Dr. László Lindner: Report on the Przepiórka Memorial Tournament

The beautiful seaside resort of Sopot on the Baltic Sea hosted the international chess tournament organized by the Polish Chess Federation. Just as the tournament held last year in Szczawno-Zdrój, the Sopot tournament was also dedicated to the memory of Dawid Przepiórka, the excellent Polish chess master murdered by the German fascists.

Polish chess has undoubtedly developed very significantly since liberation. The hardship which our Polish friends suffered during the war and under German occupation is now being overcome through admirable, zealous and persistent work; Polish chess players are once again becoming a factor in international chess life.

This year’s competition was somewhat weaker in terms of the playing strength of the participants than last year’s, but the tournament management corrected the minor organizational shortcomings of the previous event, and the competition ran smoothly.

The tournament was conducted throughout in a sporting atmosphere. Radzikowski, chairman of the tournament committee, directed the competition; no complaints were made against the decisions of the arbiters. The participants felt that sporting competition among the people’s democracies was of great importance; they knew that the tournament served the aim of friendship and sincere brotherhood, a point stressed by every participant.

Litmanowicz, editor of Szachy, handled the tournament’s press affairs, since the events of the competition were reported daily in bulletins, which were made available to the participants immediately after each round; press matters were directed by the journalist Bocheński, who performed his task excellently.

On Saturday, July 7, at noon, the solemn opening ceremony of the tournament took place. Bigus spoke on behalf of the Polish Sports Association, and Miller, president of the Polish Chess Federation, then welcomed the guests. On behalf of the participating nations, speeches were given by Dr. Szabó for Hungary, Dr. Herrmann for Germany, Cvetkov for Bulgaria, and finally Rappaport, captain of the Romanian team. In all these short speeches, the speakers emphasized the democratic, peaceful brotherhood of nations and expressed the wish that the tournament should also serve the cause of peace.

The drawing of lots then took place. The participants received the following starting numbers:

1. Gadaliński — Poland
2. Koch — Germany
3. Gereben — Hungary
4. Popov — Bulgaria
5. Makarczyk — Poland
6. Dr. Troianescu — Romania
7. Szilágyi — Hungary
8. Dr. Herrmann — Germany
9. Plater — Poland
10. Sebestyén — Hungary
11. Nejkirch — Bulgaria
12. Ciejka — Poland
13. Dr. Arłamowski — Poland
14. Szabó I. — Romania
15. Balcarek — Poland
16. Śliwa — Poland

The tournament itself began on Sunday, July 8, at 10 a.m. and ended on July 31. Two sessions were played each day: from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Each week there were two days for adjourned games and one free day. The players therefore had sufficient time to analyse adjourned games and to rest. As a result, their knowledge and skill could be displayed to best advantage, and the struggle remained interesting and varied throughout.

Gereben won the tournament deservedly, and solely by virtue of his chess qualities. He led the struggle from the beginning, and already after the first rounds he forced his opponents to chase him. He played in very good form, calmly and confidently; in most of his games one can find a method which we had often missed in him before. This is what brought Gereben to the forefront. After his last, drawn game, our opinion is that he has reached the peak of his form so far, and that after this first international victory, similar successes will follow.

Dr. Troianescu is the type of chess player who thinks deeply and has great imagination. In the middle of the tournament he had a weaker period, but he was still able to win his last five games and thus secure first or second place. He possesses very great theoretical knowledge, but in the purely technical part of the game he is inferior to Gereben and Szilágyi.

Szilágyi’s third place in his first international tournament must be regarded as a serious success. His result, however, cannot be entirely satisfying, because circumstances outside chess hinder him from joining the very strongest players. In recent years he has played very little, and he begins each game with a certain uncertainty, almost with fear. If he overcomes these shortcomings, he will certainly find his place in the front rank.

Popov’s fourth place was a surprise. In the middle of the tournament he was still fighting for first place, and many of his games show that he is a very cautious and at the same time highly inventive chess player. His only serious weakness is his relative weakness in the opening phase. He often plays schematically, and if he obtains an inferior position at the beginning of the game, he easily falls into an unfavourable situation.

Among the Poles, Makarczyk achieved the best result. He is a very experienced, old and strong player, from whom the young Poles can still learn a great deal. Sixth and seventh places were shared by Koch and Szabó István. Both fought their way up after a weaker start.

Koch scored 4½ points from his last six games, and in that period, had the tournament lasted longer, he would have moved even higher. Szabó István, playing under Romanian colours, was weak in the opening, steady in the middlegame, and good in the endgame. By developing his theoretical knowledge he can significantly improve his results.

Sebestyén finished only in eighth place with a 50 percent score. For a long time he was among the leaders, but at the end of the tournament he lost four games in succession, admittedly against the strongest participants. He played very imaginatively both in the opening and in the middlegame, but too lightly and too quickly; because of this he committed serious mistakes in several games. This is a deficiency which he must certainly eliminate, and then he will easily improve his results.

The last prize was shared by Nejkirch and Śliwa. The former played badly, while the latter was prevented from achieving a better result by excessive nervousness. Śliwa is undoubtedly one of the most talented Polish players, but he too must overcome his tournament shortcomings. Herrmann was the disappointment of the tournament. He plays unevenly: he can win against anyone, but he can also lose to anyone. Plater and Balcarek — the former an international master, the latter the Polish champion of 1950 — obtained results clearly below expectations, although we should not forget that between fifth and twelfth places there was a difference of only two points.

Dr. Arłamowski was not in good form. For Ciejka, this was his first serious trial. Gadaliński, on the other hand, plays too sharply to achieve results against strong opponents.

After the tournament ended, a solemn prize-giving ceremony was held, opened by Rajkowski, director of the Polish Office of Physical Culture and Sport. The tournament director announced the results, after which the prizes and commemorative gifts were distributed. The captains of the participating nations recalled with gratitude and appreciation the organizers’ hospitality and the very good conditions. The prize-giving ceremony ended with a speech by Litmanowicz, chairman of the organizing committee.

The prize-giving ceremony was followed by a lightning tournament. Among 21 participants, first and second places were shared by Szilágyi and Dr. Troianescu with 17 points each; third place went to Gereben with 16 points, while fourth, fifth and sixth places were shared by Nejkirch, Sebestyén and Śliwa with 13 points.

The tournament brought our cause a serious success not only because of the sporting result, but also because friendships were formed among chess players from the countries of people’s democracy. Together with them we can continue to work on developing sporting relations, thereby serving the rapprochement of the working peoples and, ultimately, the cause of peace.