Ossip Bernstein

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Ossip Samoilovich Bernstein (born 20 September 1882 at Zhitomir, Ukraine – died 30 November 1962 in the French Pyrenees).

Biography

Born in Imperial Russia to a family of Jewish heritage, Ossip Bernstein grew up in the anti-semitic atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Russia. He earned a doctorate in Law at Heidelberg in 1906, and became a successful financial lawyer.

In June 1902, Bernstein won at Berlin. In July–August 1902, he took 2nd, behind John, at Hannover (13th DSB Congress, Masters A). In 1902/03, he won at Berlin. In September 1903, he took 2nd, behind Mikhail Chigorin, at Kiev (3rd All-Russian ch.). In 1903/04, he tied for 2nd-3rd with Rudolf Spielmann, behind Caro, at Berlin. In July–August 1904, he tied for 4th-5th at Coburg (14th DSB Congress). In August 1905, he tied for 4th-5th at Barmen (Masters A). In 1906, he tied for 1st with Carl Schlechter at Stockholm. In 1906, he tied for 4th-6th at Ostende. In 1907, he tied for 1st with Akiba Rubinstein at Ostende (Masters A). In 1909, he took 5th at Sankt Petersburg. In 1911, he won at Moscow. In February–March 1911, he tied for 8th-9th at San Sebastian. In 1912, he took 2nd, behind Rubinstein, at Vilna (All-Russian ch.). In January 1914, he lost an exhibition mini-match against José Raúl Capablanca at Moscow (+0 –1 =1). In April–May 1914, he tied for 6th-7th with Rubinstein at Sankt Petersburg (Preliminary).

After the First World War, the Bolshevik Revolution, and during the Russian Civil War in 1918, he fled to France. In 1922, he lost a mini-match against a Russian emigrant Alexander Alekhine at Paris (+0 –1 =1). In May 1923, he took 13th at Karlsbad. In 1930, he took 2nd, behind Johner, at Le Pont. In July 1932, he tied for 5th-6th with Efim Bogoljubow at Bern. In 1933, he drew a match against Alexander Alekhine at Paris (+1 –1 =2). In 1934, he tied for 6th-7th with Aron Nimzowitsch at Zurich. The event was won by Alekhine.

Dr Bernstein was an outstanding businessman. He earned a fortune before losing it in the Bolshevik Revolution, earned a second that was lost in the Great Depression, and a third that was lost when France was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940. Ossip Bernstein was exiled in Paris, only to be driven out to Spain by the German nazists, because of his Jewish origin.

After the WW II, Bernstein came back to chess. In 1946, he took 2nd, behind Herman Steiner, at London. In 1946, he tied for 15th-16th at Groningen. In June 1946, he won a game against Lajos Steiner at a match Australia vs France in Australia. In December 1948, he drew a game against Reuben Fine at a cable match New York vs Paris. In April 1954, he lost two games against David Bronstein at a match France vs The Soviet Union at Paris. In 1954, he tied for 2nd-3rd with Miguel Najdorf, behind René Letelier, at Montevideo at age 72!

Bernstein played at first board for France at the 11th Chess Olympiad in Amsterdam 1954 (+5 –5 =5). He participated, as member of French team, at the 12th Olympiad in Moscow 1956, but he did not play because of illness.

When FIDE introduced official titles in 1950, Bernstein was awarded the International Grandmaster title. He had level lifetime scores against such outstanding players as the second World Chamption Emanuel Lasker (+2 –2 =1), Akiba Rubinstein (+1 –1 =7), Aron Nimzowitsch (+1 –2 =4), Mikhail Chigorin (+2 –1 =0) and Salo Flohr (+0 –0 =3). However, Bernstein seemed tailor-made for the third World Champion José Raúl Capablanca, who beat him in three outstanding brilliancies and allowed only one draw from 1911–1914, the only time they played. He had the worst score against the fourth World Champion Alexander Alekhine (+1 –8 =5).

Bernstein passed away in a sanatorium in the French Pyrenees in 1962.

His name is German for amber.

Notable chess games

Trivia

· In 1918 Ossip Bernstein was arrested in Odessa by the Cheka (Bolsheviks’ secret police), and ordered shot by a firing squad just because he was a legal advisor to bankers. As the firing squad lined up, a superior officer asked to see the list of prisoners' names. Discovering the name of Ossip Bernstein, he asked whether he was the famous chess master. Not satisfied with Bernstein's affirmative reply, he made him play a game with him. If Bernstein lost or drew, he would be shot. Bernstein won in short order and was released. He escaped on a British ship and settled in Paris.

· Bernstein's son was President Eisenhower's official interpreter because he spoke almost every European language.

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