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Background history
There existed different forms of sports activity in the Wehrmacht-run POW camps. The German authorities believed that this form of POWs’ activity was to prevent them from undertaking to escape. It needs underlining that table games were not dominant, since most of the POWs, especially those isolated in oflags, preferred active forms of physical culture, such as: football, volleyball or athletics. In stalags, on the other hand, where POWs were subjected to the duty of performing work for the Third Reich, physical exercise was less popular. Officers retained larger reserves of strength and therefore showed more willingness to practice different sports. However, to POWs who because of their age or illness could not take exercise, an important form of activity were the so-called table games, the most popular of which was playing chess. India is considered to be the cradle of the game. According to written sources, chess was known in Persia, at the court of Shah Khosrow I Anushiruvan, already in the 570s of our era, the game having been brought there as a gift from an Indian raja, whose name is unknown. Very quickly it reached Europe: through Sicily and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula chess became popular in Italy and Spain, and then in France, Germany, England and Scandinavia. Playing chess caught on in Europe as early as in the 10th-11th century. At that time chess appeared in Czech, having been brought there by merchants who were moving from Italy to the north of the Continent. In Russia, the game had been known even earlier – probably around the 8th-9th century – having come directly from the East (Iran and Central Asia). Chess entered the Polish lands via three paths: from Czech, through sea trade routes (the Baltic) and from Kievan Rus’. The comic poem by Jan Kochanowski, entitled Szachy (Chess), which reveals the names and interpretations of the chess pieces that were characteristic of Poland, testifies to the cult-like dimension of the game. According to the poet, this was a king’s game, though adored also by noblemen and townspeople. The first international chess tournament was held in London in 1851. In 1924, the International Chess Federation was established and since that year international chess tournaments have been organized on a regular basis. In the years of World War II, chess contests and tournaments were held in many oflags and the winners were presented with prizes, most often in the form of books or beautiful diplomas made by camp artists. In many camp libraries there were publications on chess. Courses in chess playing were organized, which usually enjoyed considerable popularity. Also the Polish camp authorities were in favor of holding chess contests in oflags, which found its reflection in various documents, among others, in orders issued by Camp Seniors, relating to organization of chess competitions, diplomas signed by them, charts of individual games, tournament regulations, etc. On the basis of POWs’ relations and memorabilia collected by the Museum, it can be claimed that the game played a vital role in keeping up a good intellectual condition of the soldiers in captivity. The book which is presented on this display makes an unusual memento since it is the German edition of a handbook instructing how to play chess. It was the prize awarded to Lieutenant Jerzy Okraszewski for winning the VIth chess tournament organized in Oflag VII A Murnau in 1943. The winner translated it himself into Polish, in this way making it possible for his companions who could not speak German to make use of it.
Prepared by: Beata Madej
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Handbook of chess
Source of acquisition
The book was given over to the Museum’s collections by Mrs. Genowefa Aleksander of Wrocław in 2000.
Description of the item
The handbook of playing chess, written in the German language, bears the stamp of the Command of Oflag VII A Murnau and the camp canteen; edited in Leipzig in 1939, with the dedication: Prize for the VIth chess tournament in Camp VII A Murnau, 31.1.1943. Head of the Chess Section, Diploma Major Kłosowski Fr. The page bearing the introduction has a notebook glued on, with pages in ruled lines. It contains a translation of the principles of the game of chess; hard-case binding.
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