What’s The Best Move?

Vienna 1922
By GM Larry Evans

Rubinstein’s dominating effort 1. White moves 2. White moves

At age 16 I had the audacity to
crank out 300 copies of my first book + + + + + + + +
on a mimeograph machine with my + + +pk
pp+ +pkp
brash notes to all games of the leg- R+ + + R + + qp+
endary Vienna International Tourna-
ment 1922, until then in the hands
+ + +
p + + + +
of just a few collectors. Poland’s Akiba + +p+K+ + +Pn
P
Rubinstein (1882-1961) dominated + +
P
P + +rRN+
15 stalwarts, including Alekhine + + r
P P+ +
PP+
who only shared 4th to 6th. Russell
Enterprises urged me to add key dia-
+ r + + + Q + K
grams and revise my teenage effort in (a) Kxg5 (b) h4 (c) Rhc6 (a) Rxd3 (b) g3 (c) e5
figurine algebraic, and it’s due for
3. Black moves 4. Black moves
publication early next year.
Reuben Fine wrote: “In so many of r+ + + + r+ +r+k+
Rubinstein’s games we are carried
away by their classic perfection and + + +k+p +p
p +p
p
feel impelled to say: Better chess p+ +p+p+ p+q
p +
p
cannot be played by mortal man.” +pLl+ q + nNnl+
After 1932 Rubinstein never com- +
P + + +PL + +
peted again. Like so many chess
greats, he died a pauper. + +
P
P +P+ +P+
Solutions to this month’s quiz P+Q+
P
P P+PQL+P
P
positions are on page 71. + R + K + R R K
(a) Qg4 (b) Qh5 (c) Qf5 (a) Ne6 (b) a5 (c) Re6

Not Quite On Your Game?

GM Larry Evans Offers Solutions From the Grandmasters

uschess.org Chess Life — October 2010 43