The tournament was held from November 12, 1914 to December 31, 1914 and used a double round robin format. Two of the masters who were to grace the event were unable to participate. One was Josef Hrdina, who fought in wartime operations in Poland that same year, perishing in December; the other was Savielly Tartakower, who had just enlisted for service in the army. Thus, the participants were Carl Schlechter, Adolf Albin, Dr. Artur Kaufmann, Josef Krejcik, Richard Reti, Joachim Schenkein, Rudolf Spielmann, and Otto Strobl.
The results and prize distribution were as follows. Schlechter scored 11.5 points (10+, 1-, 3=), winning first prize of 600 Crowns. Kaufmann scored 11 points (9+, 1-, 4=), winning second prize of 400 Crowns. Sharing third and fourth prizes combined to 500 Crowns were Reti and Spielmann with 8.5 points (identical 7+, 4-, 3=). Albin scored 7 points (6+, 6-, 2=), winning fifth prize of 100 Crowns. Rounding out the field were Krejcik with 5.5 (4+, 7-, 3=), and Schenkein and Strobl with 2 points (identical 1+, 11-, 2=).
Stefan Abonyi of Budapest had provided a special prize of 50 Crowns for the best result against the tournament winner, which was earned by Kaufmann. Abonyi had also provided a brilliancy prize of 50 Crowns, but later increased the fund to 120 Crowns, so that three brilliancy prizes (40 Crowns each) were awarded as follows; to Kaufmann for his game against Spielmann, to Reti for his game against Spielmann, and Albin for his game against Schenkein.
Regarding the fate of Hrdina and Tartakower, the year 1914 saw the beginning of World War I after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne, was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrillo Princip.
Josef Hrdina (1882 - December, 1914, 32 years old) was a promising young player from Bavaria, Germany who was an engineer for the Austrian state railroad. First, he played in tournaments of the Graz Chess Society and was awarded the title of Master by the Bavarian Chess Federation.
He lost a match to Hans Fahrni by the score of +1 -2 =4 (one game was not finished) probably in 1911. In 1912, he participated in the Breslau Hauptturnier A, sharing 4th to 6th place and the same year won the Innsbruck Chess Club Championship with the outstanding score of 14.5 out of 15. Hrdina participated in the 5th Trebitsch Memorial (1913) and was one of the favorites in the Mannheim (1914) Hauptturnier A until he had to leave for military duty after round 6.
His wife reported his death on the Polish front in December 1914, but the Russian Red Cross later corrected her report, stating that he had been severely wounded and taken captive as a prisoner of war by the Russians. He never returned from World War I.
At the outbreak of World War I Savielly Tartakower (February 21, 1887 - February 4, 1956) was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army and served as a staff officer on various posts. He went to the Russian front with the Viennese infantry where he was decorated for gallantry. After the war he emigrated to France, and settled in Paris.
In 1940, after a short stay in Argentina, Tartakower returned to France shortly before it it fell to Germany. At the age of 53 under the nom de guerre of Georges Cartier he served as a lieutenant in the Fighting French Forces of General Charles de Gaulle. Not a lot is known of his WWII activities, but it has been claimed that on several occasions he was dropped by parachute behind enemy lines on secret missions.
In the following miniature from this tournament the two players swap their characters when the drawing master Schlechter uses the attacking master's own weapons against him and scores a quick knockout.
Rudolf Spielmann - Carl Schlechter
Result: 0-1
Site: 6th Leopold Trebitsch Memorial, Vienna
Date: 1914
Vienna Game
[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘c3 The original idea behind the Vienna Game was to play a delayed King's Gambit with f4 (the Vienna Gambit), but in modern play white often plays more quietly and fianchettoes with g3 and Bg2. Weaver Adams famously claimed that the Vienna Game led to a forced win for white, but at best it leads to equality, but no more. 2...♘c6 3.f4 At the GM level this is considered too risky an opening. Today 3.Nf3 is usual. 3...♗c5 At the time this game was played this gambit was not altogether new, but it was little known. It's main advantage was that black avoided the theoretically dubious but dangerous Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit.
3...exf4 4.♘f3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.♘g5 h6 7.♘xf7 ♔xf7 Here white can try 8.Bc4+ (most reliable is probably 8.d4 threatening Bxf4). White generally gets good compensation for the piece if black allows him to take on f4. White almost, but not quite, gets full compensation for the N.
4.fxe5 This was considered premature and 4.Nf3 was the recommended move, but there appears to be absolutely nothing wrong with the text. 4...d6 An excellent P sacrifice which gives black a strong attack.
4...♗xg1 is often seen, but after 5.♖xg1 ♘xe5 6.d4 ♘g6 7.♗e3 d6 8.♕f3 ♗e6 white's position is far better.
5.exd6 ♕xd6 6.♘f3 ♗g4 7.♘e2 The object of this maneuver is to shut out black's B on c5 with c3 and d4, but it loses too much time. In any case white remains with much the worse position.
7.♘a4 was good. 7...O-O-O 8.c3 f5 9.♘xc5 ♕xc5 10.d4 ♕e7 11.♗g5 ♕xe4+ with equality. Lu,S (2551)-Wen,Y (2618)/Danzhou CHN 2013
7.♗b5 is also a reasonable move. 7...O-O-O 8.♗xc6 ♕xc6 9.d3 ♘f6 10.♗g5 with equal chance. Cernousek,L (2352)-Jirka,J (2383)/Cartak CZE 2005
7...O-O-O 8.c3 f5 Aggressive play. Safer was 8...Nf6, but that was not Spielmann's style. 9.d4 fxe4 10.♘g5 ♕e7 11.♕c2 e3 While this move shuts in white's B and so looks strong, in fact it allows white to equalize. Black should have continued his development with 11...Nf6.
11...♘f6 12.♗f4 h6 13.♘h3 g5 14.♗g3 ♗b6 and black's position is to be greatly preferred.
12.♕e4 The wrong piece occupies e4!
12.♘e4 ♗b6 13.♗xe3 ♘f6 Black's lead in development gives him a slight advantage.
12.dxc5 leads to disaster after 12...♕xg5 13.♘d4 ♕f4 14.g3 (14.♘xc6 ♖d1+) 14...♘xd4 15.cxd4 (15.gxf4 ♘xc2#) 15...♕xd4 Black has a winning position.
12...♕xg5 13.♗xe3 ♕h4+ 14.g3 ♕h5 15.dxc5
15.♘f4 is no better. 15...♕f7 16.♗g2 (16.dxc5 ♖e8 17.♕d3 ♘f6 18.♔f2 g5 19.♘e2 ♘d5+ 20.♔g1 ♘xe3 wins) 16...♘f6 17.♕d3 g5 18.♘e2 ♘d5 19.dxc5 ♖he8 20.O-O-O ♘xe3 wins
15...♘f6 16.♕f4
16.♘f4 ♖he8 17.♘xh5 ♖xe4 18.♔f2 ♘xh5 19.♖e1 ♖f8+ 20.♗f4 ♖xe1 21.♔xe1 ♘xf4 wins
16...♘d5 17.♕g5 ♘xe3 18.♕xe3 (18.♕xh5 ♘c2+ 19.♔f2 ♖hf8+ 20.♔g1 ♗xh5 and wins.) 18...♖he8 White resigned. Powered by Aquarium
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