This is Russian chess master Ossip
Bernstein, who crossed swords with the
strongest chess players of his era and
played his immortal game at the age of
72. But before reaching the old age
it was his chess skills that saved his
life while still being young and gave
the start of his adventurous 
lifelong journey.
In 1917 Russia underwent a major
political revolution known as the
October Revolution. The ruling 
aristocracy was overthrown by the
Bolsheviks and Soviet Russia was founded!
Property was nationalized, banks were
Seized, factories were given to the hands
of the state! Times were bloody!
Bolsheviks started to carry out
political repressions and mass killings
known as the Red Terror! The bloody hands
of Cheka (Bolshevik secret police) were
used and the Red Terror began! One such
target of the Cheka was none other than
chess master Ossip Bernstein! A
financial lawyer, Bernstein was the exact
kind of person that communists believed
to be part of the problem with their
pre-revolutionary society. Since he
worked as an advisor to banks who were
considered to be enemies of the people
he was a prime target for arrest and
Execution. In 1918 Bernstein found
himself arrested by that Bolshevik
secret police. Bernstein was ordered to
be shot because he was an advisor to
Bankers. As he was awaiting his execution,
watching the firing line assemble into
Position, an officer noticed Bernstein's
name on the list. This was a surprise for
him to see the name of the renowned
chess player’s name in that list. The
officer was skeptical and asked Bernstein
if he was really the chess master.
Bernstein confirmed his identity.
Bernstein had already competed in many
International chess tournaments,
crossing swords with such players as Mikhail
Chigorin,Emanuel Lasker, Aron Nimzowitsch, 
Rudolf Spielmann, Horatio Caro, 
Karl Schlachter, Akiba Ribenstein,
Alexander Alekhin and Jose Raul
Capablanca! At the time Capablanca was
still unknown and Bernstein even
complained that the youngster is allowed
to participate in the tournament). 
That game between Bernstein and Capablanca
is a classical example on how one can
exploit the back-rank weakness. The
officer didn't quite believe Bernstein
and he decided to test him with a
simple wager. They would play against
each other in a game of chess. If Bernstein
lost or if the game was a draw he would
be shot by the firing squad,
but if Bernstein could win the game he
would be given his freedom and allowed
to walk away. Without hesitation Bernstein
Agreed. He was able to win the game
in a short amount of time, after all he
was a professional chess player. After he
checkmated the officer they were true
to their word and allowed Bernstein
to leave the firing wall unharmed.
Bernstein would flee the country as
quickly as possible.
Such a brush with death convinced him
that he would no longer be safe in
Russia. There was a little chance of the
Cheka challenging him to another game
of chess should they capture him again.
So he made his way to France where he
resided until the Nazis invaded in 1940.
Bernstein remained in France until
1940 the year when France capitulated
and it was conquered by the Nazis.
Because of his Jewish heritage Bernstein
was prosecuted by the new authorities.
During the summer of that same year he
escaped to Spain where the Spanish
border patrol
arrested him and his family. Luckily some
of his influential friends in Spain
managed to negotiate his release and
organized for him to stay in Spain until
the war was over. Bernstein returned to
Paris in 1945. Bernstein’s most famous game
happened in 1954 when he was 72. For the
tournament that happened at Montevideo
Bernstein came to the semi-final and he
was supposed to play against Miguel
Najdorf. Najdorf was offended that he
should play against an aged opponent and
he was so confident that he would win
that he even managed to convince the
organizers to double the first prize
money at the expense of the payouts for
the lower prizes. Bernstein beat him in
37 moves by offering his Queen twice
during the game. Thus he made Najdorf
regret his decision about the prize.
During his life Bernstein earned
and he lost his fortunes three times!
First, during the Bolshevik Revolution,
then he lost his other wealth during the
Great Depression and when he earned some
wealth again he lost it when Nazi
Germany invaded France. Bernstein died
in 1962 at the age of 80 in a Sanatorium
in the French Pyrenees
[Music]
