Karlsbad 1911

Twenty-six masters gathered in the Bohemian spa town of Carlsbad in the late summer of 1911 for one of the strongest tournaments of the pre-war era. When the last round was played, the winner was neither Rubinstein nor Schlechter but Richard Teichmann — the veteran nicknamed "Richard the Fifth" for the string of fifth places that had shadowed his career — who took clear first with 18 out of 25, the one great tournament triumph of his life.

◇One of the strongest fields of the era

The opening ceremony was held at the imperial bath hotel Kaiserbad on 20 August 1911, and play continued to 24 September. Twenty-six masters were invited to a single round-robin of 325 games — an enormous undertaking for its day. Of the very top players in the world, only three were absent: world champion Emanuel Lasker, Siegbert Tarrasch, and the rising José Raúl Capablanca.

Even without them the field was formidable, mixing established masters with the coming generation. Akiba Rubinstein and Carl Schlechter were near their peaks; Frank Marshall, Milan Vidmar, Rudolf Spielmann, Savielly Tartakower and Oldřich Duras were all there. So were two future greats at the start of their careers: the 18-year-old Alexander Alekhine, who made a plus score in his aggressive style, and the 24-year-old Aron Nimzowitsch, already experimenting with the hypermodern ideas that would make his name. The young Polish star Gersz Rotlewi shared the lead late into the event before fading.

◇Richard the Fifth wins at last

Richard Teichmann was an unlikely champion. He had lost the sight of one eye — trouble that had forced his withdrawal from London 1899 after only four rounds — and had earned the affectionate nickname "Richard the Fifth" for finishing fifth in tournament after tournament. At Carlsbad he finally broke the pattern.

Teichmann scored thirteen wins against only two losses and coasted home a full point clear of the field, even after dropping his very last game. Along the way he crushed both Rubinstein and Schlechter with the same line of the Ruy Lopez. It was, by common account, the finest result of his life — the tactical, endgame-hardened peak of a player Capablanca counted among the finest in the world.

“Chess is 99 percent tactics.”

“one of the finest players in the world”

◇The chase for second

Behind Teichmann, second place was decided in the last round. Rubinstein, at the height of his powers, would have been clear second if he had won an endgame a pawn up against Rabinovich in the last round; he couldn't, and Schlechter caught him with a neat attacking win over Jaffe. The two finished level on 17, ahead of Rotlewi on 16.

The event is remembered as much for its players as its result: early brilliance from Alekhine and Nimzowitsch, the size of a 26-player round-robin, and the unlikely win of a one-eyed veteran who, for once, didn't finish fifth.