The first Bad Harzburg tournament, played in 1938, set Germany's leading masters against a determined Yugoslav visitor. Vasja Pirc went through the ten-player field to finish on 6½/9, edging out the ever-durable Efim Bogoljubow by half a point to win the opening edition of what became a long-running series at the Harz spa town.
A first edition, and a strong one
The 1938 tournament was the inaugural Bad Harzburg event; the town went on to host the series for decades afterward. Ten players contested a single round-robin of 45 games: alongside Pirc and Bogoljubow, the field included Georg Kieninger (German champion in 1937, 1940 and 1947), Erich Eliskases, Herbert Heinicke, Kurt Richter, Friedrich Sämisch, Lokvenc, Petrovs and Preusse.
Pirc's margin
Pirc finished the nine rounds on 6½ to Bogoljubow's 6, taking first by half a point in a tournament that otherwise bunched tightly behind them: Kieninger was clear third on 5½, and Heinicke and Eliskases shared fourth-fifth on 5. It was a strong result for the Yugoslav master, whose surname would become permanently attached to one of the era's sharper replies to 1.e4, against a field weighted toward the host country's own leading players.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pirc, Vasja | 6½/9 | +4 -0 =5 | games |
| 2 | Bogoljubov, Efim | 6/9 | +3 -0 =6 | games |
| 3 | Kieninger, Georg | 5½/9 | +3 -1 =5 | games |
| =4 | Heinicke, Herbert | 5/9 | +4 -3 =2 | games |
| =4 | Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb | 5/9 | +3 -2 =4 | games |
| =6 | Lokvenc, Josef | 4½/9 | +2 -2 =5 | games |
| =6 | Petrovs, Vladimirs | 4½/9 | +1 -1 =7 | games |
| 8 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 4/9 | +3 -4 =2 | games |
| 9 | Richter, Kurt Paul | 3½/9 | +2 -4 =3 | games |
| 10 | Preusse, August Georg | ½/9 | +0 -8 =1 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pirc, Vasja | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Bogoljubov, Efim | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Kieninger, Georg | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Heinicke, Herbert | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Lokvenc, Josef | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 7 | Petrovs, Vladimirs | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Richter, Kurt Paul | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Preusse, August Georg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.