40th Jubilee Tournament of the Augustea Chess Society – Leipzig 1888

Jacques Mieses' Master Tournament Debut – 3rd Place with 4½/7

The Jubilee Festival

On 2 December 1888, the Schachgesellschaft Augustea – one of Germany's oldest chess clubs, founded in 1848 – opened its 40th anniversary celebrations (Stiftungsfest) in the festively decorated Centralhalle in Leipzig. Club president Gottschall welcomed the assembled masters and guests with an address reviewing four decades of club history. The pairings for the Master Tournament were then determined by draw. The Deutsche Schachzeitung (German Chess Journal) reported extensively on the ceremonial atmosphere that characterised the event from the outset.

The Field

Eight masters had accepted the Augustea's invitation – an entirely German field spanning three generations of German chess. Wilhelm Paulsen, the legendary blindfold player and co-founder of the Augustea, was the senior participant at 60. At the other end of the age spectrum stood Siegbert Tarrasch and Curt von Bardeleben, both in their mid-twenties, alongside the 23-year-old Jacques Mieses as the youngest competitor. Mieses was listed in the entry forms as being "from Leipzig". Three originally invited players – Flechsig, Harmonist and H. v. Gottschall – had withdrawn, reducing the field to eight.

Mieses' Tournament Progress

Mieses made a flying start: on Monday 3 December he won two games in a single day – first against Dr. Tarrasch with the Vienna Game, then against von Scheve, also with the Vienna Game. This double victory on the opening day briefly placed him at the top of the standings. Tuesday brought the first setback: against the experienced Minckwitz he lost with Black in the Spanish Game (Ruy López). On Wednesday Curt von Bardeleben prevailed in a Vienna Game, but Mieses immediately recovered and beat Schottländer the same afternoon. After a draw against Wilhelm Paulsen on Thursday, everything hinged on the final round.

The Dramatic Final Round

Fritz Riemann entered the last round with 5½ out of 6 – he needed only a draw against Mieses to claim first prize outright. Mieses offered the draw. Riemann declined and played for the full point. After a long struggle of 76 moves, it was Mieses who rose from the board as the winner. The Deutsche Schachzeitung noted that Riemann had already had first prize in his grasp, yet chose to press for a win regardless of the laurels at stake – and lost everything. Meanwhile Curt von Bardeleben had won his game and also reached 5½ points. With both players level, a play-off was arranged; it ended in a draw, and the prizes were shared.

The Festive Banquet in the Kaisersaal

On Tuesday evening, 4 December, players and guests of honour gathered for the grand festive banquet (Festessen) in the Kaisersaal of the Centralhalle. The hall was adorned with orange trees, the banquet table arranged in a horseshoe shape. The Matthies ensemble provided musical entertainment. Gottschall recited a poem he had composed in honour of Adolf Anderssen, Leipzig's great chess master of the previous generation. Schellenberg delivered a humorous speech on Leipzig as a chess city and the Augustea's significance for German chess life. The celebrations continued until the early hours of the morning. The Deutsche Schachzeitung devoted several pages of its report to the evening (pp. 10–14).

Consultation Games on the Closing Evening

On Saturday 8 December, the masters concluded the tournament with a consultation game. Bardeleben, von Scheve, Tarrasch and Schottländer played White against the team of Gottschall, Mieses, W. Paulsen and Riemann with Black. The game opened with a Declined Queen's Gambit. After a hard-fought contest the White team prevailed. The Deutsche Schachzeitung published the complete game.

Significance for Mieses

The Leipzig result confirmed what Mieses had already hinted at the Nuremberg congress: he was ready for the front rank of German chess. His record against Tarrasch in 1888 alone – two wins, one loss – was remarkable. The Deutsche Schachzeitung praised his attacking, combination-rich style that delighted spectators. The next major step was not long in coming: in early 1889 Mieses faced the rising Emanuel Lasker in a match at the very same Centralhalle in Leipzig.

Master Tournament Crosstable

Source: Deutsche Schachzeitung, No. 1, January 1889, p. 10

Mieses' Round-by-Round Results

Mieses' Games from Leipzig 1888