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🏆 Berlin (1897)

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
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Player: Curt von Bardeleben

 page 1 of 1; one game  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. J Metger vs von Bardeleben  ½-½141897BerlinC82 Ruy Lopez, Open

Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-29-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: I understand there was another, smaller international tourney held in Berlin in January 1897, that also featured Charousek. Does anyone have more details?
Nov-29-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Stonehenge: Here they have some info:

http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/...

Mar-06-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: <Curt Von Bardeleben, although invited, was forced to withdraw after a short draw in the first round to Johannes Metger.>

Is it known why he withdrew? Seems he didn't play professionally again until 1900.

Jun-17-15  zanzibar: <MissScarlett> so far the best info I have is from <Knowledge v20 Nov 1, 1897 p272> where I found

<The other scores (not counting those of Herren Albin, Englisch, and V. Bardeleben, who retired though ill health at different stages of the tournament>

Since v Bardeleben retired after just one game, his ill-health was probably the most serious.

* * * * *

Other info from the same ref:

<Herr Schiffers obtained a special prize for best score against the prize winners>

And also,

<Immediately after the tournament M. Janowski challenged Herr Walbrodt to a match, but the challenge was not accepted.>

<The next international tournament will be held at Vienna next year, when very valuable prizes will be offered.>

And also this, slightly out of context(?) statement:

<The inventor of the Steinitz Gambit, as the result of a single defeat, has admitted the unsoundness of that interestingly eccentric debut. [...]>

Jun-17-15  Nosnibor: <Zanzibar> Bardeleben`s ill health was not as serious as that of Englisch who died within 16 days of the end of the tournament!Albin defaulted the last round to Walbrodt who was only half a point behind Charousek.However Charousek managed an extremely good last round win over Chigorin to secure first prize.Following Charousek`s success here Janowsky challenged him to a match but this never came about due the onset of Charousek`s fatal illness.
Jun-17-15  zanzibar: I see I forgot to post the link to the <Knowledge> article:

https://books.google.com/books?id=j...

The scoring is off by one (save for one game(?)), as it includes the nullified v Bardeleben games as forfeits.

Jun-17-15  zanzibar: <Nosnibor> Wow, I had no idea. Yes, that's an amazing fact about Englisch that I was completely unaware of. One that definitely should go in the tournament intro.

I have Albin also defaulting on the next-to-last round, R18 and maybe more. I'm in the middle of working it out.

As for Janowski, I think I remember the American press noting that he was somewhat famous for challenging any and all. (I should find the exact quote, maybe later I'll post an update).

Jun-17-15  zanzibar: If the R1 v Bardeleben game had been a win by him, I wouldn't be able to use the <Knowledge - Chess Intelligence> scores to determine who he was paired with in R1. Similarly, if he was paired against Albin or Englisch.

But, comparing Metger's score of 9.0 in the contemporaneous reportage, versus his score of 8.5 here, allows the conclusion that a R1 draw was played between the two.

The colors are uncertain of course.

Jun-17-15  zanzibar: (Of course, one could just look at the Swiss xtab and see Metger has a R1 bye. But that would be far too easy!)
Jan-12-16  zanzibar: Harding mentions this tournament in an erratum to his just published Blackburne book:

<Page 367: We have been informed that the Berlin 1897 tournament was not in fact one of the German federation series but rather the 70th jubilee tournament of the Berlin club.>

http://www.chessmail.com/research/B...

Apparently <CG> got this right in the intro. Hooray!

Feb-14-18  ughaibu: <Germany's strongest player Siegbert Tarrasch>

Are you sure about that?

Feb-14-18  Straclonoor: <Are you sure about that?> Definitely!
Feb-27-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: <I have saved my favorite bit of old-time chess reporting for last, which comes from, of all places, an obituary column. Even here, we find a hint of scandal attached to a truly blameless victim. The obituary in the New York Times, October 20, 1897 reads in full:

Berthold Englisch Dead

Vienna, Oct. 19. – Berthold Englisch, the well-known chess player, is dead. The cause of death was brain affection.

Englisch withdrew from the recent tournament at Berlin, declaring that his head was not clear. At the time rumor accused him of accepting a bribe from a weak opponent to withdraw, but his death disproves that report.>

http://web.archive.org/web/20070607...

Oct-22-19  Marcelo Bruno: Why didn't Schallopp participate in both Berlin 1897 tournaments?
Nov-16-23  Nosnibor: <Marcelo Bruno> Maybe having lost his last two games against Charousek he did not fancy his chances1

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