ICCF Austria
Encyclopedia
The Austrian
Correspondence chess
subdivision of the Österreichischer Schachbund (ÖSB), the Fachgruppe Fernschach (OESB-FS) belongs to the ICCF national member federations
as ICCF Austria. It was founded in 1947.
Correspondence chess had developed relatively late in Austria
, in the second half of the 19th century.
-Insterburg 2-0, 1867-1869 Vienna- Berlin 2-0, 1872-1874 Vienna-London 0.5-1.5.
With the establishment of the "Wiener Schachzeithung" (Viennese chess newspaper) in 1898 and the beginning of Vienna's "golden era" of chess, playing chess boomed. At the same time under the protectorate of Georg Marco
, the "Wiener Schachzeitung" organised some correspondence tournaments, which attracted some of the best known masters of those days : Adolf Zinkl
, Carl Schlechter
, Siegfried Reginald Wolf
, Heinrich Wolf
and even the very young Ernst Grünfeld
.
In Graz Johann Berger
was the first Austrian to win an important international correspondence tournament the "Monde Illustré 1889-1892" and he did so with the remarkable result of +45 =3 -0.
World war I brought a sudden end to this development, and it was only in the mid-twenties that Austrian correspondence chess came close to the heights of pre-war victories. Here the "Pan-European Tournaments" of the new "Wiener Schachzeithung" under the direction of Albert Becker played an important role.
New impulses came to Correspondence Chess in 1928 with the establishment of the IFSB (Internationaler Fernschachbund) and the magazine "Fernschach" (correspondence chess), where the Austrian Franz Kunert proved to be an excellent supervisor and designing mind of the new organisation.
OTB (Over the board) International Master Hans Müller claimed a huge success by winning the coveted IFSB tournament of 1932-1933 (an unofficial Correspondence Chess world championship) in front of Dr. Eduard Dyckhoff
and the later Austrian OTB Grandmaster Erich Eliskases
.
Friendly matches with other countries began in 1930 and they were conducted regularly after 1950. In the first CC-Olympiad of European countries (an idea of Franz Kunert) 1937-1939, the Austrian team with Ernst Grünfeld
, Erich Eliskases
, Hans Müller, Albert Becker, Karl Poschauko
and Hans Haberditz finished the finals in second place : Hungary (20.5) was first, followed by Austria (19.5) Switzerland (16) and then Portugal, Denmark and Germany.
After World War II, in 1947, Hans Schmid founded the section for correspondence chess within the Austrian Chess Federation. In the same year, Austria joined the ICCF
. In 1952 the well known correspondence chess-master Egon Spitzenberger took over the correspondence section and was its indefatigable organiser and promoter of correspondence chess until his death. The best known player of his generation was International Master Leopold Watzl who finished sixth in the finals of the world championship 1950–1953 after winning his preliminary section.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
Correspondence chess
Correspondence chess
Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...
subdivision of the Österreichischer Schachbund (ÖSB), the Fachgruppe Fernschach (OESB-FS) belongs to the ICCF national member federations
ICCF national member federations
The International Correspondence Chess Federation national member federations number 83 nations, divided into four geographical zones:*Zone 1: Europe *Zone 2: Latin America...
as ICCF Austria. It was founded in 1947.
Correspondence chess had developed relatively late in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, in the second half of the 19th century.
History
It was not until 1865, when the "Wiener Schachgesellschaft" (Viennese chess society , founded in 1857) played a set of matches against some prominent clubs of other cities, including 1865-1866 ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
-Insterburg 2-0, 1867-1869 Vienna- Berlin 2-0, 1872-1874 Vienna-London 0.5-1.5.
With the establishment of the "Wiener Schachzeithung" (Viennese chess newspaper) in 1898 and the beginning of Vienna's "golden era" of chess, playing chess boomed. At the same time under the protectorate of Georg Marco
Georg Marco
Georg Marco was a Romanian chess player.He was born in Chernivtsi , Bukovina...
, the "Wiener Schachzeitung" organised some correspondence tournaments, which attracted some of the best known masters of those days : Adolf Zinkl
Adolf Zinkl
Adolf Julius Zinkl was an Austrian chess master.-Tournament results:Born in Bohemia, he settled in Vienna, where he played in many tournaments in the 1890s...
, Carl Schlechter
Carl Schlechter
Carl Schlechter was a leading Austrian chess master and theoretician at the turn of the 20th century. He is best known for drawing a World Chess Championship match with Emanuel Lasker.-Early life:...
, Siegfried Reginald Wolf
Siegfried Reginald Wolf
Siegfried Reginald Wolf was an Austrian chess master who competed in top European tournaments from the 1890s to the early 1930s....
, Heinrich Wolf
Heinrich Wolf
Heinrich Wolf was an Austrian chess master.-Biography:In 1899, he tied for 5-7th in Vienna . In 1900 he tied for 7-10th in Munich...
and even the very young Ernst Grünfeld
Ernst Grünfeld
----Ernst Franz Grünfeld , an Austrian grandmaster and writer specializing in opening theory, was for a brief period after the First World War one of the strongest chess players in the world....
.
In Graz Johann Berger
Johann Berger
Johann Nepomuk Berger was an Austrian chess master, theorist, endgame study composer, author and editor.In September 1870, he won the first tournament in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at Graz...
was the first Austrian to win an important international correspondence tournament the "Monde Illustré 1889-1892" and he did so with the remarkable result of +45 =3 -0.
World war I brought a sudden end to this development, and it was only in the mid-twenties that Austrian correspondence chess came close to the heights of pre-war victories. Here the "Pan-European Tournaments" of the new "Wiener Schachzeithung" under the direction of Albert Becker played an important role.
New impulses came to Correspondence Chess in 1928 with the establishment of the IFSB (Internationaler Fernschachbund) and the magazine "Fernschach" (correspondence chess), where the Austrian Franz Kunert proved to be an excellent supervisor and designing mind of the new organisation.
OTB (Over the board) International Master Hans Müller claimed a huge success by winning the coveted IFSB tournament of 1932-1933 (an unofficial Correspondence Chess world championship) in front of Dr. Eduard Dyckhoff
Eduard Dyckhoff
Eduard Dyckhoff was a German doctor of law and chess player. He won the Bavarian Chess Championship in 1913 and again in 1942, and is often considered an important figure in the development of correspondence chess in the early 20th century. Dyckhoff was born in Augsburg and died in Bad...
and the later Austrian OTB Grandmaster Erich Eliskases
Erich Eliskases
Erich Gottlieb Eliskases was a chess Grandmaster of the 1930s and 1940s, who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition....
.
Friendly matches with other countries began in 1930 and they were conducted regularly after 1950. In the first CC-Olympiad of European countries (an idea of Franz Kunert) 1937-1939, the Austrian team with Ernst Grünfeld
Ernst Grünfeld
----Ernst Franz Grünfeld , an Austrian grandmaster and writer specializing in opening theory, was for a brief period after the First World War one of the strongest chess players in the world....
, Erich Eliskases
Erich Eliskases
Erich Gottlieb Eliskases was a chess Grandmaster of the 1930s and 1940s, who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition....
, Hans Müller, Albert Becker, Karl Poschauko
Karl Poschauko
Karl Poschauko was an Austrian chess master.At the beginning of his career, he took 3rd at Vienna 1921 , shared 4th and won at Linz 1924, and took 3rd at Budapest 1926...
and Hans Haberditz finished the finals in second place : Hungary (20.5) was first, followed by Austria (19.5) Switzerland (16) and then Portugal, Denmark and Germany.
After World War II, in 1947, Hans Schmid founded the section for correspondence chess within the Austrian Chess Federation. In the same year, Austria joined the ICCF
International Correspondence Chess Federation
International Correspondence Chess Federation was founded in 1951 as a new appearance of the ICCA , which was founded in 1945, as successor of the IFSB , founded in 1928....
. In 1952 the well known correspondence chess-master Egon Spitzenberger took over the correspondence section and was its indefatigable organiser and promoter of correspondence chess until his death. The best known player of his generation was International Master Leopold Watzl who finished sixth in the finals of the world championship 1950–1953 after winning his preliminary section.
International events with the national team
In team events Austria has not fared so well. Two notable exceptions were the final of the first European Team Championships 1973–1983 in which Austria claimed third place Behind the USSR and FRG with Giselbrecht, Spitzenberger and Danner playing on board 1-3 ; and in the fourth European Team Championships (1993-1999) when Austria finished 4th behind Germany, Italy and Switzerland.Grandmaster
- Tunç HamaratTunç HamaratTunç Hamarat is a Turkish chess player living in Austria and the 16th International Correspondence Chess Federation World Champion in 2004....
- Dr. Harald Tarnowiecki
- Dr. SvenTeichmeister
- Zugrav, Wolfgang
Senior International Master
- Burger, Ing. Andreas
- Fleischanderl, Fritz
- Grabner, Dr. Helmut
- László M. Kovács
- Löschnauer, Rüdiger
- Neuschmied, Siegfried
- Pichler, Maximilian
- Thannhausser, Dr. Franz
- Ude, Hans Eduard
- Valent, Dkfm. Peter
- Wakolbinger, Werner
- Waldhauser, Günter
- Wallner, Kurt
International Master
- Aigmüller, Ing. Max
- Altrichter, Dr. Ulrich
- Danner, Georg
- Giselbrecht, Josef F.
- Groiss, Werner
- Hofer, Rudolf
- Kaliwoda, Kurt
- Kallinger, Oskar
- Knoll, Hermann
- Mayr, Dr. Klaus
- Poecksteiner, Johann
- Polsterer, Heinz
- Rehor, Johann
- Rupp, Franz
- Rupp, Wilhelm
- Schaetzel, Friedrich
- Sommerbauer, Dr. Norbert
- Watzl, Leopold
- Wohlfahrt, Herbert (sen)