The first International Prague Chess Tournament was held in honour of the sixtieth anniversary of Franz Joseph I of Austria

Franz Joseph I of Austria

Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...

's elevation as monarch to the Austria-Hungary Empire. Twenty great masters played in the pavilion of the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Prague, from May 17 to June 13, 1908.

The representative of the executive board of the Jubilee Exhibition, president L. Bondy greeted tournament competitors and numerous guests in Czech, German, French and English. J. Krautstengl and Dr. G. Bergmann spoke for the presidium of the committee and they expressed their gratitude to the executive board for organizing tournaments. Official organizers were H. Pollak and K. Anderle, whereas referees Karel Traxler

Karel Traxler

----Karel Traxler was a Czech chess master and composer of chess problems.He is best known for the hyper-aggressive variation named after him, the Traxler Variation in the Two Knights Defense, which was first shown in the following game against Reinisch, played in Hostouň in 1890:1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6...

 and Viktor Tietz

Viktor Tietz

Viktor Tietz was a Czech–German chess player, chess life organizer and local politician....

 had decided to whom two prices for the best games, of 200 and 300 Crowns, will be given. The money was donated by Baron Albert Salomon von Rothschild

Albert Salomon von Rothschild

Albert Salomon von Rothschild was a banker in Austria-Hungary and a member of the Rothschild banking family of Austria. Businesses that he owned included Creditanstalt and the Northern Railway.-Personal life:...

. The umpire was Dr. A. Klir.

Master Tournament

The results and standings:

Vienna 1908

#	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Total
1-2	/  Bohemia	x	½	0	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	½	1	0	1	1	1	13½
1-2	/  Austria	½	x	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	½	13½
3	/  Slovenia	1	½	x	0	½	0	0	½	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	13
4	/  Poland	½	½	1	x	½	0	1	½	1	0	½	1	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	12½
5	/  Thuringia	1	½	½	½	x	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	1	1	1	½	½	1	1	12
6	/ Hungary	½	½	1	1	½	x	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	11½
7-9	/  Poland	0	½	1	0	½	1	x	½	½	0	1	½	½	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	11
7-9	/  New York	0	1	½	½	½	½	½	x	½	0	½	0	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	11
7-9	/  Poland	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	x	1	1	½	0	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	11
10	/  Poland	0	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	0	x	0	1	1	0	0	1	½	1	1	0	10½
11	/  Ukraine	0	0	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	1	x	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	9½
12	/  Lithuania	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	1	½	0	0	x	½	1	1	0	1	1	½	½	9
13-14	/  Schleswig-Holstein	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	0	0	½	x	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	8½
13-14	/  Kingdom of Saxony	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	1	1	0	½	x	1	1	½	0	1	½	8½
15	/  Austria	½	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	½	0	x	1	1	0	½	1	7½
16	/  Bohemia	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	1	½	0	0	x	1	½	1	½	6½
17	/  Brandenburg	1	0	0	½	½	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	x	½	½	½	6
18	/  Bohemia	0	½	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	1	½	½	x	0	½	5½
19	/  Lithuania	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	1	x	1	5
20	/  Bohemia	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	x	4½

Main Tournament

Competitors of the main tournament were selected into four groups, consisting of 8 or 7 players.

The final results:

1. Karel Treybal

Karel Treybal

Karel Treybal was a prominent Czech chess player of the early twentieth century.Treybal was born in Kotopeky, a village to the southwest of Prague in central Bohemia. He trained as a lawyer and became chairman of the district court in Velvary, a small town on the opposite side of Prague...

  Bohemia

2-3. István Abonyi

István Abonyi

István Abonyi was a Hungarian chess master, who was born and died in Budapest.In 1912, Abonyi played the Abonyi Gambit for the first time....

  Hungary

2-3. Ferenc Chalupetzky

Ferenc Chalupetzky

Ferenc Chalupetzky was a Hungarian chess master and author.He took 2nd at Győr 1905, shared 1st at Győr 1906, tied for 1st-3rd at Győr 1908, shared 2nd with István Abonyi, behind Karel Treybal, in the Prague 1908 chess tournament , took 2nd at Győr 1911 , and tied for 6-8th at Budapest 1911 Ferenc...

  Hungary

4. Lev Taussig

Lev Taussig

Lev Taussig was a Czech chess master.He took 2nd, behind Oldřich Důras, at Prague 1905 , tied for 6-8th at Nuremberg 1906 , won at Prague 1906, took 5th at Brno 1907 , took...

  Bohemia

5. Josef Dobiáš

Josef Dobiáš

Josef Dobiáš was a Czech chess player.At the beginning of his career, he took 5th at Prague 1908 , tied for 4-5th at Pilsen 1911, tied for 5-7th at Breslau 1912 , took 6th at 1913 Jungbunzlau 1913 , and took 8th at Böhmisch Trübau...

  Bohemia

6. Zsigmond Barász

Zsigmond Barász

Zsigmond Barász was a Hungarian chess master.He took 2nd, behind Zoltán von Balla, at Györ 1906 and lost a match to him there; took 9th at Budapest 1906 , tied for 1st-2nd with Forgács at Budapest 1907 , and took 4th at Székesfehérvár 1907 .Barász won at...

  Hungary

7. Viktor Dyk

Viktor Dyk

Viktor Dyk was a well-known Czech poet, prose writer, playwright, politician and political writer....

  Bohemia

8-9. Julius Brach

Julius Brach

Julius Brach was a Czech chess master.In the beginning of his career, he won at Brno 1899, took 3rd at Osyky u Lomnice, took 2nd at Brno 1901, and took 3rd at Brno 1905...

  Moravia

8-9. Kamil Krofta

Kamil Krofta

Kamil Krofta was Czech historian and diplomat.-Life and career:Born and schooled in Plzeň, he studied philosophy in Prague starting in 1894, then from 1896 to 1899 in Vienna. From 1899 to 1901 he studied in the Vatican Archives. From 1901 he worked at the National Archives...

  Bohemia

10. Bernhard Kagan

Bernhard Kagan

Bernhard Kagan was a German chess player, writer, publisher, editor, and organizer.Born in Poland he lived in Berlin where played in local tournaments. He took 7th in 1898, tied for 7–9th in 1902, took 6th in 1903, shared 2nd in 1923, and tied for 7–10th in 1925...

  German Empire

11. Jaroslav Engler  Bohemia

12. František Batík  Bohemia