Reuben Fine

Reuben Fine

A brief history of Reuben Fine.

Reuben Fine was born on the 11th of October, 1914. He was born in the Bronx to the couple, Jacob and Bertha (Mender) Fine, who were poor Russian Jews.

Reuben was an only child, and he was brought up by his mother single-handedly since he was two. His uncle taught him to play chess when he was at the age of eight.

He was a renowned American chess maestro, psychologist, university professor, and a writer of numerous books in both the fields of chess and psychology.

Reuben fine remained among the greatest chess players all across the globe from the mid-1930s until his quitting from chess in the year 1951.

Fine’s most magnificent result was his equal first in the AVRO 1938 chess tournament, one of the greatest all-time matches. After the demise of world champion Alexander Alekhine in the year 1946, Reuben Fine was among the six players who were invited to participate in the competition for the World Championship in the year 1948. He turned down the offer, however, and virtually quit serious competition about that season. However, he participated in a few events until the year 1951.

Reuben Fine won five medals-of which four were gold, in three chess Olympiads.

Additionally, Reuben won the U.S. Open Chess Championship all the seven times he participated. That was, in the years 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1939, 1940, and 1941.

He is the writer of numerous chess books that are still renowned to this day, which include important books on the opening, middle game, and endgame.

Fine began playing chess as a youngster at the renowned Manhattan Chess Club, where he used to hustle for nickels until he was ordered to stop.

Reuben used the money to help provide for his family. When he was He was ordered to stop begging for pennies, he did.

He then moved to the opponent Marshall Chess Club in New York City, the meeting place for numerous renowned masters, who included Bobby Fischer.

At that phase of his chess career, Reuben played quite a deal of serious chess, and at last, he became one among the greatest blitz chess players all across the globe.

Even in the early 1930s, he could almost hold his own in blitz chess against the then world champion Alexander Alekhine. However, Reuben Fine admitted that the few tournaments he played blitz chess against Alekhine’s forerunner José Raúl Capablanca, the opponent beat him mercilessly!

Reuben Fine graduated from City College of New York in the year 1932, at the age of 18 years.

At the city college of New York, Reuben fine was a successful student. He led CCNY to the 1931 National Collegiate team title. During this tournament, one of his teammates was Master Sidney Bernstein.

The national collegiate title tournament later changed into the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship.

Reuben fine then made a decision to attempt the life of a chess professional for a number of years.

Fine’s first landmark master-level game was the 1930 New York Young Masters tournament, in which Arthur Dace won. He closely lost a 1931 stakes game to colleague player young New York maestro Arnold Denker.

Fine came second at the 1931 New York State Championship, scoring 8/11 points. This was just half a score behind the winner, Fred Seinfeld.

Fine then overcame the fifteenth Marshall Chess Club Championship of 1931 with 1013 points, which was just half a point beyond his opponent, Seinfeld. He beat Herman Steiner by 5 points against 4 at New York in the year 1932; this became the first among three tournaments where the two players faced each other.

Reuben Fine married five times. All his marriages ended in divorce, except one. He fathered two biological children and a stepson.

He first got married to Emma Thea Keesing. He first met Emma in the Netherlands, where he later married her in September of the year 1937. They later divorced seven years later that was the year 1944. Reuben fine also married charlotte magoshes. They married in 1936, and their marriage never lasted that long. Reuben married Sonya Lebeaux, and they also divorced. Sonya bore him a son, who they named Benjamin and a daughter. His final marriage was to his wife, Marcia Fine. This last marriage to Marcia lasted till Reuben fine’s death in the year 1993.