Berthold Koch was a German chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 master and journalist.

Born in Berlin, he won four times the Berlin Championship

Berlin City Chess Championship

The Berlin Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament in Germany. The first unofficial Berlin Chess Championship was held in 1853, and Jean Dufresne won a match against Max Lange.Since 1904, official Berlin championships have taken place...

 in 1927, 1933 (joint), 1946, and 1951. He also won the Soviet zone-ch at Leipzig 1946, and twice (joint) GDR Championship

German Chess Championship

The German Chess Championship has been played since 1861, and determines the national champion.Prior to 1880 three different federations organized chess activities in Germany: the Westdeutscher Schachbund , the Norddeutscher Schachbund and the Mitteldeutscher Schachbund . Each one organized its...

 in 1952 and 1953.

Before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he played in German championships

German Chess Championship

The German Chess Championship has been played since 1861, and determines the national champion.Prior to 1880 three different federations organized chess activities in Germany: the Westdeutscher Schachbund , the Norddeutscher Schachbund and the Mitteldeutscher Schachbund . Each one organized its...

 at Bad Pyrmont 1933 (Efim Bogoljubow

Efim Bogoljubow

Efim Dmitriyevich Bogolyubov was a Russo-German chess grandmaster who won numerous events and played two matches with Alexander Alekhine for the world championship.-Early career:...

 won), at Bad Aachen 1935 (Kurt Richter

Kurt Richter

Kurt Paul Otto Joseph Richter was a German chess International Master and chess writer.- Chess achievements :...

 won), and at Bad Oeynhausen 1938 (Erich Eliskases

Erich Eliskases

Erich Gottlieb Eliskases was a chess Grandmaster of the 1930s and 1940s, who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition....

 won). After the war, he shared 11th at Düsseldorf 1951 (GER-ch

German Chess Championship

The German Chess Championship has been played since 1861, and determines the national champion.Prior to 1880 three different federations organized chess activities in Germany: the Westdeutscher Schachbund , the Norddeutscher Schachbund and the Mitteldeutscher Schachbund . Each one organized its...

, Rudolf Teschner

Rudolf Teschner

Rudolf Teschner was a German chess master and writer.Teschner was seven times Champion of Berlin. In 1948, he won an East-Zones Championship in Bad Doberan, and later in 1951 took the German Championship .Teschner was leading member of the German Chess Olympic team in 1952 and 1956...

 won), and took 3rd at Leipzig 1953 (GER-ch, Wolfgang Unzicker

Wolfgang Unzicker

Wolfgang Unzicker was one of the strongest German chess Grandmasters from 1945 to about 1970.He decided against making chess his profession, choosing law instead....

 won).

Koch played twice for GDR in Chess Olympiads at Helsinki 1952 and Moscow 1956.

He was awarded the International Master title in 1950, and the ICCF title in 1959.