GM Horst Rittner had a passion for correspondence chess and for ICCF and it was  sad news that shook the chess community far beyond the BdF. GM Horst Rittner finished his last game in the night of June 14 and will never return to the board. A look into his vita shows which big footprints he leaves behind:

• In 1949 his passion for correspondence chess began 
• 1960 he became ICCF Grandmaster, altogether he achieved the GM norm 10 times
• 1966 winner of the strongly occupied Ragosin Memorial Tournament
• 1971 he became World Champion at the 6th Correspondence Chess World Championship
• 1995 3rd place at the 10th Correspondence Chess Olympiad (1987-1995), which was still played by mail, in the team of the GDR

Parallel to his correspondence chess passion Horst Rittner played in various Berlin clubs in close-up chess. Thus he also participated in three individual championships of the GDR. His last participation in a team championship was with SV Mattnetz Berlin e.V. in the 2017/2018 season.

Besides his activities as a player, Horst Rittner turned his hobby into his profession and at the same time he was active in many international and national functions on a voluntary basis.

• 1961 -1991 Vicepresident of the ICCF
• 1979 Honorary member of the ICCF
• 1965 -1991 Editor-in-chief of the magazine "Schach"
• among other things author for chess programs in the German Television of the GDR, columnist of various publications of the GDR
• in the 1990s consultant for public relations in the Berlin Chess Federation e.V.

His achievements and activities for the sport of chess were honored by these awards:

• Bertl von Massow Medal in Gold (1984)
• Bertl von Massow Medal in Silver (1984)
• Honorary certificate on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the DSB.

The BdF and the ICCF will create a "Horst Rittner Memorial Tournament" in memory of GM Horst Rittner on the occasion of his birthday on July 16, 2021.

Manfred Scheiba

Delegate of the German Federation