Bertil Rask

     Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. Typical symptoms of active TB are a chronic cough with bloody mucus, fever, night sweats and weight loss. 

     Tuberculosis was called phthisis in ancient Greece, tabes in ancient Rome and schachepheth in ancient Hebrew. In the 1700s, TB was called “the white plague” due to the paleness of the patients. TB was commonly called “consumption” in the 1800s even after it officially designated as tuberculosis. 

     Until the discovery of antibiotics, treatment was limited to warmth, rest and good food. Cod liver oil, vinegar massages, and inhaling hemlock or turpentine were all treatments for TB in the early 1800s. Tuberculosis killed Bertil Rask (May 13, 1898 - September 5, 1918). 

     Rask was born in Hudiksvall, Sweden. He had a passion for chess and at the age of 15 his parents finally relented and gave him permission to continue his studies in Stockholm where he would also have the opportunity to develop his chess talent. Rask quickly established himself as one of the top players in the Stockholm Chess Club. 

     His impact was immediate when in the winter of 1913-14 he tied for third in a Masters tournament in which the soon to be 7-time Swedish champion Gustaf Nyholm also played. 

     In 1914-15 he shared 3rd-5th. In 1915, when he was 17, he published a monograph titled 180 games of Paul Morphy. He won the winter tournament of 1915-16, came 3rd in the Nordic Chess Congress of 1916 and won the Stockholm championship in 1917, defeating the previous winners Nyholm and Egil Jacobsen. In Stockholm's chess club's team at the matches he participated in the years 1914-1917 with the excellent results, scoring +4 -1 =3. 

     Rask had a well rounded playing style that he obtained through the diligent study of games by the great masters. He also possessed an excellent knowledge of both opening theory and endgames. His greatest weakness was that once he got a winning position, he had a tendency to relax with the result that he would sometimes lose won games. 

     When Rask died of tuberculosis in 1918 at the age of 20 the Swedish chess world suffered a huge loss. His short career promised great success in the international arena, but beginning about 1917, the disease progressed relentlessly. 

 

H Nissen - Bertil Rask

Result: 0-1

Site: Copenhagen

Date: 1916

Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 ♘f6 4.O-O d6 5.d3 ♗e7 6.♖e1 O-O 7.c3 ♘d7 Black is getting into a very cramped position with this. The usual move here is 7...Bd7

7...♖e8 8.♘bd2 ♗d7 9.♗a4 ♗f8 10.♘f1 ♘e7 11.♗b3 h6 12.♘h4 ♗g4 is equal. Inarkiev,E (2667)-Tkachiev,V (2636)/ Warsaw 2010

8.♘bd2 ♗f6 9.♘f1 ♘e7

9...♘b6 also turned out to be in white's favor after 10.h3 a6 11.♗xc6 bxc6 12.d4 exd4 13.cxd4 ♖e8 14.♕c2 ♗b7 Dionisi,T (2403)-Martinez Duany,L (2544)/Pontevedra 2018

10.♘g3 c6 11.♗a4 ♘c5 12.♗c2 ♘e6 13.♗e3 g5 Rask is pinning his hopes on an all out K-side attack. It's not quite sound, but it's effective! 14.♘f5 ♘f4 Trying to hinder the advance of white's d-Pawn wasn't much better.

14...c5 15.d4 exd4 16.cxd4 ♘xf5 17.exf5 ♘xd4 18.♘xd4 cxd4 19.♗xd4 and white stands quite well.

15.♘xe7+ White is taking the wrong approach. Striking in the center with 15.d4 was better.

15.d4 maintains a significant advantage after 15...♗xf5 16.exf5 exd4 17.♗xf4 gxf4 18.♘xd4

15...♕xe7 16.♗xf4

16.d4 no longer has any punch as after 16...♗g4 17.h3 ♗h5 black has equalized.

16...gxf4 17.h3 This further weakens the K-side. Instead of preventing ...Bg4 white should counter in the center.

17.d4 ♔h8 18.♔h1 ♖g8 19.dxe5 dxe5 20.h3 This is OK now. 20...♗d7 21.♗b3 ♖g7 22.♕d2 ♖ag8 23.♖ad1 ♗e6 24.♖g1 is equal.

17...♔h8 18.♘h2 The advance 18.d4 is too late to be of any real advantage now that he has played h3.

18.d4 ♖g8 19.♔h1 ♖g6 20.♕d3 ♗d7 21.dxe5 ♗xe5 22.♘xe5 ♕xe5 23.♕d4 ♕xd4 24.cxd4 ♖ag8 25.♖g1

18...♖g8 19.♕f3 ♖g5 20.♔h1 ♗d7 21.♖g1 ♖ag8 22.♖ad1

22.g3 doesn't accomplish anything, but it does contain a trap. 22...fxg3 (22...♗xh3 fails to 23.g4 and white has the advantage.) 23.fxg3

22...♕f8 23.d4 Black's attack has built up to the point that this moves now fails to do much for white's predicament. 23...♕g7 24.dxe5 ♗xe5 25.♗d3 White has managed to fortify his K and now further attempts by black to continue attacking on the K side are futile. Instead, black should now switch his attention to advancing o the Q-side. 25...h5 26.♗e2 ♕h7

26...♗e6 27.b3 b5 28.♖d2 a6 29.♖gd1 ♕h7 Threatening ...Rxg2 (29...♖xg2 30.♕xh5+ and white has equalized.) 30.♗f1 ♗g4 wins the exchange. White must avoid 31.hxg4 hxg4 32.♕d3 g3 33.fxg3 fxg3 mates

27.♕d3 f5 Still attacking, but at this point his advantage is not so great as before. 28.♗f3 ♖8g7 29.h4 This advance destroys all his careful defense beccause it creates a fatal weakness in his Ks position.

29.♖de1 and there does not seem to be any way black can make progress. 29...♕g8 30.♕b1 ♗e6 31.a4 with equal chances.

29...♖g4 Taking immediate advantage of white's slip. 30.♗xg4 There was nothing better. 30...hxg4 31.g3 fxe4 32.♕e2 c5 33.♘f1

33.gxf4 is not much help 33...♗xf4 34.♖g2 ♗c6 35.♖xg4 e3+ 36.f3 ♖xg4 37.♘xg4 ♕xh4+ 38.♔g1 ♕g3+ 39.♕g2 e2 wins

33...♗c6 34.♔h2 This loses immediately, but there was no hope of saving the game anyway.

34.♖g2 hoping against hope 34...e3 35.♘xe3 ♗f3 36.♕f1 fxe3 37.♖e1 exf2 38.♕xf2 ♗xg2+ 39.♔xg2 ♖f7 40.♕d2 ♖f3

34...f3 White resigned. here is no defense to the threat of ...Qxh4 mate

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