Vereinsgründung

foundation of the club

In the first days of June 1923, the police sergeant Felix Reinsch, who had been expelled from the Ruhr area, had to call the dentist Dr. Erich Schmidt, visit. Like all strong men, Mr. Reinsch was afraid of the swivel chair and drill and tried to soothe the pain by imagining the future (behind the dental procedure) as twice as beautiful. Because he was a passionate chess player and had not yet found a chess club or a suitable partner in Gütersloh, it is not surprising that he thought of founding a chess club in Gütersloh in his plans for a brighter future. He was so enthusiastic about the idea that he immediately told Dr. Schmidt announced. He happened to also be a fan of the royal game, so he refrained from showing his teeth straight away, and after a long conversation it was agreed to place an advertisement in the newspaper asking all chess fans to come to the Billing inn, today's Dalkekrug, to found a club. This marked the birth of the Gütersloh Chess Club of 1923, or “GSV 1923” for short.

The further birth is quickly reported:
The advertisement appeared on June 15, 1923, and on June 23, 1923 they met in the evening at Billing's. The guests examined each other for intelligent moves - so-called “chess profiles” -, spoke to each other, and according to the principle “First the practice, then the theory” they were soon sitting happily playing with lapwings, beer and inflation cigars. After a few games, the 35 men present went to found the club. The newborn child was given the name “Schachclub Gütersloh”, which was later changed to “Gütersloher Schachverein von 1923”. The actual founders of the association are Felix Reinsch and Dr. Erich Schmidt.

At that time, the entry fee - which is worth mentioning in this context - was RM 5000,00 and the monthly fee was RM 2000,00 fixed.