Vienna chess newspaper
The Wiener Schachzeitung (also: Wiener Schach-Zeitung ) was an Austrian chess magazine published in Vienna . It appeared between 1898 and 1938 with a longer interruption. A brief re-establishment after the Second World War did not last.
Two predecessors with the same name (1855 and 1887/88)
In January 1855, Ernst Falkbeer started a Viennese chess newspaper for the first time as the “organ of chess in Austria”. The model was the respected Berlin chess newspaper . However, there were only nine monthly expenses before the company had to be closed for financial reasons.
In July 1887, the Viennese Josef Berger (not Johann Berger from Graz) and Samuel Gold , Carl Schlechter's chess teacher , founded a new magazine of the same name. This magazine was also discontinued in March 1888 after only nine issues had appeared.
The Vienna Chess Newspaper (1898–1916)
In 1898, the editors Hugo Fähndrich , Alexander Halprin (1868–1921) and Georg Marco re- founded a Viennese chess newspaper (or “Wiener Schach-Zeitung”, both spellings coexisted). This Austrian chess organ had a long life and gained great popularity among the chess magazines of the time. The magazine initially appeared as an organ of the Vienna Chess Club founded in 1897 . Since 1909, the publication was semi-monthly, but the editions were sometimes published irregularly. Finally Marco discontinued the magazine in July 1916 due to the economic difficulties caused by the First World War .
(New) Vienna Chess Newspaper (1923–1938)
In March 1923, the Wiener Schachzeitung was re-established as the Neue Wiener Schachzeitung , despite persistently difficult economic conditions . In the following year, the editorial team returned to the original name. Marco had seen the unexpected revival. The driving forces were the strong amateurs Robert Wahle and the publisher Akim Lewit, who were also founding members of the chess section of the Jewish sports club Hakoah Vienna . From 1926 to June 1935 Albert Becker was the main editor, who was able to persuade well-known master players and theorists to collaborate. In January 1936, Erich Eliskases , Jacques Hannak and Roman Meyer joined a new editorial team. Then, however, the annexation of Austria to the Third Reich in March 1938 abruptly closed the newspaper, which had only switched to weekly publication shortly before (January 8).
Unsuccessful re-establishment after the Second World War (1948/49)
An attempt to revive the Viennese chess newspaper after the end of the Second World War failed. According to its own statements, it appeared as the “official organ of the Austrian chess federation ” without any economic success from July 1948 to late summer 1949, when it was reinstated. Editor-in-chief was Edwin Hofmann, the problem chess section was edited by Josef Halumbirek .
literature
- Festschrift of the Vienna chess newspaper 1898 / 1923–1933 . With contributions by H. Kmoch , A. Nimzowitsch , SG Tartakower u. a.
- Michael Negele: “The splendor and misery of the chess organ. The eventful history of the Vienna chess newspaper ”, in: Karl , No. 2/2009, pp. 20–27
Web links
- Editions digitized by the Austrian National Library : Wiener Schachzeitung (online at ANNO )
Individual evidence
- ^ Wiener Schach-Zeitung , January 1855, p. 1.