Berlin, January 1897 – The Schachverein Centrum Tournament
Berlin, 18–28 January 1897
A note on the name: two chess events took place in Berlin in 1897. The international tournament marking the 70th anniversary of the Berliner Schachgesellschaft ran from 13 September to 4 October at the Architektenhaus, had nineteen players and was won by Rudolf Charousek ahead of Carl August Walbrodt. Mieses did not play in it — his name is absent from that tournament's crosstable. This page covers the small master tournament held in January of the same year by the Schachverein Centrum, one of the Berlin chess clubs.
Tournament Overview
- Organiser: Schachverein Centrum, Berlin
- Club premises: Neue Friedrichstraße 35
- Date: 18–28 January 1897
- Format: round robin, 7 players, 6 rounds
- Prizes: 300 / 200 / 150 marks
- Winner: Curt von Bardeleben
Tournament dates established from contemporary press reports: The Baltimore Sun, 29 January 1897, carrying a Berlin dispatch of 28 January; Hereford Times, 6 February 1897; New York Tribune, 17 January 1897.
Mieses' Performance
Result: Shared 3rd–4th Place
3½ points from 6 games – shared 3rd–4th place, half of the third prize (150 marks)
Mieses finished on 3½ from 6, behind the winner Curt von Bardeleben and Rudolf Charousek, who had travelled from Pest for the event. Wilhelm Cohn finished level with him, and the two divided the third prize of 150 marks between them. Mieses scored wins over Charousek, Heinrichsen and Gutmayer and drew with Walbrodt.
Crosstable
| Place | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Score | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curt von Bardeleben | ∗ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4½ | 1st prize, 300 marks |
| 2 | Rudolf Charousek | ½ | ∗ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2nd prize, 200 marks |
| 3rd–4th | Wilhelm Cohn | 0 | ½ | ∗ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3½ | 3rd prize shared, 150 marks |
| 3rd–4th | Jacques Mieses | 0 | 1 | 0 | ∗ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 3½ | 3rd prize shared, 150 marks |
| 5th | Carl August Walbrodt | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ∗ | 0 | 1 | 2½ | — |
| 6th | Arved Heinrichsen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ∗ | 1 | 2 | — |
| 7th | Franz Gutmayer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ∗ | 1 | — |
Final standings and crosstable after Der schwäbische Postbote (Augsburger Schachblatt), vol. 31, 1897, p. 120. Prize money additionally after the chronicle of the Deutscher Schachbund in Deutsches Wochenschach no. 46/47, 21 November 1897, p. 431.
Background and Field
The tournament had originally been announced as an event in honour of the veteran master Szymon Winawer, then present in Berlin. The announcement named Winawer alongside von Bardeleben, Mieses, Walbrodt and Cohn.
The expected field was larger still. Writing from Berlin on 18 December 1896, Mieses reported that von Bardeleben, Walbrodt, Mieses himself, Winawer, Metger, Cohn and Schlechter intended to play in a tournament of the Centrum club; the New York Herald carried the news on 4 January 1897. On 17 January the New York Tribune added Janowski and Charousek to the list.
Seven players sat down in the end: von Bardeleben, Charousek, Cohn, Gutmayer, Heinrichsen, Mieses and Walbrodt. Winawer, Schlechter, Janowski and Metger all stayed away, and Gutmayer and Heinrichsen came in.
Announcement and field after Der schwäbische Postbote (Augsburger Schachblatt), vol. 31, 1897, p. 120; New York Herald, 4 January 1897; New York Tribune, 17 January 1897.
Games
Three games from the tournament were published at the time. Two of them are given here in full; the third, Mieses' draw with Carl August Walbrodt on 23 January 1897, a Ruy Lopez, ended by perpetual check.
Mieses – Charousek, Vienna Game
Berlin, January 1897. 1–0 in 71 moves.
Mieses beat Rudolf Charousek, who in September of the same year would go on to win the great Berlin congress. The London Standard printed the game in full on 8 March 1897 with notes. The annotator singles out the handling of the ending: White, with careful play, must win, and Mieses does so "in a commendable and instructive manner".
Moves and notes after The Standard (London), 8 March 1897, p. 8. The date on which the game was played is not recorded.
Mieses – Heinrichsen, Ruy Lopez
Berlin, 22 January 1897. 1–0 in 25 moves.
The bishop sacrifice on g5 at move 21 opens the h-file, and 24.Rxh6+ settles the game. The knight move 25.Ne6 attacks queen and rook at once, and Heinrichsen resigned.
Moves and notes after Der schwäbische Postbote (Augsburger Schachblatt), vol. 31, 1897, p. 216, game no. 20. Details of the Walbrodt game ibid., p. 120.
Other Tournaments
International Debut Breslau 1889
3rd Prize – first international master tournament Hastings 1895
Tournament of the Century Berlin 1897
Shared 3rd–4th Place Monte Carlo 1903
8. Platz Cambridge Springs 1904
8th–9th Place Vienna 1907
1st Place – Greatest Victory! Ostend 1907
3rd–4th Place – World-Class Event San Sebastián 1911
Mieses as Organizer Liverpool 1923
1st Place – Tournament Victory! Baden-Baden 1925
New Beginning After War Kemeri 1937
The Fateful Tournament Chess Olympiads
London 1927 · Prague 1931