Echesspedia

GERMANY has been a member of FIDE since 1926. Chess was mentioned in the medieval documents, manuscripts “Ruodlib” in 1055, “Parsifal” circa 1200, in the legend of Celtic origin “Tristan and Isolda” around 1210. In the 13-15^th century, chess spread first among Knights, later in the urban surroundings. The Nuremberg tournament of 1477 was the most famous among tournaments held that time.

In 1616, the first German chess book was written by Duke of Braunsweig “Chess, or King Game”. At the beginning of the 19^th century a lot of chess clubs appeared, some of them for e.g. Hamburg Chess Club founded in 1830 and Munich founded in 1836 are still existing. The central part of the chess life of Germany Berlin chess society (1827) played, at the head of which were players from the Berlin Pleiades. In the middle of the 19^th a row of German chess players reached the world level: Adolf Anderssen, Louis Paulsen, Max Lange, Gustav Neumann, Herman Zukertort and others. Activity of the West, North, Middle, South German regional chess unions, organization of the first international tournament at Baden Baden lead to the foundation of the unified German Chess Union. At the end of the 19^th –beginning of the 20^th century most outstanding players were Emanuel Lasker, who won the chess world title, Siegbert Tarrasch, Jacques Mieses, Richard Teichmann, Karl Walbroth, Paul Leonghardt, Rudolf Swidersky, Paul Lipke and others. In the beginning of the 20^th century there were some workers’ chess organizations appeared, which united into German Workers’ Chess Union which published the chess magazine “ Deutsche Arbeiter Schachzeitung” 1909-914 and “Arbeiter Schachzeitung” 1912-1933.

Due to the financial difficulties the period after the World War I German chess players’ successes remarkably decreased, the most successful was Friedrich Saemich. In 1924-33 there were some strong tournaments held in Germany : at Baden-Baden 1925, Dresden 1926, Bad Kissingen 1928 and Berlin tournaments 1918-28. After WWII Germany then divided had hard time to reach the honour at international level. Wolfgang Uhlmann and Lothar Schmid on one side and Wolfgang Unzicker in the other were the uncontested leader for few decades until Robert Hubner in the 1970’s and the new soviets immigrants like Arthur Yusupow, Rustam Dautov, Alexander Graf and Arkadij Naiditsch generated in the 1990’s a new blow of success.

Germany has participated to 35 Olympiads since 1927 (except 1933,1935 and 1937 because of exclusion and 1966 because the team was not granted visas) and collected 5 individual medals and 20 individual medals (with four were awarded to Lothar Schmid). The best achievements were the first place in Buenos Aires 1939, a second place in Istanbul in 2000 and four bonze medals in 1930, 1950 and 1964.

Germany hosted not only a few world championship matches or part of it mostly with Alexander Alekhine in the 1930’s and later in 2007 Vishy Anand against Vladimir Kramnik but also the 1958 Olympiad in Munich (as well the 1936 unofficial in the same city), the 1960 Olympiad in Leipzig and the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden.

In 2011 Germany was ranked 11^th among the countries (2632) with 76 IGMs, 214 IMs and a total of 1171 titled players.

The German team at the 2000 Olympiad.

German Championship

1879 Englisch, 1881 Blackburne, 1883 Winawer, 1885 Gunsberg, 1887 Mackenzie, 1889 Tarrasch, 1892 Tarrasch, 1893, Walbrodt & Bardeleben, 1894 Tarrasch, 1898 Burn, 1900 Pillsbury & Schlechter, 1902, Janowski, 1904 Bardeleben, Schlechter & Swiderski, 1906 Marshall, 1908 Marshall, 1910, Schlechter, 1912 Duras & Rubinstein, 1914 Alekhine (unfinished), 1921 Post, 1922, Post, 1923 Grunfeld, 1925 Bogoljubow, 1927 Spielmann, 1929 Ahues, 1931 Bogoljubow, 1933 Bogoljubow, 1934 Carls, 1935 Richter, 1937 Kieninger, 1938 Eliskases, 1939 Eliskases, 1940 Kieniger, 1941 P. Schmidt & Junge, 1942 Rellstab, 1943 Lokvenc, 1991 Hort, 1993 Luther, 1994 Enders, 1995 Luther 1996 Wahls, 1997 Wahls, 1998 Hickel, 1999 Huebner, 2000 Rabiega, 2001 Lutz, 2002 Luther, 2004 Graf, 2005 Yusupow, 2006 Luther, 2007 Naiditsch, 2008 Fridman, 2009 Braun, 2010 Huschenbeth, 2011 Khenkin.

Western German Championship

1947 Keininger, 1948 Unzicker, 1949 Bogoljubow, 1950 Unzicker, 1951 Teschner, 1952 Unzicker, 1953 Unzicker (with E German),1955 Darga, 1957 Troeger, 1959 Unzicker 1961 Darga, 1963 Unzicker, 1965 Unzicker and Pfleger, 1967 Huebner and Besser 1969 Christoph, 1970 Hecht, 1971 Gligoric, 1972 Kestler, 1973 Hecht 1974 Ostermeyer, 1975 Browne, 1976 Wockenfuss, 1977 Karpov, 1978 Pachman, 1979 Spassky, 1980 Lobron, 1981 Kavalek, 1982 Glienke, 1983 Karpov, 1984 Lobron, 1986 Nunn, 1987 Hort, 1988 Schneider, 1989 Hort.

East German Championship

1948 Teschner,1949 Pietzsch, 1950 Elstner, 1951 Stein, 1952 Koch, 1953 Unzicker (with FRG) 1954 Fuchs, 1955 Uhlmann ,1956 Fuchs, 1957 Malich, 1958, Uhlmann, 1960 Pietzsch, 1961 Zinn, 1962 Pietzsch, 1963 Moehring, 1964 Uhlmann, 1965 Zinn, 1967 Pietzsch, 1968 Uhlmann, 1969 Espig, 1970 Baumbach, 1971 Espig, 1972 Schoeneberg 1973 Malich, 1974 Knaak, 1975 Uhlmann, 1976 Uhlmann, 1977 Vogt, 1978 Knaak, 1979 Vogt, 1980 Gruenberg, 1981 Uhlmann, 1982 Knaak, 1983 Knaak, 1984 Knaak, 1985 Uhlmann, 1986 Uhlmann, 1987 Tischbierek, 1988 Espig and Paehtz, 1989 Gruenberg, 1990 Paehtz and Tischbierek.