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Prague (1908) "International Chess Masters Tournament at the Jubilee Exhibition in Prague 1908. The Prague chess enthusiasts have succeeded in realizing their long-cherished plan. In May of this year, they want to unveil a tournament that will match the largest events of its kind...The official communique dated February 10th reads: "The Executive Committee of the Exhibition has decided to hold an international chess masters tournament in May 1908 on the occasion of the Jubilee Exhibition in Prague, combined with an international main tournament. The start of the tournament has been set for May 17th of this year. Ten prizes totalling 13,800 crowns have been offered for the masters tournament. The first prize is 4000 crowns, the second 3,000 crowns, the following 2,000, 1,500, 1,000, 800, 600, 400, 300 and 200 crowns. In addition to the cash prizes, there may also be honorary prizes...Ten prizes are provisionally offered for the main international tournament: 500, 350, 250, 150, 100, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, (a total of 1,650) crowns. The first prize winner will also receive the title of master..." (Neue) Wiener Schachzeitung (1908) p.18-19. Played a few weeks after the other big international event of the year, Vienna (1908), Prague was also held in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph and featured most of the same big names with the addition of Vidmar. To wit: Semyon Alapin, Oldrich Duras, Fyodor Duz-Khotimirsky, David Janowski, Jan Kvicala, Paul Leonhardt, Geza Maroczy, Frank Marshall, Jacques Mieses, Ladislav Prokes, Abram Rabinovich, Akiba Rubinstein, Georg Salwe, Carl Schlechter, Rudolf Spielmann, Hugo Suechting, Richard Teichmann, Frantisek Treybal, Milan Vidmar, Curt von Bardeleben. Of the three co-winners at Vienna, Schlechter and Duras maintained their supremacy while Maroczy slipped back a bit. Schlechter was in the lead the whole way, with Vidmar nipping at his heels and Rubinstein never far behind. However, in the end it was Duras who caught up in round 18 after a couple of winning spurts. Duras and Schlechter were paired in the final round, but nothing happened and they drew quickly. Vidmar, 1/2-point behind coming in, was unable to win with Black against Marshall and had to settle for third place. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 Duras * = 0 = 0 = 1 1 1 1 + 1 1 = = 1 0 + 1 1 13.5 2 Schlechter = * = = = = = 0 1 = 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 = 1 = 13.5 3 Vidmar 1 = * 0 = 0 0 = = 1 1 = = 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13.0 4 Rubinstein = = 1 * = 0 1 = 1 0 = 1 = 1 1 = = = 1 1 12.5 5 Teichmann 1 = = = * = = = = = 0 = = 1 1 1 = = 1 1 12.0 6 Maroczy = = 1 1 = * 0 = = 0 = = = = 1 1 = 1 = 1 11.5 7 Leonhardt 0 = 1 0 = 1 * = = 0 1 = = = 0 1 = 1 1 1 11.0 8 Marshall 0 1 = = = = = * = 0 = 0 = = 1 1 1 1 1 = 11.0 9 Salwe 0 0 = 0 = = = = * 1 1 = 0 1 1 = 1 1 = 1 11.0 10 Janowski 0 = 0 1 = 1 1 1 0 * 0 1 1 0 0 1 = 1 1 0 10.5 11 Dus Chotimirsky - 0 0 = 1 = 0 = 0 1 * 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 9.5 12 Alapin 0 0 = 0 = = = 1 = 0 0 * = 1 1 0 1 1 = = 9.0 13 Suechting 0 0 = = = = = = 1 0 0 = * = = = = = = 1 8.5 14 Mieses = 0 0 0 0 = = = 0 1 1 0 = * 1 1 = 0 1 = 8.5 15 Spielmann = 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 = 0 * 1 1 0 = 1 7.5 16 Prokes 0 0 0 = 0 0 0 0 = 0 1 1 = 0 0 * 1 = 1 = 6.5 17 Von Bardeleben 1 0 0 = = = = 0 0 = 0 0 = = 0 0 * = = = 6.0 18 Kvicala - = 0 = = 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 1 = = * - = 5.5 19 Rabinovich 0 0 0 0 0 = 0 0 = 0 0 = = 0 = 0 = + * 1 5.0 20 Treybal 0 = 0 0 0 0 0 = 0 1 0 = 0 = 0 = = = 0 * 4.5 The games Duras 1 Dus Chotimirsky (round 1), Duras 1 Kvicala (round 18) and Rabinovich 1 Kvicala (round 19) were defaulted. The British Chess Magazine noted that Duras scored two wins by default, and it would appear that Kvicala did not play his last two games. Prizes 1st-2nd: Duras, Schlechter (3500 kr.) 3rd: Vidmar (2000 kr.) 4th: Rubinstein (1500 kr.) 5th: Teichmann (who else?) (1000 kr.) 6th: Maroczy (800 kr.) 7th-9th: Leonhardt, Marshall Salwe (433 kr.) 10th: Janowski (200 kr.) <Sources> American Chess Bulletin, April 1908, p. 79 British Chess Magazine, July 1908, p. 311 Chess Results 1901-1920 / Gino Di Felice, p. 109 Schaakcourant, 1908 (various issues) Original collection: Game Collection: Prague 1908, by User: Phony Benoni.  page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 187  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Teichmann vs Janowski   ½-½ 15 1908 Prague D61 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack 2. A Rabinovich vs Marshall 0-1 34 1908 Prague D02 Queen's Pawn Game 3. Alapin vs Maroczy   ½-½ 31 1908 Prague D61 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack 4. von Bardeleben vs F Treybal   ½-½ 47 1908 Prague D32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch 5. Salwe vs Rubinstein 0-1 99 1908 Prague C49 Four Knights 6. J Kvicala vs H Suechting   ½-½ 46 1908 Prague C48 Four Knights 7. P Leonhardt vs J Mieses ½-½ 50 1908 Prague B01 Scandinavian 8. L Prokes vs Vidmar   0-1 48 1908 Prague C66 Ruy Lopez 9. Spielmann vs Schlechter 0-1 31 1908 Prague C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 10. Janowski vs Duras 0-1 73 1908 Prague D30 Queen's Gambit Declined 11. Marshall vs J Mieses   ½-½ 12 1908 Prague D00 Queen's Pawn Game 12. Schlechter vs F Duz-Khotimirsky 1-0 26 1908 Prague D33 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch 13. Spielmann vs L Prokes 1-0 21 1908 Prague C29 Vienna Gambit 14. Rubinstein vs F Treybal 1-0 40 1908 Prague C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed 15. Teichmann vs Salwe ½-½ 40 1908 Prague C49 Four Knights 16. Alapin vs J Kvicala   1-0 51 1908 Prague D32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch 17. Maroczy vs A Rabinovich ½-½ 27 1908 Prague C49 Four Knights 18. H Suechting vs von Bardeleben   ½-½ 18 1908 Prague C42 Petrov Defense 19. Vidmar vs P Leonhardt 0-1 43 1908 Prague D61 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack 20. Spielmann vs Janowski 1-0 54 1908 Prague D60 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense 21. F Treybal vs Marshall ½-½ 52 1908 Prague B23 Sicilian, Closed 22. von Bardeleben vs Rubinstein ½-½ 61 1908 Prague B40 Sicilian 23. F Duz-Khotimirsky vs Vidmar   0-1 29 1908 Prague D40 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch 24. J Mieses vs Duras ½-½ 41 1908 Prague B15 Caro-Kann 25. Salwe vs Maroczy   ½-½ 34 1908 Prague D02 Queen's Pawn Game  page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 187    REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)   Jun-02-13    Karpova: The 1908 'Wiener Schachzeitung' explains two wins by default on page 181 the following: Duras vs. Duz Chotimirsky: <Dus war an der russischen Grenze aufgehalten worden, weil er sich nicht legitimiren konnte und inzwischen lief seine Turnieruhr in Prag, bis er kontumaziert wurde.> (Dus Chotimirsky was held back at the Russian border as he could not "legitimise" himself (possibly missing some necessary documents) while his clock was running and he forfeited.) Dr. Kvicala - Duras: <Dr. Kvicala erhielt in dem Momente, wo er e2-e4 spielte, die Nachricht vom Ableben seines Vaters und seiner Mutter und gab die Partie sofort auf.> (While executing e4 on the board, Dr. Kvicala got the news of his father's and mother's death and resigned immediately) May-23-17    zanzibar: <Phony> what is the meaning of the "who else" comment about Teichmann? . May-23-17    Retireborn: <z> It refers to Teichmann's nickname of Richard the Fifth. According to Hooper & Whyld: "In the next five years (ie 1903-1908) he was fifth in 7 of the 15 tournaments in which he played...." May-23-17    zanzibar: <rb> Boy oh boy, is that an inside joke! Ha! Do you actually carry that stuff around inside your head?! . May-23-17    Retireborn: I did think the soubriquet Richard the Fifth was well-known, but it was just lucky that I happened to have my Hooper & Whyld right to hand :) May-23-17    Phony Benoni: <zanzibar> Yes, "Richard the Fifth" was common knowledge back in my day. Keep forgetting how old I am. May-23-17    JimNorCal: <PB>: Let me guess ... when you walk into an antique shop they won't let you leave? May-23-17    tamar: Yep, "Richard the Fifth" common knowledge among those who have read folk lore of chess, Reinfeld, Chernev, and Edward Lasker May-23-17    JimNorCal: Who has come along to report on lore? Ed Winter is old. Reinfeld, Chernev, and Ed Lssket are no longer with us. NIC published a couple books by Sosonko. What else? May-23-17    tamar: Andy Soltis "The Book of Lists" https://books.google.com/books?id=t... May-23-17    Phony Benoni: <JimNorCal> Please don't say Edward Winter is old. He's four years younger than I am. <tamar> Indeed, chess folklore is often nothing but knowledge that is too common to be disputed. But there may be more of a basis to "Richard the Fifth". William Ewart Napier, a contemporary and friend of Teichmann, had this to say in his "Amerities and Background of Chess-play": <"He acquired the nickname of 'Richard the Fifth' from the frequency in which he finished in that place."> Now, this was wirrten in the 1930s, three decades after Napier was active internationally. And the book in which it appears, "Paul Morphy and the Golden Age of chess", p. 167), was edited in some spots by Al Horowitz. I don't know if this particular passage was edited, so it would be interesting to see the original, not to mention more contemporaneous citations. I shall now return to my Quiet Spot amongst the Ming Vases and National Geographics. May-23-17    zanzibar: <phony> despite the many dust-ups, is never dusty! I would nominate Soltis as a keeper of the flame, but he might be too old too. Perhaps <MissS> deserves a nod for the macabre, but who knows how old she is? . May-23-17    JimNorCal: Love your wit, PB! Also, your erudition. And your love of chess, your handle, your icon ... hmmm, come to think of it, you're a pretty likable guy! Feb-25-18    MissScarlett: Is the tournament table correct? The one appearing in the <ACB>, July 1908, p.130, has Alapin scoring 10 points and Dus-Chotimirsky with 8.5. The difference being that Alapin apparently beat Dus-Chotimirsky in their individual game, one supposedly lost by Alapin in incredible fashion: Dus Chotimirsky vs Alapin, 1908 Feb-25-18    zanzibar: It's good to note the contradiction, but there's evidence <ACB> is in the minority: http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragu... https://sites.google.com/site/carol... https://www.365chess.com/tournament... https://books.google.com/books?id=W... Feb-25-18    MissScarlett: Contemporary reports in several American papers have Alapin finishing on 10 points ahead of Chotimirsky on 8.5, but possibly all were based on the same erroneous cable report, because one later quotes Hoffer's final round report from the <Field>, in which Chotimirski's loss deprives him of the chance of catching Janowski, leaving him in 11th place. Feb-25-18    MissScarlett: Another curiosity is that <Rabinovich> seems to have been going under the name <Leontieff> around this time. Perhaps he was in hiding from the Russian secret police. He's plain <Rabinovich> by the time of Karlsbad (1911). Feb-25-18    zanzibar: What's the story with this tournament book: http://www.chesslund.com/detail.asp... A contemporary (i.e. 2008) version based on what sources? Perhaps somebody can "lift" the xtab under "fair use"? (At least it should point to original Czech sources) Feb-25-18    zanzibar: There was an original tb (1909): <Partie mezinárodních turnajú šachových v Praze 1908 -- Vyd. V. Kautsky> https://books.google.com/books/abou... which apparently left quite a few games out (to save paper?). Feb-25-18    zanzibar: RE: Richard the Fifth Common knowledge (to the wizened) or not, probably best to add a footnote explaining the pun for the newbies (especially those who don't know enough to read though all the <CG> comments). Feb-25-18    zanzibar: Can someone confirm that the tournament rule forbade draws of less than 30 moves? Oct-19-18    Phony Benoni: <MissScarlett: Another curiosity is that <Rabinovich> seems to have been going under the name <Leontieff> around this time. Perhaps he was in hiding from the Russian secret police. He's plain <Rabinovich> by the time of Karlsbad (1911).> A possibility that just struck me is that the player in question may have actually been Ilya Leontievich Rabinovich. He would have been onl6 17 at the time, but we o have games from him in 1909. Oct-25-18    Phony Benoni: Never mind. I've sound contemporary newspaper reports using "A Rabinovich". Oct-30-18    Gypsy: From a Duras monograph: ... Altogether 21 masters applied and were accepted into the competition, but L. Forgacs (Leo Fleischmann Forgacs) did not come. A Moscow master A. Rabinovich (Abram Isaakovich Rabinovich), playing under the pseudonym Leontiev, replaced Znosko-Borovski (Eugene Aleksandrovich Znosko-Borovsky). ... Dr. Kvicala (Jan Kvicala) had to resign his last two tournament games without play for sudden death in his family. ... Duras vs H Suechting, 1908 won the brilliance prize. Dec-27-22    MrkiKondor: zanzibar: Can someone confirm... Confirmed, but the tournament referee could decide if the position was too drawish for play to continue... Check MilanVidmar comment on his loss to Leonhardt Vidmar vs P S Leonhardt, 1908 NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion. Please observe our posting guidelines: No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members. Nothing in violation of United States law. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members. No trolling. 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