General Government chess championships (Schachmeisterschaft des Generalgouvernements) were Nazi tournaments held during World War II in occupied central Poland. Hans Frank, the Governor-General of General Government, was the patron of those tournaments because he was an avid chess player.[1][2] The competition began when he organized a chess congress in Kraków on 3 November 1940. Six months later Frank announced the establishment of a chess school under Chess grandmasters, Yefim Bogolyubov and Alexander Alekhine.[2]
A number of Polish chess players were arrested in January 1940. Jewish players were killed by Germans, e.g. Dawid Przepiórka. Ethnic Poles didn't participate in the tournaments.[3][4]
and other German players /Germany.
Regedziński played as Theodore Reger, and Tuhan-Baranowski as Lisse.
The first General Government Championship was held in Kraków, Krynica and Warsaw in 3–17 November 1940.[5]
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| 1 | Anton Kohler | x | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7½ |
| 2 | Efim Bogoljubow | ½ | x | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| 3 | Kurt Richter | ½ | ½ | x | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 7 |
| 4 | Josef Lokvenc | ½ | ½ | ½ | x | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Paul Mross | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 5½ |
| 6 | Hans Müller | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | x | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
| 7 | Max Blümich | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | x | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
| 8 | Carl Ahues | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | x | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
| 9 | Karl Gilg | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | x | ½ | ½ | ½ | 4½ |
| 10 | Georg Kieninger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | x | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | Ludwig Rellstab | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | x | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Max Eisinger | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | x | 3½ |
The second General Government Championship was held in Kraków and Warsaw in 5–19 October 1941.[6]
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| 1 | Alexander Alekhine | x | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 8½ |
| 2 | Paul Felix Schmidt | 0 | x | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8½ |
| 3 | Efim Bogoljubow | 0 | 0 | x | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| 4 | Klaus Junge | ½ | ½ | ½ | x | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Josef Lokvenc | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | x | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5½ |
| 6 | Teodor Regedziński | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | x | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Georg Kieninger | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | x | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 4½ |
| 8 | Eduard Hahn | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | x | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 4½ |
| 9 | Max Blümich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | x | ½ | 1 | ½ | 4½ |
| 10 | Carl Carls | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | x | 1 | 0 | 3½ |
| 11 | Heinz Nowarra | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | x | 1 | 3½ |
| 12 | Paul Mross | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | x | 3½ |
The third General Government Championship was held in Warsaw, Lublin and Kraków in 11–24 October 1942.[7]
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Total |
| 1 | Alexander Alekhine | x | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| 2 | Klaus Junge | 0 | x | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6½ |
| 3 | Efim Bogoljubow | 1 | ½ | x | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 6 |
| 4 | Fritz Sämisch | ½ | ½ | 0 | x | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
| 5 | Rudolf Keller | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | x | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5½ |
| 6 | Georg Kieninger | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | x | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Alfred Brinckmann | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | x | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 4½ |
| 8 | Werner Kunerth | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | x | ½ | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Wolfgang Weil | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | x | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | Hans Roepstorff | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | x | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | Hans Zollner | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | x | 2½ |
The fourth General Government Championship was held in Krynica in 25 November–5 December 1943.[8]
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total |
| 1 | Josef Lokvenc | x | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| 2 | Wilhelm Kuppe | 1 | x | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 6½ |
| 3 | Efim Bogoljubow | ½ | 1 | x | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6½ |
| 4 | Georg Klaus | 0 | ½ | 1 | x | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4½ |
| 5 | Leon Tuhan-Baranowski | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Hans Roepstorff | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | x | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Edith Keller | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3½ |
| 8 | Heinz Nowarra | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | x | 0 | ½ | 3½ |
| 9 | Egon Gilles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | x | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Franz Herzog | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | x | 2 |
The fifth General Government Championship was held in Radom in February 1944.[9]
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total |
| 1 | Efim Bogoljubow | x | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8½ |
| 2 | Fedir Bohatyrchuk | ½ | x | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Hans Roepstorff | 0 | ½ | x | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| 4 | Leon Tuhan-Baranowski | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Franz Herzog | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | x | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4½ |
| 6 | Planck | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | x | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4½ |
| 7 | Heinz Nowarra | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | x | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Probst | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Sänger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Meckel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 0 |
