It was probably Reuben Fine, also an elite chess player, as well as a psychiatrist, who best defined the brilliant Rudolf Charousek (1873-1900), who died of tuberculosis at the age of 26. “Playing the first games he produced is like reading the poetry of John Keats [muerto a los 25]”You can’t help but feel a painful and oppressive feeling of loss, of unfulfilled promise,” said the illustrious American.
Certainly, everything—except his talent—was short in the life of Charousek, born near Prague but emigrated at the age of five months with his family to Hungary. He didn’t start playing chess until he was 16, while he was studying law, and he had to copy the chess by hand. Handbook of Schachspiels—the most important chess book of the time, published in 1843—because it was not possible for him to buy a copy. Only four years later he produced the wonderful game in this video, one of the most beautiful in history, while he was practicing as a lawyer. And three later, in 1896, he beat the world champion, the German Emmanuel Lasker. He only had four left to live. Therefore, Fine’s words reflect what many fans think when enjoying this work of art.
