Teleschess Olympiad

The Teleschess Olympiad was a three-time competition for national chess teams between 1977 and 1990. Joint organizers were the World Chess Federation FIDE and the International Correspondence Chess Organization ICCF . The players stayed in their respective home countries and the trains were exchanged via telex . With the emergence of new technical media (email, internet), the interest in hosting tournaments this way disappeared.

The thinking time was 2 hours per player for 50 moves. Added to this was the time required to enter and transmit the trains. This was not done by the players themselves, but by tech-savvy assistants. After the 50th move, the games were broken off and assessed by a neutral committee, as is usual in correspondence chess.

Each team consisted of eight players. On the basis of mutual agreement between the teams, it was agreed that at least one woman and at least one junior had to belong to the team. The line-up could be changed from round to round. If a competition ended in a draw, the Berlin ranking decided the winner.

1st edition 1977/78

Round of 16

The round of 16 took place in the first half of 1977. The teams of the GDR and the Soviet Union had a bye. Portugal continued without a fight because France's team did not appear.

BR Germany	3.5: 4.5	Netherlands
Australia	6.5: 1.5	Guyana
Finland	4: 4	Poland
Iceland	4: 4	England
Sweden	4.5: 3.5	Norway

Quarter finals

The quarter-finals took place in the second half of 1977.

Netherlands	5: 3	Portugal
Australia	2.5: 5.5	Soviet Union
German Democratic Republic	5: 3	Sweden
Finland	3.5: 4.5	Iceland

Semifinals

The semi-finals took place in the first half of 1978.

Soviet Union	6.5: 1.5	Netherlands
German Democratic Republic	4.5: 3.5	Iceland

final

The final was held on December 2, 1978.

Soviet Union

5: 3

German Democratic Republic

Winning team

In the final, the Soviet Union played with Yuri Balaschow , Evgeni Wassjukow , Alexander Kotschiew , Eduard Gufeld , Igor Saizew , Semjon Palatnik , Jelena Achmylowskaja and Sergei Dolmatow . Michail Tal , Boris Gulko , Mark Zeitlin , Valeri Chekhov , Anna Achscharumowa , Garri Kasparow , Lev Polugajewski , Alexander Beliavsky , Juri Rasuwajew , Adrian Mihalčišin and Artur Jussupow were also involved in the preliminary rounds .

For the eventual world champion Kasparov, the start in the quarter-final game against Australia was the first use in a Soviet national team. He was 14 years old at the time.

German teams

The GDR selection played in the final with Burkhard Malich , Rainer Knaak , Lothar Vogt , Uwe Bönsch , Lutz Espig , Hans-Ulrich Grünberg , Brigitte Hofmann and Thomas Casper . In the preliminary rounds, Wolfgang Uhlmann , Marion Worch , Heinz Liebert and Peter Hesse also belonged to the team.

The Federal Republic played with Robert Huebner , Hans-Joachim Hecht , Dieter Mohrlok , Hans-Günter Kestler , Klaus Wockenfuß , Klaus Klundt , Hannelore Weichert and Christian Schubert .

2nd edition 1981/82

Round of 16

The round of 16 took place in 1981. Since only 11 teams had registered, only three competitions were required in this round.

BR Germany	4: 4	Finland
England	5: 3	Israel
Scotland	5.5: 2.5	Norway

Quarter finals

The quarter-finals were held at the end of 1981.

Scotland	1.5: 6.5	Soviet Union
Iceland	3.5: 4.5	England
Finland	2.5: 5.5	Sweden
German Democratic Republic	5.5: 2.5	Poland

Semifinals

The semi-finals took place in the first half of 1982.

England	3.5: 4.5	Soviet Union
Sweden	3.5: 4.5	German Democratic Republic

final

The final was played on November 21, 1982.

Soviet Union

4: 4

German Democratic Republic

Six games ended in a draw. The Soviet Union won on board 2, the GDR on board 3. Thus, the Berlin rating decided in favor of the USSR.

Winning team

In the final, the Soviet Union played with Artur Jussupow , Juri Balaschow , Vitali Zeschkowski , Wiktar Kuprejtschyk , Mark Taimanow , Georgi Agsamow , Irina Levitina and Andreï Sokolov . In the earlier rounds, Evgeni Wassjukow , Alexander Kotschiew , Lew Polugajewski , Semjon Palatnik , Kostjantyn Lerner , Wladimir Sagorowski , Igor Naumkin , Nana Iosseliani , Lew Psachis , Wolodymyr Tukmakow , Oleh Romanyschyn and Evgeni Sweschnikow were used.

German teams

The GDR selection played in the final with Wolfgang Uhlmann , Lothar Vogt , Rainer Knaak , Burkhard Malich , Uwe Bönsch , Lutz Espig , Brigitte Burchardt and Raj Tischbierek . Hans-Ulrich Grünberg , Martina Keller and Iris Bröder were also placed in the preliminary rounds .

The Federal Republic played with Hans-Joachim Hecht , Ralf Hess , Jürgen Dueball , Peter Ostermeyer , Mathias Gerusel , Klaus Klundt , Christof Herbrechtsmeier and Jürgen Haakert.

3rd edition 1989/90

Round of 16

The small starting field meant that only one competition was required in the round of 16. This was held on July 16, 1989. The also scheduled match between Ireland and Norway was canceled because the Norwegians did not take part.

Singapore

1.5: 6.5

Australia

Quarter finals

The quarter-finals were held at the end of 1989. Poland did not play for the game against the Soviet Union.

Australia	7.5: 0.5	Ireland
Finland	2: 6	German Democratic Republic
Austria	4.5: 3.5	Portugal

Semifinals

The semi-final game between the GDR and Austria took place on June 23, 1990, that between Australia and the Soviet Union on September 22.

Austria	2: 6	German Democratic Republic
Australia		Soviet Union

In the game between Australia and the Soviet Union, it was 4.5: 0.5 for the Soviet players at the end of the agreed season. The remaining games would have been decided by the "assessment" otherwise customary in correspondence chess. However, the USSR team was already in the lead. Therefore, the final between the GDR and the Soviet Union was scheduled for the following day.

final

The final took place on September 23, despite a pending protest by Australians against the ranking of the semi-finals.

German Democratic Republic

4: 4

Soviet Union

According to the Berlin rating, the GDR won the game by winning on board 2 over a Soviet success on board 8.

Aftermath

Although the GDR and USSR had already played the final, a decision was made two months later on the protest of the Australians who had lost in the semifinals. This was founded u. a. insisted that the Soviet players had been given too much time to think it over and took an unscheduled lunch break at a time when it was already midnight in Australia. In addition, the Soviet team had not adhered to the reported board order of their players. The ICCF recognized the protest of the Australians and disqualified the Soviet team retrospectively for the semifinals. The rescheduling of a final game between the GDR and Australia, which was actually due, failed u. a. because the GDR ceased to exist in the course of political developments in October 1990. Therefore, in early 1991, Australia was subsequently declared the winner of the third Teleschess Olympiad.

GDR team

The GDR selection played in the semifinals and final with Uwe Bönsch , Rainer Knaak , Wolfgang Uhlmann , Lutz Espig , Hans-Ulrich Grünberg , Raj Tischbierek , Annett Wagner-Michel and Dirk Rosenthal. Lothar Vogt and Thomas Luther were also on the team in the quarter-finals .

Australian team

Australia played in the semi-finals, which were subsequently classified as won, with Ian Rogers , Darryl Johansen , Stephen Solomon , Guy West , Dmitry Gedevanishvili, Robert Jamieson , Biljana Dekic and Gregory Canfell. In earlier rounds, Craig Laird and Anne Slavotinek were also used.

Web links

• Olimpbase (English) - complete results of the Teleschess Olympiadem

swell

• Olimpbase (see under web links)
• SCHACH magazine from the current years