Friedrich Sämisch was the winner of Dortmund 1928 and one of the world’s strongest players during the 1920s. Below, I explore his life and games.
Photo: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Table of contents:
Biography
Early life
Friedrich Sämisch was born in 1896 in Charlottenburg, which would later become a part of Berlin. The start of his adult life was severely disrupted by the outbreak of World War I, which began the year he turned 18. He suffered two serious injuries during the war, and was awarded the Iron Cross after its end. However, Sämisch’s chess career was just about to begin.
In 1919, Sämisch found himself sharing a flat with Bogoljubow, another future chess star of the 1920s. Sämisch also became friends with Selezniev and Alekhine, and spending time with these great players likely helped Sämisch improve his chess strength immensely. His progress as a player became apparent when he became the unofficial champion of Austria in 1921, after winning a tournament in Vienna ahead of Euwe, Grünfeld, and Tartakower, among others.
Competing at the top
Sämisch then played a match against Réti in Berlin in 1922. This was a close match between two players who would go on to compete at the highest level in the 1920s. Sämisch proved himself to be the stronger player at the time, winning the match with the score +4 =3 -1. The following year, he shared 2nd place with Tartakower in a field of six at a strong tournament in Copenhagen, behind only Nimzowitsch, and ahead of Spielmann. There he lost a famous game to Nimzowitsch which is still analysed today, known as the “immortal zugzwang game”. At the strong international tournament held in Karlsbad a few months later, however, Sämisch finished a disappointing 15th out of 18.
1925 was an interesting year for Sämisch. The two biggest events for him that year were strong international tournaments held in Baden-Baden and Moscow, both of which boasted fields including many of the world’s leading players of the time. At Baden-Baden, Sämisch achieved an excellent 3rd place, behind only Alekhine and Rubinstein. There he finished ahead of many of the world’s strongest players, like Bogoljubow, Tartakower, Marshall, Nimzowitsch, Réti and Spielmann. However, at Moscow he again suffered disappointment, sharing 18th place with Gotthilf in a field of 21.
Blindfold simuls
Sämisch became famous for his blindfold simultaneous exhibitions throughout his career, and one of his most notable performances came in Wroclaw during his January and February tour in 1926. There he scored an impressive +14 =5 -1 over 20 boards. Over the whole tour, he recorded an excellent score, winning 108 games, drawing 17, and losing only 17.
Joining the elite
1928 was perhaps the best year in Sämisch’s chess career. He scored an impressive 6,5/8 to take clear 1st place at Dortmund, ahead of Réti, Bogoljubow, Spielmann and Colle, amongst others. A month later, he shared 1st place with Réti in a 10-player field at Brno, which today is in the Czech Republic. There he finished ahead of both Marshall and Kmoch. While he was not a realistic challenger for the title of World Champion, it became clear that Sämisch was capable of competing with the world’s best players.
In 1929 Sämisch finished a disappointing shared 16th at Karlsbad, but won a game against the newly ex-World Champion Capablanca, who had lost the crown just two years previously. This victory is particularly noteworthy as it was achieved using an opening line which would later become known as the Sämisch variation of the King’s Indian Defence.
A new decade
Sämisch continued to play actively in the 1930s, although with less success. Despite passing his peak as a player, he achieved two bronze medals as part of the German team at the 1930 Olympiad in Hamburg and the 1936 unofficial Olympiad in Munich. He also won a tournament in Swinemunde in 1930 ahead of Flohr, as well as an event in Berlin in 1937, ahead of Bogoljubow.
WWII
At the end of the decade, World War II broke out. Sämisch was no longer playing for the German Olympiad team at this time, and so was not in Buenos Aires, like so many other players, when the war began. After returning from a tournament in Madrid in 1943, Sämisch was arrested by the Gestapo for allegedly saying that Hitler could not win the war. However, he was released after the files on him were destroyed by an air raid. After his release, he fled to Schleswig-Holstein. Sämisch also lost his house and many of his possessions during the war to an air raid.
Later years
In 1950 Sämisch was awarded the grandmaster title based on the strength of his past achievements. Interestingly, he published an article in the Deutsche Schachhefte in which he claimed he did not belong amongst the ranks of grandmasters. Today most would argue that his title was deserved, based on the strength of his results in the 1920s and his victories against many of the strongest players of his time.
Sämisch continued to play in tournaments in his later years despite his old age, becoming kown for frequently suffering from time trouble and for his storytelling abilities. He died in 1975, at the age of 78.
Legacy
Today Sämisch is remembered as one of the strongest players of the 1920s and for his part in producing the immortal zugzwang game against Nimzowitsch at Copenhagen 1923. His name is attached to important variations in the King’s Indian Defence and the Nimzo-Indian Defence, both of which was still popular and relevant today.
Game Analysis
Sämisch won an instructive game against Steiner at Brno 1928, where he demonstrated the usefulness of doubled pawns.
Lessons from this game:
- Doubled pawns can be useful if they control important squares and provide useful open files.
- A common strategy to combat the opponent’s central space advantage is to strike at the opposing pawn centre with a pawn advance. 12…c5 gains space, exchanges off the central d4 pawn, and opens up the c file for the rooks.
- It can often be worth a tempo to create an escape square for the king, allowing the attacking forces to attack without worrying about back rank issues.
Puzzles
Sämisch – Réti, Berlin 1922
Von Gottschall – Sämisch, Hannover 1926
Barth – Sämisch, Mittweida 1927
Sämisch – Reinhardt, Berlin/Hamburg 1932
Solutions
Further Reading
To find more about Sämisch’s life and games, the following are useful sources:
Sämisch’s chessgames.com page,
his chess.com page,
this chess.com article about his life and games,
this chessbase article about his life and games,
and this collection of his tournament and match results.
If you’d like to receive notifications when new articles are posted, consider subscribing to Chessaglow.