All-Russian tournament 1903

Kiev, September 21, 1903, tournament participants and members of the organizing committee
From left to right (standing): A. I. Rabinovich , S. K. Izbinsky , V. N. Kulomzin , S. F. Lebedev , E. A. Znosko-Borovsky , S. M. Levitsky , N. E. Kalinsky , P.P. Benko , M. L. Lovtsky
From left to right (sitting): A.K. Rubinstein , M. Vengerov, G.S. Salve , M.I. Chigorin , M. Lokhtin, ..., V.N. Yurevich , O.S. Bernshtein , E. S. Schiffers , F.I. Duz-Khotimirsky

All-Russian tournament 1903 - the third chess tournament held from September 1 to September 23 in Kiev .

Organized by the Kiev Chess Society with the assistance of the journal "Chess Review", mainly at the expense of chess lovers. It was held at the premises of the Society of Cyclists. He collected a record number of participants for the All-Russian chess tournaments - 19 out of 10 cities:

• Kiev (6 chess players),
• Saint Petersburg (4),
• Lodz (2),
• Moscow, Riga, Vilno, Kostroma, Zhytomyr, Novokhopyorsk, Nizhny Tagil (1 each).

After the 11th round V. Breev (Kiev) dropped out of the competition. The winner was again M. Chigorin (15 points), but the victory was more difficult for him because of the intense competition from the youth - O. Bernshtein (2nd place - 14 points), V. Yurevich (3rd place - 13½), A. Rubinstein , G. Salve , E. Znosko-Borovsky and others. For E. Schiffers, the tournament was the last performance in a serious competition.

The participants had to make an entry fee of 40 rubles, 20 of which were returned to the participant if he finished the tournament. Those wishing to take part had to submit an application to the Kiev Chess Society (Khreshchatyk, d. Popova) addressed to the secretary of the tournament Committee, M. L. Vengerov, no later than August 1. After confirmation of acceptance into the tournament, the participant had to send the entry fee.

Prizes: 500, 350, 275, 200, 125, 50 and 30 rubles. The number of participants was limited to the 20th. When dividing the 1st place, a match is held between the participants to two victories, while draws are not considered. When dividing subsequent places, prizes are divided equally.

Tours took place daily except Thursdays and Sundays. The tour starts at 6 o’clock, at 10 o’clock in the evening a 30-minute pause and the final part until one in the morning. Unfinished parties by that time were played out on Thursdays and Sundays from one in the afternoon. Before the break, the player whose turn, turn, recorded his move. During the break, the analysis of the deferred game was prohibited.

Time control: 2 hours for the first 30 moves and an hour for each subsequent 15 moves. If a player is not at the start of the game, his watch is put to use. At 8 o’clock in the evening he is credited with defeat if he never showed up for the tour.

The tournament uses the rules set forth in the book of P. Bilger " Handbuch des Schachspiels ".