Vienna International Tournament 1882

Steinitz returns, Winawer surges, and a playoff changes nothing
10 May – 24 June 1882 · Vienna, Austria
William Steinitz and Szymon Winawer shared first on 24/34 after their two-game playoff finished 1–1. All 270 games played survive; the standings also count 38 defaults and walkovers from the main double round robin.
Event Index 270 GAMES

William Steinitz and Szymon Winawer shared first at the Second International Chess Tournament in Vienna with 24/34. Their two-game first-prize playoff ended 1–1, leaving the title and prizes divided.

A tournament built on Vienna’s chess prestige

The Vienna Chess Society staged its second international tournament for the club’s twenty-fifth anniversary. Ignaz von Kolisch and Albert Rothschild supported the event, and Emperor Franz Joseph served as patron and donated a special prize.

Eighteen players were scheduled to meet twice over thirty-four rounds. The field joined Steinitz and Winawer with James Mason, Johannes Zukertort, George Henry Mackenzie, Joseph Blackburne, Louis Paulsen, Mikhail Chigorin and leading masters from Vienna and across Europe.

Two hundred seventy games with moves

The main schedule contained 306 official result cells, but thirty-eight ended as defaults or walkovers rather than played games. Josef Noa withdrew after the first cycle, Bernhard Fleissig left during the return cycle, and illness or absence produced further unplayed results.

All 268 games played in the main stage survive, plus both playoff games. The official standings also count the points from unplayed games. Mason's 23 points put him third; reports at the time and the tournament book also record the clock ruling that turned his win over Bird into an official loss.

A tied playoff and a shared victory

Steinitz returned to tournament play after years of relative inactivity, and his round-three draw with Mackenzie ended a run of twenty-five consecutive wins. Winawer closed fastest, scoring 4½ from his final five official results to catch Steinitz on 24 points.

Winawer won the first playoff game and Steinitz the second. The stipulated two-game match was therefore drawn 1–1, so both men shared first place and the prizes. Mackenzie and Zukertort likewise divided the fourth- and fifth-place prizes without playing a contemplated playoff.

Final standings

24/34
William Steinitz and Szymon Winawer shared first on 24/34 after their two-game playoff finished 1–1. All 270 games played survive; the standings also count 38 defaults and walkovers from the main double round robin.
# Player Score Record
=1 Steinitz, William 24/34 +20 -6 =8 games
=1 Winawer, Szymon 24/34 +22 -8 =4 games
3 Mason, James 23/34 +17 -5 =12 games
=4 Zukertort, Johannes Hermann 22½/34 +19 -8 =7 games
=4 Mackenzie, George Henry 22½/34 +18 -7 =9 games
6 Blackburne, Joseph Henry 21½/34 +18 -9 =7 games
7 Englisch, Berthold 19½/34 +11 -6 =17 games
8 Paulsen, Louis 18½/34 +13 -10 =11 games
9 Wittek, Alexander 18/34 +12 -10 =12 games
10 Weiss, Miksa 16½/34 +12 -13 =9 games
11 Hruby, Vincenz 16/34 +13 -15 =6 games
=12 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich 14/34 +13 -19 =2 games
=12 Schwarz, Adolf 14/34 +8 -14 =12 games
14 Meitner, Philipp 13/34 +10 -18 =6 games
15 Bird, Henry Edward 12/34 +10 -20 =4 games
16 Ware, Preston 11/34 +9 -21 =4 games
17 Noa, Josef 9/34 +7 -23 =4 games
18 Fleissig, Bernhard 7/34 +5 -25 =4 games

Cross Table

Player 123456789101112131415161718
1 Steinitz, William 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
2 Winawer, Szymon 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
3 Mason, James ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 0 1 0 ½
4 Zukertort, Johannes Hermann 1 0 1 ½ 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0
5 Mackenzie, George Henry ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
6 Blackburne, Joseph Henry 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1
7 Englisch, Berthold ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 ½
8 Paulsen, Louis 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½
9 Wittek, Alexander 1 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1
10 Weiss, Miksa 0 0 0 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
11 Hruby, Vincenz 1 0 1 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 0 1
12 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
13 Schwarz, Adolf 0 0 ½ 1 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1
14 Meitner, Philipp 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 1
15 Bird, Henry Edward 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 0 0 1 1 ½ 0
16 Ware, Preston 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 1
17 Noa, Josef 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½
18 Fleissig, Bernhard 0 1 ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 ½

Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.

EXPLORE ALL 270 GAMES