IFSB
Encyclopedia
The Internationaler Fernschachbund (IFSB) was an international correspondence chess
organisation, founded in 1928. It was superseded in 1945 by the International Correspondence Chess Association, and by the International Correspondence Chess Federation
in 1951.
. This group had existed in a loose form since November 1927, and included J.W. Keemink , Hans Werner von Massow, K. Laue, C. Olsen and F. Schild. This was the first successful attempt to create an international correspondence chess federation. Unfortunately, it survived for only a short period, although its successor proved to be viable.
On 2 December 1928 a new federation was formed in Berlin. To distinguish it from its predecessor, it was named the Internationaler Fernschachbund. The founders were Dr. R. Duhrssen (first President), J. W. Keemink (second President), Hans Werner von Massow (first secretary), K. Laue (first Treasurer), and L. Probst (Managing Editor). It was said that the federation had been founded by "four madmen and a child", as von Massow was just 16 years old at the time. He was borm on 13/5/1912 (Gaige's "Chess Personaslia"). There appears to have been a major row at the December 1928 meeting which caused the splitting off of Freienhagen (and possibly others) from the Duhrssen "faction". Freienhagen continued to be active in organising correspondence chess until shortly before he died. He published "Brief-Schach" up to September 1932, but only some of these publications have survived and so our knowledge of his organisation is fragmentary.
Keemink was Dutch and the others were German. Freienhagen and other ICSB members had already left the group and Freienhagen died in May 1933. After this, correspondence chess players began joining IFSB. At that time, there was only individual membership and only later did it become possible for countries to be members.
on 21 July 1929. There were now over 100 individual members.
Another meeting was held in Hamburg on 26 July 1930. Here K. Allmendinger and Dr. E. Dyckhoff, both German, joined the governing body, and F. Kunert (Austria
), M. Seibold (Germany
), Dr. K. Schørring (Denmark
), V. Geier (Poland
) and H.L. van Borgman (Holland) came into the broader management. The 6-board national matches between Germany and Spain, and Germany and Austria were started in March 1931 under the auspices of the IFSB. This was the first step towards the future correspondence chess Olympiads, which from 1935 to the present day have been played on 6 boards.
On 30 August 1931 there was a meeting in Dresden
where it was stated that 43% of the competitors in the tournaments were not German, thus demonstrating its truly international nature. The majority of countries in Europe, from Portugal
to Poland, and from Italy
to Scandinavia
took part in the tournaments. Compared to their size and significance in terms of chess, there were very few players from the Soviet Union
or Great Britain
.
The next meeting of the governing body was held in Munich on 15 May 1932. Here the "Game Committee" under the German name Spielausschess was formed. Its members performed three tasks:
These tasks required high standards, both as chess players and ethically. The first three members of the Committee were Dr. J. Balogh , F. Batik and Prof. E. Busch. Due to later changes Marcel Duchamp
, Seibold , Herzog, Johansson and Dr. Rey also fulfilled this task.
The office holders belonging to the broader mangament were also listed as Dr. W. Bickel (Switzerland) and Marcel Duchamp (France) as adjudicators. The positions of the 2nd Minutes Secretary, 2nd Treasurer, 2nd Tournament Director and one adjudicator remained unfilled for the time being. In 1935, there were more changes in personnel: Dr. Schorring and Kunert retired. On 15 January the correspondence chess Olympiad of European countries began with 17 teams from 14 countries. The July 1935 issue of Fernschach reported on the reorganization and new office holders of the federation.
, Holland, Spain
, Norway
, Latvia
and Czechoslovakia
. A financial committee was also formed. At the same time Dr. Max Euwe
, the OTB
world champion
was also a member of the IFSB. According to another announcement, Alexander Alekhine
was also a member.
The IFSB's next meeting was held in Munich on 31 August 1936, as the OTB Olympiad was being played there.
A working party was formed to devise a system for the individual Correspondence Chess World Championship, whose members were Dr. Adam, Chalupetzky, Alekhine, Duchamp, Dr. M. Henneberger, J. Nielsen and G. Stalda. However, the contest did not take place due to the outbreak of World War II
, and was only organized years later by the ICCA.
The following meeting was in Stockholm
on 10 August 1937. The World Chess Federation FIDE also held its meeting then, and the chess Olympiad was held at the same time. Dr. Alexander Rueb
, FIDE President and former Correspondence Chess player (the IFSB's first and only honorary member), the world champion Dr. M. Euwe, L. Collijn, president of the Swedish Chess Federation, all visited the IFSB meeting. The proposed plan for the Correspondence Chess World Championship was accepted. By the end of 1937, the IFSB had 18 member countries; a great success considering there were still no regular airmail
services throughout the world, which limited IFSB tournaments to European players. The same was true of individual tournaments in the United States
, and it was impossible to involve either European or Asian competitors.
"In these fateful hard times, we are sending our voice to all of our friends: to each chess-organiser of national chess federations, to chess masters, to all of our members and sponsors, to the subscribers of our monthly journal and to all who are somehow connected with the IFSB and its work. ….. The presidency of the IFSB decided to cease all the work of IFSB and publication of this monthly journal during the war. …. We hope for a future, in which instead of deadly projectiles, again the chess post-cards shall wander through the boundaries of nations as heralds of international understanding in the world. We hope, this future shall be in not too long a time, before it is a happy present!"
Correspondence chess
Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...
organisation, founded in 1928. It was superseded in 1945 by the International Correspondence Chess Association, and by the International Correspondence Chess Federation
International Correspondence Chess Federation
International Correspondence Chess Federation was founded in 1951 as a new appearance of the ICCA , which was founded in 1945, as successor of the IFSB , founded in 1928....
in 1951.
Creation
In August 1928 the Internationaler Correspondensschachbund (ICSB), was created under the leadership of Erich Otto Freienhagen in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. This group had existed in a loose form since November 1927, and included J.W. Keemink , Hans Werner von Massow, K. Laue, C. Olsen and F. Schild. This was the first successful attempt to create an international correspondence chess federation. Unfortunately, it survived for only a short period, although its successor proved to be viable.
On 2 December 1928 a new federation was formed in Berlin. To distinguish it from its predecessor, it was named the Internationaler Fernschachbund. The founders were Dr. R. Duhrssen (first President), J. W. Keemink (second President), Hans Werner von Massow (first secretary), K. Laue (first Treasurer), and L. Probst (Managing Editor). It was said that the federation had been founded by "four madmen and a child", as von Massow was just 16 years old at the time. He was borm on 13/5/1912 (Gaige's "Chess Personaslia"). There appears to have been a major row at the December 1928 meeting which caused the splitting off of Freienhagen (and possibly others) from the Duhrssen "faction". Freienhagen continued to be active in organising correspondence chess until shortly before he died. He published "Brief-Schach" up to September 1932, but only some of these publications have survived and so our knowledge of his organisation is fragmentary.
Keemink was Dutch and the others were German. Freienhagen and other ICSB members had already left the group and Freienhagen died in May 1933. After this, correspondence chess players began joining IFSB. At that time, there was only individual membership and only later did it become possible for countries to be members.
Tasks
The organization undertook several tasks:- It launched the magazine Fernschach to organize and provide information about international correspondence chess.
- It created work and tournament links between organizers and the top European correspondence chess players.
- It organized official individual and team tournaments.
- It developed unified rules and practice.
Leader meetings
Six months after it was established, the leaders of the IFSB met again, in DuisburgDuisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
on 21 July 1929. There were now over 100 individual members.
Another meeting was held in Hamburg on 26 July 1930. Here K. Allmendinger and Dr. E. Dyckhoff, both German, joined the governing body, and F. Kunert (Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
), M. Seibold (Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Dr. K. Schørring (Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
), V. Geier (Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) and H.L. van Borgman (Holland) came into the broader management. The 6-board national matches between Germany and Spain, and Germany and Austria were started in March 1931 under the auspices of the IFSB. This was the first step towards the future correspondence chess Olympiads, which from 1935 to the present day have been played on 6 boards.
On 30 August 1931 there was a meeting in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
where it was stated that 43% of the competitors in the tournaments were not German, thus demonstrating its truly international nature. The majority of countries in Europe, from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
to Poland, and from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
took part in the tournaments. Compared to their size and significance in terms of chess, there were very few players from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
or Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
BM tournaments
The structure of IFSB Bundesmeisterschafts (BM), the most significant individual tournaments, was established. They began at the beginning of each year and were to be complete by the end of the next year. These tournaments were first designated by the starting year and this is how they worked between 1919 and 1935. However, the BM which started in 1936, only came to an end at the beginning of 1938 and in the crosstable of the tournament, Fernschach marked this 1936/37. After that, instead of the starting year, the year of completion denoted the tournaments.The next meeting of the governing body was held in Munich on 15 May 1932. Here the "Game Committee" under the German name Spielausschess was formed. Its members performed three tasks:
- Selecting the participants of the BM for each year from applicants.
- Adjudicating unfinished games.
- Dealing with complaints against Tournaments Director decisions.
These tasks required high standards, both as chess players and ethically. The first three members of the Committee were Dr. J. Balogh , F. Batik and Prof. E. Busch. Due to later changes Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
, Seibold , Herzog, Johansson and Dr. Rey also fulfilled this task.
First member meeting
On 22 April 1934, the Federation's governing body met for the sixth time and there was the first meeting of IFSB members in Berlin. The most important issue was the correspondence chess Olympiad for European countries. This started in January 1935 with the preliminaries and final taking five years altogether, and were planned every 5 years. The tournament's chief promoters were Kunert and von Massow, and they also devised the plan for the tournament.Change in management
A significant change occurred in the management of the IFSB in 1935:- 1st President, Dr. K. Schorring (Denmark)
- 2nd President, I. Abonyi (Hungary)
- 1st Secretary, Hans Werner von Massow
- 1st Treasurer E. Weiss (Germany)
- 1st Tournament Director, F. Kunert (Austria)
- Head of federation Magazine (Fernschach) Dr. R. Duhrssen (Germany)
The office holders belonging to the broader mangament were also listed as Dr. W. Bickel (Switzerland) and Marcel Duchamp (France) as adjudicators. The positions of the 2nd Minutes Secretary, 2nd Treasurer, 2nd Tournament Director and one adjudicator remained unfilled for the time being. In 1935, there were more changes in personnel: Dr. Schorring and Kunert retired. On 15 January the correspondence chess Olympiad of European countries began with 17 teams from 14 countries. The July 1935 issue of Fernschach reported on the reorganization and new office holders of the federation.
Governing body meetings
From 4-6 August 1935 the governing body held a meeting in Dresden. Here they decided to create and award the title of Correspondence Chess Master. It was also resolved that countries, as well as individuals, could become IFSB members. In January 1936 Fernschach announced the names of the first six countries to join: HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Holland, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. A financial committee was also formed. At the same time Dr. Max Euwe
Max Euwe
Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
, the OTB
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
world champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
was also a member of the IFSB. According to another announcement, Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
was also a member.
The IFSB's next meeting was held in Munich on 31 August 1936, as the OTB Olympiad was being played there.
A working party was formed to devise a system for the individual Correspondence Chess World Championship, whose members were Dr. Adam, Chalupetzky, Alekhine, Duchamp, Dr. M. Henneberger, J. Nielsen and G. Stalda. However, the contest did not take place due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was only organized years later by the ICCA.
The following meeting was in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
on 10 August 1937. The World Chess Federation FIDE also held its meeting then, and the chess Olympiad was held at the same time. Dr. Alexander Rueb
Alexander Rueb
Alexander Rueb was a Dutch lawyer, diplomat, and chess official.He was born in The Hague. One of the founders of international chess governing body, FIDE, Rueb was elected its first president in 1924. He was succeeded by Folke Rogard in 1949...
, FIDE President and former Correspondence Chess player (the IFSB's first and only honorary member), the world champion Dr. M. Euwe, L. Collijn, president of the Swedish Chess Federation, all visited the IFSB meeting. The proposed plan for the Correspondence Chess World Championship was accepted. By the end of 1937, the IFSB had 18 member countries; a great success considering there were still no regular airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
services throughout the world, which limited IFSB tournaments to European players. The same was true of individual tournaments in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and it was impossible to involve either European or Asian competitors.
Final years and disbandment
By 1938 and 1939 political tensions were rising, and most important tournaments were successfully concluded before the war. The last pre-war issue of Fernschach gave the 1938-1939 BM crosstable, as well as the results of the Correspondence Chess Olympiad of European countries. The leadership of IFSB looked back at the past and expressed hope for a better future, in the following quotation:"In these fateful hard times, we are sending our voice to all of our friends: to each chess-organiser of national chess federations, to chess masters, to all of our members and sponsors, to the subscribers of our monthly journal and to all who are somehow connected with the IFSB and its work. ….. The presidency of the IFSB decided to cease all the work of IFSB and publication of this monthly journal during the war. …. We hope for a future, in which instead of deadly projectiles, again the chess post-cards shall wander through the boundaries of nations as heralds of international understanding in the world. We hope, this future shall be in not too long a time, before it is a happy present!"