Ignatz Von Popiel

Ignatz (Ignaz, Ignacy) von Popiel (27 July 1863 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary – 2 May 1941) was a Ukrainian chess player.

Popiel began his chess career in Lviv, Ukraine, in the 1880s. In 1886, he took 10th at Vienna. In 1887, he took 2nd at Vienna. In 1889, he tied for 3rd-4th (elim.) and tied for 5th-6th at Breslau (6th DSB Congress, Hauptturnier B, Emanuel Lasker won). In 1892, he tied for 1st-3rd (elim.) and took 7th at Dresden (7th DSB-Congress, Hauptturnier A). In 1895, he won at Lviv. In 1896, he tied for 2nd-3rd at Eisenach (10th DSB-Congress). In 1896, he took 13th at Budapest. In 1896, he won at Lviv. In 1897, he tied for 1st-2nd (elim.) and won at Berlin. In 1898, he tied for 10th-11th at Cologne (11th DSB-Congress). In 1899, he took 9th at Vienna. In 1900, he tied for 11th-12th at Munich (12th DSB-Congress). In 1902, he took 16th at Monte Carlo. In 1902, he took 18th at Hannover (13th DSB-Congress).

During World War I, in 1915, he took 6th at Vienna. After the war, Popiel was one of the strongest chess players at Lviv, Ukraine. In 1925, he took 2nd at championship of Lviv.

He was a strong local player but less successful on the international scene. In 1893 in the publication, Deutsches Wochenschach, he publish his analysis of his improvement on the maligned Blackmar Gambit. Later Diemer would use this analysis as the starting point of his own analyses on the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. He was the uncle of GM Stephen Popel.

Emil Joseph Diemer (1908-1990) himself credited the discovery of the thematic move, 3. Nc3, to a mostly forgotten master from Lviv named Ignatz Von Popiel. Popiel had only minor success in chess and generally scored low in major tournaments. He placed 16th in the 1902 Monte Carlo tournament. But Popiel was a good analyst who studied Blackmar's own analysis of his gambit and improved upon it, publishing his findings in the publication, Deutsches Wochenschach, in 1893.

Ignatz von Popiel (b. July 27 1863 in Drohobych, Ukraine and died on May 2 1941) Ukrainian chess master, the leading player of Galicia. He was placed regularly at the forefront of tournaments in Lviv, and participated in a regular international tournaments, including the congresses of the German Chess Federation.

He came from an aristocratic family, possessed a coat of arms title. Initially studied law at the University of Graz, then Jagiellonian University in Cracow (1889-1892). He became a notary.

Ignatz Von Popiel played chess since the early 1880's. Played in Lviv, then in Cracow, in the second half of the 1880's in Vienna, including the Schachgesellschaft Glaser in 1887. In the chess club he served as librarian. In 1889 he tried his hand in the prestigious international event, playing with the German Chess Federation Congress in Wroclaw. A short time later, while visiting Warsaw, he played some friendly matches with the leading players like Simon Winawer, Arthur Popławski, Joseph Żabiński and John Kleczyński (sr), but without much success.

In November 1894 he participated in a major chess tournament in Lviv - the inauguration of the Lviv Chess Club. Honor fell to him play the opening match, against Kazimierz Weydlich, and assisted by a little less well-known local players including Julius Kleeberg and Joseph Kohn. The club held two tournaments soon, in which Popiel played with a handicap, and as the favourite, he gave his rivals an advantage with a pawn move. Popiel played in the classic venue of the championship Lviv Chess Club, where he yielded two victories - in 1895, seven ahead of rivals, including Callisto Moravian, Kazimierz Weydlich, Joseph Kohn, Alexander Osuchowski, Tadeusz Bujak and in 1896 six, including Weydlich, Lori Alexander and Charles Irzykowski.

In 1896, Popiel became more active in European competitions. In Budapest XIII took last place, but he defeated among others Carl Schlechter and Georg Marco. Came out better in the Eisenach, Where he shared II-III position. In 1897, he had a victory in the tournament, a side of the German Chess Federation Congress in Berlin Popiel brought championship, qualifying to play in big tournaments without elimination. In 1898, Popiel appeared in the tournament in Cologne, where the Emanuel Schiffers Oct-Nov shared place (won Amos Burn before William Cohn, Rudolf Charouskiem and Mikhail Chigorin), And defeated such participant in the future for the world championship matches David Janowski. In 1900, the Munich Galicia was a player from the XI-XII site (together with Hermann von Gottschall), Including behind Harry Pillsburym, And Carl Schlechter Géza Maróczym. Two years later, in a large event in Monte Carlo was placed on the sixteenth spot in the group of 20 chess players, among which the best was Géza Maróczy. In this tournament, Popiel noted unusual victory over Georg Marco, who put the party in spite of opportunities to perform moves, giving the winning run.

Low investment in European tournaments, including last place in the Hanover in 1902, led Popiel to withdraw from the competition. Seeing no chance to fight with the best chess masters, he returned to Lviv, where he once again participated in the tournament, Lviv Chess Club. In 1904, he was the Third in the championship city. In the same year, the so-called. "tournament four", also took third place for Emil Gross and Charles Irzykowski. In a similar tournament in 1912, but among the five rivals, was the last, recognizing the superiority of Oscar Piotrowski, Adolf Hauke-Bosak, Emil Gross and Casimir Weydlich. Fell significantly better in the championship of Lviv in 1914, when the classification of the tournament ahead of him only Piotrowski and is just half a point, lost the party lost one of the outsiders Charles Elster.

During World War I Popiel occurred only in one of the tournaments in Vienna (1915), but the event did not finish, withdrawing after the first circle, which drew all its parts (including Schlecheterm and Richard Retim). After the war he settled in Kulikowie near Lviv. He worked at the time the learned profession of notary and does not neglect the chess club as though - with the Lviv Chess Club moved to Lviv Hetman. Participated in the competition międzyklubowej Lviv (outside those clubs played a helmet Lviv). Also competed in individual tournaments, in 1925, again losing a minimum of Lviv championship, this time with Callisto Morawski (ahead of such Henry Friedman, Marian Wojcik, Marian Wrobel, Saturnina Limbach, Julius Halka). Also in 1925, and also for Morawski, took second place in the championship club Hetman, a year later he was runner Lviv Chess Club. In 1926, Polish Chess Federation Popiel invited to participate in the opening of individual championships as a leading Polish chess Lviv, however, due to loss of the consignment with an invitation he could not take advantage of this offer. Three years later appeared in the first Polish Championship team in the Royal Huta as a representative of Lviv, but his team was not a success, This put the IV site. Ashen won one match (with Emil Sojka from Silesia), drew the Anthony Wojciechowski and Isaac Appel, Has Paulinowi Frydmanowi and Mieczyslaw Chwojnikowi.

During this period, Popiel was already one of the seniors Lviv chess and did not refer much success. In 1931 he was in town Aug. championship two years later was placed on the penultimate, fourteenth place. Despite this, once again found himself in the representation of Lviv on the Polish team championships in 1934, where he was a game of chance - the winner, as it turned out - with the pastor Arthur Rhode, Representative of Poznan, which first met on the chessboard already thirty years earlier, in Wroclaw German Chess Federation Congress.

In 1935, Popiel, at the age of 72, took thirteenth place in the tournament PRE Lodz, defeating among others later known chess Vilnius Kazimierz Plater. In the second half of the 30 successfully introduced in competitions in Krakow, where he tried his hand after moving to Bochnia in 1937, as a member Krakowski Chess Club in that year divided the V-VII in the championship Krakow (a year later withdrew from the tournament after five rounds). Defended the colors of Krakow (first board) team in a match with the representation of Katowice, Cracovians victory ended 10 ½ - 5 ½.

Ignatz von Popiel was also into the theory of chess. Theoretical articles were published undere his name in the national press and overseas, including in the "Chess Weekly" and "Deutsche Wochenschach". He was a chess correspondent for the "Weekly Illustrated" and the "Kurier Warszawski".