LaviChess

Réti vs. Rubinstein, Gothenburg 1920

Gothenburg 1920 was one of the first big international chess tournaments after the First World War. Richard Réti won it, but against Akiba Rubinstein he lost a long endgame that is regarded as a typical example of Rubinstein's art.

  • WhiteRichard Réti
  • BlackAkiba Rubinstein
  • WhereGothenburg
  • WhenAugust 10, 1920
  • EventGothenburg Chess Society's jubilee tournament, group A, round 7
  • Result0–1, Black won
  • OpeningSicilian Defense (B29)
  • Length48 moves

In August 1920 the Gothenburg Chess Society celebrated its 40th anniversary with a big international tournament. Tidskrift för Schack called it “the first big international chess meeting after the World War.” Fourteen masters played in the strongest group, and play began on August 2.

Akiba Rubinstein was living in Sweden at the time. He and his family had moved there after the end of the war in 1918 and stayed until 1922.

Réti won the tournament with 9½ points. Rubinstein was second, half a point behind, and Efim Bogoljubov third. In round 7 the two who would finish on top met.

The players

Richard Réti (1889–1929) was born in Bazin in Austria-Hungary, today Pezinok in Slovakia. After the First World War he became one of the leaders of hypermodernism, and the opening 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4, the Réti Opening, bears his name. See also his miniature against Tartakower.

Akiba Rubinstein (1880–1961) is regarded as one of the greatest players never to become world champion. A world championship match against Emanuel Lasker was planned for 1914 but never happened. He was known for his endgames, and for his immortal game against Rotlewi.

The game move by move

Step through with the arrows or tap a move. Moves with a dot have a comment.

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Richard Réti has the white pieces, Akiba Rubinstein the black.

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Open on the analysis board

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Play like Rubinstein

Guess the moves Rubinstein played, one at a time. The move from the game earns two points, and a move Lavi thinks is about as good earns one. The other side's moves and the game's notes come as you go.

Play like RubinsteinPlay like Réti

The moments that decided it

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After 28…Kxe8: knight against bishop, seven pawns each.
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After 36…Kd6: with 37.Kd2 or 37.Kf2 Réti could have held, Karsten Müller concluded. He played 37.Ke2.

The end

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The final position after 48…g5. White resigned after 48…g5.

Why the game is famous

Rubinstein's win is regarded as a typical example of his endgame skill. Karsten Müller writes that Rubinstein's play seems to be a model for this type of position, in which the stronger side plays on both wings to seek a win.

A little more than a hundred years later, in 2021, Müller went through the endgame once more together with his readers. The conclusion was that Réti could have held the draw. Réti won the tournament all the same, half a point ahead of Rubinstein.

The whole game with notes, as text

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 d6 8. exd6 Bxd6 9. O-O O-O 10. d3 Be7 11. Be3 Bd7 12. Qd2 Qc7 13. Rfe1 Rad8 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Qe3 b6 17. Nd2 Ne7 18. Nc4 Qc7 19. Qe5 Qxe5 The queens come off. Now a long endgame begins. 20. Nxe5 Ba4 21. Re2 Nd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 White has a knight, Black a bishop. With pawns on both wings, the bishop is usually the better piece. 23. Rae1 Rfe8 24. f4 f6 25. Nf3 Kf7 26. Kf2 Rxe2+ 27. Rxe2 Re8 28. Rxe8 Kxe8 All the rooks are gone. Knight against bishop is left, with seven pawns each. According to Karsten Müller Black has a slight edge: White has a number of weaknesses, and Black has an active king and a very mobile minor piece. 29. Ne1 Ke7 30. Ke3 Ke6 31. g4 Kd6 32. h3 g6 33. Kd2 Bd7 34. Nf3 Ke7 35. Ke3 h5 36. Nh2 Kd6 Here the game is decided. 37. Ke2 The decisive mistake, according to Karsten Müller, who went through the endgame together with readers in 2021. With 37.Kd2 or 37.Kf2 Réti could have held the draw. We have tested it: after those two king moves Black is only slightly better, after 37.Ke2 clearly better. 37… d4 Rubinstein breaks with the d-pawn. 38. cxd4 cxd4 39. Kd2 hxg4 40. hxg4 Bc6 41. Ke2 Bd5 42. a3 b5 43. Nf1 a5 44. Nd2 a4 45. Ne4+ Bxe4 The bishop is traded for the knight, and the pawn endgame that is left is won for Black. 46. dxe4 b4 47. Kd2 bxa3 Black has two pawns on the a-file, and no white pawn can stop them. 48. Kc1 g5 Réti resigned.

PGN – the game as text for other chess programs
[Event "Gothenburg Chess Society's jubilee tournament, group A, round 7"]
[Site "Gothenburg"]
[Date "1920.08.10"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Richard Réti"]
[Black "Akiba Rubinstein"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B29"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 d6 8. exd6 Bxd6 9. O-O O-O 10. d3 Be7 11. Be3 Bd7 12. Qd2 Qc7 13. Rfe1 Rad8 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Qe3 b6 17. Nd2 Ne7 18. Nc4 Qc7 19. Qe5 Qxe5 20. Nxe5 Ba4 21. Re2 Nd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Rae1 Rfe8 24. f4 f6 25. Nf3 Kf7 26. Kf2 Rxe2+ 27. Rxe2 Re8 28. Rxe8 Kxe8 29. Ne1 Ke7 30. Ke3 Ke6 31. g4 Kd6 32. h3 g6 33. Kd2 Bd7 34. Nf3 Ke7 35. Ke3 h5 36. Nh2 Kd6 37. Ke2 d4 38. cxd4 cxd4 39. Kd2 hxg4 40. hxg4 Bc6 41. Ke2 Bd5 42. a3 b5 43. Nf1 a5 44. Nd2 a4 45. Ne4+ Bxe4 46. dxe4 b4 47. Kd2 bxa3 48. Kc1 g5 0-1

Download .pgn

Sources

  • ChessBase: Riddle solved: Réti could have held against Rubinstein (Karsten Müller, 2021), with the game
  • PGN Mentor, Gothenburg1920.pgn
  • Tidskrift för Schack 1920 no. 9–10: the Gothenburg Chess Society's international jubilee tournament (pp. 145–147)
  • Wikipedia: Akiba Rubinstein
  • Wikipedia: Richard Réti

The moves compared in two sources (PGN Mentor and the game that goes with the ChessBase article): identical, 96 half-moves. Réti resigned after 48…g5. Date and round from the ChessBase game. The tournament's name, start and final standings from Tidskrift för Schack 1920, the Swedish chess magazine. We have tested Karsten Müller's conclusion about 37.Ke2 ourselves: after 37.Kd2 or 37.Kf2 Black is only slightly better, after 37.Ke2 clearly better. Every move has also been replayed by computer and checked against the rules of chess.

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Updated November 14, 2026