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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 8 OF 19 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-01-09  nimh: Finee & Reshevsky
http://web.zone.ee/chessanalysis/su...

By the accuracy of their moves, they seem to be diametrically opposite, in spite of the fact that their playing strength must be roughly qeual.

Feb-19-09  whiteshark: Guess tomorrow's <Quote of the Day>
Feb-19-09  Dredge Rivers: <"I never read a (chess) book until I was already a master.">

So, if he hadn't read any chess books ever, he would have been World Champion? Huh?

Although, not reading certainly worked for George W. Bush!

Feb-19-09  NakoSonorense: I want my money back. I've never read a chess book either and I'm no master!
Feb-19-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: <Nako> but maybe the <Playboys> you <read> had something to do with it
Feb-19-09  stoy: According to Gary Kasparov, Ruben Fine is one of the most underestimated players in the history of chess. He did not play in the 1948 Match Tournament because he did not want to see Russians throwing games to other Russians.
Feb-19-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: Oh, geeze, here we go with the pre-arranged games again... =)
Feb-19-09  Jim Bartle: Yes, we pre-arranged the kibitzes, too.
Feb-19-09  ughaibu: I'm surprised that he didn't know how to spell "pawed".
Feb-20-09  Dredge Rivers: <stoy>
<he did not want to see Russians throwing games to other Russians.> All the more reason for him to go. Then he and Reshevsky (and perhaps Euwe) could throw games to each other and even up the playing field! BTW, only Smyslov was an ethnic Russian. Botvinnik was a Jew and Keres was an Estonian. I think you meant to say Soviet.
Feb-20-09  Dredge Rivers: A postscript to my last post. I didn't intend to denigrate Jews or any other group for that matter. I simply meant that in the days of the Soviet Union, Botvinnik and his co-religionists were not regarded (offically, as for example on their internal passports, as well as unoffically) as Russians, but as Jews. Culturally, they were indeed Russian, and should have been considered as such. Nevertheless, "Soviet" would have been a more precise word for <stoy> to have used.
Feb-20-09  AnalyzeThis: The one that I sympathize with is Keres. They held a gun to his head and helped him understand he wasn't going to win the tournament. The poor guy had the audacity to win the previous qualifying tournament, but didn't get his match against the champion.
Feb-20-09  Dredge Rivers: <AnalyseThis>
Yes, but that qualifying tounament, ARVO 1938, was unofficial. Indeed, Alekine back out on his commitment to play the winner before it was even over. Then he had a few Vodkas.
Feb-20-09  AnalyzeThis: That it was unofficial was news to everybody but Alekhine who arrived to play at the tournament. It's true that Alekhine did make such an announcement at the opening ceremony.

What a guy!

Keres should have changed his name to Bogo. Then Alekhine would have played him right away.

Feb-21-09  Dredge Rivers: <AnalyseThis>
By unofficial, I meant that FIDE did not sponsor it. Thus, there were no means to force Alekine to play the winner.
Mar-15-09  suenteus po 147: Another Fine tournament win: Game Collection: New York 1948/49
Apr-03-09  Dredge Rivers: <suenteus po 147>

<Another Fine tournament win>

That's a pun, right? :)

Apr-24-09  WhiteRook48: on page 7, there was something about chess books, weren't they My Strange Blunders by WhiteRook48
How to Hang Pieces Easily by WhiteRook48
How to Win Coincidentally by WhiteRook48
How to draw like Kramnik by WhiteRook48
My best 60 games by WhiteRook48
My worst 3000 games by WhiteRook48
buy them at the chess store
May-16-09  parisattack: <AnalyzeThis: The one that I sympathize with is Keres. They held a gun to his head and helped him understand he wasn't going to win the tournament. The poor guy had the audacity to win the previous qualifying tournament, but didn't get his match against the champion.>

Keres - The player who wasn't a WC but most should have been! Other 'could have beens' - Pillsbury, Rubinstein, Fine, Reshevsky, Bronstein, Korchnoi...But Keres at the top of at least my list.

List of those who played WC caliber chess for a period of time quite long - Nimzovitch, Flohr, Kashdan, Stein, Geller...

May-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: < AnalyzeThis >

Talk about being pulled in two directions. Someone posted a photo here, I think on the Keres page, of P.K. playing a simul against 15 or so Wermacht officers during WWII. I don't know if this was in occupied Russia, or if Keres was trapped in eastern Europe. I would guess Keres was playing for his supper/life in these games against nazis.

After Stalin and his henchmen saw photos like that, I would guess Keres could be convinced to play 'less skillfully' in an important game or two. Siberia is a long ways from Moscow.

Jun-05-09  Nimzonick: Fine also said his book on the Spassky-Fischer match that by 1948, psychology had consumed him and he was "no longer interested" in pursing a world chess championship.

Unrelated note:

http://images.google.com/images?q=R...

There is also a huge series of photos on Fischer on this archive

Jun-05-09  Petrosianic: <By unofficial, I meant that FIDE did not sponsor it. Thus, there were no means to force Alekine to play the winner.>

Even if they had sponsored it, it wouldn't matter. FIDE didn't control the title in those days. In 1938, FIDE's "official" challenger was Salo Flohr. That shows you how much pull they had then.

Jun-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: Ahem: <"My Most Memorable Under Twenty Move Losses to Little Chess Partner and How I Was Ashamed to Admit to It Except in the Vain Hope of Making the Memorable Quotes Page"> by OhioChessFan
Jun-13-09  mistreaver: Robert James Fischer beat Reuben Fine 4 to 1.
Isn't he also one of the world champions (altought the games were played before that moment.)
Jul-09-09  whiteshark: Quote of the Day

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

-- Fine

The sky is clearing up.

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