Teplice (Teplice-Sanov until 1948, German: Teplitz-Schönau) is a statutory city in Usti nad Labem (German: Aussig) Region of the Czech Republic. It is the country's second largest spa town, after Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad). Upon the dissolution of Austria-Hungary after World War I, its generally German-speaking population found itself in newly established Czechoslovakia (CSR). (1) Here, the Ustredni Jednota Ceskych Sachistu (Central Chess Union of CSR) was open to all players, but the German citizens established in 1921 a separate organization, Der Deutsche Schachverband in der CSR (German Chess Federation in CSR), whose chairman was Viktor Tietz. (2) The new federation held congresses every year, and in 1922, at its first congress in Teplitz-Schönau, the 63-year-old Tietz found occasion to arrange an international tournament. Fourteen players participated in the round robin event. Despite the absence of world champion Jose Raul Capablanca (#1), Alexander Alekhine (#2), Milan Vidmar (#4), former world champion Emanuel Lasker (#5), Efim Bogoljubov (#7), Max Euwe (#19) and Aron Nimzowitsch (#22), all players were later estimated to be in the top 25 of the world at that time. (3)

Bogoljubov had signed up, but he withdrew at a late stage and was replaced by Friedrich Sämisch (#21). (4) The others were: Akiba Rubinstein (#3), Savielly Tartakower (#6), Borislav Kostic (#8), Ernst Grünfeld (#9), Rudolph Spielmann (#10), Richard Réti (#11), Geza Maroczy (#12), Heinrich Wolf (#13), Siegbert Tarrasch (#14), Richard Teichmann (#15), Jaques Mieses (#17), Paul Johner (#24) and Karel Treybal (#25). Two months earlier, Rubinstein, Tartakower, Réti and Maroczy had played in London (1922), and Rubinstein and Tarrasch arrived more or less straight from Hastings (1922). Spielmann warmed up by giving a simul in Bratislava (Pressburg) 27 September (+12 =5 -1) (loss vs Wagner). (5) The tournament had been postponed (for some amount of time), with the inauguration scheduled for 30 September and the meeting of the German Chess Federation in CSR set to 1 October. (6)

Picture of participants: http://www.tepliceopen.cz/index.php...

Play was booked for 2-15 October. (7) Time control was 2 hours for the first 30 moves - then 1 hour every 15 moves, and draws before move 45 could only be made in agreement with the tournament leaders. (7, 8) The Times noted that "It remains to be seen how this experiment will affect the much debated drawn game question." (8) The top prizes were 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500, 1000, 500 and 300 Czechoslovak korunas (Kc). In addition, the players got 60 Kc for each game, 40 to the winner and 20 to the loser. They also got 1000 Kc for stay costs, and free railway transport to and from Teplice. (7) The venue was the Císarské lázne (Imperial Baths (9)), on the first floor, in a room where in 2013 there was a cafe. There were daily reports with commentary and cartoons of the players in Teplitz-Schönauer Anzeiger. (10) The round dates were:

Round 01: 02 October (Monday)
Round 02: 03 October (Tuesday) (11)
Round 03: 04 October (Wednesday)
Round 04: 05 October (Thursday)
Round 05: 06 October (Friday)
Round 06: 07 October (Saturday) (12)
Day for adjourned games
Round 07: 09 October (Monday)
Round 08: 10 October (Tuesday)
Round 09: 11 October (Wednesday)
Round 10: 12 October (Thursday) (13)
Round 11: 13 October (Friday)
Round 12: 14 October (Saturday) (14)
Day for adjourned games
Round 13: 16 October (Monday) (15, 16)

Teplice-Sanov, Czechoslovakia, 2-16 October 1922

               Age  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
 =1 Réti        33  * 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 0 0  9
 =1 Spielmann   39  0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1  9
 =3 Tartakower  35  0 ½ * ½ 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 ½  8½
 =3 Grünfeld    29  ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1  8½
  5 Rubinstein  41  0 ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1  8
  6 Kostic      35  0 0 0 0 1 * 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½  6½
  7 Teichmann   53  0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½  6
 =8 Treybal     37  0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ * 1 0 1 0 1 0  5½
 =8 Wolf        46  1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1  5½
 =8 Maróczy     52  ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ * ½ 0 1 1  5½
=11 Tarrasch    60  0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½  5
=11 Sämisch     26  0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 0 * 0 1  5
=11 Mieses      56  1 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 * 1  5
 14 Johner      35  1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 0 *  4

            01  02  03  04  05  06  07  08  09  10  11  12  13
Réti        0   1   2   3   4   4   4   5   5½  6½  7½  8½  9
Spielmann   1   2   3   3   3½  4½  5½  6½  7   7½  8   8½  9
Tartakower  1   2   3   4   4   5   5   5½  6   7   8   8½  8½
Grünfeld     ½  1   1½  2½  3   4   4   4½  5   6   7   8   8½
Rubinstein  1   1   2   2½  3   4   5   5½  6   6   7   8   8
Kostic       ½   ½   ½  1½  2   3   3½  3½  4   5   5   5½  6½
Teichmann    ½  1   1½  2   2½  2½  2½  3   4   4   4½  5   6
Treybal      ½  1   1   1½  1½  1½  2½  3½  4½  4½  4½  4½  5½
Wolf        0    ½  1   1   1½  2½  3   3   3½  4½  4½  5   5½
Maróczy     0   0   0   0    ½  1½  2   2½  3   3½  4½  4½  5½
Tarrasch     ½  1   1   2   2½  2½  3   3½  4   4½  4½  5   5
Sämisch      ½  1½  1½  1½  2½  2½  3½  4   4   4½  4½  5   5
Mieses      0   0    ½  1   1½  1½  2½  3   3   3   4   4   5
Johner      1   1½  2½  2½  3   3   3   3   3½  3½  3½  4   4

The draw for pairings followed the Berger system. (16) There were 35 draws (38%), of which 20 were before move 45. The event achieved attention through its seven brilliancy prize games. (17) The most well known today (2016) is perhaps Maroczy vs Tartakower, 1922. Of the seven prizes, no less than four were won by Rubinstein:

1) Reti vs H Wolf, 1922 0-1
2) Rubinstein vs J Mieses, 1922 1-0
3) Maroczy vs Tartakower, 1922 0-1
4) P Johner vs Rubinstein, 1922 0-1
5) Tartakower vs Teichmann, 1922 0-1
6) H Wolf vs Rubinstein, 1922 0-1
7) Rubinstein vs Tarrasch, 1922 1-0

Heinrich Wolf won the grand brilliancy prize for his win over Réti in Round 6:

click for larger view

15...Nxf2! with the point 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ and Qxe3 (18, 19)

After Round 2, the players participated in two problem solving contests. The three two-movers were solved by Spielmann in 8 minutes (1st prize), followed by Réti (19,5 minutes) and Dr. Michalitschke (22 minutes). The three three-movers were solved by Teichmann in 40 minutes (1st prize), in front of Mieses (65 minutes), Chmelarz (75 minutes) and Wolf (76 minutes). (20)

The congress also featured a Hauptturnier, and a Nebenturnier (which was won by H. Riethof). The Hauptturnier consisted of four groups, and the winner of each group proceeded into a Siegergruppe (of four players). This was won by Dr. Hans Thanhofer (2½), ahead of Karl Gilg (2). Thanhofer thus became the first champion of the German Chess Federation in Czechoslovakia. (21)

Suggested reading: reports in Teplitz-Schönauer Anzeiger, and the booklet Schachkongress Teplitz-Schönau 1922, by J. Schorr. Selbstverlag des "Deutschen Schachklubs", Teplitz-Schönau Turn 1923. 664 pp. Reprint: Edition Olms AG, Zürich 1981.

Notes

1) Wikipedia article: Teplice.

2) Sachista Max Dietze, by David Ciprys. South Moravian Chess Association, 2009 (http://jmss.chess.cz/data/jmss_docu...). See also Wikipedia article: Deutscher Schachverband in der Tschechoslowakei.

3) The numbers refer to Chessmetrics' September 1922 rating list (http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/...).

4) Berliner Tageblatt und Handels-Zeitung (Abend-Ausgabe), 3 October 1922, p. 6 (http://ztcs.staatsbibliothek-berlin...).

5) Prager Tagblatt, 29 September 1922, p. 4 (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...).

6) Prager Tagblatt, 5 September 1922, p. 3 (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...).

7) Prager Tagblatt, 20 September 1922, p. 3 (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...).

8) The Times, 7 October 1922, p. 7.

9) Teplice Spa website in 2016: http://www.lazneteplice.cz/en/.

10) Úspesne navázali tradici sachovych turnaju (A successful tradition of chess tournaments), by Pavel Kirs. iTeplice (Teplice news), 2013 (http://iteplice.cz/zpravy_uspesne_n...).

11) Berliner Tageblatt und Handels-Zeitung (Morgen-Ausgabe), 6 October 1922, p. 6 (http://ztcs.staatsbibliothek-berlin...).

12) De Telegraaf, 8 October 1922, p. 7 (http://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/vi...).

13) De Telegraaf, 13 October 1922, p. 2 (http://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/vi...).

14) De Telegraaf, 15 October 1922, p. 6 (http://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/vi...).

15) De Telegraaf, 17 October 1922, p. 8 (http://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/vi...).

16) Prager Tagblatt, 17 October 1922, p. 5 (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...).

17) De Telegraaf, 21 October 1922, p. 7 (http://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/vi...).

18) Norsk Schakblad, August-December 1922, pp. 89-90 (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6...), with notes by Réti.

19) Tidskrift för Schack, Oct.-Nov.-Dec. 1922, pp. 171-172 (http://www.schack.se/tfsarkiv/histo...), with notes by Wolf from Teplitz-Schönauer Anzeiger.

20) Prager Tagblatt, 4 October 1922, p. 4 (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...).

21) Alois Wotawa in Österreichische Schachrundschau, September 1922 (but issued 15 November), pp. 60-62 (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...).

Based on Game Collection: Teplitz-Schönau 1922 by User: suenteus po 147 (who collected all the games) and Game Collection: Teplitz-Schönau 1922 by User: Tabanus (who dated the games and wrote this text).