"The Minev Project"

Hopefully, his Chess Library Website with tournament crosstables will not be inactivated (as it happened i.e. with endgame.nl, briefly after its editor died).

http://www.thechesslibrary.com/

Also this is a very good book.

<Unknown Games

Was there an Alapin – Tarrasch match? Officially such a contest is not mentioned in recent chess history. But in 1903/4 many newspapers and chess magazines were involved in a dispute over whether the nine games played between these two in Monaco and Marseilles, at the end of 1902 and beginning of 1903, were match games (as claimed by Alapin), or friendly games (as claimed by Tarrasch).

The games were played with a clock and a normal time control. From the evidence available to me, this was probably some sort of training match, with some pre-conditions – the games, for example, were to be played without spectators, and (probably) the score was not to be released. But a Belgian newspaper published the score anyway: +4, -3, =2, in favor of Alapin.

Tarrasch was furious and used bitter, insulting words against his opponent. Alapin’s answer was more polite, making the point that he had nothing to do with the Belgian publication. He also showed a great deal of satisfaction in the fact that at least Tarrasch did not deny the score.

The result of this dispute was unfortunate for Alapin. After the furor, the German chess press (with Tarrasch and Mieses in the lead) virtually ignored Alapin’s existence for years. As for the games, it is most likely that four are lost forever. At any rate, I did not find them after a fairly thorough search. The other five were published in Wiener Schachzeitung in 1904, but until now were buried between pages 295-299, and not noticed at all.>

<Officially such a contest is not mentioned in recent chess history.> That's wrong. Minev's article appears in the wayback machine in 2011, but the contest is of course covered in Kamm's Tarrasch biography published 2004.

<But in 1903/4 many newspapers and chess magazines were involved in a dispute over whether the nine games played between these two in Monaco and Marseilles, at the end of 1902 and beginning of 1903 ...> The games were played in Marseilles and Monaco (in this order) and all games were played in 1903. The year 1902 appears in WSZ 1904.

<The games were played with a clock and a normal time control.> No. A clock was used only in Marseilles where seven games were played from 29 January to 7 February. The time limit was 15 moves per hour.

<From the evidence available to me, this was probably some sort of training match,..> No match, a series of games, see above.

<.. with some pre-conditions – the games, for example, were to be played without spectators, ...> No, spectators were present in Marseilles and Monaco, too.

<.. , and (probably) the score was not to be released.> I have seen nothing like this. In fact, all games were published (see below).

In Marseilles, Tarrasch lost the first two games, nut then turned the match in his favor: +3, -2, =2.

The two games in Monaco were played without clock in front of some masters and allegedly some moves were taken back. Both games were won by Alapin.

<As for the games, it is most likely that four are lost forever.> It is hard to understand why Minev thought this. As already mentioned: all games were published in 1903 and this is mentioned in WSZ.

<At any rate, I did not find them after a <fairly thorough search>.> .

<The other five were published in Wiener Schachzeitung in 1904, but until now were buried between pages 295-299, and not noticed at all.> Kamm published all nine games.

Some film of the Tarrasch - Alapin 1903 match has surfaced.

https://www.facebook.com/ChessFIDE/...

...and who knows, maybe the 1903 Tarrasch - Alapin dispute which apparently hit the newspaper inspired this piece of slapstick. The claim is that it is the first piece of chess on film.