Pilpul

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein – Richard Teichmann
Match game 4; Vienna, May 7, 1908
Queen’s Gambit Declined D61

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 0-0 7. Qc2 b6. Theoretically speaking, the best continuation is 7. ... c5 8. Rd1 Qa5 as played (with colours reversed) in the game Teichmann – A. K. Rubinstein, Ostend 1907. 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. 0-0-0 c5 11. h4 c4. Teichmann’s aiming to improve on 11. ... Rc8 12. Kb1 Re8 13. dxc5 Rxc5 14. Nd4 Ne4? 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Ndb5! Ba6 17. Qa4! Bxb5 18. Nxb5 with an imposing position for White, A. K. Rubinstein – Teichmann, Karlsbad 1907. Deserving consideration is also 11. ... cxd4 followed by ... Ra8-c8, ... a7-a6 and ... b6-b5 (Kmoch’s analysis). 12. Bf5 Re8. Karl Schlechter recommended, quite rightly, the immediate ... a7-a6, to be followed as soon as possible by ... b7-b5 and ... b5-b4. 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. g4 Bd6 15. g5 Ne4 16. h5. White’s attack is simply overwhelming. 16. ... Qe7. If 16. ... Nxg5 then 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Bxh7+ Kf8 (on 18. ... Kh8 19. h6 is much the same) 19. h6 gxh6 20. Rdg1 with devastating effect (Kmoch’s analysis). 17. Rdg1 a6. Black is seriously late...

18. Bxh7+! White sacrifices his Bishop to destroy Black’s Castle. 18. ... Kxh7 19. g6+! Kg8. Not 19. ... fxg6? 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Ng5+ Kh6 (or 21. ... Kg8 22. Qxc4+ and wins) 22. Nf7+! Qxf7 23. hxg6+ and mate next move. 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. h6! f6. No better is 21. ... fxg6 22. Nh4! g5 23. h7+ Kf7 24. Nf5 and Black can resign. 22. hxg7 exf3 23. Rh8+ Kxg7 24. Rh7+ Kg8 25. Qf5! White mercilessly threatens everything! 25. ... c3 26. Rxe7 1 : 0.

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein, a lithograph portrait from David Friedmann’s portfolio: Köpfe berhümter Schachmeister. Copyright © 1999 Miriam Friedman Morris.