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Reuben Fine
Fine 
 

Number of games in database: 610
Years covered: 1930 to 1986
Overall record: +307 -69 =163 (72.1%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 71 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Nimzo Indian (38) 
    E33 E40 E23 E37 E43
 Orthodox Defense (32) 
    D51 D55 D63 D50 D52
 Queen's Gambit Declined (27) 
    D37 D30 D06 D35 D39
 Grunfeld (22) 
    D83 D81 D97 D70 D82
 English, 1 c4 e5 (18) 
    A20 A28 A22 A27 A21
 Ruy Lopez (17) 
    C86 C83 C70 C90 C72
With the Black pieces:
 Nimzo Indian (34) 
    E33 E34 E43 E37 E23
 Sicilian (26) 
    B45 B84 B50 B80 B72
 French Defense (22) 
    C01 C14 C13 C11 C18
 Ruy Lopez (20) 
    C73 C71 C74 C83 C79
 Queen's Gambit Declined (20) 
    D38 D30 D39 D37 D06
 Orthodox Defense (17) 
    D51 D65 D50 D68 D60
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Fine vs Botvinnik, 1938 1-0
   Fine vs W Winter, 1936 1-0
   I A Horowitz vs Fine, 1934 0-1
   Fine vs A Dake, 1933 1-0
   Capablanca vs Fine, 1938 1/2-1/2
   Fine vs Flohr, 1938 1-0
   Fine vs Alekhine, 1938 1-0
   Fine vs Gruenfeld, 1936 1-0
   Fine vs Lasker, 1936 1-0
   Reshevsky vs Fine, 1941 1/2-1/2

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Hastings 1935/36 (1935)
   Zandvoort (1936)
   Wasa SK 20th Anniversery (1937)
   New York 1948/49 (1948)
   United States Championship (1940)
   Ostend (1937)
   Syracuse (1934)
   Hastings 1936/37 (1936)
   AVRO (1938)
   1st Pan-American Championship (1945)
   Margate (1937)
   United States Championship (1938)
   United States Championship (1936)
   Kemeri (1937)
   Folkestone Olympiad (1933)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   0ZeR0's collected games volume 39 by 0ZeR0
   FINESSE by Gottschalk
   Passion for Chess (Fine) by rookchat9
   Passion for Chess (Fine) by neontheorist
   Passion for Chess (Fine) by Qindarka
   Passion for Chess (Fine) by igiene
   Passion for Chess (Fine) by plerranov
   Match Fine! by docjan
   Match Fine! by amadeus
   Fines - Lessons From My Games by igiene
   Fines - Lessons From My Games by scheidt
   Fines - Lessons From My Games by rookchat9
   Fines - Lessons From My Games by plerranov
   Chess Review 1945 by Phony Benoni

GAMES ANNOTATED BY FINE: [what is this?]
   Fine vs Botvinnik, 1938


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REUBEN FINE
(born Oct-11-1914, died Mar-26-1993, 78 years old) United States of America

[what is this?]

Reuben Fine was born in 1914. He grew up in New York City and first learned to play chess at the age of eight. After winning several strong American tournaments as a youth, Fine turned to international competition. He played on three US Olympiad teams from 1933 to 1937, winning one gold and one silver individual medal, while all three teams finished first (http://www.olimpbase.org/players/rn...). In 1937 he tied with Paul Keres for first at Margate, and at the AVRO tournament the next year he again finished tied for first with Keres.

During World War II he was employed by the Navy to calculate where enemy submarines might surface.

After World War II, he was offered an invitation to the World Championship tournament in 1948, but declined to participate. He retired from chess a few years later in order to pursue a career in psychology. In his foreshortened career, Fine played tournament games against five world champions. He had overall plus scores against Emanuel Lasker, Alexander Alekhine, and Mikhail Botvinnik, and even records against Jose Raul Capablanca and Max Euwe.

He was an author of note, his most recognized works being Basic Chess Endings, Ideas Behind the Chess Openings and the sixth edition of Modern Chess Openings.

Wikipedia article: Reuben Fine

Last updated: 2022-10-11 20:59:48

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 25; games 1-25 of 610  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. A Dake vs Fine 1-0351930Young MastersA07 King's Indian Attack
2. F Reinfeld vs Fine 1-0551930Rice Club Junior MastersC14 French, Classical
3. F Reinfeld vs Fine  0-1341930Marshall Chess Club-ch, PrelimC73 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
4. F Reinfeld vs Fine  1-0361931Impromptu matchE23 Nimzo-Indian, Spielmann
5. Fine vs J Rappaport 1-0281931USA Intercollegiate ch 1931/32A00 Uncommon Opening
6. Fine vs A Dake 0-1171931Dake-Fine MatchE43 Nimzo-Indian, Fischer Variation
7. Fine vs F Reinfeld ½-½181931New York State ChampionshipD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
8. F Reinfeld vs Fine 1-0241932Marshall CC ChampionshipD65 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, Main line
9. A Kevitz vs Fine 1-0381932Metropolitan Chess LeagueA90 Dutch
10. H Steiner vs Fine  ½-½751932Fine - SteinerE11 Bogo-Indian Defense
11. Fine vs H Steiner 1-0381932Fine - SteinerE34 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation
12. Fine vs H Steiner 0-1311932Fine - SteinerD35 Queen's Gambit Declined
13. H Steiner vs Fine 1-0401932Fine - SteinerC49 Four Knights
14. Fine vs H Steiner 0-1371932Fine - SteinerA13 English
15. H Steiner vs Fine 1-0611932Fine - SteinerD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
16. H Steiner vs Fine 0-1651932Fine - SteinerB03 Alekhine's Defense
17. Fine vs H Steiner 1-0371932Fine - SteinerE41 Nimzo-Indian
18. H Steiner vs Fine 0-1281932Fine - SteinerD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
19. Fine vs H Steiner  ½-½581932Fine - SteinerA15 English
20. F Reinfeld vs Fine  ½-½201932Western ChampionshipC49 Four Knights
21. Fine vs S Factor  1-0541932Western ChampionshipA60 Benoni Defense
22. J Harris vs Fine  0-1381932Western ChampionshipB32 Sicilian
23. Fine vs F Hazard  1-0411932Western ChampionshipD52 Queen's Gambit Declined
24. Fine vs H Steiner  1-0431932Western ChampionshipE41 Nimzo-Indian
25. G S Barnes vs Fine  0-1381932Western ChampionshipD63 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense
 page 1 of 25; games 1-25 of 610  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Fine wins | Fine loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 10 OF 19 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Sep-09-10  rapidcitychess: <wordpunph::Combinations are as natural as a baby's smile-Reuben Fine">

Correction: It is this:
"In positions such as this, combinations are as natural as a baby's smile" I think he was speaking about this game,
Fischer vs Larsen, 1958

<Fine wrote: "In such positions, combinations are as natural as a baby's smile.">

-Robert "Bobby" Fischer from MSMG.

Just wanted pinpoint accuracy as usual. :)

Sep-19-10  Eduardo Bermudez: Reuben Fine was great chessplayer and one of the best writers of all times !!
Sep-19-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: And, a Fine sandwich!
Oct-02-10  wordfunph: Reuben Fine, one of American's great players, managed to play four games at once on blindfold simul, with the stipulation that he could take no more than ten seconds per move!

- Eric Schiller (The Big Book of Chess)

Nov-06-10  Lt.Surena: It is amazing to see the number of excuses Fine gave over the years for not playing in 1948 world championship:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail...

Another scared/frightened chicken-heart
gave the same excues after 1972.

Feb-27-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: < "Discovered check is the dive-bomber of the chessboard." > A wonderful quote by Reuben Fine.
May-05-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Quote of the Day

< "Really bad moves can always be refuted by general principles." >

Jul-24-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Reuben Fine is not often thought of as a prodigy, but he had his share of teenage victories. Fischer was 14 when he became the youngest to win the US Open/Western Championship, but the youngest prior to him was Fine in 1932 at age 17.
Sep-21-11  whiteshark: Quote of the Day

" <Combinations> have always been the most intriguing aspect of Chess. The masters look for them, the public applauds them, the critics praise them. It is because <combinations> are possible that Chess is more than a lifeless mathematical exercise. "

-- Fine

Sep-22-11  Albertan: Whiteshark I believe you version of the quote is incomplete.I found this one:

"Combinations have always been the most intriguing aspect of Chess. The masters look for them, the public applauds them, the critics praise them. It is because combinations are possible that chess is more than a lifeless mathematical exercise. They are the poetry of the game; they are to chess what melody is to music. They represent the triumph of mind over matter." - Rueben Fine

Dec-20-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Quote of the Day

< "Discovered check is the dive-bomber of the chessboard." >

--- Fine

Dec-20-11  AlphaMale: What a ridiculous thing to say.
Dec-20-11  Petrosianic: What, you didn't understand it?
Dec-20-11  AlphaMale: I understood it to be ridiculous.
Dec-20-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: < AlphaMale: I understood it to be ridiculous. >

I don't think it was meant to be ridiculous.

Dec-20-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: He probably wrote it around the time of World War II, which would make it a striking contemporary image.
Feb-12-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Quote of the Day

< "I never read a [chess] book until I was already a master." >

--- Fine

Mar-01-12  whiteshark: < Quote of the Day

< Really bad moves can always be refuted by general principles. >>

-- Fine

coz o'wise u wudn't call "em r'ly bad"

May-11-12  Helios727: In Fine's book "The Middle Game in Chess", what does he mean when he says "artificial pin"? Is not a "pin" just a "pin"?
May-11-12  Petrosianic: You're giving us a quote out of context, so I have to guess. But at a guess, I'd say true pin is where the move is flat out illegal, but an artificial pin is where the move is legal but just looks like a really bad idea. Like, for example, a piece shielding a queen might seem to be pinned if you think he can't risk exposing the queen to attack, but supposing he can?
May-20-12  Helios727: Okay. So maybe an artificial pin is one where you can afford to sacrifice the shielded piece.
May-20-12  Helios727: Next question. In another section of Fine's book (The Middle Game in Chess) he talks about the power of the "minority attack" (by pawns) on the queen side of the board. However, in a later section he talks about the power of the "queen side pawn majority." How does one determine when the "queen side pawn majority" is an advantage, versus the disadvantage it can impose from the opponent's potential "minority attack"?
Sep-19-12  Conrad93: Where can you find the results for old tournament games. For example, how would I find the results for the Zurich Tournament (1953)?
Sep-19-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <Conrad93> There are many tournaments that have been the subject of member collections. If you click on the option <Game Collections>, you will be able to search for them.

When you search for "Zurich 1953", one of the results will be:

Game Collection: WCC Index [Zurich 1953]

which contains all the games. Usually these will contain crosstables as well; unfortunately, this one is an exception. However, you can find the crosstable at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich....

<chessgames.com> is working on a series of historical tournament pages like those created for current tournaments, but that is in the future.

For historical questions that don't fit on a player or game page, you might ask at Biographer Bistro.

Sep-19-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <Helios727> In general, the "Minority Attack" is a middle-game strategy aimed at creating a positional advantage. The "Queen Side Pawn Majority" is exploited in the endgame, though it can influence middle game strategy.

Here is a typical Minority Attack from Larry Evans vs H Opsahl, 1950 after <14.a4>:


click for larger view

White will follow with b4-b5. If Black trades twice on b5, then his b- and d-pawns become weakened. If Black permits White to trade on c6, then Black's c-pawn becomes backward and very weak. Evans' play in the game shows how to exploit the Minority Attack.

The advantage of the "Queen Side Pawn Majority" is tied in with that of the "outside passed pawn", the idea being that it is advantageous to have a passed pawn as far away from the kings as possible. Since kings normally castle on the kingside, having a queenside majority can be an advantage. It can affect planning in the middlegame, since the player with the queenside majority may more likely to seek exchanges which bring the endgame nearer.

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