Chess and Antisemitism in Russia

Illustration of the famous "lost son who became Pope" medieval legend. Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends (1919), by Gertrude Landa ('Aunt Naomi'). Available online here. 

Tomasz Lissowski notifies us that, in his research for his book on Winawer, he discovered that in April 1914, an 'All-Russian Chess Society' was founded in St. Petersburg by P. P. Sosnitsky, who was elected president and '1st honorary member'. The other two honorary members were the Jewish players Winawer and Rubinstein, quite a surprising fact considering the well-known antisemitism in Russia at the time.

Of course, antisemitism being common in Russia at the time did not mean every Russian was antisemitic. We already noted Chigorin had openly and warmly praised Winawer, which he considered his 'master and guide', in an official reception in the St. Petersburg's chess club. 

The members of the newly-founded chess society apparently had nothing against Jewish players. Alas, adds Mr. Lissowski, the first world war, which broke out a few months later, put an end to all those plans. 

Chigorin, Winawer, and Antisemitism

Source: Hatzfira, 25.5.1891

Antisemitism in chess -- or in Russia for that matter -- is nothing new, but here is a nice counter-example. Hatzfira (Warsaw) reported on May 25th, 1891, that Mikhail Chigorin has celebrate his victory over Wilhelm Steinitz (in their well-known "telegraph match", which Chigorin won 2-0), in the St. Petersburg Chess Club. (The club's name, by the way, was literally translated into 19th century Hebrew as 'The Committee House for the Community of those who Play in the Game of Chess'...)

The paper notes that Chigorin proposed a toast to his 'master and guide, the well known master' (as Hatzfia describes him) Szymon Winawer, and, what's more, sent a telegram to him, in Warsaw, notifying him of this. The paper reports he thanked Winawer for 'managing him [Chigorin] and supporting him when he first went out to compete in chess at a time of difficulty and trial'. Hatzfira added that this event was also published in another, non-Jewish Warsaw newspaper (whose name is only given in initials by Hatfira), and adds:

That newspaper's editor did not know, or did not want to know, that the man toasted by the St. Petersburg Chess Club is a Jew. As is well known, Jews are not allowed to be members of that club. 

Kudos for Chigorin, who was not a Jew, not only for remembering his Jewish teacher at the moment of his greatest triumph, but also toasting him openly in a "no Jews allowed" chess club.