Budapest tournament, Final Round: Spielmann, with draw, takes first prize; Tartakower second; Forgacs falls to third after loss

Rudolf Spielmann played to a draw in his final-round encounter against Gyula Breyer to capture first place in the Austro-Hungarian Championship tournament at Budapest.  Spielmann's score of 8 1/2 points left him one half-point clear of the second prize winner, Dr. Saviely Tartakower, who overtook Leo Forgacs on the score table by defeating Lajos Asztalos in a fine positional game.  Forgacs, not long ago sole leader of the tourney, suffered defeat at the hands of Milan Vidmar and fell to third place with 7 1/2.  The veteran Georg Marco took fourth, a point behind Forgacs, a placement already certain before the beginning of the round, notwithstanding the fact that Marco sat idle with the bye.  In the day's other games, Miklos Brody topped Richard Reti, and Karoly Sterk, bottom man on the score list, recorded his first victory of the event at the expense of Zsigmond Barasz.  Zoltan von Balla was free, owing to the earlier withdrawal of his scheduled opponent, Jeno Szekely.  The complete standings are given below.

Spielamnn thus adds this triumph to his recent victory in the Vienna Jubilee tournament and can justifiably feel well satisfied with his results in the first half of the current year.  We are informed that the Viennese maestro has declined the invitation to cross the Atlantic and compete in the upcoming New York tournament sponsored by the Rice Chess Club, an understandable decision in view the length of the journey, but regrettable nonetheless in that it deprives all chess aficionados of even further specimens of his fine play.

Tartakower turned in another excellent showing, like Spielmann remaining undefeated throughout the event and producing much high-class chess.  Forgacs with the passing of time may look back with satisfaction on his placement, although for the present he is certain to experience disappointment at the thought of what might have been.  Marco, winner of three of his final four games, appeared rather unexpectedly among the leaders at the finish, but unquestionably gave overall a solidly creditable performance.  Vidmar did rather less well than expected, while young Reti found himself quite out of form.  For the latter, and for several others who finished off the lead, the chance for redemption is near at hand, as six of the competitors who began the Budapest event, Reti, Sterk, Breyer, Barasz, Asztalos, and Szekely, are due to compete in the Hungarian Championship at Debrecen in July, a tourney on which we expect to report.

Final scores: Spielmann 8 1/2; Tartakower 8; Forgacs 7 1/2; Marco 6 1/2; v. Balla 6; Breyer 5 1/2; Asztalos, Vidmar, Brody 5; Reti 3 1/2; Barasz 3; Sterk 2 1/2.

The scores of two games from the final round reached us via cable.  We present first Forgacs' loss to Vidmar, in which the loser seems to have miscalculated near the end of the battle, perhaps originally thinking 39.Qxf4 a playable reply:

We conclude our reporting on the Budapest tourney with Tartakower's defeat of Asztalos, a game whose opening moves 1.f4 d5 2.e3 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.b3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Nf6 6.Bb2 make clear White's intention to play on the dark squares, a plan he carries to fulfillment with artistic mastery.