finished 2nd in the Under 1400 division, with Jeff Solski and Paul Mills (bottom photo) finishing tied for 4th.

In the vaulted Open division, Don Mason and James Karkos finished tied for 11th.

Well done all of you and please send your humble scribe your best games for posting.


Hope to see you all at the BWW tomorrow!