[Event "Lodz Dreimeisterturnier 8R"] [Site "Lodz"] [Date "1908.08.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Rubinstein, Akiba"] [Black "Salwe, Georg"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D33"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "75"] [Beauty "7836302107143"] [GameId "272191596939"] [EventDate "1908.08.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "16"] [EventCountry "POL"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2000"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.11.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.11.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,34,28,23,14,19,46,32,38,39,49,35,43,12,10,29,20,15,23,18,40,27,53,-3,22,2,1,14,22,17,63,8,9,-9,12,15,15]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 cxd4 (7... Be7 {was the main move - practically the only move - for a very long time, until just a few years ago.}) 8. Nxd4 Qb6 (8... Bc5 {a la Dubov is all the rage at the moment. To be clear, Dubov wasn't the first player to use this - one could look up a Rubinstein-Marshall game from 1912, for starters, but he worked out a deep and beautiful idea that makes the move work.}) 9. Nxc6 ({We're all in love with Rubinstein's play in this game, but the tactical} 9. Ndb5 $5 {is at least worth exploring, and may be better.} Bc5 10. Bf4 $1 {with complications that should be at least somewhat in White's favor.}) 9... bxc6 10. O-O Be7 {Startlingly, this move - and only this move - is given a question mark by Kmoch. In fact, this natural move is best, and even if some other move were fractionally better it would be odd to see this as an error.} (10... Be6 $6 {is Kmoch's suggestion.} 11. Na4 $6 (11. Be3 $1 $16 {is better, so the queen can't reach b5.} Qxb2 $6 12. Bd4 $1 Qa3 13. e4 $1 Be7 14. exd5 cxd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 Rd8 $8 (16... Nxd5 $2 17. Bxg7 $18) 17. Bc6+ Kf8 18. Re1 Qd6 19. Bxf6 gxf6 $8 (19... Qxf6 $4 20. Qxd8+ $1 Bxd8 21. Re8#) (19... Bxf6 $4 20. Qxd6+ Rxd6 21. Re8#) 20. Qf3 $16 {/+-}) 11... Qb5 $14 12. Be3 c5 $2 (12... Rc8 13. Rc1 c5 $14) 13. Bg5 $6 (13. Qb3 $1 $16 {/+-}) 13... Be7 $6 ({or} 13... Rd8 $16 {, which is indeed best. Still, White is clearly better here.}) 14. Bxf6 $2 (14. Nc3 $1 {isn't considered by Kmoch, but it's much better.} Qd7 (14... Qxb2 $2 15. Nxd5 $1 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Rd8 (16... Bxg5 17. Bxa8 $18) 17. Qa4+ Bd7 18. Qe4 f6 19. Bf4 $18) 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Qxd5 Qxd5 18. Bxd5 Rb8 19. Rac1 Rxb2 20. Rxc5 O-O 21. e3 $16 {/+-}) 14... Bxf6 15. Bxd5 Rd8 16. e4 O-O $44) 11. Na4 (11. Qc2 $1 $14 {has a similar idea in mind, but may be more precise.} O-O 12. Be3 Qa6 (12... d4 $2 13. Na4 Qd8 14. Rfd1 $18) 13. Rfd1 $14) 11... Qb5 (11... Qa6 $5) 12. Be3 O-O 13. Rc1 Bg4 14. f3 {Praised in the old books and emulated in later games, this prepares an attractive regrouping. Everything Rubinstein does looks beautiful and flows: White will achieve his clamp on c5 and d4, Black has no counterplay--what's not to like? Meanwhile, the engine thinks Black has the better half of equality.} ({The killjoy engine prefers} 14. Re1 {, when it's =/?.}) 14... Be6 (14... Bf5 $142 15. Bc5 Rae8 16. Rf2 Nd7 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. Qd4 Rfe8 19. Bf1 Qb7 $11) 15. Bc5 {Perfect color-by-numbers chess: swap off the defender of the weak dark squares.} Rfe8 $11 16. Rf2 Nd7 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. Qd4 {Keeping control over c5.} Ree8 (18... Rae8 $1 19. Qxa7 Qb4 $44) 19. Bf1 Rec8 (19... Qb7 $142 20. e3 a5 $11) 20. e3 $14 Qb7 (20... Qa5 $142) 21. Nc5 (21. Rfc2 $142 $14) 21... Nxc5 22. Rxc5 {It still feels like White is doing absolutely everything right - by the book, you might say, and if you do it's because games like this helped write the "book". In fact, it's completely equal, provided Black plays ...a5.} Rc7 $2 (22... a5 $1 $11 {is a standard idea nowadays, ensuring permanent pressure down the b-file. The game continues, of course, but White has no advantage whatsoever. Black will often continue with ...Qb4, and in case of a3, then ...a4.}) 23. Rfc2 $6 {Last chance for Black...} (23. b4 $1 $16) 23... Qb6 $6 (23... a5 $1 $14) 24. b4 $1 $16 {Now it's over, strategically speaking.} a6 $6 {Creating another target for White.} (24... a5 $2 {is too late, thanks to a simple tactic.} 25. Rxa5 $1 $18) 25. Ra5 (25. a3 $142) (25. Kf2 $142) 25... Rb8 $2 (25... Qxd4 $142 26. exd4 Rb7 27. a3 Rb6 $16) 26. a3 $1 {Of course White isn't going to trade the great pawn on b4 for Black's garbage pawns - especially when he can win the a-pawn for free.} Ra7 27. Rxc6 $1 Qxc6 28. Qxa7 Ra8 29. Qc5 (29. Rxa6) 29... Qb7 30. Kf2 h5 31. Be2 g6 32. Qd6 Qc8 33. Rc5 Qb7 34. h4 a5 35. Rc7 Qb8 36. b5 {All of Rubinstein's moves here do a nice job of keeping Black sealed in.} a4 37. b6 Ra5 38. b7 {The only thing that looks like an answer to the threatened 39.Rc8+ is 39...Kh/g7, but then 39.Rxf7+ is just as bad.} 1-0