The St. Petersburg Chess Club consisted of the elite. After Mikhail Chigorin 's death, the club decided to organise a memorial tournament. President of the organising committee was P. P. Saburov, a powerful diplomat.
The favorites were Emanuel Lasker, Akiba Rubinstein and Carl Schlechter. This marked Lasker's second tournament since Cambridge Springs (1904).
St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, 14 February - 12 March 1909
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts
=1 Rubinstein * 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 14½
=1 Lasker 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 14½
=3 Spielmann 0 ½ * 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 11
=3 Duras 0 0 0 * 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
5 Bernstein ½ ½ 1 1 * 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 10½
6 Teichmann ½ 0 0 0 1 * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 10
7 Perlis ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 1 9½
=8 Cohn 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ * 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 9
=8 Schlechter 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 * 1 0 0 1 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 9
=8 Salwe 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 * ½ 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 9
=11 Tartakower ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ * 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 8½
=11 Mieses 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 * ½ 1 1 1 0 1 1 8½
13 Dus Chotimirsky 1 1 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 8
14 Forgacs 0 0 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 7½
=15 Burn ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ 0 7
=15 Vidmar 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 0 7
17 Speijer 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 6
18 Freymann 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 1 ½ 0 ½ * 0 5½
19 Znosko-Borovsky 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 * 5
Nenarokov - - - 0 - - 1 - - - - 0 - - ½ - - - - *games cancelled*
The time limits were 37 moves in 2½ hours, 23 in 1½ and 15 per hour. A budget of 10,500 rubles took care of the prizes, money for points and expenses.The main tournament was dominated by the race between Rubinstein and Lasker. Akiba took the lead by a win over Emanuel in round three. At the end they shared the first place. Spielmann competed with them for a long time, but he had to accept a margin of 3½ points after a poor finish. Schlechter scored poorly due to the flu.
Hans Kmoch, in his book Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces stated, "In the tournament at St Petersburg, Rubinstein in my opinion, reached the zenith of his artistry."
His best known games from this tournament are his victory over Lasker and the famous pawn ending with Cohn, but also outstanding are his wins over Schlechter and Mieses.
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Lasker annotates: Game Collection: lasker annotates games. Lasker wrote in his famous Manual:
"I want to train pupils to think for themselves and exercise just criticism. I will not teach them mere formulae, mere generalities, but will instil into them lasting principles that will grow and blossom; which are alive, and vital.
They must be ready and willing to put their conceptions, laws and valuations to the proof, again and again, diligently and cheerfully, from a sheer joy of the law and from veneration of the fact."
Preface of the tournament book:
"THIS is a book in which analysis is accurate.
The games in this book show the working of the mind of the master, and the commentary has been intended to guide the thought of him who plays over these games so that he may perceive weakness and merit. Notes have been made solely for that purpose. The glossary was meant to be both necessary and sufficient. Nowhere will it be found lacking in supplying explanation needed, but it has no superfluities.
The work has been translated from German, all but the early part, by Mr. R. Teichmann, and some valuable advice has been given to me by Mr. Teichmann, for which I beg to thank him here. EMANUEL LASKER New York, May 10, 1910."
Wikipedia article: Chigorin Memorial. Photograph and crosstable:
http://www.endgame.nl/stpeter.htm. Tournament book review: http://chess.about.com/od/chessbook.... Saburovs: http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...
Original collections: (1) Game Collection: St Petersburg 1909, by
User: Archives; (2) a former game collection by User: whiteshark.
Kibitzing
