Teplitz-Schönau 1922
The first congress of the German Chess Federation in Czechoslovakia produced a genuine five-man sprint for first place, unresolved until the final round. Richard Réti and Rudolf Spielmann shared victory on 9/13, a half-point clear of Ernst Grünfeld and Savielly Tartakower — and Teplitz-Schönau 1922 is also remembered as an early showcase for the newly minted Grünfeld Defence.
◈A congress in a Bohemian spa
Held as the Master Tournament of the first congress of the German Chess Federation in Czechoslovakia, Teplitz-Schönau 1922 brought fourteen masters together in the Bohemian spa town for a thirteen-round round-robin. The entry list mixed the hypermodern new wave with an older classical generation: Réti, Spielmann, Grünfeld and Tartakower alongside Akiba Rubinstein, Boris Kostić, Richard Teichmann, Géza Maróczy, Heinrich Wolf, Karel Treybal, Siegbert Tarrasch, Fritz Sämisch, Jacques Mieses and Paul Johner.
The organisers were unusually generous with brilliancy prizes, awarding seven in all — a total that testifies to how sharply the games were contested.
◈A five-man sprint to the line
Tartakower set the pace with four straight wins to open the tournament, before Spielmann seized the lead around the halfway mark and Réti reeled the leaders in with three consecutive wins of his own. Entering the last round, Réti, Spielmann and Tartakower were level, with Rubinstein and Grünfeld a half-point behind.
The final round decided everything. Spielmann drew safely with Wolf and Réti held a tense draw against Grünfeld, leaving the two of them tied for first on 9/13. Tartakower, needing only a draw, instead lost an exchange in the opening and went down to Teichmann, while Rubinstein pressed too hard against Kostić and lost — dropping the great Pole to fifth.
◈Brilliancies and a new defence
Fifth place was a bitter result for Rubinstein, who nonetheless set an all-time record by collecting four of the tournament's brilliancy prizes; the veteran Heinrich Wolf took the coveted first brilliancy prize at Tartakower's expense. The event also offered one of the earliest tournament outings of the Grünfeld Defence, and an early glimpse of the endgame structures that would keep theoreticians busy for decades.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Reti, Richard | 9/13 | +8 -3 =2 | games → |
| =1 | Spielmann, Rudolf | 9/13 | +6 -1 =6 | games → |
| 3 | Tartakower, Saviely | 8½/13 | +7 -3 =3 | games → |
| 4 | Gruenfeld, Ernst | 8½/13 | +5 -1 =7 | games → |
| 5 | Rubinstein, Akiba | 8/13 | +6 -3 =4 | games → |
| 6 | Kostic, Boris | 6½/13 | +4 -4 =5 | games → |
| 7 | Teichmann, Richard | 6/13 | +2 -3 =8 | games → |
| 8 | Treybal, Karel | 5½/13 | +4 -6 =3 | games → |
| 9 | Maroczy, Geza | 5½/13 | +3 -5 =5 | games → |
| 10 | Wolf, Heinrich | 5½/13 | +2 -4 =7 | games → |
| =11 | Mieses, Jacques | 5/13 | +3 -6 =4 | games → |
| =11 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 5/13 | +3 -6 =4 | games → |
| 13 | Tarrasch, Siegbert | 5/13 | +1 -4 =8 | games → |
| 14 | Johner, Paul F | 4/13 | +2 -7 =4 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reti, Richard | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | Spielmann, Rudolf | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Tartakower, Saviely | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | Gruenfeld, Ernst | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Rubinstein, Akiba | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Kostic, Boris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Teichmann, Richard | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 8 | Treybal, Karel | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | Maroczy, Geza | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 10 | Wolf, Heinrich | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Mieses, Jacques | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Saemisch, Friedrich | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | Tarrasch, Siegbert | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 14 | Johner, Paul F | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.
“such sacrifices are incalculable in advance in all their ramifications and that, in consequence, they deserve no encouragement”