The first Chess Stamp : Balkan Games 1947
The first chess stamp is one issued in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria in 1947. This first chess stamp is part of a set of five stamps that commemorate the 2nd Balkan Games held in Bulgaria from 1st – 6th November 1947.
The chess stamp was issued September 29, 1947, typographed on unwatermarked paper, perf 111/2. Its emission value is 9 levas, the ‘lev’ is the currency of Bulgaria, and is printed in white and orange brown. 172,000 stamp sets were issued and designed by St. Kancer with the collaboration of the great Bulgarian chess master Gideon Barcza.
This first chess stamp shows the figure of a white knight on a brown-orange background. In the stamp you can read a vertical inscription ‘Balkan Games 1947’ and a horizontal inscription ‘Republic of Bulgaria’.
The other four stamps represent the rest of the sports of 2nd Balkan games – bicycle racing, basketball and soccer- and the flags of the participating nations: Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
The first Chess Stamp : Balkan Games 1947
The participating nations in the second Balkan Games held in Bulgaria were Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia.
The Chess Team Tournament was played under the competition format ‘Eight board round robin’ in three rounds. Each of the teams consisted of 8 players and 2 reserves. A total of 48 games were played.
In the first round the Chess Hungarian team won the Chess Romanian team by 6.5 – 1.5 without any defeat. The Bulgarian team that faced the Yugoslav team lost by 2.5 to 5.5 due to the defeats in the last boards.
In the second round a superior Hungarian team won the Bulgarian team 6.5 – 1.5. The Yugoslav team ended up being imposed by a tight 3.5 – 4.5.
In the last round, again the Hungarian team won the Yugoslav team by 3 – 5. While the Romanian team ended up losing to the host team.
The Hungarian team finally won the competition with full authority. Its member players were far superior to the rest – Gideon Barcza, László Szábo, Tibor Flórián, Pál Benkő, József Szily, Ernő Gereben, Geza Fuster, Elek Bakonyi, Elod Macskasy, Árpád Vajda.
The Hungarian team finally won the competition with full authority. Its member players were far superior to the rest – Gideon Barcza, László Szábo, Tibor Flórián, Pál Benkő, József Szily, Ernő Gereben, Geza Fuster, Elek Bakonyi, Elod Macskasy, Árpád Vajda.
I finish this article with one of the games of the great Bulgarian player László Szábo who got a ‘hat-trick‘ in the tournament.
A whole story and a great event behind this first chess stamp.