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Akiba Rubinstein vs Carl Schlechter
"Triple Trouble" (game of the day Mar-14-2010)
Berlin Grandmasters (1918), Berlin GER, rd 2, Oct-01
Old Indian Defense: Tartakower-Indian (A54)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)better is 6...c6 7.Bd3 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.Bg5 O-O 10.Qd2 Qb6 11.Be2 ⩲ +0.54 (20 ply)better is 7.Be2 exd4 8.Qxd4 g6 9.Qe3+ Be7 10.O-O O-O 11.f4 Re8 ⩲ +1.12 (22 ply) 7...g6 8.g3 Bg7 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qb3 O-O 11.Bg2 Re8 = +0.49 (21 ply) ⩲ +1.28 (21 ply) 10.Qd2 d5 11.cxd5 exd4 12.Bxd4 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.f4 ⩲ +0.98 (21 ply) 10...Nh5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Rfd1 Qc7 13.a3 Nc5 14.Rd2 Rad8 = +0.20 (19 ply) ⩲ +1.09 (20 ply) after 11.Rfd1 Nb6 12.f4 exd4 13.Bxd4 Rad8 14.Bd3 Nbd7 15.Be3 better is 14...Nb6 15.Rfd1 d5 16.Be5 Qc8 17.cxd5 Nbxd5 18.Nxd5 ⩲ +0.73 (22 ply) ⩲ +1.42 (21 ply)better is 17.f5 Nc5 18.Bf4 Qb6 19.Qb1 Qb4 20.Rd4 h6 21.Qc1 Ncd7 ⩲ +1.12 (22 ply) ⩲ +0.59 (24 ply) after 17...d5 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.Bf3 Nxf4 20.Qf5 Ne6 21.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Bf3 Nd7 19.g3 Ndc5 20.f5 Ng5 21.Bg2 h6 22.Bf4 Nh7 ⩲ +0.97 (20 ply)= +0.12 (23 ply)better is 25...Nxe4 26.Rxd8+ Qxd8 27.fxe4 g6 28.b3 Qd4 29.fxg6 = +0.40 (29 ply) ⩲ +0.95 (26 ply)better is 26...Qd7 27.Qe1 Nxe4 28.Qxe4 Qd8 29.f4 g6 30.Kg2 gxf5 ⩲ +0.65 (25 ply) ⩲ +1.25 (28 ply) after 27.Nxc5 bxc5 28.b3 h6 29.Qd2 Kh7 30.h4 Qb8 31.Qd3 f6 better is 33...Qf8 34.Kg2 Qd8 35.Qe7 Qf8 36.Kg1 h6 37.Kg2 Qc8 ⩲ +1.42 (36 ply) ± +2.10 (29 ply) after 34.h5 Qf8 35.hxg6 fxg6 36.Qe6+ Qf7 37.Qxc6 Qf8 38.Qd5+ 39...Qe6 40.Kg3 Qc8 41.Qe4 Qa8 42.Kg2 h5 43.Qd4 Kf8 +- +3.06 (32 ply)+- +12.82 (30 ply)better is 41.Qe5 Kh7 42.Qxg5 Qg8 43.f4 Kh8 44.Qxg8+ Kxg8 45.f5 Kf8 +- +12.64 (32 ply)+- +4.82 (27 ply) after 41...Kf8 42.Qxg5 Qe6 43.f4 Ke8 44.Qe5 Kd7 45.Kg3 Qd5 49...e5 50.f4 exf4 51.Kxf4 Ke6 52.Ke4 Kf6 53.f3 Ke6 54.f4 +- +132.68 (41 ply)1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Given 19 times; par: 105 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-18-04  Swindler: Nice game. Schlechter sacrifices a pawn to damage Whites pawn structure, trippling the f-file. He later wins it back but the mating threat posed by the Queen and f6-pawn lets Rubinstein pick up pawns. According to Kmoch Black shouldn't give up the d-file, better was 25....b6 or 25....e6.
Sep-15-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: If you analyse this game, you can realize the true genius of Rubinstein. He provides a masterpiece in the Queen ending against one of the strongest players of the time.

20.Bf3 Nfd7!? <Sacrificing a pawn, but inflicting triple pawns to White.> 21.Bxd6 Bxd6 22.Rxd6 Ne5 23.Rxd8 Nxf3+ 24.gxf3 Rxd8 25.Ne4 Rxd1+ 26.Qxd1 b6!? <26... Qd7 27. Qe1, attacking the a pawn. If 27... Qxf5? 28. Nxc5 wins.> 27.Qd4!! <After 27. Nxc5 bxc5 it is difficult to find a plan to break down Black's position. The move actually played is a beautiful pawn sacrifice. Rubinstein finds new targets on the Kingside.> Nxa4 28.f6 Nc5! <28... g6 29. Qd2 (followed by 29. Qh6) Qc8 30. b3 (30. Qh6 Qf8) Nc5 31. Nxc5 bxc5 32. Qxa5, White has a passed pawn on the a file.> 29.Nxc5! <29. fxg7 Nxe4 30. fxe4 Qf4!, Black has some initiative.> bxc5 30.Qg4 <30. Qxc5 gxf6.> g6 31.Qg3 Qd8! <31... Qxg3+? 32. fxg3 Kf8 33. Kf2 Ke8 34. Ke3 Kd7 35. Kf4 h6 36. g4, White wins the King and pawns ending.> 32.Qe5 a4 33.h4 <33. Qe7 Qb8!. If 34. Qxc5? Qxb2 35. Qxc6 Qc1+ 36. Kg2 Qg5+, draw.> h6 34.Kg2 Qc8 <34... Qf8 35. Qe7! Qc8 36. Qxc5 wins a pawn anyway.> 35.Kg3 Qd8 36.Kg2 Qc8 37.Qxc5 Qe6 38.Qe7! Qc8 <38... Qxc4? 39. Qe8+ Kh7 40. Qf8 wins.> 39.c5 g5? <Losing his nerves. But White wins too after 39... Qe6 40. Kg3 (threatening to trade Queens) Qc8 41. Qe4 Qb8+ 42. Kg2 Qa8 43. Kh2! Kh8 44. f4 and 45. f5.> 40. hxg5 hxg5 41.Qe3 Qe6 42.Qxg5+ Kf8 43.Qg7+ Ke8 44.Qg8+ Kd7 45.Qg4! Ke8 46.Qxe6+ fxe6 47.Kg3 Kf7 48.Kf4 Kxf6 49.Ke4 1-0

Nov-28-09  bengalcat47: In Kmoch's book Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces he gives the following variations after White's move of 28. f6! and Black's reply 28...Nc5. (Kmoch here gives this move an exclamation point.) "Forced. The threat is obviously 29. PxP followed by 30. N-B6ch. 28...PxP is naturally not playable, and if 28...P-N3, 29. Q-K3, Q-B1 (or Q-Q1); 30 N-N5, Q-KB1; 31. Q-K7! (again, Kmoch's exclamation point), P-KR3; 32. N-R7 is quickly decisive."

Now, I have analyzed this particular variation after 29...Qd8 (...Q-Q1) as follows: White's next move is 30. Qh6, Qf8; 31. Qh4, h5; 32. f4! (threatening 33. f5, gxf5; 34. Qg5+, Kh7; 35. Qxh5=, Kg8; 36. Ng5, Qe8; 37. Qh7+, Kf8; 38. Qh8#.) Kh8; 33. Ng5. Now if Black plays 33...Nxb2 then 34. f5!, c4; 35. fxg6, fxg6; 36. f7, a4; 37. Qf4.

Alternately, if Black plays 33...Nc4 instead then 34. f5!, a4; 35. fxg6, fxg6; 36. f7. Now if 36...Nb3 then 37. Qg3, Qe7; 38. Qf4. And if 36...Qd8 (instead of ...Nb3) then again 37. Qf4.

Dec-01-09  Lt.Surena: Black's 11th move weakened the d-file and exposed d6 to attack. 12.. Rd8 was probably a better move. 13.f4 is a great move.

White plays fantastic tactical moves from 13th to the 20th to bust the formation at d6. A great game by two very fine players.

Mar-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: This probably will rank amongst my worst attempts to describe Rubenstein's genius, and probably won't be my last, but here goes--Rubenstein, more than any other player, discovered, revealed, and told the truth about a position. Like the silent fellow who sits in the corner during a huge multi-party argument only to come forward with a quiet suggestion that the others realize settles the matter at once, Rubenstein at his best ignored everything we "know" about chess, evaluated each position without prejudices, and found the truth in a game and used it to achieve victory.

Here, the truth is that his tripled pawns are the strength and not the weakness of his position. I'm sure the spectators, the other players, and perhaps Schlechter himself looked at this game and thought, "How come *my* tripled pawns always lose for me, but Akiba's win for him?!"

Ah, well, so much for this latest attempt. The fact is that after almost a century, Rubenstein's play still amazes, mystifies and confounds me. Even when, especially when, his play is at its most quiet.

Mar-14-10  Chessmensch: Fritz 12 doesn't agree with most of Lasker's comments.
Mar-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  kamalakanta: <An Englishman:>

I could not agree more. I am trying to go through some of his games every day, with a board, not a computer...what a pleasure! To stop at a given position and contemplate how the pieces interact, and then to see the greatness of his concept and skill!

Mar-14-10  patzer2: Rubinstein's 41. Qe3! is an instructive double threat which overworks the Black Queen, who cannot protect against both 42. Qxg5+ and 41...Qf5 42. Qe8+ Kh7 43. Qxf7+ .
Mar-15-10  kevin86: White has triplets,still wins ending!
Feb-10-14  MelvinDoucet: this is the kind of games that should be shown to noobs so they understand that double pawns arent an issue
Jun-29-14  shallowred: <Chessmensch>
So, Fritz says that 7...c6 and 25...Rxd1 are necessary? And Fritz knows what a Master in 1918 intended to do after 16...Ne6?

I study every word Lasker writes to gain insight from a practical player. Keep your computer's mindless calculations.

Jun-29-14  WDenayer: I do not understand why Lasker gives 31.Qg3 an exclamation mark. Black is not going to take the Q. 31.Qh4 is not possible because of 31. ... Qe5. But why not 31.f4 ? Then Black plays 31. ... Qd6, but after 32.Qg5 White will win easily. After 31.Qg3, the win took a look time. The position after move 30 is simple to understand: White will use the f pawn, either to mate, but Black can deal with that, or threaten to exchange Queens on e7. The endgame is always lost of Black. If Black deals with both threats, White has to keep the f6 pawn on the board until he can harvest the pawns on the Queenside. There is no way to save this position for Black.
Feb-14-21  Stolzenberg: Great analysis by <Mateo> (see Sep-15-06), except one point: <26. ... Qd7 27. Qe1, attacking the a-pawn. If 27. ... Qxf5? 28. Nxc5 wins.> How does it win after 28. ... Qxc5? But instead of 28. Nxc5 White could simply play 28. Qxa5 with the 4 threats 29. Qd8#, 29. Qa8+, 29. Qxc5 and 29. Nxc5, which should easily win: 28. ... Qg6+ 29. Kf1 Ne6 30. Qa8+ Nf8 31. Qxb7.

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