Kurt Paul Otto Joseph Richter (24 November 1900 – 29 December 1969) was a German chess
International Master (IM) and chess writer.
Chess career
In 1922, Richter for the first time won the
Berlin City Chess Championship. In 1928, he tied for 1st–2nd in Berlin. In 1928, he won in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...
. In 1930, he tied for 4–5th in
Swinemünde. In 1930, he tied for 3rd–5th in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. In 1931, he lost a match to
Gösta Stoltz (½:1½) in Berlin. In 1931, he took 2nd, behind
Ludwig Rellstab, in Berlin.
He played for Germany at two official and one unofficial
Chess Olympiads
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 and ...
: at fourth board (+6–3=3) at
Hamburg 1930, fourth board (+7–1=7) at
Prague 1931, first board (+8–2=8) at
Munich 1936. He won two team bronze medals (1930, 1936) and one individual bronze medal (1931).
In 1932, he won in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. In 1932, he tied for 1st–2nd in
Kiel
Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
. In 1932, he took 3rd in Berlin. In 1932, he took 4th in Swinemünde. In 1932/33, he tied for 1st–2nd in Berlin. In 1933, he took 2nd, behind
Efim Bogoljubow
Efim Bogoljubow, also known as Efim Dimitrijewitsch Bogoljubow (April 14, 1889 – June 18, 1952), was a Russian-born German Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster.
Early career
Bogoljubow learned how to play chess at 15 years old, and dev ...
, in Bad
Aachen
Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants.
Aachen is locat ...
. In 1933, he tied for 5–6th in Swinemünde. In 1933, he tied for 4–5th in
Bad Salzbrunn. In 1934, he took 2nd, behind
Gideon Ståhlberg, in Bad
Niendorf. In 1935, he tied for 1st–2nd in Berlin. In 1935, he took 2nd in Swinemünde. In July 1935, he won in Bad Aachen (3rd GER-ch). In September 1935, he played in
Zoppot (GER vs SWE match). In 1936, he won in the Berlin championship. In 1936, he took 2nd in Swinemünde. In 1936, he tied for 8–9th in
Poděbrady (
Salo Flohr won). In 1937, he tied for 2nd–3rd in Berlin. In 1937, he took 4th in
Bad Elster. In 1937, he tied for 1st–2nd in
Bad Saarow. In July 1937, he took 2nd, behind
Georg Kieninger, in
Bad Oeynhausen (4th GER-ch). In 1937, he took 3rd in Berlin (
Friedrich Sämisch won). In 1938, he took 9th in
Bad Harzburg
Bad Harzburg (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Bad Harzborch'') is a spa town in central Germany, in the Goslar (district), Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa ...
(
Vasja Pirc won). In 1938, he won in the Berlin championship. In 1938, he tied for 4–5th in Berlin. In July 1938, he tied for 5–7th in Bad Oeynhausen (5th GER-ch). The event was won by
Erich Eliskases. In May 1939, he took 2nd, behind Bogoljubow, in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
(1st ''Europa-Turnier'').
During World War II, Richter played in several strong tournaments. In June 1940, he won in Berlin (BSG), and took 2nd, behind Bogoljubow, in Berlin. In August 1940, he tied for 3rd–4th in Bad Oeynhausen (7th GER-ch). In November 1940, he took 3rd in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
/
Krynica/
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
(the 1st
GG-ch). In 1941, he tied for 3rd–4th in Berlin. In August 1941, he took 3rd, behind
Paul Felix Schmidt and
Klaus Junge
Klaus Junge (1 January 1924 – 17 April 1945) was a Chilean-German chess master who was among the world's leading players during World War II. An officer in the Wehrmacht, he died during the Battle of Hamburg (1945), Battle of Welle shortly bef ...
, in Bad Oeynhausen (8th GER-ch). In September 1941, he tied for 5–6th in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
(2nd ''Europa-Turnier''). The event was won by Stoltz. In September 1942, he tied for 3rd–5th in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
(1st
European Championship, ''Europameisterschaft''). The event was won by
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine. He disliked when Russians sometimes pronounced the of as , , which he regarded as a Yiddish distortion of his name, and insisted that the correct Russian pronunciation was . (March 24, 1946) was a Russian ...
.
After the war, he participated in the Berlin championships. He tied for 1st–2nd (1948), tied for 3rd–4th (1949), tied for 2nd–3rd (1950), took 2nd (1951), took 3rd (1952).
He was awarded the IM title in 1950, the first year in which FIDE offered the IM and
GM titles. He was co-editor of ''Deutsche Schachblätter'' and ''Deutsche Schachzeitung''. Richter authored several chess books with his books on
chess tactics being very popular throughout the 1950s–60s and translated into several languages.
Legacy
The
Richter–Rauzer Attack of the
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves:
:1. e4 c5
The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4. The opening 1.d4 is a statistically more successful opening for Whi ...
(also known as the Richter Attack
[Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 340. ''Richter Attack''.]) occurs after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5. The line was named in honor of Richter and the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
master
Vsevolod Rauzer.
The
Richter–Veresov Attack
The Richter–Veresov Attack (or Veresov Opening) is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. d4 d5
:2. Nc3 Nf6
:3. Bg5
It is also often reached by transposition, for example 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 (the most common move order), 1.d ...
(also known as the Veresov Opening, or Richter Attack
) was named after Richter and
Gavriil Veresov. It most commonly occurs after 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5. After 3...Bf5, Richter continued 4.f3 (the Richter Variation
[Hooper & Whyld (1996), pp. 340–41. ''Richter Variation''.]).
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richter, Kurt
1900 births
1969 deaths
Chess International Masters
Chess Olympiad competitors
German chess writers
Chess players from Berlin
People from the Province of Brandenburg
Chess theoreticians
German male non-fiction writers
20th-century German chess players
German chess players