Akiba Rubinstein, The Great?

The following game is quite an instructive one. It displays Akiba Rubinstein's true depth in understanding chess.

But first of all, who is Akiba Rubinstein? What's so interesting about this person? Rubinstein was a renowned master of chess strategy in the early 1910's. It is said that he was the world's number 1 player at that time, around 1912 to 1914. He was the leading contender for the world championship during his prime.

He was praised for his exceptional skills in the endgames, especially rook endings. Nevertheless, he too was feared in the midlegame as he would elegantly demonstrate how to exploit even the tiniest of weaknesses.

The game I am about to show you, took place when Rubinstein at that time, was rising to prominence. My annotations are provided, in the game, move by move.