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*
According to the '(Neue) Wiener Schachzeitung' of February 1909,"The International Chess Tournament in St. Petersburg, which is being held in memory of the late master Mikhail Chigorin, begins on February 15th. The organizing committee published the final program on January 13th. The following points are noteworthy:
1. The tournament is open to a maximum of twenty masters; ten places are reserved for "Russian players."
2. Prizes: 1,000, 750, 550, 400, 280, 190, 120, 80, 50, 30 rubles.
3. Playing fees: 10 rubles for each game won, 5 rubles for each draw.
4. Foreign participants will also receive a travel allowance of 100 rubles, while domestic participants will receive 50 rubles.
5. Playing time: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a break from 4 to 6 p.m...."
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 '(Neue) Wiener Schachzeitung' also commented on the excitement generated the tournament:
"There is lively interest in Russia in the international tournament in St. Petersburg (February 1909). For example, 'Novoye Vremya' writes:
'The visit of even one foreign master is an event here, but how much more lively will the interest be when all the most respected masters of the art of chess come together to compete with the Russian masters? The tournament will undoubtedly perfect our game. In terms of talent and ability, Russian chess players are by no means inferior to foreigners, but the lack of any kind of school is very noticeable here. To develop a style, to achieve general understanding, it is not enough to play through the games of great masters; one must work through the game carefully, just as in mathematics one must calculate all the stages precisely and in physics one must carry out all the experiments oneself.
By organizing this tournament, Russia is paying, if only in part, its enormous debt to the foreign chess world, at whose tournaments the Russians have often won high prizes. This tournament is the task of our time. In addition to the numerous masters who have consistently won prizes abroad, we have many great champions who have not yet taken part in international tournaments; it is our duty to give them the opportunity to test their strength. The organization of this tournament is therefore a joint matter for all Russian chess fans. Contributions are being made by L. A. Velikhov, Petersburg, 6 Shukovsky Street.'
Dr. Ossip Bernstein ...is now preparing for new battles. For the benefit of the fund for the international chess tournament in St. Petersburg, he recently played 29 games in Moscow (result: +20, -7, draw 2) and 16 games in the St. Petersburg Chess Club, which he completed at express train speed (around 480 moves in 1.5 hours, of which the opponents used up over an hour). Result: +14, -1, =1".
The main tournament was dominated by the race between Rubinstein and Lasker. Akiba took the lead by a win over Emanuel in round three. In 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
