Bad Elster 1937
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.
◈A shared crown
Bogoljubow reached 7/9 the hard way, with six wins against a single loss; Rellstab matched him undefeated, converting five wins and four draws. Paul Michel took third on 6, with Kurt Richter fourth on 5½.
For the 32-year-old Rellstab the shared first prefigured the peak of his career — he went on to win the German Championship at Bad Oeynhausen in 1942 and was later among the first players FIDE named International Master, in 1950.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Bogoljubow, 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 | Bogoljubow, 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 per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.