Rubinstein Attack

THE RUBINSTEIN ATTACK: A Chess Opening Strategy for White
Author: Eric Schiller
Universal Publishers (2005)
224 pages
$21.95

THE RUBINSTEIN ATTACK by FM Eric Schiller is a guide to an opening system sometimes called the Zuckertort or Queen's Indian Reversed. Typically White plays 1.d4 followed by Nf3, e3, Bd3, 0-0, b3 and Bb2. First used successfully by Johannes Zukertort in the 1880s, the system was further refined by the great Akiva Rubinstein and many years later resurrected by Artur Yusupov and Susan Polgar. Schiller, who has also employed this line many times, notes that it is quite solid and respectable and offers good attacking chances against inaccurate Black play. The key question is whether it offers anything against a well-prepared opponent.

The critical lines seem to be: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3 Nc6 6.Bb2 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nbd2 Qe7 9.Ne5 cxd4 10.exd4 Ba3 11.Bxa3 Qxa3 12.c3!? Nxe5 13.dxe5 Nd7 14.Qh5 g6 15.Qg5 Qb2 with murky play where White is forced to gambit a pawn but has attacking chances, and 8...b6 9.Ne5 Bb7 as advocated in HOW TO BEAT 1.d4 (Gambit 2005) by James Rizzitano, whose recent publication would have precluded Schiller from consulting it. This line, which Schiller refers to as the Bogoljubow Variation, was used by Rubinstein himself when he faced his own weapon against Janowski at Prague 1908. After 10.f4 cxd4 11.exd4 Nb4 12.Be2 Rc8 13.c3 Nc6 14.Bd3 Schiller writes that this "demonstrates that the incursion of the Knight at b4 can be repulsed without difficulty." This is true, but Rizzitano continues on with 14...Qe7 15.a4 Rc7 16.Re1 Rfc8 ,=. Yusupov-Chuchelov, French Cht (Evry) 2004, which seems like a very reasonable assessment. This game is a very good illustration of what both players are trying to achieve.

Yusupov-Chuchelov
France 2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6 4.Bd3 Bb7 5.0-0 d5 6.b3 Bd6 7.Ne5 0-0 8.Nd2 c5 9.f4 Nc6 10.Bb2 cxd4 11.exd4 Nb4 12.Be2 Rc8 13.c3 Nc6 14.Bd3 Qe7 15.a4 Rc7 16.Re1 Rfc8 17.Re3 Qd8 18.Rh3 g6 19.Qe1 Bf8 20.Qh4 Bg7 21.Re1 Ne7 22.g4 h5 23.Ndf3 hxg4 24.Nxg4 Nh5 25.Ng5 Nf5 26.Qf2 Qd6 27.Ne5 Nf6 28.Qg2 Bc6 29.Kh1 Be8 30.Rg1 a5 31.Qf1 Rb8 32.Rf3 Nh5 33.Ng4 f6 34.Nh3 Rcb7 35.Ne3 Nh4 36.Rf2 b5 37.axb5 Bxb5 38.Bxb5 Rxb5 39.Rg4 Rxb3 40.Bc1 Nf5 41.Rxg6 Rxc3 42.Nxf5 exf5 43.Bd2 Rcb3 44.Ng1 Kf7 45.Rfg2 a4 46.Qd1 Rh8 47.Qc2 Qd7 48.Qd1 Qe6 49.Qc2 Bf8 50.Ne2 Qe4 51.Qc8 Rb1+ 52.Ng1 a3 53.Qa8 Rb2 54.h3 Rxd2, 0-1.

Despite the final result, I think most players below 2200 would be more happy attacking (playing White) here. Also note the affinity between Rizzitano's main line (also mentioned by Schiller) with 10.a3 Ne7 11.f4 Ne4 12.Qe2 f6 13.Nef3 Rc8 with equality, Bruzon-Timman, Curacao rpd (4) 2005 and the Queen's Indian variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 Be7 6.Nc3 d5 7.0-0 0-0 8.b3 Nbd7 9.Bb2 Ne4. The two positions are very similar except in The Rubinstein Attack White has a tempo more by virtue of the first move, and the Bishop is more aggressively posted on d3 instead of e2. This position could also arise from 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.e3.

THE RUBINSTEIN ATTACK: A CHESS OPENING STRATEGY FOR WHITE offers the reader fifty annotated games played by both contemporary players and old time greats like Capablanca, Bogoljubow, Rubinstein and others. This is the sort of non-critical opening where understanding counts a great deal, and the player more familiar with the typical plans has a big advantage.

Schiller offers some useful advice on move order. The Rubinstein Attack works much better if Black has locked in his Queen Bishop with ...e6. Just like its cousin, the Colle, a literal move order with 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 allows 3...Bf5 meeting 4.c4 c6 and transposition into a not very challenging line of the Slav where White does best to go for the fashionable 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4. It is worth noting that both Yusupov and Polgar usually get into this opening via 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3.

We're sorry, but our shop is not carrying Schiller's book at this moment. However, click if you want to buy or find out more about Rizzitano's excellent HOW TO BEAT 1.d4