| Karlsbad (1923) |
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The third master tournament (1) to be held in Karlsbad, Czechoslovakia was held from April 27 to May 22, 1923. Twenty-two masters were invited, the same as in 1911, (2) but only seventeen were able to accept their invitations. Among the players who could not attend for various reasons were Milan Vidmar, David Janowski, and Fyodor Ivanovich Dus Chotimirsky. Friedrich Saemisch was brought in as a reserve to create an even number of players. The eighteen participants played their games in the Helenenhof Imperial Hotel. (3) Among them were an array of European chess masters, including Alexander Alekhine, Efim Bogoljubov, Siegbert Tarrasch, and Akiba Rubinstein. Only the world champion Jose Raul Capablanca, former world champion Emanuel Lasker, and Frank James Marshall were not invited. Although Alekhine had arrived late due to passport trouble, he dominated for much of the tournament until the penultimate round, where his loss to Rudolf Spielmann allowed Geza Maroczy to catch up. Bogoljubov also managed to close the gap, tying with them due to his final round win against Karel Treybal. The three winners earned 3,505 Czech Crowns for their victory, with Alekhine earning an additional "Prize of Honor," a crystal goblet worth 1,000 Crowns, and Bogoljubov receiving a cash prize worth half Alekhine's prize. The tournament also saw the distribution of ten brilliancy prizes, including three "first prizes" which went to Alekhine for his win against Ernst Gruenfeld, Aron Nimzowitsch for his win against Fred Dewhirst Yates, and Yates for his win against Alekhine. The final standings and crosstable:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pts
=1 Alekhine * 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 11½
=1 Bogoljubov 0 * ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 11½
=1 Maróczy 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 11½
=4 Réti ½ 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 0 0 10½
=4 Grünfeld 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 10½
=6 Nimzowitsch ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 * 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 10
=6 Treybal 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 10
8 Yates 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 9½
9 Teichmann ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 9
10 Tartakower ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 8½
11 Tarrasch 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ * 0 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 8
12 Rubinstein 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 * 0 0 1 1 1 ½ 7½
13 Bernstein 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 1 0 1 7
14 Wolf 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ * 0 ½ 1 0 6½
15 Sämisch ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 * 0 0 1 6
16 Thomas 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 * 1 1 5½
=17 Spielmann 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 * 0 5
=17 Chajes 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 1 * 5
(1) Wikipedia article: Carlsbad 1923 chess tournament. (2) Karlsbad (1911). (3) http://www.spa-hotel-imperial.cz/en.... Original collection: Game Collection: Karlsbad 1923, by User: suenteus po 147. The depth and accuracy is due in large part to the efforts of <Benzol>, who has our eternal gratitude.
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| page 1 of 7; games 1-25 of 153 |
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| Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
| 1. J Bernstein vs Spielmann |
 | 0-1 | 29 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav |
| 2. Bogoljubov vs Tarrasch |
 | 1-0 | 28 | 1923 | Karlsbad | E60 King's Indian Defense |
| 3. O Chajes vs Reti |
| 1-0 | 62 | 1923 | Karlsbad | B18 Caro-Kann, Classical |
| 4. A Nimzowitsch vs H Wolf |
| 1-0 | 55 | 1923 | Karlsbad | A06 Reti Opening |
| 5. Saemisch vs Gruenfeld |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D79 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O, Main line |
| 6. Tartakower vs K Treybal |
| ½-½ | 36 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C44 King's Pawn Game |
| 7. Teichmann vs Maroczy |
| ½-½ | 23 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C13 French |
| 8. Yates vs G Thomas |
| ½-½ | 46 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed |
| 9. Maroczy vs Bogoljubov |
| ½-½ | 45 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D02 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 10. Reti vs J Bernstein |
| 1-0 | 44 | 1923 | Karlsbad | A04 Reti Opening |
| 11. Rubinstein vs O Chajes |
| ½-½ | 68 | 1923 | Karlsbad | A46 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 12. Tarrasch vs Tartakower |
| ½-½ | 81 | 1923 | Karlsbad | B10 Caro-Kann |
| 13. G Thomas vs Spielmann |
| 1-0 | 51 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C77 Ruy Lopez |
| 14. K Treybal vs Saemisch |
| ½-½ | 65 | 1923 | Karlsbad | B40 Sicilian |
| 15. H Wolf vs Teichmann |
| ½-½ | 39 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C49 Four Knights |
| 16. Yates vs A Nimzowitsch |
| 0-1 | 45 | 1923 | Karlsbad | A07 King's Indian Attack |
| 17. Gruenfeld vs Alekhine |
| 0-1 | 34 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D64 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack |
| 18. Alekhine vs Rubinstein |
| 1-0 | 32 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D64 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack |
| 19. J Bernstein vs Rubinstein |
| 1-0 | 49 | 1923 | Karlsbad | A46 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 20. Bogoljubov vs H Wolf |
| ½-½ | 53 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D39 Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin, Vienna Variation |
| 21. O Chajes vs Gruenfeld |
| 0-1 | 120 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed |
| 22. A Nimzowitsch vs G Thomas |
| 0-1 | 65 | 1923 | Karlsbad | E77 King's Indian |
| 23. Saemisch vs Tarrasch |
| ½-½ | 49 | 1923 | Karlsbad | D30 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 24. Spielmann vs Reti |
| 1-0 | 33 | 1923 | Karlsbad | B40 Sicilian |
| 25. Tartakower vs Maroczy |
| ½-½ | 26 | 1923 | Karlsbad | C00 French Defense |
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| page 1 of 7; games 1-25 of 153 |
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| Dec-08-13 | | Karpova: Viktor Tietz explains the distribution of prizes according to the <System Tietz> on p. 158 of the July 1923 'Neue Wiener Schachzeitung'. Tietz, the tournament director, was opposed to the Sonneborn-Berger system. As Maroczy, Alekhine and Bogoljubov all had 11.5 points, they all got 3,605 czech crowns each. Yet, only the one with most wins was entitled to receive the special prize of 1,000 czech crowns - in this case Alekhine and Bogoljubov (9 wins each), but not Maroczy (7 wins). Accordingly, both Reti and Grünfeld received the same prize. Same goes for Nimzowitsch and Treybal. |
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Sep-12-14
 | | offramp: Alekhine scored very well against the 4 players who finished below him. |
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Sep-12-14
 | | perfidious: For all that, his loss in Alekhine vs Spielmann, 1923 in the penultimate round to one of the bottom markers very nearly put paid to his chances of first prize. Had never read the kibitzes to the above and was interested to learn how Alekhine expressed his displeasure over the result--not that I blame him, as he was leading outright entering the game with Spielmann. |
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Jun-05-15
 | | Fusilli: <Karpova: Viktor Tietz explains the distribution of prizes according to the <System Tietz> ...> Okay, but does this mean that Alekhine was the official winner of the tournament, or was this system only meant to be used to distribute money, with the tournament officially remaining a three-way tie? |
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| Jun-17-15 | | Karpova: <Fusilli>
Tietz makes clear, that Bogoljubov, Alekhine and Maroczy got and had to get the same prize, i. e. the prize for first place. They were joint winners with 11.5 points each. Tietz didn't make use of a system like Sonneborn-Berger. I didn't find the exact prize money, but I guess that the prizes for first, second and third place were added up and then divided by three, to arrive at 3,605 Czech crowns for each player. It's just that there were special prizes, and only Bogoljubov and Alekhine got the one of 1,000 Czech crowns, due to their higher number of wins. |
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| Feb-25-16 | | TheFocus: "Ten brilliancy prizes were awarded at the conclusion of the international tournament at Carlsbad, as follows: Four hundred crowns each to Alekhine, Niemzowitsch and Yates for their games against Gruenfeld, Yates and Alekhine; 200 crowns each to Niemzowitsch, Spielmann and Niemzowitsch for their games against Bernstein, Saemisch and Spielmann; 100 crowns each to Alekhine, Bogoljubow, Maroczy and Chajes for their games against Rubinstein, Spielmann, Chajes and Spielmann," - <American Chess Bulletin>, July-August, 1923, ph. 117. |
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Oct-26-16
 | | MissScarlett: < Only the world champion Jose Raul Capablanca, former world champion Emanuel Lasker, and Frank James Marshall were not invited.> According to <BDE>, January 4th, 1923, p.27, Marshall was one of three original American invites (with Chajes and Janowski). Marshall's participation is reported as doubtful on the basis of his prospective match with Edward Lasker, set for March (Marshall - Ed Lasker US Championship (1923)). <It would be interesting to discover the circumstances behind Bernstein's invitation to compete in the 1923 Carlsbad tournament. He seems at the most a minor master who would not be considered one of the top players in the world.> (Jacob Bernstein) The same article reveals that Bernstein wasn't invited; he applied for the job! Presumably, when his friend Chajes was invited, he fancied some of that: <The communication came from Victor Tietz, chairman of the congress committee, who was mainly instrumental in bringing about the Carlsbad congresses of 1907 and 1911.[...] However, whether Marshall goes or not, Mr. Tietz assured Bernstein that a place for him would be kept open. Bernstein expects to sail for Europe early in April, probably in company with Chajes.> |
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| Oct-26-16 | | JimNorCal: To give him his due, Bernstein did finish above Chajes. |
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| Oct-26-16 | | JimNorCal: Bernstein's result (+5,-8) is a mirror of Nimzo's (+8,-5).
Nimzo appears to have been in a truculent mood. He had the most wins outside the co-winners but also the most losses of anyone in the top half of the table. |
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Oct-26-16
| | perfidious: On the topic of truculence: Spielmann had no draws at all, a result which might quieten those who decry the typical top-level event nowadays with no outsiders, so is bound to produce a fair number of drawn games. |
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| Oct-27-16 | | JimNorCal: Sorry, perf, I am not following.
How does the no-draw result of one player in a 1923 event "quieten" people regarding top level events nowadays? |
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| Jan-29-17 | | Paarhufer: From the introduction: <The three winners earned 3,505 Czech Crowns for their victory>. Well, they got 3605. The next two got 2730, then 2290, 1855, 1415, 980, 920, 865, 805, 750, 690, 635 and 575 crowns. <with Alekhine earning an additional "Prize of Honor," a crystal goblet worth 1,000 Crowns, and Bogoljubov receiving a cash prize worth half Alekhine's prize.> Alekhine and Bogoljubov won the goblet together, and Alekhine payed Bogoljubov 500 Crowns. <The tournament also saw the distribution of ten brilliancy prizes> The tournament book mentions also 14 special prizes ("Sonderpreise"). These were given for the most wins, the best result against the prize winners (places 1-9), for the best results in the final 5 rounds, and to Spielmann for having no draws. |
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| Apr-03-17 | | Marcelo Bruno: Even at his last international tournament Teichmann had only 2 losses besides 3 wins and 12 draws: he was indeed not easy to beat! |
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Jun-24-18
 | | Telemus: <Only the world champion Jose Raul Capablanca, former world champion Emanuel Lasker, and Frank James Marshall were not invited.> The tournament book has several pictures, one of them showing Lasker. Moreover, Lasker was "spa guest" in Karlsbad from the start of the tournament, analysed there a lot and won an official blitz tournament (ahead of Grünfeld, Nimzowitsch, Bogoljubow and Alekhine). Capablanca also had announced his arrival (together with his wife). Strange behavior for people who were not invited. What is the source for that sentence? |
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Sep-16-18
 | | Retireborn: Looking at the crosstable, I feel it's a pity that Reti didn't manage to defeat Alekhine, or at least play more solidly against the tail enders. As for Spielmann, one wonders if he had conciously decided not to have a draw in any game. |
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| Sep-16-18 | | JimNorCal: It was a tough tournament for Rubinstein.
But old-timer Maroczy made a good result.
I guess this was one of a series of 1920s tournaments where "hypermodern" openings were honed. |
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| Sep-18-18 | | Howard: I recall reading somewhere that Reti's record against tail-enders was somewhat abysmal... ...in somewhat contrast to Yates, who even though he was never among the world's elite, he had a notorious reputation for pulling off upsets! He beat Alekhine in this event. |
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| Sep-05-20 | | login:
Group picture with autographs
http://www.klittich-pfankuch.de/Bil...
More image detail
https://nimzowitsch.net/karlsbad-19...
(Site by Wilfried Krebbers)
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| Jul-21-24 | | FM David H. Levin: Coincidentally, I happened to view earlier today the crosstable of another tournament where the winner had 11.5/17 in an unusually strong field: USSR Championship (1973) (won by Boris Spassky). |
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| May-19-25 | | stone free or die: Wayback restoration of login's group photo (and autographs): https://web.archive.org/web/2020061... |
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May-21-25
 | | FSR: Reti had an odd result. His three losses were to Wolf, who finished 14th, and Spielmann and Chajes, who tied for last. Had he gotten an even score in those games, and everything else been the same, he would have won the tournament outright. |
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