Theodor von Scheve (11 June 1851 – 19 April 1922) was a German chess master and writer.
Scheve was born in Cosel in the Prussian Province of Silesia.An army officer by profession, Scheve lived in Breslau, where he co-founded the Schachverein Breslau Anderssen, and later in Berlin, where he played in many local tournaments.[1] He died in Patschkau.
In Berlin, Scheve took 3rd, behind Berthold Lasker and Siegbert Tarrasch, and took 2nd, behind Curt von Bardeleben, in 1881; tied for 6–8th in 1883 (Hermann von Gottschall won); took 2nd, behind Max Harmonist, and took 8th in 1887 (Paul Klemens Seuffert won); won and took 2nd (Quadrangular) in 1889; twice tied for 3rd- 4th in 1890 and 1891/92 (Horatio Caro won), took 3rd in 1893, won in 1894, shared 1st in 1898/99, and tied for 2nd–3rd in 1899/1900.
Scheve drew two matches against Carl August Walbrodt (+4 –4 =2) and Curt von Bardeleben (+4 –4 =4) in Berlin in 1891.[2]
Scheve shared 1st with S. Löwenthal at Frankfurt 1884. He tied for 17–18th at Frankfurt 1887 (5th DSB–Congress, George Henry Mackenzie won); took 4th at Leipzig 1888 (Bardeleben and Fritz Riemann won); tied for 7–9th at Manchester 1890 (6th BCA–Congress, Tarrasch won); tied for 11–13th at Dresden 1892 (7th DSB–Congress, Tarrasch won); took 18th at Leipzig 1894 (8th DSB–Congress, Tarrasch won).
Scheve's best achievement was 3rd–4th place at Monte Carlo 1901 (Dawid Janowski won). He took 3rd at Paris 1902 (Quadrangular); tied for 4–5th at Vienna 1902 (Janowski and Heinrich Wolf won); took 17th at Monte Carlo 1902 (Géza Maróczy won); took 5th at Monte Carlo 1904 (Thematic tournament, Rice Gambit, Frank Marshall and Rudolf Swiderski won); tied for 7–8th at Berlin 1907 (Jubiläumturnier, Richard Teichmann won); tied for 23–24th in Ostend (B tourn, Ossip Bernstein and Akiba Rubinstein won); tied for 8–9th at San Remo 1911 (Hans Fahrni won), and tied for 10–11th at Berlin 1917 (Walter John and Paul Johner won.[3]
He wrote a philosophy essay Der Geist des Schachspiels (Berlin 1919).[4]