International Chess Tournament San Sebastian
Mieses as Tournament Organizer
Jacques Mieses was not only a tournament book author but also tournament director and organizer of the legendary 1911 tournament. He revolutionized professional chess by ensuring that all travel and accommodation costs for players were covered – a standard that became the norm for top tournaments thereafter.
I. and II. International Chess Tournament San Sebastian
1911 / 1912
Click to enlarge
| Title | I. and II. International Chess Tournament San Sebastian 1911 and 1912 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacques Mieses & Dr. Moritz Lewitt |
| Foreword | Christiaan M. Bijl (Reprint) |
| Publisher | Edition Olms (Reprint) Original: Hans Hedewig's Nachf., Leipzig |
| Original | 1919 / 1920 (2nd editions) |
| 1st Edition | Verlag Dr. Wedeking & Co., Berlin, 1911, 128 pp. (Vol. I) Verlag Dr. Wedeking & Co., Berlin, 1912 (Vol. II) |
| Pages | 2 volumes in one book, 344 pages total |
| ISBN | 3-283-00137-5 |
| Series | Tschaturanga, Volume 24 |
About the Content
The official tournament book contains around 200 annotated games from both tournaments. The annotations are by Mieses himself, supplemented by guest commentary from Dr. Tarrasch, Dr. Berthold Lasker and others. An indispensable document of chess history.
Historical Significance
San Sebastian 1911
The tournament at the Grand Casino of San Sebastian (February 20 – March 17, 1911) assembled almost all top-10 players in the world – only Emanuel Lasker was absent (he married on March 1, 1911). The sensational winner was the Europe-unknown José Raúl Capablanca, who thus made his triumphant entry into European chess.
Final standings 1911:
- 1. Capablanca – 9.5 points
- 2.–3. Rubinstein, Vidmar – 9 points each
- 4. Marshall – 8.5 points
San Sebastian 1912
The following year Akiba Rubinstein won the tournament ahead of Spielmann and Nimzowitsch. Capablanca did not participate. Rubinstein won five major tournaments in a row that year – an unprecedented series.
The Famous Quote
"Lasker's style is clear water, but with a drop of poison which is clouding it. Capablanca's style is perhaps still clearer, but it lacks that drop of poison."
— Jacques Mieses, first published in the Berliner Tageblatt, reprinted in the tournament book (p. 16).
English translation by J. du Mont in H. Golombek, Capablanca's Hundred Best Games of Chess (London, 1947, p. 13).
Note: This quote is frequently misattributed to Rudolf Spielmann. Edward Winter documents in Chess Notes (C.N. 3161) that the original source is unambiguously Mieses.
The Participants 1911
A gathering of the world's best players of their time:
- José Raúl Capablanca (Cuba)
- Akiba Rubinstein (Russia/Poland)
- Milan Vidmar (Austria-Hungary)
- Frank James Marshall (USA)
- Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch (Germany)
- Carl Schlechter (Austria)
- Géza Maróczy (Hungary)
- David Janowski (France)
- Aron Nimzowitsch (Russia)
- Rudolf Spielmann (Austria)
- Dr. Ossip Bernstein (Russia)
- Richard Teichmann (Germany)
- Oldřich Duras (Bohemia)
- Paul Saladin Leonhardt (Germany)
- Amos Burn (England)
Availability
The German-language reprint is available from Edition Olms and through antiquarian booksellers.
Modern English edition: Robert Irons, San Sebastian 1911 (Russell Enterprises/New In Chess, 2024, ISBN 978-1-949859-91-1). Foreword by Andy Soltis. Features Mieses' original annotations alongside modern Stockfish analysis.