Edward Winter
Below is a well-known group photograph from San Sebastián, 1911:
The challenge to readers is to identify everyone. That may seem straightforward, but we wonder whether anybody will be successful.
(4447)
Quite a few readers took up the challenge, but the definitive line-up in the San Sebastián, 1911 group photograph remains to be established.
The subject was raised in C.N. 4447 after Michael Negele (Wuppertal, Germany) mentioned to us that the caption (see below) in the German edition of the tournament book (Berlin, 1911 and Leipzig, 1919) has only 15 names, whereas 17 individuals are visible. Of the participants, Schlechter and Důras are unmentioned.
For the illustration in C.N. 4447 we used the French edition of the tournament book (Paris, 1911):
The same caption (17 names) appeared in the June 1911 issue of La Stratégie, but the player identified as Důras is evidently Leonhardt, and the figure on Bernstein’s left looks more like Důras than Schlechter. That, though, would mean that Schlechter was absent.
In the detail below, the figure on the right is clearly recognizable as Leonhardt (for comparative purposes, see the well-known group photograph of the following year’s San Sebastián tournament), but we cannot identify the person on the left.
Our conclusions (i.e. Důras on the left of Bernstein, and ‘unknown’ for the person on Leonhardt’s right) correspond to the caption supplied by Richard Forster on page 796 of Amos Burn A Chess Biography. They also match the information given by Vidmar, who provided only 16, and not 17, names when presenting the photograph opposite page 160 of his autobiography Pol stoletja ob šahovnici (Ljubljana, 1951):
(4469)
Concerning this photograph, taken at San Sebastián, 1911, Peter Anderberg (Harmstorf, Germany) considers that Schlechter was indeed present and that the top of his head is visible just above Spielmann’s. Our correspondent furthermore suggests that the picture was taken during the fifth round, on 27 February, when the pairings included Spielmann v Tarrasch (in the foreground), Capablanca v Janowsky and, at the third clock, Schlechter v Důras. Finally, Mr Anderberg remarks that an early publication of the photograph was in Die Schachwelt, 31 March 1911, page 82, with the same (incorrect) caption as in the German tournament book.
(4549)
From Miquel Artigas (Sabadell, Spain):
‘I recently acquired two photographs from the San Sebastián, 1911 tournament, on which the photographer is indicated as “B. Resines. San Sebastián”. They are slightly damaged and sun-faded, and a previous owner has written various players’ names underneath. One of the shots is well known and was discussed in C.N.s 4447, 4469 and 4549, but I had never seen the second one before. This is another example of a topic discussed in C.N. 5372 (similar photographs).’
For a larger version of the second photograph, click here.
(5663)
In San Sebastián 1911: El primer SuperTorneo de Ajedrez by Máximo López (Sta Eulalia de Morcin, 2006) our eye was caught on page 102 by a photograph of Capablanca (seated in centre) at the closing dinner in his honour. The book has been published by Editorial Chessy, and the photograph is reproduced below with permission.
(4741)
From Manuel Fernández Díaz (Estepa, Spain) comes this photograph of Capablanca which appeared on page 192 of the Madrid publication La Ilustración Española y Americana, 30 March 1911:
Readers are invited to examine closely the board set-up.
(7582)
When submitting the photograph of Capablanca given in C.N. 7582, Manuel Fernández Díaz noted that, despite appearances, the board position does correspond to an actual game, i.e. Capablanca v Ossip Bernstein, with 24 Rc1 being played. Marcelo Sibille (Montevideo, Uruguay) has also mentioned this to us.
Below is the full column (with many factual errors) on page 192 of La Ilustración Española y Americana, 30 March 1911:
(7587)
Source: Falkirk Herald, 25 October 1911, page 7.
(9596)
We wish to compile a list of games (mainly from tournaments and matches) whose moves it has so far been impossible to find. One of the most striking cases is Rubinstein v Alekhine, Vilnius, 1912. In instances such as Capablanca v Teichmann, San Sebastián, 1911 part of the game-score is known. Other examples of significant gaps will be welcomed.
(3192)
See Incomplete Games of Chess.
A question arises from page 14 of Chernev’s The Bright Side of Chess:
Where did Vidmar write those words, and was the reference really to his game against Nimzowitsch at San Sebastián, 1911 (as opposed to, perhaps, Carlsbad, 1911)?
(8580)
James Mortimer: Chessplayer and Playwright discusses his death during the San Sebastián, 1911 tournament.
See also an article by Capablanca on San Sebastián, 1912 which was published on pages 3-5 of Capablanca-Magazine, 25 April 1912.
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