Vienna 1882 chess tournament
Encyclopedia
The second international Vienna 1882 chess tournament was one of the longest and strongest chess tournaments ever played. According to the unofficial Chessmetrics
ratings, the tournament was (as of March 2005) the strongest tournament in history, on the basis that nine of the ten top players in the world participated, including all of the top eight.
The Vienna Chess Society was formed in October 1857, and this tournament played from 10 May to 24 June 1882 was held on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The main sponsors were Ignác Kolisch
and the club's president Albert Salomon von Rothschild
, who together donated 7500 francs to be split over the top six. Franz Joseph I of Austria
was the patron of the event, who also donated a special prize of 2000 Austrian Gulden (Kaiserpreis). The time control was 15 moves per hour, with a 2 hour break after 4 hours. Games not completed after eight hours of play were adjourned to be finished on the rest day.
The tournament was played as a double round-robin tournament
and suffered a number of withdrawals in the second tour. Noa withdrew after the first round of the second tour, Fleissig, Bird, Schwarz and Wittek also lost games by default. The event was won by Wilhelm Steinitz
and Szymon Winawer
, who decided to share the first prize after they each won a play-off game. The special prize was awarded to Zukertort for the best performance against the top three. On May 12, Steinitz drew
a game with Mackenzie, thus ending the longest winning streak in chess history. Steinitz at the time had won 25 consecutive games, the last draw he conceded was nine years earlier, on August 3 in the Vienna 1873 tournament
. After this Steinitz would lose three consecutive games to Zukertort, Hruby, and Ware.
Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
ratings, the tournament was (as of March 2005) the strongest tournament in history, on the basis that nine of the ten top players in the world participated, including all of the top eight.
The Vienna Chess Society was formed in October 1857, and this tournament played from 10 May to 24 June 1882 was held on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The main sponsors were Ignác Kolisch
Ignác Kolisch
Baron Ignatz von Kolisch , also Baron Ignaz von Kolisch or báró Kolisch Ignác , was a merchant, journalist and chess master with Jewish roots....
and the club's president 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:...
, who together donated 7500 francs to be split over the top six. 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...
was the patron of the event, who also donated a special prize of 2000 Austrian Gulden (Kaiserpreis). The time control was 15 moves per hour, with a 2 hour break after 4 hours. Games not completed after eight hours of play were adjourned to be finished on the rest day.
The tournament was played as a double round-robin tournament
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
and suffered a number of withdrawals in the second tour. Noa withdrew after the first round of the second tour, Fleissig, Bird, Schwarz and Wittek also lost games by default. The event was won by Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
and Szymon Winawer
Szymon Winawer
Szymon Abramowicz Winawer , born in Warsaw, Poland, was a leading chess player who won the German Chess Championship in 1883...
, who decided to share the first prize after they each won a play-off game. The special prize was awarded to Zukertort for the best performance against the top three. On May 12, Steinitz drew
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
a game with Mackenzie, thus ending the longest winning streak in chess history. Steinitz at the time had won 25 consecutive games, the last draw he conceded was nine years earlier, on August 3 in the Vienna 1873 tournament
Vienna 1873 chess tournament
The Vienna 1873 chess tournament was a side event of the world exhibition of 1873 .-Background:...
. After this Steinitz would lose three consecutive games to Zukertort, Hruby, and Ware.
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | / Bohemia |
** | 1½ | ½½ | 0½ | ½1 | 10 | ½½ | 11 | 01 | 1½ | 01 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 01 | 11 | 11 | 24.0 |
| 2 | / | 0½ | ** | 00 | 1½ | 0½ | 10 | 11 | 10 | 01 | 1½ | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 01 | 24.0 |
| 3 | / | ½½ | 11 | ** | 0½ | ½1 | ½½ | ½½ | 11 | 11 | 10 | 01 | 11 | ½1 | 1½ | 0½ | 11 | 01 | ½1 | 23.0 |
| 4 | / | 1½ | 0½ | 1½ | ** | ½½ | 0½ | 0½ | 11 | 11 | 00 | 11 | 01 | 01 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 01 | 22.5 |
| 5 | / | ½0 | 1½ | ½0 | ½½ | ** | 10 | ½1 | 1½ | ½0 | 11 | 11 | 01 | 01 | 11 | 10 | 1½ | 11 | 11 | 22.5 |
| 6 | / | 01 | 01 | ½½ | 1½ | 01 | ** | ½½ | 0½ | 10 | 01 | 10 | 11 | 1½ | 11 | 10 | 11 | 01 | 11 | 21.5 |
| 7 | / Czech Silesia Czech Silesia is an unofficial name of one of the three Czech lands and a section of the Silesian historical region. It is located in the north-east of the Czech Republic, predominantly in the Moravian-Silesian Region, with a section in the northern Olomouc Region... |
½½ | 00 | ½½ | 1½ | ½0 | ½½ | ** | 11 | ½0 | ½½ | ½½ | 0½ | ½½ | 01 | 11 | 11 | 11 | ½1 | 19.5 |
| 8 | / | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 0½ | 1½ | 00 | ** | ½½ | ½1 | ½1 | 11 | ½1 | ½1 | ½1 | 11 | ½1 | ½1 | 18.5 |
| 9 | / | 10 | 10 | 00 | 00 | ½1 | 01 | ½1 | ½½ | ** | ½0 | 01 | 10 | ½½ | ½½ | ½1 | 1½ | ½1 | 11 | 18.0 |
| 10 | / | 0½ | 0½ | 01 | 11 | 00 | 10 | ½½ | ½0 | ½1 | ** | 0½ | 11 | 0½ | 0½ | 01 | 00 | 11 | 11 | 16.5 |
| 11 | / Bohemia |
10 | 00 | 10 | 00 | 00 | 01 | ½½ | ½0 | 10 | 1½ | ** | 10 | ½½ | 11 | 01 | 10 | 01 | 11 | 16.0 |
| 12 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 10 | 10 | 00 | 1½ | 00 | 01 | 00 | 01 | ** | 11 | 00 | 11 | 1½ | 01 | 01 | 14.0 | |
| 13 | / | 00 | 00 | ½0 | 10 | 10 | 0½ | ½½ | ½0 | ½½ | 1½ | ½½ | 00 | ** | ½0 | 11 | ½0 | 01 | 11 | 14.0 |
| 14 | / | 00 | 00 | 0½ | 00 | 00 | 00 | 10 | ½0 | ½½ | 1½ | 00 | 11 | ½1 | ** | 01 | 01 | 01 | 11 | 13.0 |
| 15 | / | 00 | 00 | 1½ | 00 | 01 | 01 | 00 | ½0 | ½0 | 10 | 10 | 00 | 00 | 10 | ** | 11 | ½1 | 01 | 12.0 |
| 16 | align=left | |10 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 0½ | 00 | 00 | 00 | 0½ | 11 | 01 | 0½ | ½1 | 10 | 00 | ** | 01 | 11 | 11.0 |
| 17 | / | 00 | 00 | 10 | 00 | 00 | 10 | 00 | ½0 | ½0 | 00 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ½0 | 10 | ** | ½0 | 9.0 |
| 18 | / | 00 | 10 | ½0 | 10 | 00 | 00 | ½0 | ½0 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 10 | 00 | 00 | 10 | 00 | ½1 | ** | 7.0 |
Further reading
- Alexander Sellman. 1882. Games of the Vienna tournament of 1882: A selection of the best and most brilliant games. Torsch Bros.
- Christiaan M. Bijl, (ed.), Das II. Internationale Schachmeisterturnier Wien 1882, Zürich: Edition Olms, 1984
- The complete game collection from chessgames.com