Karsten Müller’s Endgame Magic Show #176: Rubinstein's rook endgame mastery

by Karsten Müller
12/20/2021 – In the Endgame Magic Show #176 Karsten Müller and Arne Kähler take a look at fascinating rook endings. They start with the last game of the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, and then focus on the game Spielmann vs Rubinstein, St. Petersburg 1909, in which Rubinstein worked his rook endgame magic. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.
All endgame DVDs by Karsten Müller in one package! More than 70 hours of instruction! from "Basic knowledge for beginners" (volume 1) to "Practical Rook Endgames" (volume 8) to the ever-popular "Golden Guidelines of Endgame Play" (volume 14).

Endgame Magic #176

In his prime Akiba Rubinstein (1 December 1880 - 15 March 1961) was one of the world's best players and a possible contender for the World Championship. Rubinstein is particularly famous for his deep and logical strategic plans and for his superb skills in rook endgames.

Games like the following explain why he had this reputation: Rubinstein defeated Rudolf Spielmann in a complicated rook endgame, in which some moves of Black just seem magical.

 
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1.e4 1)Kmoch: Rubinstein gewinnt! S.49 2)Glatman,Victor: Rubinstein e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Bg4?! 8...0-0 9.h3?! 9.d3 0-0 10.h3 Bh5 11.Nbd2 9...Bh5 10.d3 0-0 10...Qd7!? 11.a4 Rb8 12.axb5 axb5 13.Nbd2 g5!∞ (Tringov-Nej,Sofia 1969) 11.Nbd2 d5!? (N)(11... Na5 12.Bc2 c5 13.Nf1 Nd7 14.g4 Bg6 15.Ng3+/- O'Kelly-Van Scheltinga, Beverwijk 1963) 12.exd5 12.Qe2!? dxe4 13.dxe4 Bc5 14.Nf1 (/\Ng3) 12...Nxd5 13.Nf1 13.g4 Bg6 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Rxe5 Nf4∞ 16.Qf3 Nxd3 17.Rd5 Bd6! 13...Bf6 14.g4!? 14.Ng3 Bg6 15.Ne4 Be7= 14...Bg6 15.g5 Weit berechnet 15.Ng3 Nb6 15...Be7 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Rxe5 Nb6 18.d4 Nd7 19.Re1 Bxg5 20.Bxg5 Qxg5+ 21.Qg4! Qd8 21...Qxg4+ 22.hxg4± Kmoch: Die weiße Mehrheit am Damenflügel kommt stark zur Geltung. 22.Ng3 Nf6 23.Qf3 Qd7 24.Kh2 a5 24...Rfe8 25.Re5 25.a3 Rab8 26.Re5 Rfe8 26...b4 27.axb4 axb4 28.Ba4 27.Rg1 27.Rae1 Kmoch:Weiß hat eine schöne Stellung. b4! Belov 28.axb4 axb4 29.Bc4= 27...b4? 27...Qd6 28.Rxa5! 28.axb4 axb4 29.Bc4 28...bxc3 29.Qxc3 Ne4 30.Nxe4 Rxe4 31.Rd5 Qe7 32.Rc5 Re2 33.Qg3 Es konnte auch schon vorteilhaft 33.Rxc7! geschehen (Lasker) Rxf2+ 34.Kg3 Qg5+ 34...Qf6 35.Rc8++- 35.Kxf2 Qf4+ 36.Ke1 Re8+ 37.Kd1 Bh5+ 38.Kc2 Qf2+ 39.Kb1 Qxg1+ 40.Ka2 Der weiße König ist nun in Sicherheit und der weiße d-Bauer ist eine Macht. 33...Qd6!       Ein geistreicher Zug, der mehrere Drohungen aufstellt. 34.Qxd6?? 34.Rxc7?? Rxf2+! 35.Rg2 Rxg2+ 36.Kxg2 Qxg3+ 37.Kxg3 Rxb3+-+ Wie Lasker im Turnierbuch zeigt, konnte Weiß hier mit 34.Bxf7+! gewinnen Kxf7 34...Bxf7 35.Re5 und die Doppeldrohung Qxg7matt und Rxe2 entscheidet. 35.Rxc7+ Ke6 36.d5+ Qxd5 37.Qg4+ und gewinnt 34...cxd6 35.Rc7 Rxb2 36.Rgc1 Kf8 37.Bc2 Ra2 38.Bxg6 hxg6 39.R1c2! Rxc2! 39...Rxa3? 40.Rd7!∞ 40.Rxc2       R <-> R Die Stellung ist stark vereinfacht, ein Turmendspiel ist entstanden., in welchem wohl Schwarz besser steht, da seine Bauern nur in zwei, die weißen dagegen in vier Lager aufgespalten sind; aber man sollte meinen, daß Weiß dennoch Remis erzielen könnte. Gelänge es ihm z.B. den Bauern d6 gegen die Bauern a3 und d4 einzutauschen, so wäre der halbe Punkt gesichert. Rubinstein beweist aber in der Folge, daß Weiß verloren ist. Es ist lehrreich und für jedermann empfehlenswert, sich in das folgende Endspiel zu vertiefen. Ra8 41.Rc3 41.Ra2 Ra4! 42.Kg3 Ke7! 43.Kf3 Ke6 44.Ke4 d5+ 45.Ke3 Kf5-+ 41...Ra4 42.Rd3 Ke7 43.Kg3 Ke6 44.Kf3 I.L.Rabinovich,S.89 Kd5! 45.Ke2! g5 45...Rxd4? 46.Rxd4+ Kxd4 47.a4! Kc5 47...d5 48.a5 Kc5 49.Kd3 Kb5 50.Kd4 48.Ke3 Kb4 49.Kd4 Kxa4 50.Kd5 46.Rb3 f6! 46...Rxd4? 47.Rd3! 46...Kxd4 47.Rb7 47.Rb4+ Rxb4 48.axb4 Kc4 49.Ke3 d5-+ 47...f6 48.Rxg7 Rxa3 49.h4!= 47.Ke3! Kc4! 48.Rd3 d5 49.Kd2 Ra8 /\Re8 50.Ke2 Ra7 51.Kd2 Re7! 52.Rc3+ 52.Re3 Rb7! 53.Rd3 Rb2+ 54.Ke3 Ra2! 52.Kc2 Re2+ 53.Rd2 Rxd2+ 54.Kxd2 Kb3!-+ 52...Kxd4 53.a4 Ra7 54.Ra3 Ra5! 55.Ra1 Kc4 56.Ke3 d4+ 57.Kd2 Rf5! 58.Ke1 58.a5 Rxf2+ 59.Ke1 59.Kc1 Kb3 60.Rb1+ Kc3-+ 59...Rb2! 59...Rh2? 60.Ra4+ Kb5 61.a6!± 60.a6 Rb8 61.a7 Ra8 /\Kc4-c5-b6 58...Kb4 59.Ke2 Ka5!-+ 59...Ra5? 60.Kd3 60.Ra3 Rf4 61.Ra2 61.Kf1 Rh4 62.Kg2 Rh8! /\Rd8.Kb4 61...Rh4 62.Kd3 62.Ra3 Kb4 62...Rxh3+ 63.Kxd4 Rh4+ 64.Kd3 64.Kd5 Rxa4 65.Rxa4+ 65.Rb2 Rf4 65...Kxa4 66.Ke6 Kb4 67.Kf7 g4! 68.Kg6 68.Kxg7? f5 69.Kf6 f4 70.Kf5 g3-+ 68...Kc4 69.Kf5 Kd3 70.Kxg4 Ke2-+ 64...Rxa4 65.Re2 Rf4 66.Ke3 Kb6 67.Rc2 Kb7 Bereitet Rc8 vor. 68.Rc1 68.Rd2? Kc7 69.Ra2 Rb4 68...Ra4 /\Ra6-c6 69.Rh1 Kc6 70.Rh7 Ra7 71.Ke4 Kd6 72.Kf5 g6+ 72...Ra4 73.Kg6 Rf4 74.Rh2 Ke5 75.Kxg7 Ke4 76.Kg6 Kf3-+ /\Ke2 73.Kxg6 Rxh7 74.Kxh7 Ke5 75.Kg6 g4 75...g4 76.Kh5 f5 77.Kg5 77.Kg6 f4 77...Ke4 78.Kh5 Kf3-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Spielmann,R-Rubinstein,A-0–11909C90St Petersburg Chigorin Memorial17

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Karsten Müller is considered to be one of the greatest endgame experts in the world. His books on the endgame - among them "Fundamentals of Chess Endings", co-authored with Frank Lamprecht, that helped to improve Magnus Carlsen's endgame knowledge - and his endgame columns for the ChessCafe website and the ChessBase Magazine helped to establish and to confirm this reputation. Karsten's Fritztrainer DVDs on the endgame are bestsellers. The mathematician with a PhD lives in Hamburg, and for more than 25 years he has been scoring points for the Hamburger Schachklub (HSK) in the Bundesliga.

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