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Happened Today in the Chess World - Dec 1, 2023

THE CHESSBOARD VIRTUOSO

Moscow 1925: Efim Bogoljubow - Akiba Rubinstein

Today, we remember Grandmaster Akiba Rubinstein, born in Stawiski, Poland, on December 1, 1882 (some sources say he was born on December 12, some others in 1880).
Rubinstein approached chess at a relatively old age but quickly became one of the best Polish chess players. In 1912, he won five high-level international tournaments and became the most accredited challenger to Lasker's world title. After WWI, Rubinstein's results went down, also because of his mental health. That didn't keep him from winning several international tournaments, up to the triumph of Poland at the Olympiad in 1930, with Rubinstein on the first board.
Rubinstein was an endgame virtuoso, and he also contributed to the world of the openings, with variants tied to his name in the French, the Nimzo-Indian, and the Tarrasch.

Akiba Rubinstein-Moishe Hirschbein, Lodz (campionato polacco) 1927
White to move