Silesian Chess Congress
The first Silesian Chess Congress was held in 1922. When the German Chess Federation (Deutscher Schachbund) started in 1877, there were not many regional chess federations. On 19 September 1877 the Breslau Chess Association (Breslauer Schachverein) was founded by amongst others Theodor von Scheve. In 1895 Görlitz and 1899 Liegnitz were meetings of mainly Silesian clubs. At the end of 1908 the Breslau clubs Anderssen and Morphy decided to found the East German Chess Federation (Ostdeutscher Schachverband).
After the World War I Germany had to cede a part of the Ostprovinzen, mainly Posen (Poznań). In 1922 the new Silesian Chess Federation (Schlesischer Schachverband) was founded and held a great number of congresses till 1939. Members of this federation (Oberschlesischer Schachverband, Groß-Breslauer Schachverband) and of the German Chess Federation in Czechoslovakia (Deutscher Schachverband in der Tschechoslowakei) played in each other’s championships.[1][2]
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Heinz Josef Foerder, being a Jew, lost his job, and moved to Riga, Latvia. In 1934 he emigrated to British Mandate of Palestine where he had changed his name to Yosef Porath.
Winners
# Year City Winner Comment 1 1922 Neisse H. Thelen Thelen won ahead of Kramer 2 1923 Beuthen Adolf Kramer Kramer won a play-off against Ertelt 3 1924 Bad Salzbrunn Walter Bergmann Bergmann won a play-off against Kramer 4 1925 Breslau Otto Rüster played alongside the 24th DSB Congress 5 1926 Bad Altheide Gottlieb Machate Friedrich Sämisch (off contest) won 6 1927 Gleiwitz Ludwig Schmitt Schmitt got extra-points more than Foerder 7 1928 Reichenbach Gottlieb Machate 8 1929 Bad Warmbrunn Walter Bergmann Bergmann from Glogau 9 1930 Breslau Heinz Foerder Foerder won ahead of Rudolf Pitschak 10 1931 Bad Salzbrunn Heinz Foerder,
Gottlieb Machate11 1932 Ratibor Heinz Foerder 12 1933 Bad Salzbrunn Ludwig Schmitt Schmitt won ahead of Carl Ahues 13 1934 Ottmachau Ludwig Schmitt 14 1937 Beuthen Gottlieb Machate 15 1938 Liegnitz Dietrich Duhm Prof. Duhm from Breslau 16 1939 Bad Warmbrunn Erich Weinitschke Weinitschke won a play-off against Heuaecker