Chess Olympia 1936

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The venue (photo: 2007, now the traffic center of the Deutsches Museum , Hall I) in the Schwanthalerhöhe district

Chess Olympics in 1936 was a chess - Nations Tournament , which from August 17 to September 1. 1936 in Munich took place. Although it was not an official FIDE event , it was declared a Chess Olympiad by the Greater German Chess Federation . It took place right after the Summer Olympics in Berlin .

background

Interior view of the venue (Photo: 1910)

Although Germany remained a member of the International Olympic Committee after the “ seizure of power ” , the Greater German Chess Federation, which had replaced the German Chess Federation , left the World Chess Federation FIDE. Due to the National Socialist ideology, which was incompatible with the FIDE principles , there was also alienation from the international chess community. For example, due to the regulations of the German government, only " Aryan " players were allowed in German teams.

Germany was nevertheless determined to get a better reputation with the World Chess Federation and tried to get a resumption. For the centenary of the Munich Chess Club in 1836 , Germany hosted an unofficial Chess Olympiad. FIDE informed its members that they were free to attend. In return, the Greater German Chess Federation had promised to allow Jewish chess players in the national teams at the planned tournament .

In the run-up to the tournament, "Olympic training" by Efim Bogoljubow and Willi Schlage took place at various locations from the beginning of 1935 . Several tournaments were organized to identify suitable candidates for the German team: Bad Nauheim (August 1935), Bad Saarow (September 1935), Stadtprotzelten am Main (December 1935 to January 1936), Bad Elster (May 1936) Bad Nauheim (May 1936) Dresden (June 1936), Swinemünde (June 1936), Berlin and Nuremberg (July 1936).

At the same time as the unofficial Chess Olympiad, a major international tournament was held in Nottingham , which meant that England, for example, could not compete. The United States, which had won the previous three official Chess Olympiads, did not participate either. Argentina officially canceled what was to be understood as a tacit boycott due to excessive travel costs. Although the Netherlands took part with a second-rate team, the magazine of the Dutch Chess Federation did not report on the tournament. Several Polish players of Jewish descent wanted to boycott the tournament, but were urged to participate by Polish chess officials. Only Savielly Tartakower , who was invited to Nottingham, was able to escape this pressure.

The major chess event received funding from the City of Munich and the Bavarian Prime Minister Ludwig Siebert . In addition , Hans Frank , who acted as Reich Minister without portfolio and later became Governor General in occupied Poland, obtained additional funds from the Propaganda Ministry .

Organization and tournament schedule

Géza Maróczy (here a picture from a young age) played on the first board for the Hungarian winning team.

The tournament took place in the halls of the exhibition park on Theresienhöhe . Because of the summer heat, the tournament was very exhausting for the players, and the number of spectators also fell short of expectations, although a total of 3000 chess enthusiasts from all over Germany were transported to the tournament by special trains and the Völkischer Beobachter reported daily on a special page.

The then record number of 21 mostly European nations with 208 players took part in the tournament. Deviating from the usual regulation, which provided for a round-robin tournament on four boards, a round-robin tournament was played on eight boards - with the new federal form pieces propagated by the Greater German Chess Federation . In addition, specially designed timing devices (with a single clockwork) were used.

In total, each team could nominate ten players. This change benefited the Germans, who had no absolute top players, but a very balanced team. Other nations had difficulties in providing enough suitable players, so that the overall level of chess was not very high. The Viennese chess newspaper even spoke of "a plethora of pathetic botches". A total of 1680 games were played, but almost two thirds of them were not published and are now considered lost. Then stood for each batch two hours to forty trains, an additional hour for each additional 20 trains for reflection per player. The team with the most points on the board should be the winner. In the event of a tie, the number of matches won should decide.

One team was free of play per round. Since a large number of suspended games had to be completed, the table situation was confusing in the course of the tournament. Hungary won all 20 rounds and the tournament with 110.5 points, followed by Poland with 108 and Germany with 106.5 points. Masters of Jewish origin such as the Steiner brothers, László Szabó, Ernő Gereben, Paulin Frydman, Mieczysław (Miguel) Najdorf, Henryk Friedman and Henryk Pogorieły achieved outstanding results for Hungary and Poland.

# team Chess player
1 Hungary Géza Maróczy , Lajos Steiner , Endre Steiner , Kornél Havasi , László Szabó , Gedeon Barcza , Árpád Vajda , Ernő Gereben , János Balogh , Imre Kóródy Keresztély
2 Poland Paulin Frydman , Mieczysław Najdorf , Teodor Regedziński , Kazimierz Makarczyk , Henryk Friedman , Leon Kremer , Henryk Pogorieły , Antoni Wojciechowski , Franciszek Sulik , Jerzy Jagielski
3 Germany Kurt Richter , Carl Ahues , Ludwig Engels , Carl Carls , Ludwig Rellstab , Fritz Sämisch , Ludwig Rödl , Herbert Heinicke , Wilhelm Ernst , Paul Michel

László Szabó scored 16.5 points in 19 games on the fifth board and thus achieved the highest number of individual points and was the only player to receive both an individual and team gold medal on each board. The best result on the top board was achieved by 20-year-old Paul Keres for Estonia with 15.5 points from 20 games.

Final result as a cross table

Rg team code 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 10 11 12 13 14th 15th 16 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st BP + = -
1 Hungary HUN ● 5 4½ 5 5½ 5½ 4½ 4½ 5½ 5 5 6½ 5½ 5½ 4½ 6½ 6th 5 6½ 7th 7½ 110½ 20th 0 0
2 Poland POLE 3 ● 4½ 4½ 5 3½ 4th 5½ 5 4½ 7th 5½ 6th 6th 3½ 6½ 5½ 6½ 6½ 7½ 8th 108 16 1 3
3 Germany GER 3½ 3½ ● 4th 4th 6½ 5½ 4½ 5 6th 4½ 4½ 5½ 4½ 6½ 6½ 7th 6th 5½ 7th 6½ 106½ 16 2 2
4th Yugoslavia YUG 3 3½ 4th ● 3 6th 4½ 5½ 5½ 4th 4½ 5½ 5½ 6½ 4th 6th 7th 5 7½ 7th 7th 104½ 14th 3 3
5 Czechoslovakia CSR 2½ 3 4th 5 ● 2½ 7th 4th 5 4th 4th 6th 6½ 6th 6½ 5 6th 6½ 6th 6½ 8th 104 13 4th 3
6th Latvia LAT 2½ 4½ 1½ 2 5½ ● 3½ 4½ 5 6th 4th 5 6½ 7th 6½ 5½ 5½ 4th 5½ 5 7th 96½ 14th 2 4th
7th Austria AUT 3½ 4th 2½ 3½ 1½ 4½ ● 4½ 5 4th 5½ 4th 5½ 4½ 5½ 7th 5½ 7th 5½ 6½ 6th 95 13 3 4th
8th Sweden SWE 3½ 2½ 3½ 2½ 4th 3½ 3½ ● 5½ 4½ 4th 4th 5 6½ 4½ 6th 5½ 6½ 6th 6½ 6½ 94 11 3 6th
9 Denmark THE 2½ 3 3 2½ 3 3 3 2½ ● 4½ 6½ 7th 5½ 4½ 5 5 5½ 7th 5 6½ 7th 91½ 12 0 8th
10 Estonia EST 3 3½ 2 4th 4th 2 4th 3½ 3½ ● 3½ 4th 5½ 4½ 6½ 6½ 6th 6th 6½ 5½ 6th 90 9 4th 7th
11 Lithuania LIT 3 1 3½ 3½ 4th 4th 2½ 4th 1½ 4½ ● 3½ 3 4th 4½ 5½ 3 6th 4½ 5½ 6½ 77½ 7th 4th 9
12 Finland FIN 1½ 2½ 3 2½ 2 3 4th 4th 1 4th 4½ ● 3½ 4th 4th 4th 5½ 4½ 5½ 6th 5½ 75 6th 6th 8th
13 Netherlands NED 2½ 2 2½ 2½ 1½ 1½ 2½ 3 2½ 2½ 5 4½ ● 5 5½ 4½ 5 4½ 4½ 5 5 71½ 10 0 10
14th Romania ROME 2½ 2 3½ 1½ 2 1 3½ 1½ 3½ 3½ 4th 4th 3 ● 5½ 3½ 4th 4th 4½ 6th 5 68 4th 4th 12
15th Norway NOR 3½ 4½ 1½ 4th 1½ 1½ 2½ 3½ 3 1½ 3½ 4th 2½ 2½ ● 3½ 3½ 3½ 2½ 7th 5 64½ 3 2 15th
16 Brazil BRA 1½ 1½ 1½ 2 3 2½ 1 2 3 1½ 2 4th 3½ 4th 4th ● 4th 5½ 5 6th 4th 63 5 3 12
17th Switzerland SUI 2 2½ 1 1 2 2½ 2½ 2½ 2½ 2 5 2½ 3 4th 4½ 4th ● 5 3 5 5 61½ 5 2 13
18th Italy ITA 3 1½ 2 3 1½ 4th 1 1½ 1 2 2 3½ 3½ 4th 4½ 2½ 3 ● 6th 4th 5½ 59 3 3 14th
19th Iceland ISL 1½ 1½ 2½ ½ 2 2½ 2½ 2 3 1½ 3½ 2½ 3½ 3½ 5½ 3 5 2 ● 4½ 5 57½ 4th 0 16
20th France FRA 1 ½ 1 1 1½ 3 1½ 1½ 1½ 2½ 2½ 2 3 2 1 2 3 4th 3½ ● 5½ 43½ 1 1 18th
21st Bulgaria BUL ½ 0 1½ 1 0 1 2 1½ 1 2 1½ 2½ 3 3 3 4th 3 2½ 3 2½ ● 38½ 0 1 19th

consequences

The Olympic tournament was a success in terms of sport politics. In November 1936 the British Chess Magazine wrote that the Munich country tournament was very well organized and regretted that Germany had withdrawn from FIDE. After the tournament, Germany managed to get closer to the World Chess Federation and later to become a member again. Germany was allowed to officially participate again in the 1939 Chess Olympiad .

The Chess Olympia was not considered an official Chess Olympiad. In comparison with official events, more games were played only at the 1964 Chess Olympiad .

In memory of the well-felt organization of the “Chess Olympia” before the war , the German Chess Federation organized the Chess Olympiad again in Munich in 1958 .

Team lineups

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Edward Winter : The 1936 Munich Chess Olympiad
  2. ↑ Ralf Woelk: Chess under the swastika. Political influences on the game of chess in the Third Reich , Pfullingen 1996, p. 66 ff. (= Tübingen contributions on the subject of chess 3) ISBN 3-88502-017-3 .
  3. ↑ The tournament announcement (possibly a poster) shows a position with federal form figures.
  4. ↑ Michael Negele: Propaganda on 64 fields. The Chess Olympia Munich 1936. In: Karl , No. 3, 2008, p. 23.
  5. ↑ Stanisław Gawlikowski: Olimpiady szachowe 1924-1974 , Wyd. Sport i Turystyka, Warszawa 1978.

literature

  • Kurt Richter (Ed.): Chess Olympia Munich 1936 . 2 volumes. De Gruyter, Berlin / Leipzig 1936, 1937 (Reprint: Edition Olms, Zurich 1997. ISBN 3-283-00255-X ).
  • Emil Joseph Diemer : Olympic lightning victories , Magyar Sakkvilág, Kecskemét 1936.
  • Anthony J. Gillam: Munich Chess 'Olympiad' 1936 , Chess Players, 2000.
  • Michael Negele: Propaganda on 64 fields. The Chess Olympia Munich 1936. In: Karl , No. 3, 2008, pp. 20-26.
  • Mario Tal: brother kisses and tears of joy. A cultural history of the Chess Olympiads . PapyRossa Verlag, Cologne 2008, pp. 91–117. ISBN 978-3-89438-393-0 .

Web links