3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympics in 1936 was a chess - nation tournament, which until September 1, 1936 took place from August 17 in Munich. Although there was no official event of the FIDE, it was declared by the United German Chess Federation Chess Olympiad as. It took place in Berlin right after the Summer Olympics.
Background
Although Germany after the "seizure of power " remained a member of the International Olympic Committee, left the big German Chess Federation, who had taken the place of the German Chess Federation, the World Chess Federation FIDE. Moreover, on the basis of irreconcilable with the FIDE principles Nazi ideology did the alienation of the international chess community. For example, were allowed into German teams by regulations of the German government only " Aryan" players.
Germany was nevertheless determined to gain a better reputation at the World Chess Federation and tried to their resumption. For the centenary of the Munich Chess Clubs 1836 Germany hosted an unofficial Chess Olympiad. The FIDE informed its members that they were free to participate. In return, the United German Chess Federation had agreed to allow Jewish chess players in the national teams during the scheduled tournament.
In advance of the tournament " Olympic Training" by Efim Bogolyubov and Willi Schlage took place in different places from the beginning of 1935. Several tournaments were organized to identify suitable candidates for the German Team: Bad Nauheim ( August 1935 ), Bad Saarow ( September 1935 ), City swank Elten am Main ( December 1935-January 1936 ), Bad Elster (May 1936) Bad Nauheim (May 1936) Dresden (June 1936), Świnoujście (June 1936), Berlin and Nuremberg (July 1936).
Coinciding with the unofficial Chess Olympiad a major international tournament in Nottingham took place, whereby, for example, Britain could not compete. The United States, which had won the three previous official Chess Olympiads, did not participate. Argentina said officially off due to high travel costs, which was to be understood as tacit boycott. Although the Netherlands participated with a second-rate team, however, the magazine of the Dutch Chess Federation did not report the tournament. Several Polish Jewish descent players wanted to boycott the tournament, but were forced by Polish chess officials to participate. Only Savielly Tartakower, who was invited in Nottingham, was able to escape this pressure.
The chess big event received support from the City of Munich and the Bavarian Prime Minister Ludwig Siebert. In addition, Governor General of occupied Poland, the additional funds promoted as Acting Reich Minister without Portfolio Hans Frank, later in the Propaganda Ministry a.
Organization and Tournament schedule
The tournament took place in the halls of the exhibition park on Theresienhohe. Because of the summer heat, the tournament for the players was very tiring, and also the audience figures fell short of expectations, although special trains 3,000 chess enthusiasts from all over Germany were transported to the tournament and the Völkische observers reported daily on a special page.
The tournament then-record number of 21 mostly European countries participated with 208 players. Deviating from the usual rule providing a round-robin tournament on four boards, a round-robin tournament was played at eight boards - with the propagated by the major German Chess Federation new federal form characters. Addition, there were specially designed timing devices ( with a single movement ) use.
In total, each team was able to nominate ten players. This change benefited the Germans, although they had no absolute top players, but a very balanced team. Other nations had trouble finding enough eligible players to summon, so the chess level was not very high overall. The Vienna Schachzeitung even spoke of a " plethora miserable Murksereien ". A total of 1,680 games were played, nearly two -thirds of which have not been published and are now considered lost. For each batch were two hours for forty moves, then another hour for each additional 20 trains per reflection players. Winner would be the team with the most points board. In a tie, the number of matches won should decide.
A team was play per round. In addition, since a large number had to be completed by hanging games, the table situation during the course of the tournament was confusing. Hungary won all 20 rounds and the tournament with 110.5 points, followed by Poland with 108 and Germany with 106.5 points. For Hungary and Poland achieved Master of Jewish origin as the Steiner Brothers, László Szabó, Ernő Gereben, Paulin Frydman, Mieczysław ( Miguel) Najdorf, Henryk Friedman and Henryk Pogorieły outstanding results.
László Szabó took on the fifth board in 19 games 16.5 points and achieved the highest single score and the only player both assigned to each board individual and team gold medal. The best result on top board reached the 20- year-old Paul Keres of Estonia with 15.5 points from 20 games.
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The Olympic tournament was politically sport a success. In November 1936, the British Chess Magazine wrote, the Munich -nation tournament was very well organized and regretted that Germany was withdrawn from the FIDE. After the tournament, Germany was able to approach the World Chess Federation and again to join later. Already at the Chess Olympiad in 1939 allowed Germany officially participate again.
Since the Chess Olympiad in Munich was not an official event, they also received no numerical assignment such as the Chess Olympiad in Turin in 2006 as the 37th Chess Olympiad. Not until 1964 that more games were played at a Chess Olympiad.
Remembering the good organization of the " Chess Olympics " before the war, the German Chess Federation informed the Chess Olympiad in 1958 again in Munich.