Author: Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1880-1961) signed
Year: c1936
Publisher: Self Written
Place:
Description:
Draft of a letter written in pencil in German. Sheet written on both sides. Signed. Small octavo (7 1/4" x 4 3/4") with Wiener Schachzeitung volume XXXIII numbers 13/14 – 23/24 for the year 1936 and a few handwritten notes by Akiba Rubinstein in the text.
Rubinstein thanks Dawid Przepiórka for his letter. He will arrive in Prague on the 10th and ask for the program and money for travel and expenses during the tournament to be sent. On the back he writes that he only has the comfortable connection with the Pullman train from Leipzig. (undated c1936)
Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein was a Polish chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Between 1907 and 1912, Rubinstein established himself as one of the strongest players in the world. In 1907, he won the Carlsbad tournament and the All-Russian Masters' tournament, and shared first at Saint Petersburg. In 1912 he had a record string of wins, finishing first in five consecutive major tournaments: San Sebastián, Pöstyén, Breslau, Warsaw and Vilna (All-Russian Masters' tournament), although none of these events included Lasker or Capablanca. Some sources believe that he was stronger than World Champion Emanuel Lasker at this time. Ratings from Chessmetrics support this conclusion, placing him as world No. 1 between mid-1912 and mid-1914. He was one of the earliest chess players to take the endgame into account when choosing and playing the opening. He was exceptionally talented in the endgame, particularly in rook endings, where he broke new ground in knowledge. Jeremy Silman ranked him as one of the five best endgame players of all time, and a master of rook endgames.
Condition:
Head right corner torn and missing, some soiling. Wiener Schachzeitung the 18 leaves of the entertainment supplement are missing, The original Covers and booklets 1 - 12 are lacking. Inside browned and stained. Binding faded, bumped and slightly stained else very good.