The Saxon spa town of Bad Elster hosted a run of tournaments in the late 1930s, and the 1937 edition ended with the two-time world-title challenger Efim Bogoljubow and the Berlin master Ludwig Rellstab sharing first on 7/9, a point clear of Paul Michel.
Chess at the Kurort
Ten masters contested the 45-game round-robin, a field drawn largely from German chess of the day: alongside Bogoljubow and Rellstab came Paul Michel, the Berlin attacking master Kurt Richter, Jorge Pelikán, Friedrich Sämisch, Max Blümich, Hans Polzer, Wilhelm Grosser, and Herbert Ullrich.
For Bogoljubow the spa circuit had become a regular hunting ground — he tied for first at Bad Elster in both 1936 and 1937. The German-based Ukrainian, who had twice challenged Alekhine for the world title, was in a constrained period of his career: after 1933 he was no longer allowed to play for the German national team or in German championships, and open tournaments like Bad Elster were where he still competed.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Bogoljubov, Efim | 7/9 | +6 -1 =2 | games |
| =1 | Rellstab, Ludwig Sr | 7/9 | +5 -0 =4 | games |
| 3 | Michel, Paul | 6/9 | +4 -1 =4 | games |
| 4 | Richter, Kurt Paul | 5½/9 | +4 -2 =3 | games |
| 5 | Pelikan, Jorge | 5/9 | +3 -2 =4 | games |
| 6 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 4½/9 | +3 -3 =3 | games |
| 7 | Bluemich, Max | 4/9 | +3 -4 =2 | games |
| 8 | Polzer, Hans | 3/9 | +2 -5 =2 | games |
| 9 | Grosser, Wilhelm | 2/9 | +1 -6 =2 | games |
| 10 | Ullrich, Herbert | 1/9 | +0 -7 =2 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogoljubov, Efim | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Rellstab, Ludwig Sr | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Michel, Paul | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 4 | Richter, Kurt Paul | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Pelikan, Jorge | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Bluemich, Max | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Polzer, Hans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 9 | Grosser, Wilhelm | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | |
| 10 | Ullrich, Herbert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.