Rubinstein - Schlechter 1-0 (San Sebastian 1912)

[Sean Evans]

[pgn][Event "San Sebastian"]
[Site "San Sebastian"]
[Date "1912.03.07"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Rubinstein, Akiba"]
[Black "Schlechter, Carl"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1912.02.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "20"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8.
cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Qa5 10. Rb1 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 O-O 13. Bb5 $1 {
Rubinstein demonstrates his deep positional understanding. Now he is
provoking a weakening of Black's queenside pawns.} a6 14. Bd3 Rd8 15. Rhc1 b5
16. Rc7 {last book move} Nd7 17. Ke3 Nf6 ({1.65 Komodo 9.02 64-bit:} 17... Nb6
18. Rbc1 Bd7 19. Rb7 Rdb8 20. Rcc7 Bc8 21. Rxb8 Rxb8 22. Nd2 Rb7 23. Rc2 Bd7
24. Nb3 Ra7 25. f4 Kf8 26. Nc5 Ke7 27. g4 Ra8 28. a3 f6 29. Kf3 g5 30. fxg5
fxg5 31. Kg3 h6 32. h3 Na4 33. Nxa4 {0.91/28}) 18. Ne5 Bd7 19. g4 h6 20. f4 Be8
{White is gaining more and more space with every move, but his next deccision
marks a new stage of the game. Rubinstein starts a direct attack aginst the
enemy king, so he prefers to break the symmetry on that wing. A modern
computer analysis will not find any flaw in Rubinstein's play throughout the
whole game.} 21. g5 hxg5 22. fxg5 Nh7 23. h4 Rdc8 24. Rbc1 Rxc7 25. Rxc7 Rd8
26. Ra7 f6 27. gxf6 gxf6 28. Ng4 Bh5 29. Nh6+ Kh8 30. Be2 Be8 31. Rxa6 Kg7 32.
Ng4 f5 33. Ra7+ Kh8 34. Ne5 fxe4 ({4.35 Komodo 9.02 64-bit:} 34... Kg8 35. a4
bxa4 36. Bc4 f4+ 37. Kxf4 Nf8 38. Ke3 Rc8 39. d5 exd5 40. exd5 Kh8 41. d6 Rc5
42. Kd4 Rc8 43. Ke4 Bh5 44. Rxa4 Kg7 45. Kf5 Kh6 46. Ra6 Rd8 47. d7+ Kg7 48.
Rd6 Nxd7 49. Rxd7+ Rxd7 50. Nxd7 Kh6 51. Ne5 Bd1 52. Bf7 Kg7 53. Kf4 {3.02/27})
35. Bxb5 Nf6 36. Bxe8 Rxe8 37. Kf4 Kg8 ({#44 Komodo 9.02 64-bit:} 37... Rg8 38.
a4 Rg1 39. a5 Rf1+ 40. Kg5 e3 41. Kg6 Ne8 42. Kh6 Kg8 43. Ng6 Rf7 44. Ra8 Rh7+
45. Kg5 Kf7 46. Ra7+ Kg8 47. Rxh7 Kxh7 48. Nf4 Nc7 49. Kg4 Nb5 50. a6 Kh6 51.
Ne2 Kg6 52. Kf3 Kh5 53. Nf4+ Kxh4 54. Nxe6 e2 55. Kxe2 Kg4 56. d5 Kf5 57. Kd3
Ke5 58. Kc4 Na7 59. Kc5 {3.31/24}) 38. Kg5 Rf8 ({40.15 Komodo 9.02 64-bit:}
38... Nd5 39. Ng6 Rc8 40. Kh6 Nc7 41. Ne7+ Kf7 42. Nxc8 Kf6 43. Rxc7 Kf5 44. h5
Kf4 45. Re7 e5 46. Rxe5 e3 47. Re6 Kf3 48. d5 e2 49. d6 Kf2 50. d7 e1=Q 51.
Rxe1 Kxe1 52. d8=Q Kf2 53. Kg5 Ke3 54. h6 Kf3 55. h7 Ke2 56. Qe7+ Kd3 57. h8=Q
Kc4 58. Qee8 Kb4 {31.25/24}) 39. Kg6 {This game has long been a model example
of converting a spatial advantage in an endgame. Grandmaster Raxuvaev notes
that Rubinstein's play had a strong impact on chess theory in the beginning of
the century.} *[/pgn]