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ANNOTATED GAME

Tournament game, Berlin 1918
Akiba Rubinstein vs. Dr. Milan Vidmar
Annotated by: last_archimedean (1564)
Chess opening: Budapest (A52), Rubinstein variation
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Dr. Milan Vidmar sometimes gets overlooked as one of the greatest players of his era [when two of your peers are Emanuel Lasker and Jose R. Capablanca, that *will* happen!], but for an extended period of time he was one of the 10 best players in the world -- a remarkable accomplishment given that chess was not his profession. He was a full-time university professor who played chess in his spare time. Here, Dr. Vidmar lays the wood to the great Rubinstein -- using the Black pieces, no less!
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5
Vidmar uses a Budapest Gambit, a relatively new line at the time. Rubinstein proceeds to badly mishandle the game.

 
3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+
Rubinstein's greedy insistence on maintaining the Pawn will be punished. Modern players know that often times the best way to deal with a gambit is to return the Pawn at the appropriate time in return for a positional advantage.

 
6. Nc3 Qe7 7. Qd5 Bxc3+
Forcing an ugly weakness in Rubinstein's Pawn structure.

 
8. bxc3 Qa3
Aggressively posting his Queen.

 
9. Rc1 f6
Forcing the removal of the advanced KP.

 
10. exf6 Nxf6
Returning the Knight to its natural square with tempo.

 
11. Qd2 d6
Opening a line to develop his last minor piece.

 
12. Nd4 O-O
Tucking his King away before engaging in complications.

 
13. e3 Nxd4
Removing Rubinstein's strongly centralized Knight.

 
14. cxd4 Ne4
Planting his own Knight in a central outpost.

 
15. Qc2 Qa5+
Forcing Rubinstein's King towards the open spaces.

 
16. Ke2 Rxf4
A beautiful sacrifice, breaking apart the Pawn-chain shielding the White King.

 
17. exf4 Bf5
Now threatening 18... N-N6 ch winning Rubinstein's Q on the discovered attack.

 
18. Qb2 Re8
Now 19... N-N6 dbl ch would win the White KR.

 
19. Kf3 Nd2+
Beginning a furious King-hunt.

 
20. Kg3 Ne4+
Driving the King further away from his friends.

 
21. Kh4 Re6
Closing in.

 
22. Be2 Rh6+
The logical follow-up.

 
23. Bh5 Rxh5+
Another sacrifice, this one drawing the King onto a square from which a deadly double check can be issued.

 
24. Kxh5 Bg6+
Rubinstein graciously resigns rather than play out the checkmate.