Chess in Polanica-Zdrój

In the second half of August, as in the previous four years, I participated in the International Chess Festival in Polanica-Zdrój. This one of the largest chess events in our country has been held since 1963 in honor of Akiba Rubinstein, the greatest Polish chess player of Jewish origin, one of the world's leading grandmasters of the first decades of the XNUMXth century.

Akiba Kivelovich Rubinstein was born on December 12, 1882 in Stawiska near Lomza, in the family of a local rabbi (some sources say that in fact it was December 1, 1880, and later Akiba "rejuvenated" by two years to avoid military service). Chess was the passion of his life. In 1901, he moved to Łódź, a city considered at the beginning of the XNUMXth century to be one of the strongest centers of this game in the world.

Three years later in the championship match between Łódź and his teacher Henrik Salve. In 1909 (1) he shared with the world champion Emanuel Lasker 1-2 place in the chess tournament. M.I. Chigorin in St. Petersburg, defeating an opponent in a direct duel. In 1912 he won five prestigious international tournaments - in San Sebastian, Piestany, Wroclaw, Warsaw and Vilnius.

After these successes, the chess world as a whole began to recognize him. the only contender for the match with Lasker for the world title. Capablanca has not yet appeared on the international scene (2) but. A duel between Lasker and Rubinstein was planned for the spring of 1914. Unfortunately, for financial reasons, it did not take place, and the outbreak of the First World War finally shattered Rubinstein's dreams of winning the title.

2. Akiba Rubinstein (center) and Rose Raul Capablanca (right) - Cuban chess player, third world chess champion 1921-1927; photo 1914

After the end of the war, Akiba Rubinstein was actively involved in chess for fourteen years, winning a total of 21 first places and 14 second places in 61 tournaments played, equalizing two games out of twelve and winning the rest.

Emigration

In 1926 Rubinstein left Poland forever. At first he lived briefly in Berlin, then settled in Belgium. However, he did not renounce Polish citizenship and, living in exile, participated in tournaments organized in our country. He made a big contribution to the victory of the Polish team at III Chess Olympiadorganized in 1930 in Hamburg (3). Playing on the first board (with the best players from other countries), he achieved an excellent result: 15 points in seventeen games (88%) - he won thirteen and drew four.

3. Olympic champions in 1930 - Akiba Rubinstein in the center

At the turn of 1930 and 1931 R.Yubinstein went on a grand tour of Poland. He participated in simulations in Warsaw, Lodz, Katowice, Krakow, Lwow, Czestochowa, Poznan (4), Tarnopol and Wloclawek. He was already struggling with financial problems as he received few invitations to tournaments. A progressive mental illness (anthropophobia, that is, fear of people) forced Rubinstein to give up active chess in 1932.

4. Akiba Rubinstein plays a simultaneous game with 25 chess players - Poznan, March 15, 1931.

During World War II, he escaped deportation to a concentration camp by hiding from Jewish persecution in the Zhana Titek hospital in Brussels. Since 1954, he lived in one of the nursing homes in this city. He died on March 14, 1961 in Antwerp and was buried in Brussels.

He left poor and forgotten, but today for the next generations of chess players all over the world he remains one of the greatest masters of the royal game. He made significant contributions to both opening theory and endgames. A number of opening variants are named after him. In 1950, the International Chess Federation awarded Rubinstein the title of Grandmaster. According to retrospective Chessmetrics, he reached his highest rating in June 1913. With 2789 points, he was the first in the world at that time.

Chess festivals in Polanica-Zdrój

Memory Akibi Rubinstein devoted to international They belong to the most famous and largest chess events in Poland. They include tournaments in different age and rating categories, as well as accompanying events: "live chess" (games on a large chessboard with people dressed in pieces), a simultaneous game session, blitz tournaments. Then the whole city lives for chess, and the main games take place in the Resort Theater, where separate tournament groups compete both in the morning and in the afternoon. At the same time, festival participants can enjoy the delights and health benefits of this beautiful resort.

For many years the grandmaster tournament was the strongest event in this discipline in Poland. world champions: Anatoly Karpov and Veselin Topalov, and world champions Zhuzha and Polgar. The strongest memorial tournament was played in 2000. Then he reached the rank of XVII category FIDE (average rating of the tournament 2673).

5. Banner of the festival in Polanica-Zdrój

53. International Chess Festival

6. Grandmaster Tomasz Warakomski, Open A category winner

532 players from Poland, Israel, Ukraine, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Russia, Azerbaijan, Great Britain and the Netherlands (5) took part in the main tournaments this year. He won in the strongest group Grandmaster Tomasz Warakomski (6). He was already the winner of the grandmaster tournament on the wheel in Polanica-Zdrój in 2015. In 2016-2017, no major wheel tournaments were held at the festival, and the winners of open tournaments became winners of memorials.

For many years, competitions for chess players over 60 were also held in Polanica Zdrój, the most crowded event in Poland. It gathers many famous and titled players, often playing at a high level. This year, the winner of this group unexpectedly became a candidate for Master Kazimierz Zovada, in front of the world champions - Zbigniew Szymczak and Petro Marusenko (7) from Ukraine. Despite the fact that I took an extra place, I improved my FIDE rating and for the fourth time I fulfilled the norm of the Polish Chess Association for the second sports class.

7. Petr Marusenko - Jan Sobotka (first from right) before the first game of the tournament; photo by Bogdan Gromits

The festival is not only six open tournaments divided into age categories (younger - E, for children under 10 years old) and FIDE rating for persons without a chess category, but also tournaments in the rapid and blitz format. Many players, fans and supporters of the king's game took part in simulations, nightly games of rapid chess, lectures and other activities. During the tournament, part of the participants of the Polanica tournament aged 60+ went to the Czech Republic for half a day for a rapid chess match Rychnov nad Kneznow - Polanica Zdrój.

Results of leaders in separate groups of the tournament 53. Akiba Rubinstein Memorial, Polanica-Zdrój, played on August 19-27, 2017, are presented in tables 1-6. The chief referee of all six tournaments was Rafal Civic.

Winning game by Jan Jungling

There were a lot of very interesting fights during the senior tournament. The biggest sensation in the first round was made by my friend from Germany, Jan Youngling (8). I persuaded him to come to Polanica-Zdrój for the 50th anniversary chess festival. Akibi Rubinstein in 2014. Since then, every year he comes there with his family and participates in the struggle. He is a daily chess teacher in German schools and organizer of ten tournaments for Poles living in Bavaria.

8. Jan Jungling, Polyanitsa-Zdroj, 2017; photo by Bogdan Obrokhta

Here is his account of the winning game with comments.

“A computer program for organizing chess tournaments according to the “Swiss system” separates all players according to their strength of play, expressed in ELO points. Then he cuts the list in half and puts the bottom part on top. This is how the draw of players for the 1st round is established. Theoretically, the weaker ones are doomed to lose in advance, but they have a one-time chance to hit an outstanding player. Thus, with my ELO 1618, I found the best competitor of KS Polanica-Zdrój, Mr. Władysław Dronzek (ELO 2002), who is also the reigning Polish Senior Champion over 75.

However, our chess game took an unexpected turn.

1.d4 Nf6 – I decided to defend the King's Indian, the most aggressive and risky reaction to the move of the queen's pawn.

2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Gg7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 d6 6.h3 – with this defensive move, White prevents the black knight or bishop from entering the g4 square, i.e. impede the implementation of modern options.

6.…e5 – Finally, I took the rights to the center of the board by attacking the d4 square.

7.Ge3 e: d4 8.S: d4 We8 9.Hc2 Sc6 10.S: c6 b: c6 – these exchanges have severely damaged White's hitherto strong center.

11. Wd1 c5 – I managed to take control of the d4 point.

12.Ge2 He7 13.0-0 Wb8 14.Gd3 Gb7 15.Gg5 h6 16.G:f6 G:f6 17.b3 Gd4 – I gave the bishop a very advantageous outpost d4.

18.Sd5 G:d5 19.e:d5 – White casually got rid of the knight, the only piece he could exchange for my bishop on d4.

19.… Крf6 – using the strong bishop on d4, I launched an attack on the weak spot f2.

9. Vladislav Dronzhek - Jan Jungling, Polanica-Zdrój, August 19, 2017, position after 25…Qf3

20.Wfe1 Kg7 21.We2 We5 22.We4 Wbe8 23.Wde1 W: e4 24.W: e4 We5 25.g3? Кf3! (Figure 9).

White's last move was a mistake that allowed me to invade his castling with the queen, which immediately decided the outcome of the game. The party also included:

26. W:e5 H:g3+ 27. Kf1 H:h3+ 28. Ke2 Hg4+ 29. f3 Hg2+ 30. Kd1 H:c2+ 31. G:c2 d:e5 32. Ke2 Kf6 – and White, having two pawns less and a bad bishop, lowered his weapon.

However, I had to temper my joy, because the defensive and inaccurate game of Mr. Vladislav Dronzhek was the result of a sleepless night. In the next rounds, he played normally and as a result, out of 62 players, he took 10th place. On the other hand, I barely made it in the first half, finishing 31″.

10. The decisive moment of the game Vladislav Dronzhek - Jan Jungling (second from right); photo by Bogdan Gromits

It is worth adding that many participants have already booked accommodation in Polanica-Zdrój for participation in the 54th International Chess Festival next year. Traditionally, it will take place in the second half of August.