Dortmund 1973
The very first Dortmunder Schachtage grew out of a happy accident: when the International German Championship finished in Dortmund's Westfalenpark in June 1973, several of its players simply stayed on to contest a second event. Finland's Heikki Westerinen won that inaugural round-robin with 7 points from 9 games, launching a tradition that would grow into one of the most prestigious annual tournaments in the game.
◈A tournament conceived at Hastings
The idea for the Schachtage came to organisers Klaus Neumann and Friedhelm Bachmann over the turn of the year at Hastings. Their aim was straightforward: to give Dortmund's own club players a rare chance to sit across the board from grandmasters and international masters. The opportunity arrived when the International German Championship — won that year by Hans-Joachim Hecht — closed in Dortmund on 2 June 1973, and three of its competitors, Ulf Andersson, Heikki Westerinen and Bruno Parma, agreed to stay on and play.
The games were held in the Inselpavilion in the city's Westfalenpark, where spectators could follow the play across the week. Ten players contested a single round-robin over nine rounds, forty-five games in all, blending the visiting masters with a group of strong local and West German players.
◈Westerinen takes the first title
Westerinen finished clear first on 7/9, half a point ahead of Andersson and Parma, who shared second on 6½. Peter Ostermeyer, the best-placed German, tied for fourth with the veteran Ernő Gereben on 5. For his win Westerinen was handed a suitcase and a travel bag — modest spoils for a result that opened a very long chapter in German chess.
The Finn would return to win the event again in 1975, becoming one of only a handful of players to take the Dortmund title more than once.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westerinen, Heikki MJ | 7/9 | +5 -0 =4 | games → |
| =2 | Andersson, Ulf | 6½/9 | +4 -0 =5 | games → |
| =2 | Parma, Bruno | 6½/9 | +4 -0 =5 | games → |
| =4 | Gereben, Erno | 5/9 | +2 -1 =6 | games → |
| =4 | Ostermeyer, Peter | 5/9 | +2 -1 =6 | games → |
| 6 | Wittmann, Rainer | 4½/9 | +3 -3 =3 | games → |
| 7 | Nautsch, Werner | 4/9 | +2 -3 =4 | games → |
| 8 | Huettemann, Karl Heinz | 2½/9 | +0 -4 =5 | games → |
| 9 | Bachmann, Friedhelm | 2/9 | +1 -6 =2 | games → |
| 10 | Kuttnick, Helmut | 2/9 | +0 -5 =4 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westerinen, Heikki MJ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Andersson, Ulf | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | Parma, Bruno | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Gereben, Erno | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 5 | Ostermeyer, Peter | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 6 | Wittmann, Rainer | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Nautsch, Werner | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Huettemann, Karl Heinz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Bachmann, Friedhelm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 10 | Kuttnick, Helmut | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.