Akiva Rubinstein occupies a unique position in chess history. One of the greatest artists ever to sit down at a chessboard, Rubinstein was also the strongest player never to get a shot at the title of World Champion.

The Life & Games of Akiva Rubinstein, Volume 1: Uncrowned King focuses on the years 1882-1920, covering Rubinstein's rise from a modest upbringing to his emergence as Emanuel Lasker's chief challenger in the last years leading up to World War I. It also examines the effects this conflict had on his sensitive psyche and the way it influenced his play in the post-War years.

The most definitive work ever done on the first part of Rubinstein's career, this revised and expanded second edition offers almost 500 games, many of them deeply annotated with notes translated from top players of the pre-World War I era, including Lasker, Tarrasch, Schlechter and Rubinstein.

About the Authors:

International Master John Donaldson is one of America's most popular chess authors. His most recent release is the second edition of A Legend on the Road, about Bobby Fischer's 1964 transatlantic exhibition tour.

International Master and three-time Champion of Bulgaria Nikolay Minev is well-known for his books and articles on tactics, although his most recent work, A Practical Guide to Rook Endgames, has been well received by chessplayers worldwide.

Content:

004 Introduction to the Second Edition

006 Introduction to the First Edition

009 A Rubinstein Primer

010 Tournament and Match Record

012 1882-1904: The Young Rubinstein

033 1905

043 St. Petersburg 1906

051 Lodz 1906

058 Ostende 1906

076 1907

117 1907-08

126 Vienna 1908

140 Prague 1908

153 Lodz 1908

166 Rubinstein-Marshall Match 1908

175 St. Petersburg 1909

198 Rubinstein-Mieses 1909

203 Vilna 1909

209 Warsaw 1909

210 1910

217 San Sebastian 1911

227 Carlsbad 1911

244 Warsaw City Championship 1911

246 San Sebastian 1912

259 Pistyan 1912

268 Breslau 1912

281 Vilna 1912

296 The Years of World War I

323 1919

336 1920

354 Non-Tournament Games 1906-1920

377 Addendum

387 Bibliography

389 Players Index

392 Openings Index

393 ECO Codes Index

395 Annotator Index

396 Index of Illustrations

397 General Index