Rudolf Spielmann

by Bill Wall

 

 

Rudolf Spielman was born on May 5, 1883 (some sources say 1884) in Vienna, Austria. 

 

Spielmann was a lawyer, but never worked as one.  He was a Viennese professional chess player who lived in Germany for most of his life. 

 

Spielmann began participating in international tournaments in 1905.  He took 3rd place at Scheveningen, Holland in 1905.

 

During World War I, he served in the Austrian army as an officer.

 

In 1919, he was Nordic Champion.

 

In 1927, he won the German championship.

 

In 1935 he wrote "The Art of Sacrifice."

 

As a Jew, he fled Germany and moved to Sweden in 1939. 

 

He died in poverty in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of 59 on August 20, 1942.  His family said that he locked himself in a room and starved to death.  Other sources say he was admitted to the Aso hospital and died of hypertension and heart disease.

 

His Elo historical rating is 2560.

 

tournaments:

 

Berlin Ch 1903-1904  2nd-3rd

Coburg 1904   4th

Munich 1904   1st

Barmen B 1905   10th-11th

Hamburg 1905   1st

Scheveningen 1905   3rd

Munich 1906   2nd

Ostende 1906   14th-15th

Nuremberg 1906   12th

Berlin 1907   3rd

Karlsbad 1907   13th

Ostende 1907   12th-14th

Prague 1908   15th

St. Petersburg 1909   3rd

Munich 1909   3rd

Hamburg 1910   4th

Carlsbad 1911   12th

Abbazia 1912          1st

San Sebastian 1912    2nd    (+8=8-3)

Bad Pistyan 1912

Baden-Baden 1912

Breslau 1912

Stockholm 1912

Vienna 1913

Baden-Baden 1914

Mannheim 1914

Stockholm 1919        1st    (+6=3-3)

Berlin 1919

Berlin 1920

Gothenburg 1920

Bad Pistyan 1922      2nd    (+11=7-0)

Teplitz-Schoenau 1922 1st    (+6=6-1)

Vienna 1922

Copenhagen 1923

Carlsbad 1923

Maehrisch-Ostrau 1923

Scheveningen 1923

Merano 1924

Baden-Baden 1925

Marienbad 1925

Moscow 1925

Berlin 1926

Semmering 1926        1st    (+10=6-1)

New York 1927

Bad Kissingen 1928

Budapest 1928

Dortmund 1928

Berlin 1928           3rd    (+3=7-2)

Carlsbad 1929         2nd    (+11=7-3)

San Remo 1930

Bled 1931

Amsterdam 1932

Vienna 1933

Maribor 1934

Sitges 1934

Sopron 1934

Moscow 1935

Warsaw (ol) 1935

Zandvoort 1936

Semmering 1937

Margate 1938

Nordwijk-aan-Zee 1938

Vasteras 1940

Kalmar 1941

 

Matches:

 

Leonhardt 1906       (+6=5-4)

Nimzovich 1908       (+4=1-1)

Mieses 1910          (+5=2-1)

Reti 1910            (+4=1-0)

Tartakower 1910      (+3=2-1)

Reti 1921            (+3=3-0)

Tartakower 1921      (+3=1-2)

Stahlberg 1930       (+3=1-1)

Stoltz 1930          (+3=1-2)

Pirc 1931            (+3=6-1)

Stoltz 1932          (+4=1-1)

Bogoljubov 1932      (+4=2-3)

Euwe 1935            (+4=4-2)

 

He was known as “The Master of Attack” and “The Last Knight of the King’s Gambit.”

 

In one of the  tournament Spielmann was playing in, a spectator carelessly flicked an ash on Spielmann's pants, which caught on fire.  He was so absorbed with the game that he failed to notice he was on fire and had to be rescued by onlookers.

 

Reti - Spielmann, Dortmund 1928

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Nge2 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.O-O Qa5 9.a3 O-O 10.Be3 Bxc3 11.Nxc3 Nd4 12.b4 Qa6 13.f4 Qc6 14.Qd2 Qxc3! (15.Qxc3 Ne2+ and 16...Nxc3)  0-1

 

 

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