Deutschen Schachbund Kongreß

Submitted by Grakovsky on Fri, 01/30/2009 at 2:40pm.

Thirty-nine players wanted to participate in the master competition, nineteen were allowed in Nuremberg. When Amos Burn withdrew, Rudolf Charousek took his place. The international tournament was played in the premises of the Museum Society in Nuremberg from 20 July until 9 August. The time limit was thirty moves in two hours. The main prizes went to Emanuel Lasker (3000 marks), Géza Maróczy (2000 marks), Siegbert Tarrasch and Harry Nelson Pillsbury (each 1250 marks), Dawid Janowski (600 marks), Wilhelm Steinitz (300 marks), Carl August Walbrodt and Carl Schlechter (each 100 marks).

Standing: Lasker, Charousek, Schlechter, two organisers, Janowsky, Maróczy, Marco, Showalter, three organisers. Seated: Albin, Porges, Chigorin, Tarrasch, Winawer, Steinitz, Blackburne, Schallopp, Schiffers, Pillsbury, Walbrodt, Teichmann

Georg Schnitzler from Düsseldorf and Otto Wülfing from Elberfeld took the initiative for a congress of chess players in Rheinland-Westfalen. The meeting place became Düsseldorf, because it was located at a crossing of railroads. Many players from Düsseldorf, Elberfeld, Köln, Mühlheim, Duisberg, Crefeld and Wesel travelled to the lovely Ananasberg in the Hofgarten on Sunday 21 ix 1861. Casual games were played. They went to the Europäischen Hof in downtown Düsseldorf for an afternoon banquet. At the end Alfred Schlieper proposed to establish an annual chess congress and got an ovation. The Westdeutschen Schachbund was founded. Hereafter, the friendly hostilities were resumed. A special guest was the 80-years-old first-rate butcher Frank, who had fought with the old war-horse Blücher on the chessboard. A popular opponent was Graf Conrad Vitzthum von Eckstädt from Dresden. He played several games with the three mentioned organisers.

Although top players participated in the early congresses, the atmosphere was relaxed, because the players had fine jobs and the stakes were low. 4-6 players took part in the main event. When the master tournament was unfinished at the end of the official program, extra days were added. A more professional mood was created, when the field increased to ten, and chess clocks were used. Two games were played per day and a tight time schedule was applied. A tradition of congress books started at once and continued, though few copies were sold of the report about Düsseldorf 1861-62.

The Deutschen Schachbund was founded in Leipzig on 18 vii 1877. When the next meeting took place in the Schützenhaus on 15 vii 1879, sixty-two clubs had become member of the chess federation. Hofrat von Gottschall became Chairman and Zwanzig the General Secretary. Twelve players participated in the master tournament of Leipzig 1879. Thereafter the field increased and improved.

When foreign players were invited for Berlin 1881, an important and successful formulae was completed: 1. A master tournament was organised every second year, in a time when few international events took place. 2. Germans could partake in many groups and their talents qualified for master tournaments by a master title in the Hauptturnier.

Dresden 1892 (above)

Standing: Heyde, Schmid, Blackburne, Noa, Hoffer, von Scheve, Walbrodt, Zwanzig. Seated: Loman, Schottländer, Winawer, Mason, Schallopp, von Bardeleben, Tarrasch, Mieses, Albin, Alapin.

Many important chess players participated but Lasker found the prizes too low when he was world champion. Tarrasch and Schlechter won three master events. Organisers kept a balance between the interests of amateurs and professionals.

German chess revived quickly after the Great War was over. The first closed championship was held in 1947 and a new star was Wolfgang Unzicker. The DSB was reestablished in 1950. Separate championships were organised in the West and East until 1990, thereafter, the efforts were combined.

A remarkable initiative was taken by the DSB in the 1970's - every second German championship became an international tournament. The events showed similarity to the master tournaments of the past. However, the involvement of the Schachbund remained restricted to one main event.

Open German Champions:

I. West Berlin 1971: Svetovar Gligoric

II. Dortmud 1973: Hecht, Andersson and Spassky

III. Mannheim 1975: Walter Browne

IV. Bad Lauterberg 1977: Anatoly Karpov

V. München 1979: Boris Spassky

VI. Bochum 1981: Lubomir Kavalek

VII. Hannover 1983: Anatoly Karpov

A standard formula exists for annual super tournaments to this day. Top ten players and other stars participate in the main group of Dortmund, Linares and Wijk aan Zee. Many chess professionals and amateurs participate in lesser groups and hundreds of enthusiasts watch the explication. Compared to the German chess congresses, the problem tournament and solving competition has disappeared. Only the Wijk aan Zee competition has a collective dinner; the traditional pea soup.