Rudolf Swiderski


Rudolf Swiderski
Association	German Empire German Empire
Born	August 28, 1878 Leipzig
Died	2nd August 1909 Leipzig
Best Elo rating	2629 (April 1904) ( Historic Elo rating )

Rudolf Swiderski (born August 28, 1878 in Leipzig ; † August 2, 1909 there ) was a German chess master .

Life and chess career

Swiderski was the son of the manufacturer Philipp Swiderski. He attended the royal high school in his hometown from 1892 to 1894 . In addition to playing chess, he studied music. In 1896 he joined the Augustea chess society in Leipzig. In the same year he also played his first tournament at the DSB Congress in Eisenach. In the main group tournament, however, he did not get beyond the preliminary round. In contrast, he won the main tournament A in Munich in 1900 with 17 points from 21 games and thus achieved the title of master of the German Chess Federation .

Swiderski was one of the most promising German chess masters from 1902 to 1908 . His greatest successes were the victory in the master tournament of the German Chess Federation in Coburg in 1904 (shared with Curt von Bardeleben and Carl Schlechter ) and in the Rice Gambit tournament Monte Carlo in 1904 (shared with Frank James Marshall ). In 1905 he was second in the B tournament of the Barmer Chess Congress . Swiderski had won against many greats of his time, including beating in 1907 in the international tournament in Ostend (he did not end up among the winners) both Akiba Rubinstein and Joseph Henry Blackburne .

Swiderski achieved his best retrospectively calculated historical Elo number with a value of 2629 in April 1904.

Circumstances of death

Swiderski played his last tournament game in a Leipzig club tournament on July 30, 1909. He thus secured the tournament victory, but could no longer accept the award because he died a little later. The last sign of life is from August 2nd. He committed suicide that day or a little later . He took poison and then shot himself.

There are conflicting sources on the motives. According to the Deutsche Schachzeitung, Swiderski suffered from an illness from which he evaded in this way ("On August 12, Swiderski passed his life on his own initiative. Dissatisfied with his living conditions and afflicted by illness, he drew the death of a necessary one Operation before. "). In Meyers Schach Lexikon there is general talk of "mental derangement".

Above all, English-language sources refer to problems of a different kind. Accordingly, he was accused of perjury in connection with a love affair or had already been convicted in this regard.

Web links

Commons : Rudolf Swiderski - Collection of Images

Edward Winter: The Riddle of Swiderski's Suicide (English)
Replayable chess games by Rudolf Swiderski on 365Chess.com (English)

Individual evidence

^ Date of death according to the American Chess Bulletin , October 1909, p. 227, cf. EG Winter: Chess Facts and Fables . 2005, p. 149, or Chess Notes No. 4728
↑ König Albert-Gymnasium (Royal High School until 1900) in Leipzig: Student album 1880-1904 / 05 , Friedrich Gröber, Leipzig 1905
^ The international tournament Coburg 1904 (14th DSB Congress) on TeleSchach (cross table and all games)
↑ Deutsche Schachzeitung , September 1909, p. 286.
↑ The Scotsman and Western Times (London) report on August 12, "Allegations of perjury in connection with a love affair had been made against the deceased, and it is supposed that fear of legal proceedings was the motive which led to the tragedy. " The Trenton Evening Post wrote on Aug. 11, "Swiderski was recently convicted of judges in a trial that involved him in a disgraceful scandal."

personal data
SURNAME	Swiderski, Rudolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German chess master
DATE OF BIRTH	August 28, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH	Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH	2nd August 1909
Place of death	Leipzig

[1] Date of death according to the American Chess Bulletin , October 1909, p. 227, cf. EG Winter: Chess Facts and Fables . 2005, p. 149, or Chess Notes No. 4728

[2] König Albert-Gymnasium (Royal High School until 1900) in Leipzig: Student album 1880-1904 / 05 , Friedrich Gröber, Leipzig 1905

[3] The international tournament Coburg 1904 (14th DSB Congress) on TeleSchach (cross table and all games)

[4] Deutsche Schachzeitung , September 1909, p. 286.

[5] The Scotsman and Western Times (London) report on August 12, "Allegations of perjury in connection with a love affair had been made against the deceased, and it is supposed that fear of legal proceedings was the motive which led to the tragedy. " The Trenton Evening Post wrote on Aug. 11, "Swiderski was recently convicted of judges in a trial that involved him in a disgraceful scandal."