- This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
Friedrich (Fritz) Sämisch (September 20, 1896, Charlottenburg – August 16, 1975, Berlin) was a German chess grandmaster.
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Main results
- 2nd at Berlin 1920
- 1st at Vienna, Austria in 1921 (champion of the first, although unofficial, Austrian Chess Championship), above Euwe, Breyer, Grünfeld and Tartakower
- 2nd at Hamburg 1921
- equal 2nd with Tartakower, after Nimzowitsch, at Copenhagen 1923
- 3rd at Baden-Baden 1925, after Alexander Alekhine and Akiba Rubinstein
- equal 1st with sir George Thomas at Spa, Belgium, 1926
- 1st at Dortmund 1928, above Réti, Johner and Bogoljubov
- equal 1st with Réti at Brünn 1928
- 1st at Swinemünde 1930
In 1922 he won a match in Berlin against Réti (+ 4 – 1 = 3).
Perhaps his most famous game is his loss to Nimzowitsch at Copenhagen 1923 in the Immortal Zugzwang Game. He also played many beautiful games though, one of them being his win against Grünfeld at Carlsbad 1929, which won a brilliancy prize. In the same tournament he also won against Capablanca. The great Cuban lost a piece in the opening but did not resign, which usually happens in such cases in grandmaster games, but to no avail, this disadvantage being too much also for a player of his class.
At the age of 73 Sämisch played a tournament in memoriam of Adolf Anderssen in Büsum, Germany, and another tournament in Linköping, Sweden, but lost all games in both events (fifteen in the former and thirteen in the latter) on time control.
Contributions to opening theory
Sämisch is today remembered primarily for his contributions to opening theory. Two major opening lines are named after him:
- a variation of the King's Indian: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3
- a variation of the Nimzo-Indian: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3
See also
References
- Adriano Chicco, Giorgio Porreca, Dizionario enciclopedico degli scacchi, Mursia, Milan 1971
External links
- Friedrich Sämisch player profile at ChessGames.com (542 games)
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