Das Internationale Schachmeisterturnier im Grandhotel Panhans am Semmering 1926/Bad Sliac 1932/Schachkongress Bad Liebwerda 1934

Three books bound together: 72 pages with frontispiece and tables. 39 pages with frontispiece and tables. 39 pages with frontispiece, diagrams and tables. Royal octavo (9 1/2" x 6 3/4") bound in quarter cloth with gilt lettering to spine and marbled boards. From the library of Albert Becker. (Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana: 5400; 5463; 5478) First edition.

An international chess master tournament was organized and held at the Grand Hotel Panhas in the Semmering Pass south of Vienna from March 7th to the 29th, 1926. The event was organized by Ossip Bernstein, who invited 18 players to participate in the round robin tournament. Among those invited were the very best masters of the day, including Alexander Alekhine, Akiba Rubinstein, Aron Nimzowitsch, Siegbert Tarrasch, Milan Vidmar, Savielly Tartakower, Richard Réti, and Rudolf Spielmann. The hypermodern school was well represented, and in the first half of the tournament Nimzowitsch and Tartakower lead the field. However, toward the end of the competition a series of missteps and surprises found the lead changing hands until finally Spielmann, the great romantic, emerged as the winner over Alekhine after the last round. It was to be Spielmann's best tournament performance of his chess career. The results were as follows: 1st Spielmann 13/17, 2nd Alekhine 12½, 3rd Vidmar 12, tied 4th thorough 5th Nimzowitsch and Tartakower 11½, Tied 6th through 7th Rubinstein and Tarrasch 10, 8th Réti 9 1/2, 9th Grünfeld 9, 10th Janowski 8 1/2, 11th Treybal 8, 12th Vajda 7 1/2, 13th Yates 7, tied 14th through 15th Gilg and Kmoch 6, 16th Davidson 5 1/2, 17th Michel 4 1/2 and 18th Rosselli del Turco 1. Bad Sliac 1932: international chess tournament was played in Bad Sliac from 10 until 28 June 1932. Fourteen masters participated. A race between Vidmar and Flohr developed. The event occurred in the Slovensko Hotel. 'Kupele Sliac' was renovated in 1931 and served as a health resort. Flohr and Vidmar triumphed (9½/13), before Pirc (8½), Canal, Maróczy, Spielmann (8), Treybal (7), Bogoljubow (6½), Pokorny 5½), Opocensky, Walter (5), Rohacek (4), May (3½) and Engel (3). Sal Flohr was a clear first with no losses and two full points ahead of Fritz Sämisch with 9 1/2. Karl Gilg was third with a score of 7. Max Blümich, Rudolf_Pitschak and Emil Zinner were tied for fourth through sixth with six point each. The author, Albert Becker, Denes Boros and Erich Eliskases were tied for seventh through ninth with 5 1/2 each. Clear tenth was Herzon with 4 1/2 points.

Georg Albert Becker was born in Vienna. He was (unofficial) Austrian champion in 1925 (=Siegfried Reginald Wolf) and awarded the IM title in 1953. He was 2nd at Vienna 1927, 2nd= with Bernhard Lichtenstein, Rudolf Spielmann and Savielly Tartakower at Vienna 1928, 1st at Vienna 1931, 1st at Vienna 1932, 1st= with Erich Eliskases at Linz 1934 and 1st at Vienna 1935. His greatest international achievement was at Carlsbad 1929 where he was 5th= with Max Euwe and Milan Vidmar. Following the Buenos Aires Olympiad 1939, he lived in Argentina. He collaborated with Ernst Gruenfeld on an excellent book of the Teplitz-Schönau Tournament of 1922 and contributed a great deal to opening literature. He was also an interest in chess literature. Becker passed away in 1984 in Vicente Lopez.

Condition:

Becker's book plate to front paste down. Corners bumped and rubbed, hinge split, spine ends rubbed else a very good copy.