Ilya Rabinovich

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Ilya (Elias) Rabinovich (Rabinowitsch, Rabinovitch, Rabinovitz, Rabinowicz, Rabinovici) (1891, Saint Petersburg – 1942, Perm) was a Russian chess master.

[edit] Biography

In 1911, Ilya Leontievich Rabinovich tied for 1st with Platz in Saint Petersburg. In 1912, he tied for 4-5th in Vilna (Hauptturnier; Karel Hromádka won).

In July/August 1914, he played in Mannheim (19th DSB Congress), and tied for 2nd-3rd in interrupted Hauptturnier A. After the declaration of war against Russia, eleven “Russian players” (Alekhine, Bogoljubow, Bohatirchuk, Flamberg, Koppelman, Malyutin, Rabinovich, Romanovsky, Saburov, Selesniev, Weinstein) from the Mannheim tournament were interned by Germany. In September 1914, four of them (Alekhine, Bogatyrchuk, Saburov, and Koppelman) were freed and allowed, through Switzerland, to return home. The Russian internees played eight tournaments, the first in Baden-Baden (1914) and all the others in Triberg (1914–1917). Ilya Rabinovich was 3rd in Baden-Baden (Alexander Flamberg won), took 2nd at Trinerg 1914/15, took 2nd at Triberg 1915, took 3rd at Triberg 1915, tied for 2nd-3rd at Triberg 1915, took 2nd at Triberg 1915/16 (all tournaments were won by Efim Bogoljubow). In 1916, Rabinovich won in Triberg, and he tied for 1st with Selesniev at Triberg 1917.

After WW I, Rabinovich returned to St Petersburg (Petrograd, Leningrad). In 1920, he won the Petrograd chess championship. In 1920, he took 4th in Moscow (Russian Chess "Olympiad", 1st URS-ch). The event was won by Alexander Alekhine. In 1922, he took 2nd, behind Levenfish, in the Petrograd championship. In 1923, he tied for 7-8th in Leningrad (2nd URS-ch, Peter Romanovsky won). In 1923, he won in Novgorod. In 1924, he took 2nd, behind Levenfish, in the Leningrad championship. In 1924, he took 5th in Moscow (3rd URS-ch; Bogoljubow won).

In 1925, Ilya Rabinovich became the first Soviet player to compete outside the USSR. He played at Baden-Baden, Germany and took 7th place. The event was won by Alekhine. In 1925, he tied for 1st-4th in the Leningrad championship. In 1925, he took 3rd in Leningrad (4th URS-ch; Bogoljubow won). In 1925, he took 16th in Moscow (1st it; Bogoljubow won). In 1926, he won in Leningrad. In 1926, he tied for 2nd-3rd in Leningrad (Ilyin-Zhenevsky won).

In 1927, Rabinovich wrote the first original book in the Russian language devoted to the endgame. In 1927, he tied for 10-12th in Moscow (5th URS-ch). The event was won by Fedor Bohatirchuk and Romanovsky. In 1928, he won the Leningrad championship. In 1933, he tied for 3rd-5th in Leningrad (8 th URS-ch; Mikhail Botvinnik won). In 1934/35, Rabinovich shared 1st place with Grigory Levenfish in Leningrad (9th URS-ch). In 1935, he tied for 11-14th in Moscow (2nd it). The event was won by Botvinnik and Salo Flohr.

In 1937, he tied for 10-12th in Tbilisi (10th URS-ch; Levenfish won). In 1938, he tied for 3rd-4th in Leningrad (URS-ch sf). In January 1939, he tied for 7-8th in Leningrad–Moscow (it; Flohr won). In 1939, he tied for 11-12th in Leningrad (11th URS-ch; Botvinnik won). In 1939, he took 7th in the Leningrad championship (Lisitsyn won). In 1940, he won the Leningrad championship. In June 1941, he played in interrupted semifinal of the USSR championship in Roston-on-Don.

Rabinovich was taken ill during the siege of Leningrad. He was evacuated but died of malnutrition in a hospital in Perm.