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Zurich 1934 chess tournament

Zurich 1934 was an international chess tournament held in Zurich from 14 to 29 July 1934 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Schachgesellschaft Zürich (the Zurich Chess Society). Alexander Alekhine won, followed by Max Euwe and Salo Flohr tied for second-third.[1][2] The tournament also served as the 1934 Swiss Championship, won by Hans Johner as the highest-ranking Swiss player.

The tournament field

The tournament pitted seven Swiss players against nine internationals, including six of the world's leading players.[3] The major omissions were José Raúl Capablanca (Cuba) and Samuel Reshevsky (United States). There were no Soviet players either, and they would not return to international competition until the next year.[2] This type of international tournament in which one third to one half of players were from the host country was first used at Moscow 1925, and later at Moscow 1935 and Kemeri 1937.[4]

The tournament field featured the world champion Alexander Alekhine (France), former world champion Emanuel Lasker (Germany), two-time championship challenger Efim Bogoljubov (Germany), future champion Max Euwe (Netherlands), and championship contender Salo Flohr (Czechoslovakia). Alekhine won with 13/15 points, his only loss being to Euwe who finished tied for second with Flohr at 12. Alekhine again demonstrated his superiority over his contemporaries, although his winning margin of 1 point was much narrower than at Bled 1931 (5½ points) or San Remo 1930 (3½ points).[2][3]

About a month before the tournament began, Euwe had accepted Alekhine's terms for a championship match to be held in the autumn of the next year.[5] Euwe would win that 1935 World Championship match, becoming the fifth world chess champion. The Czech master Flohr was considered a worthy championship challenger for many years in the 1930s,[6] but the Great Depression and German occupation of Czechoslovakia made it impossible for Flohr to arrange a match.[7] Flohr was leading after 11 rounds, but Alekhine caught up in round 12 when they each had 10 points, a half point ahead of Euwe and a full point ahead of Bogoljubov. Alekhine took the lead in round 13 with a win over Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden) while Flohr drew with Bogoljubov.[2]

One month earlier Bogoljubov had lost the 1934 World Championship match, his second attempt to challenge Alekhine.[5] At Zurich he finished fourth at 11½, a half point behind Euwe and Flohr. Lasker was returning to competition for the first time since Moscow 1925—a nine-year layoff.[3] Lasker started strong, beginning the tournament with a fine win playing black against Euwe in round 1.[1][3] After 7 rounds Lasker was tied for the lead with Flohr at 5½ points.[2] At age 65 and being out of practice, Lasker was at a disadvantage in a long tournament and lost in rounds 8, 10 and 12 to Bogoljubov, Nimzowitsch, and Alekhine to finish at a very creditable fifth with 10 points.[1] This was the only time that Alekhine, Bogoljubov and Nimzowitsch beat Lasker. Earlier in round 5 Ståhlberg and Lasker played for the first time in their careers, with the younger Swede victorious.[8]

Aron Nimzowitsch (Denmark) was formerly a world championship contender, but in 1934 his health was declining and he would die just a year later at age 48.[9] He finished tied for sixth with Ossip Bernstein (France). Bernstein was a tournament veteran who would be in the inaugural group of grandmasters when FIDE created the title in 1950.[10] According to a well-known anecdote, after missing a winning line against Fritz Gygli (Switzerland), Bernstein is reported to have asked "Am I not a chess idiot?" When Lasker agreed, Bernstein had the former world champion sign an affidavit attesting to that fact.[10]

Selected games

Euwe–Lasker, Zürich 14 July 1934
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8d8 black rooke8 black knightf8g8 black kingh88
7a7 black pawnb7c7d7e7f7 black pawng7h77
6a6b6c6 black pawnd6e6 black pawnf6g6 black pawnh66
5a5b5c5d5e5 white pawnf5g5 black queenh55
4a4 white pawnb4c4 white bishopd4e4 white knightf4g4h44
3a3b3 white pawnc3d3e3f3 white rookg3h33
2a2b2c2 black knightd2 black rooke2f2 white pawng2 white pawnh22
1a1b1c1d1e1 white rookf1 white queeng1 white kingh11
abcdefgh
Lasker wins with 35...Qxe5!
Euwe–Alekhine, Zürich 18 July 1934
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8 black knightd8 black queene8f8g8 black kingh88
7a7b7c7 black rookd7e7f7g7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6 black pawnb6c6 black pawnd6e6 black rookf6 black pawng6h66
5a5 white pawnb5 black pawnc5 white queend5e5 white knightf5g5h55
4a4b4 white pawnc4d4 white pawne4 white rookf4g4h44
3a3b3c3d3e3f3g3h33
2a2b2c2d2e2f2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1b1c1 white rookd1e1f1g1 white kingh11
abcdefgh
Euwe wins a pawn 31. Nf7!
Alekhine–Lasker, Zürich 25 July 1934
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8d8 black rooke8f8 black rookg8 black knighth8 black king8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7d7 black knighte7f7g7h7 black pawn7
6a6b6 black queenc6 black pawnd6e6f6 black pawng6 black pawnh66
5a5b5c5d5e5f5 white knightg5 white queenh55
4a4b4c4d4e4 white pawnf4g4h44
3a3b3 white bishopc3d3 white rooke3f3g3h33
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2d2e2f2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1b1c1 white rookd1e1f1g1 white kingh11
abcdefgh
Alekhine wins at once with 26. Qxg6!

In round 1 Lasker defended a Queen's Gambit Declined against Euwe. After 35. Ng3-e4 (see diagram) Euwe's knight forked Lasker's queen and rook. Lasker turned the tables by trading his queen for a rook, knight and pawn, winning with 35...Qxe5! 36. Nf6+ Qxf6 37. Rxf6 Nxf6 38. Rc1 Ne4 39. Be2 Nd4 40. Bf3 Nxf2 41. Qc4 Nd3 42. Rf1 Ne5 43. Qb4 Nexf3+ 44. gxf3 Ne2+ 45. Kh2 Nf4+ 46. Kh1 R2d4 47. Qe7 Kg7 48. Qc7 R8d5 49. Re1 Rg5 50. Qxc6 Rd8 0–1.[1][11]

Euwe was again on the white side of a Queen's Gambit Declined in round 5 against Alekhine. Euwe won a pawn and the game with 31. Nf7!. After 31...Kxf7 32. Qh5+ Ke7 33. Rxe6+ Kxe6 34. Re1+ Kd6 35. Qc5+ Kd7 36. Qf5+ Black will be mated. Instead Alekhine gave up a pawn with 31...Qe8 32. Rxe6 Qxe6 33. Nd8 Qe4 34. Nxc6 but was forced to resign on his 53rd move.[1][12]

In round 12 Alekhine defeated Lasker for the only time in yet another Queen's Gambit Declined. After 25. Nd6-f5+ Kg7-h8 (see diagram), Alekhine forced Lasker to resign at once with 26. Qxg6! as Black has no defense against the threat of Qg7# (26...hxg6 27. Rh3+ Nh6 28. Rxh6#).[1][13]

Crosstable

Zürich 1934[1][2]
Player 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Score
1  Alexander Alekhine (France) Does not appear 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
2  Max Euwe (Netherlands) 1 Does not appear ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 12
3  Salo Flohr (Czechoslovakia) ½ ½ Does not appear ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12
4  Efim Bogoljubov (Germany) ½ 0 ½ Does not appear 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11½
5  Emanuel Lasker (Germany) 0 1 ½ 0 Does not appear 0 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10
6  Aron Nimzowitsch (Denmark) 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 Does not appear ½ ½ 0 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 9
7  Ossip Bernstein (France) 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ Does not appear 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 9
8  Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden) 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 Does not appear ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 8
9  Hans Johner (Switzerland) 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ Does not appear 0 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 7½
10  Walter Henneberger (Switzerland) 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 Does not appear 0 0 1 0 1 1 5½
11  Fritz Gygli (Switzerland) 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 Does not appear ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 5
12  Stefano Rosselli del Turco (Italy) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ Does not appear ½ 1 1 ½ 4½
13  Henri Grob (Switzerland) 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ Does not appear 0 ½ 1 4
14  Hans Müller (Switzerland) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 Does not appear 0 1 4
15  Oskar Naegeli (Switzerland) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 Does not appear ½ 3
16  Hermann Joss (Switzerland) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ Does not appear 2

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Forster & Rohrer 2009
  2. ^ a b c d e f Pachman 1972, pp. 97–99
  3. ^ a b c d Golombek 1977, p. 353
  4. ^ Golombek 1977, p. 205
  5. ^ a b Horowitz 1973, p. 102
  6. ^ Horowitz 1973, p. 98,102
  7. ^ Golombek 1977, pp. 118–9
  8. ^ Lasker Hangs His Queen and Euwe Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine at Chess.com
  9. ^ Golombek 1977, p. 213
  10. ^ a b Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 37
  11. ^ Max Euwe vs Emanuel Lasker, Zurich 1934 at chessgames.com
  12. ^ Max Euwe vs Alexander Alekhine, Zurich 1934 at chessgames.com
  13. ^ Alexander Alekhine vs Emanuel Lasker, Zurich 1934 at chessgames.com

See also

References

  • Forster, Richard; Rohrer, Christian (14 July 2009), The World's Oldest Chess Club:Part II (1914–1945), ChessBase.com, retrieved 17 August 2012
  • Golombek, Harry, ed. (1977), Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess, Crown Publishing, ISBN 0-517-53146-1
  • Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992), The Oxford Companion to Chess (2 ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280049-3
  • Horowitz, Al (1973), The World Chess Championship; A History, Macmillan, LCCN 72-080175
  • Pachman, Ludĕk (1972) [English trans. 1975, Dover ed. 1987], Decisive Games in Chess History, Dover, ISBN 0-486-25323-6
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