Author: Georg Marco (1863-1923)
Year: 1905
Publisher: Kommissions -Verlag Adolf Graeper
Place: Barmen
Description:
628 with frontispiece, diagrams, plates and tables. Royal octavo (9 1/2 x 6 1/4") bound in original three quarter pebbled boards with spine label. (Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana:5268) First edition.
The richly endowed Barmen Chess Association commemorated its 40th year anniversary with a celebration centered around two major tournaments and three strong "Hauptturnieren." The innovative organizers added such melodious entertainment as a "Singspiel" involving a 60 person chorus and a three act musical comedy, "Der Seekadett." The latter feature a game with children as chessmen and an original music score the now famous Barmen Chess Waltz. Bachmann opines that it was a "grand chess feast, made even nicer by Rheinsche friendliness." The two principal contests were divided into "A" and "B" categories - the first being reserved for experienced grandmasters and masters, the second for promising young masters who had not achieved a tournament victory. First and second prizes in this category (1500 and 1000 Mmrks, respectively) were divided between Janowski (+9 -3 +3) and Maroczy (+7 -1 +7) with identical point totals of 10 1/2. The mercurial Janowski head the victory list with nine wins, but dropped full points to Bernstein, Berger and Gottschall - while an obviously fatigued Maroczy lost only once to John. The New World sensation, Marshall (+8 -3 +3), took third place laurels and 700 marks, a scant half point behind the two pacesetters. Schlechter and Bernstein divided the fourth and fifth prizes (400 marks) with identical scores of +7 -4 =4. The genial Wiener drew a blank with the first three place winners - surrendering games to Janowski, Maroczy and Marshall. He also uncharacteristically blundered away a Knight in loosing to his compatriot Berger. The plucky Graz veteran amassed four out of five points against the first five places(!) enroute to a surprise six-place finish. The young Bernstein, for his part enjoyed a magnificent start - leading through the ninth round before suffering successive setbacks to Marshall in the 10th and to Schlechter in the 11th. Russia's perennial champion, Tichigorin, was clearly in a period of decline although he managed a win and two draws against the first three place winners. Wolf, in dividing the seventh-tenth prizes with John, Leonhardt and Tchigorin, emerged as the tournament "Remis Koenig" with 10 draws in 15 games. In tournament "B" action first place fell to Fleischmann of Hungary with a score of 13 (+11 -2 +4) followed by Swiderski, 12 (+11 -4 =2) and W Cohn, 11 1/2 (+9 -3 =5). A major figure of the future, Nimzovich shared the 15th and 16th places - posting a disappointing score of 6 (+3 -8 +6). The secondary tournaments featured some coming stars. Rubenstein and Duras shared first and second prize in the Hauptturnier "A" (+11 -2 =2), with third and fourth places going to Vidmar (+11 -3 +1) and Lowy (+10 -2 =3). Shories defeated Tartakower in a playoff for Hauptturnier "B" laurels, (+2 -1 =1). Hauptturnier "C" honors fell to Szekely (+6 -1 =0), ahead of Biedendorf (+5 -2 =0).
Condition:
Previous owner's name to title, stamped to end papers and occasionally other pages. Corners bumped else a very good copy of one the scarcer tournament books.