MARK RUBERY CHESS
The world’s premier chess league is the German Bundesliga and for many years it has provided a steady source of income for chess professionals across Europe and beyond. The players receive fees to represent various teams, some of which are the chess sections of famous football clubs. The Top League has been dominated by OSG Baden Baden (average rating 2761 with Caruana, Anand, Aronian etc.) for the last decade with only SG Solingen interrupting their reign in 2016. Sixteen teams are made up of squads of up to 16 players, from which the manager selects a match-day team of eight, depending on rating, form and of course, availability. Team members may be male or female, but there is also a separate Bundesliga for women’s chess. The season starts in October and ends in April. Venues for matches alternate between the participating clubs to minimise or equalise travel commitments for players. Many of the titled professionals are paid an appearance fee and/or travel expenses.
Each playing weekend normally comprises two matches for each team, played on consecutive days. Hence, four venues play host to two matches on each of the two days. Over the course of the season there are 15 rounds, in order that all teams play each other once.
The 2020 event was again won by OSG Baden Baden where eight teams competed over five days at the Garden Hall of the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre. Aronian takes on a renowned expert in the French Defence and wins with surprising ease… Aronian,L (2765) - Meier,Geo (2622) [C10] Bundesliga 2018–19 Berlin GER (9.3) 01.03.2019
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6
6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 c5 8. Bf4 a6 9. Be2 Bd6 10. Ne5 Qc7 11. Bf3 Nd7 12.0– 0 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. Qa4+ b5? (14…Bd7 15 Bxe5 Qxe5 16 Qa5 Bc6 17 Bxc6+ bxc6 is only a little better for White) 15. Bxe5 Qxe5
16. Qa5 Ra7 17. Bc6+
…Ke7 (17…Bd7 18 Rad1 Qc7 19 Rxd7! {19 Bxd7+ Ke7!?}…Qxa5 20 Rxa7+ Kd8 21 Rd1+ Kc8 22 Rdd7 is crushing) 18. Qb6 Rc7 19. Rad1 (Now the Black queen is fatally overloaded)… Rd8 20. f4 Qe3+ 21. Kh1 Rdd7 22. Bxd7 Rxd7 23. Rxd7+ Bxd7 24. Rd1 1–0
The prolific author, Fred Reinfield, gives his view of two great players: These two geniuses had an unrivalled insight into the nature of chess. Whereas the popularisers think of chess as being amenable to order, logic, exactitude, calculation, foresight and other comparable qualities, Steinitz and Tchigorin agreed on one thing: that chess can be, and often is, as irrational as life itself. It is full of disorder, imperfection, blunders, inexactitudes, fortuitous happenings, and unforeseen consequences. But whereas Steinitz strove with all his might to impose order on the irrational, Tchigorin went to the other extreme. Let us surrender to the irrational, he said in effect. Steinitz tried to banish the unforeseen. Tchigorin took delight in it. Steinitz sought order, system, logic, balance, broad basic postulates; Tchigorin wanted surprise, change, novelty, glitter, the lightning stroke from a clear sky. – Fred Reinfeld