Mannheim 1914 chess tournament


The 19th DSB Congress, comprising several tournaments, began on
20 July 1914 in Mannheim. Germany declared war on Russia and on France, Britain joining in the next day. The congress was stopped on 1 August 1914.
The tournament took place in the "Ballhaus", a building situated in the Mannheim Palace garden area.
The following participants played in the Masters tournament :
Alexander Alekhine was leading the Meisterturnier, with nine wins, one draw and one loss, when World War I broke out. German organizers of the tournament decided that the players should be "indemnified" according to their score, but not paid the total prize money. Thus Alekhine got 1100 marks, Vidmar 850, Spielmann 600, Breyer, Marshall and Reti 375 each, Janowski 250, Bogoljubov and Tarrasch 180 marks, and all the others 100 marks. Calculated in terms of purchasing power today, the sums would be multiplied ten times in euros. So Alekhine's "consolation prize" was 11,000 Euros.

Meisterturnier

123456789012345678Total
1X--1--0111--111½119½
2-X½½½11--½1½-111--8½
3-½X-1½0-1½1½1---118
40½-X-½½01---1½1-117
5-½0-X11½½-1½1---½½7
6-0½½0X½--1111½-1--7
7101½0½X1--01--½-1-6½
80--1½-0X½0---11½015½
90-00½--½X10--111½-5½
100½½--0-10X100---115
11-00-001-10X11--1-05
12-½½-½00--10X½0-½-14½
130-0000---10½X11½--4
1400-½-½-00--10X0-114
1500-0--½00---01X½½13½
16½0---0-½0-0½½-½X½½3½
170-00½-01½0---0½½X-3
180-00½--0-010-00½-X2

Hauptturnier A

The following participants played in the Main tournament :
12345678901234567Total
1X-01-½11½1½-1-1-½8
2-X10½---111101-1-7½
310X-0110----111½17½
401-X½01½---1-½-116½
5-½1½X-½-1½½½-0-1-6
6½-01-X-½010-1-1-½5½
70-00½-X--½½11-11-5½
80-1½-½-X-0½01-11-5½
9½0--01--X-110-1015½
1000--½0½1-X-½-½½115½
11½0--½1½½0-X-01½-½5
12-0-0½-010½-X-1-1½4½
13010--0001-1-X½0-½4
14-00½1----½00½X10-3½
150-0--0000½½-10X-13
16-0½00-0010-0-1-X-2½
17½-00-½--00½½½-0-X2½

Hauptturnier B

The Hauptturnier B started with five preliminary groups of 10 players each. The two winner groups comprised 9 players each and completed their nine rounds respectively.
The first winner group was won by Julius Brach, 6 points, ahead of Peter Yurdansky and Peter Romanovsky and František Schubert, 5 points each. The following players were G.J. van Gelder , and C. Thönes , Salomon Szapiro, H. Thelen and P. Müller .
The second winner group was won by Nikoly Rudnev, 7 points, followed by Józef Dominik, Max Lange − not related to Max Lange −, Asch , M. Gargulak, and Heinrich Wagner, A.N. Hallgarten, K. Pahl , and Anton Olson .
#A winner groupPoints#B winner groupPoints
1617
2-4526
2-4535
2-4544½
54½5-64
63½5-64
7-8373
7-8382
919½

Plans for an International Chess Federation

During the tournament, a group of Russian and German masters, including Peter Petrovich Saburov and World Champion Emanuel Lasker, who did not enter the tournament itself, followed an initiative from the Saint Petersburg 1914 tournament and made concrete plans for an International Chess Federation.

Outbreak of war and internees

The next DSB congresses, it was decided, were scheduled for Bad Oeynhausen and Munich. But history took a different turn. The political situation became more and more tense while the tournament went on. Milan Vidmar, in his autobiography Goldene Schachzeiten, gives a fine report about the melancholic mood of the masters participating in the unfinished Mannheim "chess symphony". Soldiers of the German army began to dominate the city panorama. When Germany put first an ultimatum and then declared war the following day against Russia, the tournament had to be interrupted.
After the declaration of war, eleven "Russian" players were interned in Rastatt, Germany. On September 14, 17, and 29, 1914, four of them were freed and allowed to return home via Switzerland. A fifth player, Romanovsky was freed and went back to Petrograd in 1915, and a sixth one, Flamberg was allowed to return to Warsaw in 1916. Whilst imprisoned, some participated in the Triberg chess tournament.
Ukrainian master Efim Bogoljubov, stayed in Triberg im Schwarzwald, married a local woman and spent the rest of his life in Germany.
Frenchman Dawid Janowski, born in the Russian Empire, as well as Alekhine, was interned but released to Switzerland after a short internment. Then he moved to the United States.
The American Frank James Marshall, being from a neutral country, was allowed to leave. It took him five days to travel to London, and he left almost at once for New York City. In his My Fifty Years of Chess Marshall wrote: "I made for the Dutch border and arrived in Amsterdam after many adventures. Usually a seven-hour trip, it took me 39 hours.
Somewhere on the border I lost my baggage, containing all my
belongings and the presents I received in St. Petersburg and
elsewhere...Five years later, much to my astonishment, my trunks
arrived in New York, with their contents intact!"

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