Prague 1942 (Duras Memorial)
Staged in December 1942 to mark the 60th birthday of the great Czech master Oldřich Duras, the Prague jubilee tournament produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the war years. The 18-year-old German prodigy Klaus Junge led World Champion Alexander Alekhine by a full point going into the last round and needed only a draw — but the two met head-to-head, Alekhine won, and champion and prodigy shared first on 8½/11.
A jubilee for Duras
The tournament honoured Oldřich Duras, the strongest Czech player of the pre-war generation, on his 60th birthday, and Duras himself sat for the tournament photograph beside Alekhine, with C. Kende organising. The twelve-player field was built around the Czech masters — Jan Foltys, Karel Opočenský, František Zita, Čeněk Kottnauer, Josef Rejfíř, Karel Hromádka, Jiří Podgorný, Bedřich Thelen and František Prokop — joined by two Germans, the veteran Friedrich Sämisch and the 18-year-old Klaus Junge, and by the reigning World Champion, Alexander Alekhine.
The prodigy's run and the champion's answer
Junge, who had already crossed swords with Alekhine at Warsaw–Cracow 1941 and Salzburg 1942, was the sensation of the event. Unbeaten through ten rounds with seven wins, he reached 8½ points and led Alekhine — who had won five and drawn five — by a full point with one round to play. A draw in their final-round encounter would have given the teenager sole first ahead of the World Champion.
Alekhine, with the white pieces, played for everything and won. The victory drew him level at 8½/11 and turned the game into one of the most celebrated of his later career — it has been analysed by Alekhine himself, Reuben Fine, Luděk Pachman, and Dvoretsky and Yusupov. Jan Foltys took clear third on 7, with Opočenský and Zita next on 6½.
A last great tournament
Prague 1942 was Klaus Junge's last major tournament. He was conscripted into the Wehrmacht and killed in action on April 17, 1945, three weeks before the war in Europe ended, at 21. The last-round game he lost to Alekhine is the one most people remember from the event: the World Champion stretched to the limit by a young man who had kept pace with him to the final day.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Junge, Klaus | 8½/11 | +7 -1 =3 | games |
| =1 | Alekhine, Alexander | 8½/11 | +6 -0 =5 | games |
| 3 | Foltys, Jan | 7/11 | +4 -1 =6 | games |
| =4 | Opocensky, Karel | 6½/11 | +5 -3 =3 | games |
| =4 | Zita, Frantisek | 6½/11 | +4 -2 =5 | games |
| 6 | Kottnauer, Cenek | 6/11 | +5 -4 =2 | games |
| 7 | Rejfir, Josef | 5½/11 | +4 -4 =3 | games |
| =8 | Hromadka, Karel | 4/11 | +2 -5 =4 | games |
| =8 | Podgorny, Jiri | 4/11 | +2 -5 =4 | games |
| =8 | Thelen, Bedrich | 4/11 | +1 -4 =6 | games |
| 11 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 3/11 | +0 -5 =6 | games |
| 12 | Prokop, Frantisek | 2½/11 | +2 -8 =1 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junge, Klaus | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Alekhine, Alexander | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Foltys, Jan | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Opocensky, Karel | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Zita, Frantisek | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Kottnauer, Cenek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Rejfir, Josef | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | |
| 8 | Hromadka, Karel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 9 | Podgorny, Jiri | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Thelen, Bedrich | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 11 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | |
| 12 | Prokop, Frantisek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.