WIEN 1882

Eighteen players participated in the second international chess tournament Wien 1882. The event celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the Wiener Schachgesellschaft. Main organisers were Ignaz Freiherr von Kolisch (1837-1889), honorary member of the club, and Albert ‘chess’ Baron von Rothschild (1844-1911), president of the club. Kaiser Franz Josef (1830-1916) donated the ‘Kaiserpreis’ of 2000 Austrian Gulden. These rich men had also endorsed the first international tournament Wien 1873. 

Wilhelm Steinitz	Szymon Winawer	Ignaz Freiherr von Kolisch

Double rounds were played from 10 v until 24 vi 1882. Games started at ten in the morning. Players had to make fifteen moves per hour. Play was paused after four hours and then had to be resumed within two hours. If the game had not ended before midnight, it was adjourned. Therefore, a minimum of ninety moves had to be made per day! 

Mackenzie led by 12½ points at the end of the first cycle, half-a-point before Winawer and one point before Steinitz. The fighter Winawer had scored twelve wins and five losses. The length of the tournament began to take its toll. Noa departed at the end of the first series, Fleissig withdrew after twenty rounds and Bird became ill during five rounds. 

                                  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
1 Steinitz    ** 1½ ½½ 0½ ½1 10 ½½ 11 01 1½ 01 10 11 11 11 01 11 11  24
2 Winawer     0½ ** 00 1½ 0½ 10 11 10 01 1½ 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 01  24
3 Mason       ½½ 11 ** 0½ ½1 ½½ ½½ 11 11 10 01 11 ½1 1½ 0½ 11 01 ½1  23  F 1200
4 Zukertort   1½ 0½ 1½ ** ½½ 0½ 0½ 11 11 00 11 01 01 11 11 11 11 01  22½ F 700 + F 800
5 Mackenzie   ½0 1½ ½0 ½½ ** 10 ½1 1½ ½0 11 11 01 01 11 10 1½ 11 11  22½ F 700
6 Blackburne  01 01 ½½ 1½ 01 ** ½½ 0½ 10 01 10 11 1½ 11 10 11 01 11  21½ F 400
7 Englisch    ½½ 00 ½½ 1½ ½0 ½½ ** 11 ½0 ½½ ½½ 0½ ½½ 01 11 11 11 ½1  19½
8 Paulsen     00 01 00 00 0½ 1½ 00 ** ½½ ½1 ½1 11 ½1 ½1 ½1 11 ½1 ½1  18½
9 Wittek      10 10 00 00 ½1 01 ½1 ½½ ** ½0 01 10 ½½ ½½ ½1 1½ ½1 11  18
10 Weiss      0½ 0½ 01 11 00 10 ½½ ½0 ½1 ** 0½ 11 0½ 0½ 01 00 11 11  16½
11 Hruby      10 00 10 00 00 01 ½½ ½0 10 1½ ** 10 ½½ 11 01 10 01 11  16
12 Chigorin   01 00 00 10 10 00 1½ 00 01 00 01 ** 11 00 11 1½ 01 01  14
13 Schwarz    00 00 ½0 10 10 0½ ½½ ½0 ½½ 1½ ½½ 00 ** ½0 11 ½0 01 11  14
14 Meitner    00 00 0½ 00 00 00 10 ½0 ½½ 1½ 00 11 ½1 ** 01 01 01 11  13
15 Bird       00 00 1½ 00 01 01 00 ½0 ½0 10 10 00 00 10 ** 11 ½1 01  12
16 Ware       10 00 00 00 0½ 00 00 00 0½ 11 01 0½ ½1 10 00 ** 01 11  11
17 Noa        00 00 10 00 00 10 00 ½0 ½0 00 10 10 10 10 ½0 10 ** ½0   9
18 Fleissig   00 10 ½0 10 00 00 ½0 ½0 00 00 00 10 00 00 10 00 ½1 **   7

Two additional games were played between Steinitz and Winawer after the second cycle. Both won a game. They shared the first and second prize. 

Steinitz' style has been mystified. Kasparov wrote: "He relied excessively on abstract principles". When we study his games, a completely different player emerges. Steinitz was a colourful fighter. Sometimes he attacked by a risky gambit; another time he defended by retreating his pieces to the bottom rank, and he also showed great strength by exercising solid positional play. When he returned to London, Hoffer had taken over his chess column in The Field. Long hostilities began. Winawer was a Polish merchant. He had little time for chess. Great staying power was his foremost strength. He waited for errors by the opponent and showed his tactical talent after a blunder. The shared first place in Wien 1882 was his finest success. 

WIEN 1898

Wien 1998 was one of the biggest chess tournaments in the history of chess. Twenty great masters played double rounds from 1 vi until 25 vii. A playoff extended the tournament til the end of July. Several participants travelled to Köln for the chess congress in August 1898. It was a busy summer for chess. World champion Lasker refused to partake in Vienna, because the number of players was higher than sixteen. Charousek could not play due to illness. Köln 1898 would become his last international tournament. The tournament celebrated the reign of fifty years by Kaiser Franz Josef. Main organiser was Adolf Baron von Rothschild. The players visited his Heugasse palace on 31 May. Rounds were played in the club house of the Wiener Schachklub at Schottengasse 7. Each round started at 10 AM. The time limit was thirty moves in two hours. A bell for adjournment rang at 2 PM. Games were continued from 5 until 9 PM. Then a minimum of 15 moves per hour had to be made. Analysis of adjourned games was not allowed. The games among the top five have been analysed. 

The aging Schwarz left the tournament during round eight. His games were cancelled at the end of the first cycle. Tarrasch and Pillsbury ended equal after two cycles and had to play four additional games. 

               1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 
1 Tarrasch    ** 01 01 ½1 ½1 ½1 1½ ½½ ½1 1½ ½½ 11 11 11 1½ ½1 11 11 ½1 27½
2 Pillsbury   10 ** 01 1½ ½1 10 ½0 1½ 10 ½1 11 11 ½1 ½1 11 11 11 11 11 27½
3 Janowsky    10 10 ** 11 1½ 11 ½1 00 ½½ 11 0½ 11 ½1 11 11 00 ½1 11 11 25½  2500 Kronen
4 Steinitz    ½0 0½ 00 ** ½1 01 ½½ 11 1½ 1½ ½½ 10 11 11 10 ½1 1½ 11 11 23½  1500
5 Schlechter  ½0 ½0 0½ ½0 ** ½½ 11 ½½ ½½ 1½ 0½ ½1 ½1 1½ 11 ½0 ½1 11 11 21½  1000
6 Chigorin    ½0 01 00 10 ½½ ** 01 01 1½ 1½ ½0 01 10 11 10 11 01 10 11 20    750
7 Burn        0½ ½1 ½0 ½½ 00 10 ** ½1 0½ ½½ ½½ ½0 ½0 11 10 11 1½ 11 11 20    750
8 Lipke       ½½ 0½ 11 00 ½½ 10 ½0 ** ½½ ½½ ½0 1½ 11 1½ ½0 ½1 ½½ 11 ½½ 19½   550 + 300
9 Maróczy     ½0 01 ½½ 0½ ½½ 0½ 1½ ½½ ** ½½ ½1 11 ½½ 10 0½ 01 ½1 ½½ 11 19½   550
10 Alapinn    0½ ½0 00 0½ 0½ 0½ ½½ ½½ ½½ ** 1½ 1½ 11 00 10 11 ½1 01 11 18    400
11 Blackburne ½½ 00 1½ ½½ 1½ ½1 ½½ ½1 ½0 0½ ** ½½ 0½ ½0 0½ ½½ 00 11 1½ 17    300
12 Schiffers  00 00 00 01 ½0 10 ½1 0½ 00 0½ ½½ ** 10 1½ 11 ½1 1½ 11 ½1 17    200
13 Marco      00 ½0 ½0 00 ½0 01 ½1 00 ½½ 00 1½ 01 ** 11 ½1 1½ 1½ ½1 10 16½   200
14 Showalter  00 ½0 00 00 0½ 00 00 0½ 01 11 ½1 0½ 00 ** ½1 11 11 01 11 15
15 Walbrodt   0½ 00 00 01 00 01 01 ½1 1½ 01 1½ 00 ½0 ½0 ** 00 11 0½ 11 14½   200
16 Halprin    ½0 00 11 ½0 ½1 00 00 ½0 10 00 ½½ ½0 0½ 00 11 ** ½½ ½1 1½ 14    100
17 Caro       00 00 ½0 0½ ½0 10 0½ ½½ ½0 ½0 11 0½ 0½ 00 00 ½½ ** 11 ½1 12½
18 Baird      00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 ½½ 10 00 00 ½0 10 1½ ½0 00 ** 1½  8
19 Trenchard  ½0 00 00 00 00 00 00 ½½ 00 00 0½ ½0 01 00 00 0½ ½0 0½ **  5

A large dinner was given at Schottengasse 7 on 26 vii. Many prizes were given. Several masters stayed until the end of the playoff and then took the train to Köln. The additional games were played from 27 until 30 vii. Tarrasch won narrowly. The value of the Krone was similar to the Franc and Mark. So Tarrasch won a lot of money. 

Near the tournament hall	Albert Baron von Rotschild	Kaiser Franz Josef

pgn-file of three tournaments (69 selected games)      zip of CBase-files

Steinitz had great successes in the three international Vienna tournaments. He won in 1873, shared the first prize in 1882 and became fourth in 1898. 

Information about Vienna 1873