Events in

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

in 1901:

News

* The Monte Carlo tournament is established.

Dawid Janowski Dawid Markelowicz Janowski (25 May 1868 – 15 January 1927; often spelled ''David'') was a Polish-born French chess player. The Janowski variations of the Old Indian Defense and of the Queen's Gambit Declined are named after him. Biography ...

(France) wins the inaugural tournament, followed by

Carl Schlechter Carl Schlechter (2 March 1874 – 27 December 1918) was a leading Austro-Hungarian 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 S ...

(Austria) in second and

Theodor von Scheve Theodor von Scheve (11 June 1851 – 19 April 1922) was a German chess master and writer. Scheve was born in Cosel in the Prussian Province of Silesia. An army officer by profession, Scheve lived in Breslau, where he co-founded the ''Schachver ...

(Germany) and

Mikhail Chigorin Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin (also ''Tchigorin''; russian: Михаи́л Ива́нович Чиго́рин; – ) was a Russian chess player. He played two World Championship matches against Wilhelm Steinitz, losing both times. The last great ...

(Russia) tied for third. * April 19–20 – The Anglo-American cable match is tied. On the top boards

Harry Pillsbury Harry Nelson Pillsbury (December 5, 1872 – June 17, 1906) was an American chess player. At the age of 22, he won one of the strongest tournaments of the time (winning the Hastings 1895 chess tournament), but his illness and early death prevente ...

(US) defeats

Joseph Henry Blackburne Joseph Henry Blackburne (10 December 1841 – 1 September 1924) was a British chess player. Nicknamed "The Black Death", he dominated the British scene during the latter part of the 19th century. Blackburne learned the game at the relatively late ...

(UK) and

Amos Burn Amos Burn (1848–1925) was an English chess player, one of the world's leading players at the end of the 19th century, and a chess writer. Burn was born on New Year's Eve, 1848, in Hull.Richard Forster, ''Amos Burn: A Chess Biography'', McFar ...

(UK) defeats

Jackson Showalter Jackson Whipps Showalter (February 5, 1859 in Minerva, Kentucky – February 5, 1935 in Lexington, Kentucky) was a five-time U.S. Chess Champion: 1890, 1892, 1892–1894, 1895–96 and 1906–1909. Chess career U.S. Championship matches Showalt ...

(US). The American and British teams split on the remaining eight boards as well, for a 5–5 result. * November–December – Thirteen-year-old

José Raúl Capablanca José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19 November 1888 – 8 March 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. A chess prodigy, he is widely renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play. Capabla ...

defeats Cuban champion

Juan Corzo Juan Corzo y Príncipe (June 24, 1873 – September 27, 1941) was a Spanish–Cuban chess master and five-time chess champion of Cuba. Born in Madrid, Corzo emigrated to Cuba in 1887. He became Champion of the Havana Chess Club in 1898. He is ...

in a match. * Pillsbury wins the Buffalo tournament, scoring 9/10.

Births

David Enoch David Enoch (1901–1949) was an Israeli chess player. Biography David Enoch was born in Oświęcim in 1901. He emigrated to Berlin after the First World War. He tied for 6-7th at Berlin 1927 (Alfred Brinckmann won), and took 10th at Berlin ...

(died 1949), Israeli chess player *

Leon Kremer Leon Kremer (1901–1941) was a Polish chess master. He played several times in the Warsaw championships, and won in 1929. He also took 6th in 1925 ( Stanisław Kohn won), took 4th in 1926 (Abram Blass and Paulin Frydman won), shared 1st with Koh ...

(1901–1941), Polish master, silver medalist at the 3rd unofficial Olympiad * January 1 –

Kazimierz Makarczyk Kazimierz Makarczyk (1 January 1901, Warsaw – 27 May 1972, Łódź) was a Polish chess master. In 1922, he took 3rd in Warsaw (Academic-ch). In 1926, he finished 10th in the 1st Polish chess championship played in Warsaw. The event was won by D ...

(1901–1972), Polish master, born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

* January 20 –

Karl Gilg Karl Gilg (20 January 1901, in Mankovice (Mankendorf), Austrian Silesia – 4 December 1981, in Kolbermoor, Bavaria) was a German chess International Master from Czechoslovakia. Biography Gilg played for Czechoslovakia in several Chess Olympiads. ...

born in

Mankovice Mankovice (german: Mankendorf) is a municipality and village in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. History The first written mention of Mankovice is from 1374. During the Ge ...

(Mankendorf),

Austrian Silesia Austrian Silesia, (historically also ''Oesterreichisch-Schlesien, Oesterreichisch Schlesien, österreichisch Schlesien''); cs, Rakouské Slezsko; pl, Śląsk Austriacki officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, (historically ''Herzogth ...

(1901–1981) German

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combinatio ...

(1953) * March 28 –

Weaver W. Adams Weaver Warren Adams (April 28, 1901 – January 6, 1963) was an American chess master, author, and opening theoretician. His greatest competitive achievement was winning the U.S. Open Championship in 1948. He played in the U.S. Championship fiv ...

(1901–1963), American player, is born in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

* May 5 –

Max Euwe Machgielis "Max" Euwe (; May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. He served as ...

(1901–1981), Dutch Grandmaster and fifth World Champion 1935–37, is born in Amsterdam * June 27 – Endre Steiner (1901–1944), Hungarian chess player and older brother of

André Steiner André Steiner (born 8 February 1970 in Gera Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ' ...

, is born in Budapest * August 29 –

Louis Betbeder Matibet Louis Betbeder Matibet (29 August 1901 – 5 May 1986) was a French chess master born in Orléans. He took 2nd place in the French Chess Championships of 1928 and 1946. Betbeder represented France seven times in Chess Olympiads (1927, 1928, ...

(1901–1986), French master, is born in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Imre König Imre König (Koenig) aka Mirko Kenig (September 2, 1901, Gyula, Austria-Hungary – September 9, 1992, Santa Monica, California) was a chess master representing Yugoslavia and Great Britain. He was born in Gyula, Hungary, and also lived in Aust ...

(1901–1992), is born in Gyula, Hungary

Deaths

* May 20 –

Johannes Minckwitz Johannes Minckwitz (April 11, 1843, Leipzig – May 20, 1901, Biebrich) was a German chess player and author. Origins He was the son of German classical scholar and author Johannes Minckwitz. Chess play His best achievement was 2nd place, beh ...

, German chess player and writer, dies in Biebrich) at age 68. * July 31 – Wilfried Paulsen German

master, an elder brother of

Louis Paulsen Louis Paulsen (15 January 1833 in Gut Nassengrund near Blomberg, Principality of Lippe – 18 August 1891) was a German chess player. In the 1860s and 1870s, he was among the top players in the world. He was a younger brother of Wilfried Pau ...

, dies near

Blomberg, North Rhine-Westphalia Blomberg is a town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with c. 15,100 inhabitants (2019). History City founding and life in the late Middle Ages Today's urban area was settled between the 6th and 8th centuries AD during t ...

at age 72. * November 24 –

John Owen John Owen may refer to: Sports *John Owen (footballer) (1849–1921), English footballer and educator * John Owen (athlete) (1861–1924), American sprinter *Johnny Owen (1956–1980), Welsh boxer *John Owen (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricke ...

, English vicar and strong amateur chess player, dies in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

at age 73

References

{{Chess 20th century in chess Chess by year