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Akiba Rubinstein vs Rudolf Spielmann
"Put a Spiel on Me" (game of the day Feb-25-2015)
San Sebastian (1912), San Sebastian ESP, rd 10, Mar-02
Dutch Defense: Rubinstein Variation (A84)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 26 times; par: 71 [what's this?]

Annotations by Jacques Mieses.      [4 more games annotated by J Mieses]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jul-11-06  zb2cr: <apoorv>,

In your line, 33. ... Rh5, what do you propose if White plays 34. Rff4? Then 34. ... Qg5+; 35. Kf3, Rh3; 36. Rg4 looks as though White can hold. Improvements for Black?

Jul-11-06  Boomie: 33...Rh5 seems to lead to a rook and pawn endgame with black a pawn up. Probably not enough to win. Spielmann's g5 is winning.

33...Rh5 34. Rff4

(34. Rf2 Rg5+ 35. Kf3 Qh1+ 36. Kf4 Rf5+ 37. Ke3 Rxf2 38. Kxf2 Qxe4 )

34...e5 35. Kf3

(35. Rf2 Rg5+ 36. Kf3 Qh1+)

35...exf4 36. Rxf4 Rh1 37. Qe3 Qh5+ 38. Kf2 Rh2+ 39. Ke1 Qg6 40. Re4

Oct-30-06  Fisheremon: <GeauxCool:...Spielmann on Spielmann's sac: 25...Bxe4
"The hostile King is forced into the open. It is therefore a King-Hunt sacrifice. I could not calculate the combination more exactly, and I had to rely entirely on my conviction that favorable variations would occur as a matter of course. And events proved me to be right.">

Rubinstein missed 26. Bxe4! giving =

Aug-11-07  sanyas: I hope everyone here is aware that 35...♕e4+ 36.♔xg5 h6+ 37.♔f6 ♕e8 leads to mate in 6 more moves.
Aug-12-07  sanyas: 14.♗xf6 and 18.♘d3 were White's key mistakes. If 20.♕xd6 then 20...♗c6 21.♗xc6 ♘xb2 22.♕xc7 ♕f2+ 23.♔h1 ♘xd1 24.♖xd1 ♕xe2 25.♖g1 bxc6 26.♕xc6 h6 27.h3 ♖f2 28.♖g2 ♕f1+ 29.♔h2 ♖xg2+ 30.♕xg2 ♕xc4 31.♕a8+ ♔h7 32.♕xa7 ♕e2+ 33.♔g1 ♕f3 should win.
Nov-08-10  sevenseaman: A great game. The only disappointment is that after a high-flying stretch the game had to peter out into a K and the pawns ending.
May-05-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: My favorite Spielmann game. His opponent isn't a lesser light, it's Akiba Rubinstein, and it isn't just any Akiba Rubinstein, it's *the* Akiba Rubinstein during the best year of his life. Indeed, one should remember that Rubenstein won this tournament.
May-05-13  Eduardo Bermudez: I like it this kind of game !
Mar-17-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: Spielmann's greatest brilliancy?

Its # 86 in the Soltis book, "The 100 Best."

Feb-25-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Seems like a lot of kerfuffle just to win a pawn.
Feb-25-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Another wonderful game for which a great pun is irrelevant. We've hit a good streak the last few days.

Rubinstein certainly was a stronger player overall than Spielmann, but the latter always had what boxers refer to as "The Slugger's Chance". Here, spectacular combinations culminate in simplfication leading to an easily won pawn ending, reminiscent of Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1922.

Feb-25-15  Pirandus: Spielmann was the "Cavalier of the KingsGambit", with Tchigorin.
Feb-25-15  morfishine: Was Rotlewi Rubinstein's second? All kidding aside, Spielmann beats Rubinstein at his own game: great positional play leading to a won endgame

Sure, a stunned Rubinstein missed 26.Rf3 having been pole-axed by 25...Bxe4!. We all have at one time or another

*****

Feb-25-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <Pirandus: Spielmann was the "Cavalier of the KingsGambit", with Tchigorin.>

Another <Knight of the King's Gambit> was...er.... Akiba Rubinstein:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

He played white in the King's Gambit 37 times. He lost eight, won 24 and therefore drew 5.

Feb-25-15  SimplicityRichard: <offramp> Indeed he did.

Spielmann was a true romantic at heart. He deeply analysed the King's Gambit finally opining that his beloved King's Gambit was not very scientifically (positionally) sound, in his work, "From the Sick Camp of the King's Gambit" (also called "On the Deathbed of the King's Gambit). Spielmann's views may have been influenced by the poor result of the White side in the Abbazia 1912 King's Gambit themed tournament, where White won 40 points and Black 59. This however did not stop Spielmann from employing the King's Gambit successfully until his demise in unfortunate circumstances. Spielmann also regularly employed the Vienna Gambit. He is amongst my favourite all time Chess Masters.

In this game Spielmann employing the Dutch Defence is able to quickly equalise, and wrest the initiative around move 13, from the great Akiba Rubinstein. However, 26.Rxe4 is the blunder that loses an even game that would have resulted in a draw.

Feb-25-15  Bubba from AG: 17.f4! And the already pale defense crumbles slowly
Feb-25-15  JimNorCal: I have many favorite chess players, but when I think about it, there are few pairs of opponents that top Spielmann and Rubinstein. They had a number of excellent pitched battles.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

Feb-25-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <JimNorCal: I have many favorite chess players, but when I think about it, there are few pairs of opponents that top Spielmann and Rubinstein. They had a number of excellent pitched battles. http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
Seeing that list reminds me of a chess oddity. Lasker and Spielmann only played each other about 5 times.
Feb-25-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: < offramp: <JimNorCal: I have many favorite chess players, but when I think about it, there are few pairs of opponents that top Spielmann and Rubinstein. They had a number of excellent pitched battles. http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches... Seeing that list reminds me of a chess oddity. Lasker and Spielmann only played each other about 5 times. >

Four, actually. And not that odd. Lasker played about two tournaments a decade after 1900. He played Nimzowitsch twice, Euwe three times. Seven games against Rubinstein, eight each against Bogoljubov and Alekhine.

Feb-25-15  kamagong24: one of my favourite players! both actually!!
Feb-26-15  kevin86: After the storm of checking and king chasing, white finds himself a pawn down...and lost.
Jan-23-17  Saniyat24: Against Rubinstein, it seems a lot of great games were played...!
Jul-23-18  DWINS: Thanks to modern computers we now can update our understanding of this fantastic game.

Mieses analysis of White's 26th move is flawed. He claims that 26.Bxe4 loses but it actually draws according to Fire 7.1 and double checked by Stockfish 9. His recommendation of the inferior 26.Rf3 as a drawing chance is not necessary.

Fire 7.1 x64 popcnt 0.00 (depth 30)
26.Bxe4 Rf1+ 27.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 28.Kg2 Rg1+ 29.Kf3 Qh5+ 30.Kf4!! e5+

(If 30...Qxh2 31.Rxd6 g5+ 32.Ke5 Rxg3 33.Rd8+ Kf7 34.Rd7+ Kg8 35.Rxh7 Rh3+ 36.Kxe6 Rxh7 37.Bxh7+ Qxh7 38.Qe5 Qf7+ 39.Kd6 g4 40.Qg5+ Qg7 41.Qd5+ Kf8 42.Qf5+ Kg8 with equality)

31.Ke3 Qh6+ 32.Kf3 axb4 33.Bd5+ Kh8 34.axb4 Qh5+ 35.Ke3 Qh6+ 36.Ke4 Qg6+ 37.Ke3 Qh6+

Oct-02-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  scutigera: The Rube fell for the Spiel...
Feb-09-25  andrea volponi: 25 b4! Bxe4! - Bxe4! Rxf1+ - Rxf1 Rxf1+ - Kg2 Rg1+ - Kf3 Qh5+ - Kf4! = .
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