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Jacques Mieses

St.Petersburg 1909

The Chigorin Memorial Tournament in St. Petersburg 1909 was one of the strongest tournaments in chess history. From February 15 to March 12, 1909, 19 masters met at the St. Petersburg Chess Club – under the patronage of Tsar Nicholas II.

The Tournament at a Glance
  • Date: February 15 – March 12, 1909
  • Venue: St. Petersburg Chess Club
  • Format: 19 players, single round (18 games)
  • Occasion: Memorial tournament for Mikhail Chigorin
  • 1st–2nd Place: Lasker & Rubinstein (14½/18 each)
  • 3rd–4th Place: Duras & Spielmann (11/18 each)
  • Mieses: 11th–12th Place (8½/18)
  • Total games: 175
Participants of the St. Petersburg 1909 tournament
The Tournament Participants

The famous group photo shows the elite of the chess world: World Champion Emanuel Lasker, the rising Akiba Rubinstein, Carl Schlechter (who would play for the world championship a year later) – and right in the middle Jacques Mieses.

Postcard from Jacques Mieses to his sister Marie
Special Document
Postcard to Sister Marie

During the tournament Jacques sent this postcard to his sister Marie in Leipzig – with the signatures of all participating masters: Lasker, Rubinstein, Schlechter, Tartakower and many more. A unique chess historical document.

Mieses' Most Memorable Victory

In the 5th round (February 21, 1909) Mieses defeated the highly favored Carl Schlechter with the black pieces – in a Scandinavian Defense, whose main variation still bears his name today.

This game meant so much to Mieses that he could still play it move by move from memory 30 years later – when he fled from the Nazis to England in 1938.

Replay the game
The Participants

The Favorites:

  • Emanuel Lasker (Germany) – World Champion since 1894
  • Akiba Rubinstein (Poland) – the "Master of Endgames"
  • Carl Schlechter (Austria) – the "Gentleman of Chess"

Other well-known masters:

  • Rudolf Spielmann – the "Master of the King's Gambit"
  • Savielly Tartakower – later famous for his witticisms
  • Richard Teichmann – "Richard V." (the Fifth after the Greats)
  • Amos Burn – English chess legend
Family Games