The first Baltic Chess Congress took place in Riga, Latvia (then Russian Empire), in 1899.
The winner was Robert Behting, the elder brother of Kārlis Bētiņš, who won a play-off game with Karl Wilhelm Rosenkrantz.
The second Baltic Chess Congress was played in Dorpat, Estonia (then Russian Empire), in 1901.
The eight-player single round-robin tournament was won by Isakas Vistaneckis (LTU) 4.5/7, a half point ahead of S. Gordonas (LTU), Paul Saladin Leonhardt (GER), Vladas Mikėnas (EST/LTU) and Vladimirs Petrovs (LAT).
The three others, Fricis Apšenieks (LAT), Aleksandras Machtas (LTU), and E. Gertschikoff (GER) finished in consecutive places.