Kemeri 1939
Conceived as a sequel to the celebrated Kemeri 1937, this sixteen-player round-robin opened in the Latvian spa town of Ķemeri and finished in the capital, Riga, doubling as the contest for the 8th Latvian Chess Championship. Salo Flohr won it clear with 12/15, a point ahead of Gideon Ståhlberg and the rising Hungarian László Szabó — one of the last great international tournaments before the Second World War swept the Baltic away.
◈A sequel on Latvian soil
The 1939 event was meant as a second edition of the successful Kemeri 1937 tournament, but it carried a second purpose as well: it served to decide the 8th Latvian Chess Champion. Sixteen players contested a single round-robin that began in the resort town of Ķemeri and concluded in Riga, which is why the event is often catalogued as Kemeri/Riga 1939.
The field mixed international guests — Flohr, Ståhlberg, Szabó, Vladas Mikėnas, Eero Böök and the former world-title challenger Efim Bogoljubow — with a deep home contingent led by Vladimirs Petrovs. No official tournament book was ever published; the whole 120-game harvest survived only in the chess press and in typewritten sets circulated at the time.
◈Flohr in command
Flohr took first place clear with 12/15, a point ahead of Ståhlberg and Szabó, who shared second on 11, with Mikėnas fourth on 10½ and Böök fifth on 10. Bogoljubow, twice a challenger for the world title, came in seventh.
It was another polished continental win for Flohr, and one of the final flourishes of a golden age of Baltic and Central European chess. Within months the outbreak of war would scatter this generation of players, and events on the scale of Ķemeri would not return to the region for many years.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flohr, Salo | 12/15 | +9 -0 =6 | games → |
| 2 | Szabo, Laszlo | 11/15 | +11 -4 =0 | games → |
| 3 | Stahlberg, Gideon | 11/15 | +8 -1 =6 | games → |
| 4 | Mikenas, Vladas Ivanovich | 10½/15 | +10 -4 =1 | games → |
| 5 | Book, Eero | 10/15 | +7 -2 =6 | games → |
| 6 | Feigins, Movsas | 9/15 | +4 -1 =10 | games → |
| 7 | Bogoljubow, Efim | 8½/15 | +6 -4 =5 | games → |
| 8 | Petrovs, Vladimirs | 8/15 | +6 -5 =4 | games → |
| 9 | Dreibergs, Leonids | 6½/15 | +3 -5 =7 | games → |
| 10 | Hazenfuss, Wolfgang R | 6/15 | +3 -6 =6 | games → |
| 11 | Melngailis, Emilis | 5½/15 | +5 -9 =1 | games → |
| 12 | Apsenieks, Fricis | 5½/15 | +3 -7 =5 | games → |
| 13 | Solmanis, Zigfrids | 5/15 | +2 -7 =6 | games → |
| 14 | Koblencs, Aleksandrs | 5/15 | +1 -6 =8 | games → |
| 15 | Bezruchko, Georgs | 4/15 | +2 -9 =4 | games → |
| 16 | Ozols, Karlis Alexander | 2½/15 | +0 -10 =5 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flohr, Salo | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 2 | Szabo, Laszlo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Stahlberg, Gideon | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | Mikenas, Vladas Ivanovich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Book, Eero | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 6 | Feigins, Movsas | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Bogoljubow, Efim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Petrovs, Vladimirs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Dreibergs, Leonids | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 10 | Hazenfuss, Wolfgang R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 11 | Melngailis, Emilis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | Apsenieks, Fricis | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 13 | Solmanis, Zigfrids | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 | Koblencs, Aleksandrs | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | Bezruchko, Georgs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 16 | Ozols, Karlis Alexander | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.