Spielmann Could Spiel

Rudolf Spielmann (1883-1942) was a great player whose book, "The Art of Sacrifice in Chess," has become a classic. He described the types of sacrifices and the conditions required for each. He practiced what he preached while winning dozens of tournaments and earned the titles "Master of Attack" and "Last Knight of the King's Gambit." He had an even score against Jose Capablanca with 2 wins, 8 draws, and 2 losses. Spielmann had to flee from his native country, Austria, to escape from the Nazis. Milan Vidmar Sr. (1885-1962) was born in Ljubljana which was then in Austria-Hungary and is now in Slovenia. He was a professional electrical engineer. After a career as a top player, despite being an amateur, he was awarded the title of grandmaster in 1950. The following game between Spielmann and Vidmar was played in Semmering, Austria in 1926. Spielmann came in first with 10 wins, 6 draws, and 1 loss for a total of 13 points out of 17. Vidmar came in third with 9 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses scoring 12 points. Alekhine, with 12.5 points came in second. Vidmar beat Alekhine while Spielmann and Alekhine had a draw.