Karl H. Marscheider

Died: 6th May 2012, Dumfries, aged 89.

• Associated with Dumfries Chess Club. Club President for many years.
• Played in the Scottish Championships of 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1968.

Mr Marscheider was brought up in Berlin before the 1939-45 war. He stated that he learned chess when he saw unemployed men playing in the parks of Berlin. He often saw the famous Berlin player Kurt Richter, as well as Alekhine.

Mr Marscheider was captured in the Channel Islands, and became a prisoner-of-war at Carronbridge POW Camp Nr. 293 near Thornhill, just north of Dumfries.

On his release he decided, like a number of other prisoners of war, to remain in Scotland. He worked for a Dumfriesshire farmer, met and married a local woman, and began playing chess again.

The Dumfries and Galloway Review of November 1948 reported that "On Monday, November 15th, the Dumfries Club had a visit from Mr K.H. Marscheider, Dunscore, a well-known Berlin chess expert before the war, who played 7 boards simultaneously against strong opposition. Ot of 14 games played Mr Marscheider won 11, lost 2 to Mr T.M. Eelbeck and Mr Joseph Beattie, a young player, who is rapidly coming to the front in the game, and drew 1 game.

In the 1949 Scottish Championship in Aberdeen he was unbeaten, sharing 2nd and 3rd places. He scored 3½/5, and was the only player against whom the winner, WA Fairhurst, conceded a draw.

K.H. Marscheider - W.A. Fairhurst [D90]
Scottish Championship (Round 2), Aberdeen, 16.04.1949

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. a4 Qb6 7. Qc2 Na6 8. a5 Qd8 9. Qa4 Bf5 10. e3 Bd3 11. Bxd3 cxd3 12. Ne5 Qc8 13. Nxd3 Bg7 14. 0-0 0-0 15. Qb3 Rd8 16. Ne5 e6 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bh4 g5 19. Bg3 Nh5 20. Nd3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 c5 22. Nxc5 Nxc5 23. dxc5 Qxc5 24. Rfc1 Rab8 25. Nb5 Qf5 26. Rc2 a6 27. Nc3 Rd7 28. Qa4 Rbd8 29. g4 Qe5 30. g3 Rd3 31. Qe4 Qc7 32. Ra3 R8d7 33. Kg2 Bxc3 34. Rcxc3 Rxc3 35. bxc3 Rd5 36. Qb4 Qc6 37. e4 Rd3 38. Rb3 Rd7 39. Rb2 Kg7 40. f3 e5 41. c4 ½-½

In the 1951 Scottish Championship he shared 3rd and 4th places with 4/7.

Mr Marscheider remained active in Dumfries CC activities, with his last graded game being played in the 2008-9 season. He died at home on May 6, 2012, his wife Martha having predeceased him.

Sources:
Stephen Cunningham of Dumfries CC - information from conversations with Mr Marscheider.
Dumfries and Galloway Review, November 1948, page 49.
Douglas Bryson, Chess Scotland Chief Grader.
Fairhurst's notebooks.

Alan McGowan