Scarborough is a town on the North Sea coast of eastern England. During the First World War the town was bombarded by German warships in an act which shocked the British. Read more...
Big game tunny (Atlantic blue fin tuna) fishing off Scarborough started in 1930. Tunny fishing was a sport practiced by wealthy aristocrats and military officers mostly in the 1930s. In 1933 a gentlemen’s club, the British Tunny Club, was founded in 1933 and set up its headquarters in the town and Scarborough became a resort for high society.
After a poor season in 1931, in 1932 Harold Hardy battled a tunny about 16 feet long for over seven hours before his line snapped and the fish got away! Four visitors who described the struggle as the greatest fight they had ever seen in their lives.
Eventually tuna disappeared and in 2000 a 76-year-old pensioner using a fishing rod landed the largest tuna caught off the British Isles for nearly 50 years.
On June 5, 1993, Scarborough made headlines when a landslide caused part of the Holbeck Hall Hotel, along with its gardens, to fall into the ocean. Read more...
When thinking of Rubinstein, one usually thinks of the claim that he was one of the strongest players never to have won the World Championship, his positional play and endgame expertise, especially in Rook endings. Like all great players though, that was a matter of style because if need be he could also conduct a brilliant attack. Even so, the only person I have ever heard of who held Rubinstein to be his favorite player is GM Boris Gelfand.
In the following game Rubinstein, who played some really good games at Scarborough, defeats Edward G. Sergeant in a game where both sides made some tactical mistakes.. The British Chess News has a nice tribute to Sergeant HERE.
Edward G Sergeant - Akiba Rubinstein
Result: 0-1
Site: Scarborough
Date: 1930.06.25
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz
[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 a6 4.♗a4 d6 In the Modern Steinitz black plays 3...a6 before playing 4...d6 with the possibility of breaking the pin with a timely ...b5. This give black more latitude than in the Old Steinitz (3...d6) after which white can practically force black to give up the stronghold at e5, but in the Modern Steinitz, black is able to maintain control of the center. 5.O-O
5.c3 is equally popular with the main line being 5...♗d7 6.d4 and black has the option of playing 6...g6, 6... Nge7 and 6...Nf6, good moves all.
5.c3 f5 This is the sharp Siesta Variation. 6.exf5 ♗xf5 7.O-O ♗d3 8.♖e1 ♗e7 9.♗c2 ♗xc2 10.♕xc2 ♘f6 11.d4 e4
5...♗d7 6.c3 ♘ge7 7.d4 h6 This move shows Rubinstein's proficiency in the opening because even though it is rarely seen these days it produces much better results than the far more common 7...Ng6. 8.♘bd2 g5 Of course 7... Ng6 is more solid. By leaving his K in the center and playing this bold move black is taking a big risk. 9.dxe5
9.d5 ♘b8 10.♗c2 is worth considering. Black has lost time and has some problems getting his Q-side developed.
9...dxe5 10.♖e1 ♘g6 With his next move white invites black to push on with his K-side advance with the hope that it will prove premature. 11.♘f1
11.h3 ♕f6 12.♘f1 O-O-O leaves black with a promising position especially since white has weakened his K-side just a bit with 11.h3
11...g4 12.♘3d2 b5 13.♗b3 ♗c5 14.♗d5
14.♘e3 lead to good results for white after 14...♕f6 15.♘df1 ♖d8 16.♕c2 ♘ce7 17.♘g3 ♘h4 18.♘d5 ♘xd5 19.exd5 Ilyin Zhenevsky,A-Rabinovich,I/ Leningrad 1936
14...♕f6 Black has a mate threat 15.♘e3 h5 Technically the position is equal, but black has a very active position. 16.♘b3 This move, placing the N on a square where it's not especially active, seems suspect.
16.a4 Alekhine once made the observation that opening the a-file in the Ruy Lopez is always good for white. 16...♖d8 17.axb5 axb5 18.b4 ♗d6 19.♘b3 and the chances are about equal.
16...♗b6 17.♘f5 Placing the N on what appears to be a strong outpost, but in this case it is not a good idea. 17. a4 was still good. 17...♖d8
17...♗xf5 is not so good because after 18.♗xc6+ ♕xc6 19.exf5 white's a little better. Rather than retreating to e7 an interesting line is 19...♕f6 20.fxg6 ♗xf2+ 21.♔h1 ♗xe1 22.gxf7+ ♕xf7 23.♕xe1 ♕f5 but white is much better.
18.♗xc6 Yielding black the two Bs turns out to be a mistake he will regret. (18.♗e3 ♘ce7 19.♘xe7 ♔xe7 20.♘c5 ♗c8 21.♕c2 h4 with complications.) 18...♗xc6 Taking with the Q would have been somewhat better. (18...♕xc6 19.♕e2 f6 20.♗e3 ♗xf5 21.exf5 ♘h4 22.♕f1 ♘xf5) 19.♕c2 h4 Are white's defensive resources going to be sufficient? 20.♗e3 ♖h5 Rubinstein intends to sacrifice the the exchange, but he is barking up the wrong tree. White's position is defensible especially since Rubinstein has allowed the N to be planted on f5. Therefore 20...Ne7 was better.
20...♘e7 21.♗xb6 cxb6 22.♕e2 g3 (22...♘xf5 23.exf5 ♔f8 24.♕xe5) 23.fxg3 hxg3 24.♘xg3 ♕h4 25.♕f3 f5 with complications. (25...♕xh2+ 26.♔f2 black loses material)
21.♗xb6
21.♖ad1 was considerably better. After 21...♖xd1 22.♖xd1 ♗xe3 23.♘xe3 ♘f4 24.♘c5 and magically white's position has transformed into the better one.
21...cxb6 22.♖ad1 ♖xd1
22...♗d5 is cute but white is still better after 23.♘e3 ♗e6 24.♖xd8+ ♕xd8 25.♖d1
22...♘e7 driving out the pesky N was his best choice. After 23.♖xd8+ ♔xd8 24.♘e3 g3 25.fxg3 hxg3 26.h3 the position is nearly equal.
23.♖xd1 ♖xf5 While this may be somewhat questionable, practically speaking it's black's best chance. Now begins a series of less than optimal moves by both sides. 24.exf5 ♘f4 25.♘d2 This throws away a nice position.
25.♕d2 Keeps the advantage because white threatens the very strong Qd6 and there is no satisfactory reply. 25...♗d5 26.♘c1 ♕xf5 27.♘e2 ♘xe2+ 28.♕xe2 ♗xa2 29.♕e3 This ending is won for white.
25...♔f8 Missing his chance as after this white keeps the advantage.
25...♗xg2 was correct. 26.♖e1 ♔f8 27.c4 bxc4 28.♕xc4 ♕xf5 29.♕b4+ ♔g7 30.♕xb6 ♗d5 31.♕e3 (31.♕xa6 ♘h3+ mates next move.) 31...f6 and now the threat of ...g6 is unstoppable. White can avoid immediate disaster, but he ends up with a lost ending. 32.♖e2 g3 33.f3 ♕h3 (33...♘xe2+ 34.♕xe2 gxh2+ 35.♔xh2 ♕f4+ 36.♔g2 f5 with a winning ending.) 34.b3 ♔g6 35.♘f1 ♘xe2+ 36.♕xe2 gxh2+ 37.♘xh2 ♕g3+ 38.♔f1 ♗e6 39.♕f2 ♗h3+ 40.♔e1 ♔f5 41.♔e2 ♕xf2+ 42.♔xf2 ♔f4
26.f3 Another unfortunate move that relinquishes the win.
26.g3 would have given White the upper hand 26...hxg3 27.hxg3 ♘h3+ 28.♔f1 ♘g5 29.♕d3
26...gxf3 27.♘xf3 h3 28.♕d2 hxg2 29.♕e3
29.♔f2 aill eventually fail. 29...♗xf3 30.♔xf3 ♕xf5 31.♔e3 ♕h3+ 32.♔e4 ♘e6 33.♔d5 (33.♔xe5 ♕xh2+) 33...e4 34.♔c6 (34.♔xe4 ♘c5+ 35.♔f4 ♕xh2+) 34...♕xh2 35.♕d6+ ♕xd6+ 36.♔xd6 e3 37.♖e1 e2 38.♔e5 ♘g5 39.♔f4 g1=♕ 40.♖xg1 ♘h3+
29...♕xf5 30.♕xb6 No doubt hoping black will grab the N. 30...♘h3+ It's mate next move so Sergeant resigned.
30...♗xf3 would be disaterous. 31.♕h6+ ♔e8 32.♕h8+ ♔e7 33.♕d8+ ♔e6 34.♕d6#
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