Addendum to the 3rd match day: First win in the Regionalliga!
It was nothing for weak nerves, as after two defeats there was a great deal at stake for the team. The fastest decision came on board 5, where a sports watch decided the game against us. We then hoped for the points on the front boards. But on the first two only one point came out. Namik on three played safely as usual and took a draw. On four it caught Lukas again; his bogey opponent from the last round at the OIBM sat opposite him once more. So Tarrasch led on the first five boards 3.5 to 1.5. It thus came down to the back boards, where Ardian, Martin and Matvei proved their nerve and team spirit and brought the points safely home.
The games can be found here: https://www.ligamanager.schachbund-bayern.de/bsb/pgn/partien.htm?ligaId=2492
Premiere home match in the Regionalliga: Schachfreunde Augsburg win 5.5 to 2.5
There are some parallels between our clubs. The Schachfreunde from Augsburg were also founded only 13 years ago and are active in the youth field and at schools too. At the time I had completed the C-trainer course together with Aleksandar. We had often had matches in the youth field; this was the first time our teams met in the adult field. By 10 o’clock everything was prepared, and the games were started. In the first phase it looked balanced; Tugrul was behind on the clock but his position was good, Namik led on the clock for a long time but his opponent caught up, Lukas lost a pawn and fought. Norman had an interesting endgame on the board; his opponent sacrificed to get three connected passed pawns, though I only learned later how the position even arose. We also had spectators at the match; the kibitzers were Anton and Jochen, who also got the hoodie he had ordered.
The training with Matei and two junior players also took place next door. So our youngest used the situation and evaluated the position on board 1; it looked good for Tugrul, but technically it became ever harder, his opponent applying pressure. Namik slid into a balanced endgame and took a draw. On board 5, Leon’s, things were on fire and it went back and forth. Ardian played on six in his usual manner and let nothing go wrong. Matvei on board 7 had Black and let the opponent come on. He landed in an almost hopeless endgame but held firm. Kanthaneyan on board 8 had played well and won. In the Regionalliga we are obliged to enter the games after home matches; Jochen did the game entry in the library. There we noticed a particularly reckless manoeuvre on board 4: it would have been possible for Norman to win a queen, but sometimes you can’t quite believe that players of this strength also bluff or themselves overlook a decisive counter-move. Unfortunately the endgame was then lost after all, and Tugrul and Lukas also gave up their points. Now 2.5 points would have had to come from the last three boards, but the positions didn’t allow that. In the heat of the battle and in time trouble Leon could not continue his pressing play. Ardian drew and Matvei provided a highlight with his defensive fight, as he held in time trouble in the longest game with the most spectators and found a perpetual check. A rough wind blows for us in the Regionalliga, but we will keep improving.
The games of the round can be found here: https://www.ligamanager.schachbund-bayern.de/bsb/pgn/partien.htm?ligaId=2492
25.10. Start of the Munich Team Championship!
We mastered the match day in the Munich Team Championship on Friday with four teams. Several unforeseen absences caused, on balance, two empty boards. Only in the case of the 3rd team would it have mattered, as this team sensationally pulled off a 3.5 to 3.5 against MSA Zugzwang 5 in reduced numbers. The 2nd played in Forstenried against the 1st and had it tough. A board remained empty here on both sides. Martin defended the board up front; unfortunately Christoph on board 2 had no opponent, and the Forstenried boards behind that were superior. Only our oldies Jochen and Jürgen managed half points against opponents at and over 1700; against opponents around 1900 and more, Saksham, Kayra and Marcus could do nothing.
The 4th and 5th played away at AFK, the 4th against the 3rd and the 5th against the 6th. The fight of the 4th team in Class C was exciting for a long time. On two boards we led positionally and on two we were behind. Boards 2 and 3 were balanced; in the best case a draw would have been possible. Only Maxim on board 5 managed, at a score of 0-2, to complete his piece advantage with a fine king and mating attack. Next to him with Steven it looked very good for a long time, but the opponent’s active queen turned the game. Linus on board 3 played patiently. Oliver held the game in balance for a long time, but it wasn’t quite enough in the end. The team’s youngest, Jonas and Noel on 1 and 4, came off worse.
The 5th team did it all the better; Marco on 3 was the fastest to finish. Yasir on board 4, in what was, like Marco’s, his first appearance in the MMM, also took the point, though for him it took a little longer until he won the opponent’s queen. Mohammadreza on board 1 played with a safe king, first won a pawn, then gave back two for open files and didn’t allow the opponent to connect his rooks, extending the lead to 3-0. His son Mohammad on board 2 played solidly and, when everyone had finished, agreed a draw with his opponent in a balanced position.
12.10. Premiere in the Regionalliga: Narrow defeat in Dillingen!
Right in the first round it was a matter of making the longest journey of the season. Dillingen offered a very nice setting for the match. On board 1 Tugrul was the fastest to finish; there was a draw against the local FM. On board 2 Lukas tried everything to the end; he was the last to finish, but it was only enough for a draw, which was already a success in view of the opponent’s DWZ and Elo superiority. The same did not succeed for Nedas against a comparably strong opponent on board 3. Martin defended board 4 safely as usual; he took a half point for the team. On board 5 Ardian fought to the end and had unexpected success. By that time, however, Anton on 6 and Kayra on 8 had struck their colours, so it was only enough to amend the result. The interim equaliser to 2-2 was achieved by Matvei in an adventurous game on board 7. All in all, given the DWZ average – we had 130 fewer and had not lined up with the regular team – we can be satisfied with the result. An interesting thought would be whether we had even fielded the youngest team in the Regionalliga; the average age was just under 22.
Here you can get to the results, games etc.: https://www.ligamanager.schachbund-bayern.de/bsb/ergebnisse/spielplan.htm?ligaId=2492
28.09. New season – reports from four rapid-chess competitions: twice 2nd place and once 3rd place, one qualification and 200 euros prize money!
We’re back. The new season of the MMM starts soon; the qualifying tournaments of the U10 and the girls’ teams were on Saturday in Germering and Michelsneukirchen respectively. On Sunday the Oberliga, like the U10 the day before, took place on the same boards in Germering (the club’s 75th anniversary) and the Landesliga Süd in Rosenheim, where the honorary president of the Bavarian Chess Federation, Peter Eberl, was host. So it was a rapid weekend; we took part with a total of five teams in four competitions. We took two second places and became vice-champions, and once it was enough for the podium. The qualification for the German Club Championship was achieved by the U12w; Zuzanna, our guest player, had 5 out of 5. More than 2nd place would have been possible, but everyone was satisfied with the qualification. We were overtaken this time by SC Garching. Last year it was only enough for third place, so we had improved. Congratulations here to the team, which let nothing go wrong towards the end and took the necessary 4-0 in the final round for safe qualification. https://bayerische-schachjugend.de/bmmm-2025-bericht-ergebnisse/
In the U10 the first team came 10th and the second 25th. Bruno, who played on board 1 of the first team, scored the most points, namely 6 out of 7. No one was left without points and everyone gathered valuable experience. In the U10 we were indirectly involved in the championship, as two former active members of the team belonged to SK Gräfelfing. https://bayerische-schachjugend.de/bayerische-mannschaftsmeisterschaft-u10-2024/
In the Oberliga the aim was to improve on fourth place from last year. It started well, three times 3-1 against Höchstadt/Aisch, Kelheim and the Germering hosts. Only Arthur stayed without points; the others all scored. In the fourth round there was the defeat against the eventual champions from Augsburg. In the fifth round we then achieved the highest win against Garching, winning 3.5 to 0.5. In the sixth round followed the narrowest win against SV Röhrnbach. The final for second place was moved to the last round. Our players had fewer reserves; the strong opponents cost a lot of energy, while Bavaria Regensburg, by contrast, started with two defeats and cleared up the field from behind. Namik and Tugrul had to give up their hitherto clean sheets in the final round; Lukas took the consolation point. One further half point would have meant second place. We had already achieved our season goal – to reach the podium after fourth place last year – before the final round. Congratulations on a strong performance. https://s1.chess-results.com/tnr1262781.aspx?lan=1&art=63&SNode=S0
The second team also caused a stir. After the first win against Deisenhofen there was, in the second round, the first draw against the eventual champions SK Tarrasch. There then followed two wins against SK Weilheim and SK Kriegshaber before we gave up the decisive match point against the 2nd team from Augsburg. Two games were lost here simultaneously due to time forfeit, although the positions were by no means lost. So it came about that SK Tarrasch took the lead and, despite the wins in the last two rounds, we could no longer gather enough board points for the championship. Congratulations on the vice-championship in the Landesliga Süd. https://s3.chess-results.com/tnr1262897.aspx?lan=1&art=63&SNode=S0
It should be noted in passing that the adult teams, through their high placings, gathered a total of 200 euros in prize money. Only the Schachfreunde Augsburg had the edge; their two teams brought in 300 euros.
20.07.2025 On International Chess Day, two rapid tournaments at the ASZ!
Today we invited all school-chess children and club members to two rapid tournaments at ASZ Laim.
In the beginners’ group, 24 fought for the first three trophy places. In the end three managed four points out of five: Robert (U10), André (U8) and Ali (U10). Behind them followed, with Diego, Bastian and Nouyi, three club members.
1 Robert 4 0 1 4.0 15.5 11.50
2 Andre 4 0 1 4.0 13.5 11.00
3 Ali 4 0 1 4.0 13.0 9.50
4 Diego 3 1 1 3.5 15.0 9.25
5 Bastian 3 1 1 3.5 14.0 8.25
6 Nouyi 3 1 1 3.5 12.5 7.25
7 Luis 3 0 2 3.0 9.5 4.00
8 Lukas 2 1 2 2.5 15.0 6.75
9 Bogdan 2 1 2 2.5 14.5 6.25
10 Dario 2 1 2 2.5 13.5 4.75
11 Paul 2 1 2 2.5 12.5 4.75
12 Fedor 2 1 2 2.5 11.0 4.50
13 Min An 2 0 3 2.0 12.0 3.00
14 Milan 2 0 3 2.0 12.0 2.50
15 Faida 2 0 3 2.0 10.5 2.00
16 Amina 1 1 3 1.5 14.0 4.25
17 Pepe 1 1 3 1.5 9.0 1.50
18 Felix 1 0 4 1.0 12.5 1.50
19 Adam 0 2 3 1.0 11.0 1.75
20 Aurora 0 2 3 1.0 9.5 1.25
21 Eymen 1 0 0 1.0 4.0 0.00
22 Ela 0 0 1 0.0 1.0 0.00
In the other group, with title-holder Christoph Singer and 17 challengers, among them nine juniors, our passive member Arthur pulled off the surprise, becoming club champion with 4.5. Christoph came 2nd and Norman 3rd. His son and the tournament’s youngest participant, Leo, scored 2.5 points and came 13th. Best junior was Jonas with 3 points and 6th place, only narrowly overtaken by his father Oli with two points more on the Buchholz score. 4th was our former voluntary social-year worker Anian with 3.5 points.
1 Humbert,Arthur 1978 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 4 1 0 4.5 16.0 14.25
2 Singer,Christoph IM 2267 M FC Bayern Münch GER 4 0 1 4.0 16.5 12.00
3 Rohr,Norman 1843 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 4 0 1 4.0 14.5 10.50
4 Staude,Anian 1819 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 3 1 1 3.5 13.5 8.25
5 Weiß,Oliver 1445 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 3 0 2 3.0 15.5 7.00
6 Weiß,Jonas 1454 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 3 0 2 3.0 13.5 5.00
7 Ebermayer,Anton 1879 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 2 2 1 3.0 12.5 7.00
8 Nida-Rümelin,Noel 1261 M Schachfreunde München e.V. 2 1 2 2.5 14.5 6.50
9 Helfer,Marcus 1524 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 2 1 2 2.5 13.0 3.50
10 Dankic,Bruno 1339 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 2 1 2 2.5 12.0 4.25
11 Vasilakakis,Anton 1317 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 2 1 2 2.5 11.5 3.25
12 Lorbeer,Maxim 1240 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 2 1 2 2.5 11.0 2.25
13 Rohr,Leo Max 1272 M Schachfreunde München e.V. GER 2 1 2 2.5 10.5 2.25
14 Bergström,Anton M Schachfreunde München e.V. 2 0 3 2.0 9.5 1.00
15 Cacollari,Bearind 1037 M Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 0 4 1.0 12.0 1.00
16 Sheng,Marco M Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 0 4 1.0 10.0 1.00
17 Hackl,Tom Alexand 784 M Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 0 4 1.0 8.0 0.00
18 Hulka, Vasyl 0 0 5 0.0 11.0 0.00
13.07.2025 Team Championship U12 – (Unexpected) suspense until the final round
On Saturday the final of the Bavarian Team Championship U12 was on. Over three match days, in groups of four, half the teams had each been eliminated, until the four finalists were determined. Against all expectations the team had fought its way to the final, showing strong games along the way. Here we were then also big outsiders.
In the first round of the final it was straight away against the German champions TV Tegernsee. To great surprise it was, as expected, not enough, but a 1.5:2.5 was at least the narrowest conceivable defeat. On his debut Leo contributed a very fine win, where, behind, he spotted a four-move tactic and was able to turn the game around.
Noris Tarrasch Nürnberg in the second round was on average still 180 points stronger than our team, which is why, going into the match day, one could only expect third place anyway. All the more remarkable was the team performance: Smrithi – having travelled for this round just in time straight from the European Team Championship in Slovenia – was able to contribute a win, and Madhushri and Bruno a draw each. Everything was open; with a win in the final round against Germering, on paper the weakest opponent, second place and thus qualification for the German Championship was within tangible and realistic reach.
Unfortunately, in this final spurt, our team lacked the necessary fortune. Bruno was able to bring in a win on board four. Even the other games were level for a long time in material terms, but the imbalances each tipped the scales for Germering. Of course the children were disappointed; on the other hand they were on course for eight rounds, which is not a given and first has to be played out, so it was a fantastic performance by the whole team across all match days!
12.07.2025 Friendly match with the club from Morshyn on Friday at the ASZ!
On Friday the online friendly match with the club from Morshyn took place. Ten of us were to play against 10 juniors of the club. In the first round unfortunately no one could move yet, but after that it worked better. Extremely close was the final result; we lost 6 to 4. The surprise guest in our team was Namik, who at the chess festival was over 2300 in the live rating and will thus be our next title-holder.
06.07.2025 Bruno brilliant in the U10!
On Saturday, 05.07., we were involved in various tournaments. Several took part in the FC Bayern Kids & Teens Cup. Bruno took 1st place in the U10, Sai Varun came 5th, Diego landed in 23rd place. In the U8 his brother did better; André came 7th. At the same time the European Team Championship is taking place in Slovenia. Smrithi and our guest player Zuzanna are also part of the action. Last but not least our U16 team should be mentioned, which qualified early for the German Club Championship after the 1st match day. Congratulations to all!
But there was even much more in it: the championship and the simultaneous qualification for the U20 Landesliga! In the end the decision was extremely close; three boards against Augsburg ended drawn after a long fight, and the only game where we had a clear advantage was unfortunately lost in hindsight. So at least the qualification of a U16 team for the first time remains; the DVM takes place in Chemnitz, and Marcus will stand by them in his home city. We are also curious about how the U12 team fares – will they pull off the surprise?
30.06.2025 Semi-final in Nuremberg: Suspense until the final game
On Saturday, 28 June, the semi-final of the Bavarian U12 Club Championship took place in Nuremberg. In a group of four the teams fought for the two coveted final places.
In the first round our team met right away the group favourite Tarrasch Nürnberg. Smrithi was on the verge of an impressive opening win against a significantly higher-rated opponent, had mate already in sight – but a small mistake at the decisive moment cost material and ultimately the game. Jonas and his likewise significantly stronger opponent had both used up their thinking time, which forced them, with the 5-second-per-move increment, into lightning decisions. Jonas was on a pressing attack, but his opponent too was a few moves before promotion. In the time trouble the queens were exchanged, the position repeated and was just before the threefold repetition – but in evaluating the position Jonas lost sight of his time and with it the safe draw too. An unfortunate but instructive first round, in which Madhushri was able to achieve a fine draw.
Round two against SC Erlangen – like us and Tarrasch Nürnberg among the best four teams in the final the previous year – went considerably more pleasantly. Erlangen had to do without their number 2 that day and lined up with very inexperienced players on boards 3 and 4. Our players exploited this weakening decisively: three confident wins on the back boards secured us the first team success of the day.
After two rounds Tarrasch had already won twice, Erlangen had likewise lost clearly twice. For us it was thus clear: against the Schachfreunde Tegernheim a win was needed in the final round – a draw would not be enough due to the half-board-point deficit.
The start was not promising: after an hour’s play the games on the back two boards were over and it stood 0.5:1.5 through a draw from Bruno – elimination was imminent. But then came our hour: Jonas with White against the Scandinavian put his opponent under pressure with his opening repertoire alone. On the eleventh move he won the opposing queen for knight and bishop. At the same time Smrithi had worked out a pawn advantage, which she subsequently extended confidently and converted into a full point.
At the now 1.5:1.5 score, the last game had to bring the decision. The opponent played offensively; Jonas first won a rook for a knight but soon had to give up a rook himself for a minor piece in order to defuse the extreme imbalance. Seven moves later the opponent made a small mistake – and Jonas exploited the opportunity routinely. The win against the Schachfreunde Tegernheim and the hoped-for finals place were perfect!
In the final in two weeks, the reigning German champions TV Tegernsee, among others, now await. However, the disciplinary court still has to decide on a complaint by the BSJ.
19.06.2025. German Individual Championship
This year two represented the club in Willingen. One was Leo in the U8 and the other Smrithi in the U12w. Both fared well; Leo was in 27th place with a 50% score. Smrithi managed 5.5 points and was 13th. Zuzanna, who supported us at the DVM, reached 7th place with 6 points.
12.05.2025 Fine end to the season on the final match day!
Two teams are promoted; the greatest success of the young club’s history is surely the district championship. The Schachfreunde from Augsburg have also marched forward at this pace. Congratulations on the championship!
The second team only got going late in the season; the first rounds were surprisingly lost. After that the DWZ superiority made itself felt and, towards the end, 1st place became possible for the first time in the season!
22.04.2025 Girls on the march! Smrithi 4th in the end in the U12w
Three quarters of our U12 girls’ team, which became a brilliant 3rd in Germany, shared the first four places at the Bavarian U12 after three rounds with 2.5 points. Board 1 Smrithi and board 2 Zuzanna drew in the final round, Madhushri prevailed against Varvara. Tomorrow board 2 Zuzanna then meets board 3 Madhushri, who lost many DWZ points shortly before the championship but is now playing again as she last did at the DVM. Smrithi is very strong, as she showed at the Grenke Open, contesting seven games against opponents rated 1800. She had taken 2.5 from 7. We are curious about the further development in the tournament and wish the girls much luck and success.
The boys are in Bad Kissingen and are at about a 50% score. Bruno did pay some tuition at the start, as it’s the first time he’s at the Bavarian; after two rounds he had only a half point, but in the last two rounds he got going and lies with 2.5 in the upper midfield. Lukas won 2 and lost the 3rd game, Jonas took his hitherto only point in the 2nd round. After that it went, as is often the case in Swiss systems, less successfully for the girls; there was even a day on which they all lost. Smrithi managed in the end to reach 4th place. Bruno held on to his high starting figure, and Madhushri too had, on balance, delivered a strong tournament. The children and juniors grew with their tasks. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough here for qualification, but Leo, who came 3rd in Bavaria, may travel with a free place to the German Championship in Willingen.
11.04.2025 Promotion for SFM 1!
A historic moment in the short history of our club. The promotion of the first team succeeds before the final match day. We actually reckoned ourselves a chance already last year; I recalled Stephan’s words that there would also have to be pauses between promotions. Until then the team had climbed a league higher after every season. But it could also have turned out differently. Milan wasn’t always there, Namik had two games won by default in the first rounds, and the opponents’ board 1 was also missing twice. So luck was part of it too! There were narrow results, above all against RTA, where Niklas saved us the decisive point. But it was also the season of other players, above all Julio and Martin, who didn’t lose. We want to continue in the Regionalliga where we left off in the district league.
05.04.2025 1st team still on the march – U20 season mixed – Leo incredible final spurt and 3rd place at the Bavarian!
That was an intense week, on Tuesday guesting at Schwabing Nord, where a win was needed, as RTA still had three matches ahead of them. If they were to take six points and we stumbled and took only one point from the last two rounds, then the promotion would be gone. So we lined up in the best formation, our tried and trusted forces without a defeat on the first two boards, then the considerably younger Julio, who had also not lost so far, and on four the bear-strong Tugrul, who played for only the second time this season. Then followed the youngest of the bunch, Lukas, then Martin, who could always be relied upon this season, Leon and Anton. A toe-to-toe exchange on equal footing developed. Anton drew first; on board 1 it was balanced, on board 2 by contrast very sharp – Julio was on the attack, the opponent defended well, found the last moves, the result of the attacks was an extra pawn; on board 4 a strong attack against Tugrul, who is even better under pressure, luring the opponent out of his shell. Martin attacked wrongly and immediately offered a draw before the opponent realised it – again a very good chess move from him. Lukas had reached a balanced rook endgame with a slight advantage. Leon overran his opponent and locked the bishop in the corner. This point was safe. Board 2 ended drawn after a fierce fight, and board 1 also drew. Lukas lost control and fell behind. The late hour took its toll. I afterwards drove Lukas home; decisive now were boards 3 and 4. Both eventually won, so we could enjoy the 5-3 win. Just as last season it was a 5-3, only here we did not improve.
The U20 league repeated itself; our 2nd can hold its own well in the district league, but we could not field two strong teams in the 1st youth district league. Decisive were the individual results of the players; the U12 championship is coming up. Smrithi delivered a notable game, and Bruno took two out of two. Kayra improved by more than 100 DWZ points.
Ultimately Leo represented us at the Bavarian U8 Championship for the second time. This time he did really well and showed character. On the last day he was unbeatable and took surprising wins against two opponents who had more than 100 DWZ points more on their account.
17.03.2025 RKST at ASZ Laim
This time 24 children competed in the tournament, and it was won by Vitus Obermeier of SK Freising. A pretty good run was also had by Leo Max Rohr and David Kovacs, who each gave up only one point, against the winner. David had the bigger chances against Vitus Obermeier; a moment’s carelessness decided the tournament win. David was also overtaken by Zhou Elias, who came 3rd.
In the first round there were, alongside the favourites’ wins on the front boards, small surprises too; thus several children without a DWZ achieved their results on the way to a first evaluation. In the second round the DWZ favourites prevailed up to board 8. In the 3rd round it became really exciting; the favourites around and over 1000 had pulled away and played each other.
David’s game against Qiu Caspar was a close affair. David did lead with one and later even two pawns, but thanks to the rook’s pawn advanced to the seventh rank there were drawing chances that remained unused. Leo’s game against Zhou Elias was clear-cut; with a large material advantage Leo delivered mate.
In the penultimate round there were two top games. Obermeier Vitus had a hard time against David Kovacs, but he got back into the game and won. Leo again prevailed in an interesting endgame with a knight against two extra pawns, and it was again a rook’s pawn that played a role. The king, with the knight’s help, had to save this last remaining pawn over the finish line. At the same venue Leo had practised this position a few months earlier in the training group led by his father!
There were six girls who took part in the tournament. Piatrushko Alisa was the best girl with 2.5 points. For many it was their first tournament and the debut succeeded well.
Seven children took part in the accompanying tournament. Here Noel Nida-Rümelin prevailed against the tournament favourite Bruno Dankic and won the tournament with 4.5 points.
16.03. SFM1 and 2 keep their chances, SFM 3 and 4 lose
The two first teams had, three rounds before the end of the season, two important matches to contest against direct rivals. One of these was RTA 1 with many familiar faces, as it’s my first chess club, and the other, for the 2nd team, Neuperlach SK, where with Bruno there was also an ex-RTA player.
Now to the matches: SFM1 against RTA1 – on boards two and three the players had agreed a draw. Lukas too had a lot on that evening, as the squad course in Oberhaching was coming up. He too agreed a draw. On the other boards the fight continued. First Ardian overlooked a one-mover and the opponent’s attack went through. Milan on board 1 then equalised. On the remaining boards it looked best on 8, on the other two roughly balanced. Bernhard had not pursued the winning path consistently and allowed his opponent a comeback; a zugzwang situation decided the position to our disadvantage. On 7 Martin took the point in return. Now everything depended on Niklas, who defended a difficult endgame position until midnight. His knight had to neutralise, in the endgame against a bishop a pawn down, the opponent’s passed pawns and the entry squares for the king. With the 4-4 we kept our distance to RTA1, who will still have a catch-up match in Deisenhofen.
SFM2 won 6 to 1 and further improved its board ratio. After a reserved start in the league, the team is now on a roll and is living up to the DWZ expectation. Only Wynnie lost; all the others won. SFM3 lost by the same result against the favourites from Höhenkirchen, and 4 came under the wheels against TSV Solln 2 to 4.
03.03. GS Martinsried is also at the final round!
Gymnasium Moosach has qualified, GS Martinsried received the free place, so probably eight members will travel to Neumarkt on 15 March!
23.02. School teams thrill!
In the primary-school tournament, an excellent 2nd place was achieved with our members from the Martinsried primary school. There were also 15th, 20th, 28th, 33rd and 38th places for our teams. In WK3 the team of the Lion-Feuchtwanger-Gymnasium with Tugrul and Tugce won. The dramatic final came in WK2, where the team of the Josef-Effner-Gymnasium with Niklas and Matvei met the Gymnasium Moosach with Leon, Oliver, Saksham and Steven. A blitz play-off for the tournament win had to be held twice; here Gymnasium Moosach narrowly prevailed. Both the Martinsried primary school and the Josef-Effner-Gymnasium have earned a free place.
From the Feldmoching Gymnasium alone there were eight teams with thirty children, thanks to Stefano. Feldmoching 1 achieved 4th place in WK3. Here the prospects for the coming years are very good; the toughest competition with Tugrul and Tugce moves up to WK2 next year, and with the newly founded chess club further talents will strengthen the team.
21.02. 1st team drama in Kirchheim – 2nd wins convincingly, 3rd and 4th lose against the Bayern teams
The indicator for me is always the games from the last season. So far we have managed to turn a 4-4 into a 4.5 to 3.5 in Deisenhofen, to turn the narrow 3.5 to 4.5 defeat against Bayern at the time, away in the home match, into a 5.5 to 2.5, and last Friday it was the encounter against AFK. Last year we lost our home match surprisingly 2.5 to 5.5. We had three absences to cope with; Lukas, Nedas and Tugrul couldn’t make it. AFK did without their strong middle board. This time we had the edge, narrowly, with 4.5 to 3.5.
16.02. U20 team fought, but in the end unfortunately it wasn’t enough!
The first round against Aschheim ended 2-2. Matvei had a won position but a calculation error crept in. Leon surprisingly beat Fabian, Lukas won as expected, and Antonin drew the short straw against the far more experienced Jakob. By then everyone already thought all hope had floated away. But I looked at the table and, since SF Augsburg 2 was nulled, we suddenly had a match point and two board points more on our account. Against Freising at least a 3-1 would have been needed, and in the parallel match between MSC and Tegernheim a clear MSC win. At first it looked as though the calculation would work out, MSC leading on all boards, but that wasn’t so – it ended 2.5 to 1.5. So we would already have had to win 4-0, but Leon had to resign on board 1 and Matvei also lost. Lukas and Antonin won; for Antonin it was the first win against a player with such a high rating, namely 1770. The consolation was that the team was nevertheless in good spirits. In the district there can then be a fight for promotion again. Leon, Matvei, Antonin and Maxim will not be able to take part. For the others it then means attempting an immediate return. Many thanks to Stefano, who drove and accompanied the team.
10.02. Four teams at the ASZ for the first time this season!
The 1st took the expected win, although Julio, Lukas and Norman gave up half points. Matvei’s and Namik’s games were worth seeing. The 2nd had it easy, as the first three boards of Ismaning 2 remained empty. Here Andreas fought longest and brought in the point, just like Marcus. The 3rd had it hardest against Tarrasch 5. Samy and Sebastian won, Alexander took a draw, the others lost. The 4th team prevailed against Haar 4. Kayra set the final point; before that Bruno celebrated his debut in the team with a win, Jonas also won, Fedor drew and Oli gave up the full point.
19.01. 32 players in action over the weekend in teams or individually!
Of these, five took part in Ingolstadt at the DSAM; Smrithi stayed 100%, and her and Tugrul’s (4 out of 5 and 2nd place) games were broadcast live: https://lichess.org/broadcast/german-amateur-championship-202425—ingolstadt-qualifier/TmolPP9W
In the team rankings we also won: https://www.dsam-cup.de/ingolstadt/turnier.php?typ=vereine
So there were three trophies and likewise three qualifications (Smrithi, Saksham and Tugrul) for the young team. That was a wonderful start to the DSAM!
In the MMM we were represented by three teams. The 1st won against Bayern; Lukas and Norman are the eternal points providers against Bayern 5, taking the points for the second time. Namik drew quickly, so he has curiously won twice by default and taken two draws. The others, except Milan on board 1, played long. He has so much routine that he found himself in rapid-chess mode against his opponent, who needed a great deal of time, until the position collapsed. Norman won on board 8 with a spectacular bishop sacrifice on h7, and Martin had a pesky knight stationed in the opponent’s half that, owing to a discovered attack, was unbeatable and was converted into an extra pawn. Christoph and Ardian drew the short straw. All in all a successful chess evening for the 1st team, which gives hope for a successful season.
Jochen debuted in the 2nd team and has gathered his insights about his game here: Straub-Obermeier
The 2nd team lost, as did the 3rd team; there the gremlins were at work, the concessions to the 1st team were felt.
12.01. Bruno does it! He comes 1st in the U10!
He hasn’t been playing that long but started early enough. 1st place, congratulations; Lukas and Madhushri are through too. Smrithi will probably also be allowed to take part in the Bavarian.
20.12. The U12 girls take bronze in Bad Homburg!
What a final round that was! From 5th place to 3rd or 2nd was possible despite our defeat against König Plauen. We were dependent on outside help and had a little luck that Garching couldn’t manage a 2-2 against the eventual champions of SAV Torgelow-Drögeheide; board 1 seemed unstoppably in front, but some imprecise moves led to a drawn position against the favourite.
We can state that all our players exceeded themselves. With Zuzanna one had the impression that she was somewhat under-challenged; she played incredibly precisely despite the little time, and on balance was never really behind; Smrithi clawed back points that seemed lost, having to strike her colours only twice, once very bitterly in the penultimate round in a balanced position, but I am convinced that this experience made her mentally stronger, as she was able to turn the game around in the final round. Madhushri was also in very good form and took five points. In both lost games she had played well, made up deficits and, overall, had only a few wobbles. For Paula it was important to gather experience, and she did her job well. She also took a decisive point. She comes out of the tournament strengthened by the team’s success too.
27.12. U12w in Bad Homburg
In the first round there was a 3-1 against SG Leipzig. Paula managed a good game and was just before a win, but a knight fork foiled the win. Zuzanna was finished very quickly; Smrithi and Madhushri waited patiently for the chance; Madhushri’s position would have been over by a hair had her opponent seen the pin of the pawn on move 22. But after the opponent failed to use the chance, Madhushri brought in the point safely. We now compete against Freiburg-Zähringen and are the favourites again.
In the 2nd round it stands 1-0 for us after Paula’s win! Madhushri has just freed herself and equalised, Zuzanna is at +2 and with Smrithi it’s level. --- Now we lead 3-0. Smrithi has it tough on board 1. --- It has ended 3-1 for us for the second time.
In the 3rd round it’s against TSG Oberschöneweide from the capital. --- Paula is again first to finish, this time she loses against the favourite. One move decided the game, a capture with the king instead of the queen. Madhushri has just extended her advantage to +1.5, and Zuzanna likewise leads, only Smrithi has a somewhat worse position, but it can be held. --- Zuzanna wins for the 3rd time, it stands 1-1. Madhushri leads and Smrithi is behind. --- the broadcast stalls; board 3, according to Martin, stands better! --- Madhushri wins, Smrithi still fights! --- and she actually turns the game around and leads the team to another 3-1 win!
In the 4th round the match against SC Garching is on. Two teams from the Munich chess district mix it up right at the top of the German Club Championship. Scores --- Smrithi has to face Varvara, an Alapin with declined Smith-Morra came onto the board --- Zuzanna has already worked out a big advantage --- Madhushri holds firm in the Ponziani --- Paula stands somewhat under pressure, but everything is still possible --- after a wobble with f6 Madhushri is level again --- Paula is in a closed position, no breakthrough yet --- Madhushri castles like her opponent too --- Paula frees herself with Bh6, or rather the opponent gives up the advantage with f5 --- Paula has got into a complicated position, would have to give the queen for rook and bishop --- nothing is decided yet, Paula plays without a queen in the imbalance courageously --- Smrithi now gains the upper hand --- Madhushri level --- Zuzanna still 1.5 in plus --- Zuzanna’s advantage has melted away --- but now Madhushri gets going! --- Paula’s game was very good, she played courageously, it was a technically difficult game with ups and downs, the opponent was just before mate, but she saw the venomous trap with the undefended rook and ultimately prevailed --- the other games are still running --- Smrithi has two connected passed pawns --- Madhushri leads by a piece --- with Zuzanna it looks like a draw --- and there’s the draw already --- now it is within grasp, the two friends lead in technically simple positions, at 2.5 to 1.5 for us we’d have a two-point gap to the chasing pack --- Smrithi equalises, Madhushri doubles the rooks on the penultimate rank, it’s only a matter of time --- It’s done!
Round 5: today we play against SAV Torgelow-Drögeheide 90 and it stands 1-1 after two hours --- it’s nothing for weak nerves, there were many ups and downs --- Madhushri and Smrithi are still at the board and have the task of getting at least a draw --- Smrithi has to get through a difficult position in the middlegame; with correct play the opponent would have been on top --- with Madhushri it was the reverse, she had the win on the board, her opponent afterwards likewise --- now both have arrived in the heavy-piece endgame --- for Madhushri it is technically harder with rook and bishop against rook and knight and insecure pawns on her side --- Madhushri has fought back from a trap in the opening and briefly has the chance of an advantage, but unfortunately the game has tipped to her disadvantage again, she unfortunately overlooked a fork in the endgame; will Smrithi still be able to turn her game around? --- Smrithi draws, for the first time the team loses --- in the next round everyone has the next chance!
In the 6th round against hosts Bad Homburg, … --- Paula survives a critical opening with e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 and d4! --- On Madhushri’s board the Greco is applied, she has theory on it, it was played with Nd2 instead of Nc3, there are various possible continuations --- it’s still level everywhere --- critical position with Madhushri, after Re1+ and she finds the best move! --- everything is currently fine --- Paula has the bishop pair --- Zuzanna pulls away again, leads by a pawn and positionally; will the lead be enough today? --- Zuzanna finds very good moves! --- Smrithi led wafer-thin, Madhushri level --- Paula has fallen behind, she kept up well until move 18 --- with Zuzanna the advantage seems to be over, if the opponent finds the move; a moment’s carelessness is enough, we still hope for her endgame skills if this move has really happened --- Madhushri has a minimal advantage --- Smrithi still level --- the moves are no longer being broadcast --- Madhushri and Zuzanna win, Paula loses --- can Smrithi do it, a draw would be very important! --- unfortunately it didn’t work out, after a long fight in a balanced position a mate in 1 overlooked!
In the 7th round --- it stands 1-0 for Plauen --- the other games are tense, first a draw was shown with Zuzanna --- I would have been surprised, the game runs on and there is an advantage for us --- Madhushri could just extend the lead too --- Smrithi has to fight against an overwhelming force --- Zuzanna’s game again within drawing margin or perhaps already a draw --- now it has happened after all, Madhushri overlooked a fork --- now the top places have become less likely --- the pressure was too great after all and the tournament lasts seven rounds --- but the two friends fight on --- now Smrithi comes back into the game after all and can equalise --- once again she found the way out and took the point --- Madhushri is in a lost position, we probably lose 1.5 to 2.5. --- 4th place is likely, which would be an excellent result --- whether the hosts win against Oberschöneweide or vice versa, by my calculation 3rd place is also possible --- we congratulate SAV Torgelow-Drögeheide 90 on the championship!
15.12. Dates until the end of January
this year will come to an end with three different tournaments:
1. The U12 girls play for the championship in Bad Homburg: https://www.deutsche-schachjugend.de/2024/dvm-u12w/sf-muenchen/
2. In Aschach the Open takes place again, here Milan plays: https://donauopen.at/
3. In Böblingen there is also an Open: https://boeblinger-open.de/index.php/de/?view=article&id=296:40-internationales-boeblinger-open-2024&catid=10
At the start of next year the first chess tournament in Munich is the Sternsinger Charity Tournament on 04 January: https://www.schachbezirk-muenchen.de/pd-kat-ansicht/category/54-externes.html?download=939:sternsinger-benefiz-turnier-obermenzing-2025
On the same day a youth Open also takes place in Königsbrunn: https://sk-koenigsbrunn.de/
After that, from 10 to 12 January, comes the Munich Individual Championship. Registration is possible here: https://www.schachbezirk-muenchen.de/pd-kat-ansicht/category/45-turnierschach.html?download=948:mjem-2024-25
We play with our teams at ASZ Laim on Friday 17 January:
SFM1 against Bayern5
SFM2 against SC Eching2
SFM3 against SG Aschheim/Feldkirchen/Kirchheim 2
On 25 January the Mini-Olympiad with three-player teams takes place.
At the same time the U20 team plays for survival again in Augsburg.
On the last weekend, from 31.01. to 02.02., the Elo tournament takes place at ASZ Laim.
08.12. We saw it coming, yet underestimated it – an avalanche of chess dates!
It’s done. Surprising was the showing of Schachfreunde München e.V. 4 on Friday in Garching; despite the DWZ difference there was a thumping surprise. With 4 to 2, this time the Botev family was very successful, while the Weiss family left two points lying; Fedor unfortunately came too late, Kayra stepped in and took the point. For 2 and 3 it went badly – there were defeats; Südost is currently not a pleasant opponent, first a defeat in the MMM on Thursday and then in the league cup on Sunday. The U20 also had to bleed, two avoidable defeats in a better line-up. The 1st team fought its way to a win, exciting games in Deisenhofen; despite the absence of Tugrul and Milan, a 4.5 to 3.5, last year still a 4-4, and the cup team too lived up to its favourite’s role, a 3.5 to 0.5 against Höhenkirchen. The U14/U16 championship is a chapter in itself; in the best line-up it would have been even clearer, but even so the first U16 team took the championship untroubled. By contrast the first U14 team had to make sacrifices, as Smrithi and Saksham were needed in the U16. This disappointment was made up for by the second U14 and U16 teams, which for their part took second and first place respectively. Ultimately we confirmed the depth of our squads; the second U16 guard gives particular hope, but so too does the second U14 team with its far-too-young participants, mostly born in 2016 with a few exceptions.
26.11. Team dates: MMM, U20 Landesliga, Cup MMPT and MLPT, and Munich U14/16 Team Championship!
05.12.2024 19:30 TSV Solln 2 Schachfreunde München e.V. 3 . - 4-3
06.12.2024 19:30 SK München Südost 3 Schachfreunde München e.V. 2. - 5-2
06.12.2024 19:30 SC Garching 1980 6 Schachfreunde München e.V. 4. - 2-4
06.12.2024 19:30 SF Deisenhofen 1 Schachfreunde München e.V. 1. - 3.5-4.5
07.12. 2024 U20 Landesliga Süd SC Haar - Schachfreunde München e.V. (ASZ Laim). - 3-1
07.12. 2024 U20 Landesliga Süd Schachfreunde München e.V. - Münchener SC 1836 (ASZ Laim). - 0.5-3.5
08.12.2024 11:00 Cup MMPT Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 - : 8 SV Höhenkirchen (ASZ Laim). - 3.5-0.5
08.12.2024 11:00 Cup MLPT Schachfreunde München e.V. 4 1731 : 12 SK München Südost 2 (ASZ Laim). - 0-4
08.12.2024 10:00 U14 Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 Münchener SC 1836 (Quiddestr. 4). - 0-4
08.12.2024 13:00 U14 MSA Zugzwang 82 Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 (Quiddestr. 4). - 2-2
08.12.2024 10:00 U14 SK Tarrasch 1945 München Schachfreunde München e.V. 2 (Quiddestr. 4). - 2-1
08.12.2024 13:00 U14 FC Bayern München 2 Schachfreunde München e.V. 2 (Quiddestr. 4). - 3-1
08.12.2024 16:00 U14 Schachfreunde München e.V. 2 TSV Solln (Quiddestr. 4). - 4-0
08.12.2024 10:00 U16 Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 SF Dachau 1932 (Quiddestr. 4). - 2-2
08.12.2024 13:00 U16 FC Bayern München Schachfreunde München e.V. 1 (Quiddestr. 4). - 3-1
08.12.2024 10:00 U16 SF Deisenhofen Schachfreunde München e.V. 2 (Quiddestr. 4). - 2-2
24.11. Impressive statistics U14/U16 Championship
There are a total of four leagues, two district leagues and two 2nd leagues, of which we lead in three; 48 games were possible that Sunday with four teams, of which we filled 47 boards, on two there was no opponent, one board was left empty by us in the 3rd round of the second U16 league; from the 12 matches there were 10 wins, one draw and one defeat, we scored 36 of 48 possible points, that is 75% of the games won. Of 24 possible match points, 21 belonged to us.
U16 the First
But one thing at a time: first we faced the U16 district league Southeast, where it took shortest with Matvei; Saksham then led with two pawns, but it wasn’t enough for a win. Lukas worked on his opponent patiently and took the point, as did Smrithi. The second round was somewhat demanding; Zugzwang might perhaps have achieved something with the best team, I assumed so and fetched Leon, who had already taken the point in the U20 league yesterday, David also came, and the same team that had played at last year’s U14 DVM in Magdeburg sat at the board. Only the order had changed, Lukas and Leon having swapped on 1 and 2. The games did not go so clearly; Leon got going fastest, playing aggressively in the belief that his counterpart had a higher DWZ. He was rewarded with the point and the mate shortly before the thinking time of his two-year-younger opponent expired. Given that on 3 and 4 there were no-names at the board, they put up some resistance. Matvei won the pawn and exchanged purposefully; David had open files and used them effectively with his heavy pieces; only on board 1 was it not enough for a game-deciding advantage. After the round, Leon and Matvei had said goodbye, and Saksham slid back in and Kayra into the team for the first time. The loss of a point on board 4 caused some agitation. The other boards were unclear; according to Alexander’s words Saksham stood better a pawn down, the other two boards were still open. The routine of our players means that they can also take points from such games. All in all it was a good day for the U16 district-league team; the chances at the championship were maintained as expected, and on 08 December the final point can be set.
U16 the Second
The organisation of the second U16 team caused me the least difficulty; it almost played through and fitted together wonderfully, Marc I had only reached the evening before and he slid in for Timon. Antonin and Linus convinced on 2 and 4 and took all the points, Marc scored two out of three. Kayra on board 1 had it hardest, winning and losing once each. The players of this group have thereby also recommended themselves for deployment in the adult teams; next season a team starting in Class E might even come about.
U14 the First
Against Dachau in the 1st round we didn’t catch our best line-up, as Smrithi and Saksham were lent to the U16 and Neyan arrived too late, so it came about that we won 2.5 to 1.5. This was also owing to the deployment of Tigran, who, together with Mohammad, arrived at the end of the grace period due to the S-Bahn disruption. Seva lost, Fabian won quickly and Sai Varun forced a draw. The second round against Vaterstetten went quite convincingly to us 4-0. Against Bayern we had to do without Saksham; Smrithi lived up to her favourite’s role, Neyan drew against a contemporary, Mohammad and Sai Varun couldn’t make up the thin DWZ deficit and the age difference of three and five years respectively, and lost.
U14 the Second
In the first round two points by default on 3 and 4 helped us. Madhushri took only a draw and Mohammad lost; the loss of thinking time had had its effect.
In the second round there was a DWZ superiority, as the opponents were before their first evaluation, and a 4-0 against Solln. In the third we won 2.5 to 1.5 against Bayern 2. Tigran complained that his opponent claimed mate and then swept the pieces off the board.
**22.11. Team tournament for children on Saturday at ASZ Laim!
**
Here are the results: https://chess-results.com/tnr1067008.aspx?lan=0
17.11. Three of 10 at the School Chess Individual Championship and unfortunately only one of four in the cup
On Saturday our favourites played a blinder and repeated their successes from last year; again Fabian, Smrithi and Tugrul stood in 1st place. Tugce and Madhushri took the girls’ trophies. In the primary-school tournament we didn’t quite make the podium; among the second-graders Sai Varun and among the third-graders Bruno were likewise in 4th place. But they were also allowed to go home with a trophy.
In the cup on Sunday it didn’t go to our taste, but ultimately it’s fair to continue with two teams. The fourth team achieved the narrowest result and was eliminated on Berlin tie-break; Seva on board 4 was fastest to finish, the other three played long, Timon drew the short straw and had to resign, almost simultaneously Linus’s game was a draw, and Kayra stood so under pressure that he offered a draw in the critical phase of the team match. The third team met the youth team of Zugzwang; only Ahmed drew, the others won clearly, Alexander having to exert himself most on board 2. In the 4th team Matvei was missing on board 1, Saksham lost on the second, Sebastian and Fedor stood well and were in the better position, which they could not convert, however. The 2nd team played against Dachau 1. Milan won on 1, then Wynnie drew on 4; it was foreseeable that Marcus’s opponent, with two and at times three extra pawns, had big winning chances, which he also converted. Nedas risked too much, his opponent countered cleverly, and so the 2nd was also eliminated.
16.11. Four of four in the MMM!
On Friday we were hosts with our teams at Gymnasium München Moosach, as twice before last season. Back then the 1st team managed only one match point in two rounds; all the more impressively it went yesterday evening. With 8-0 the 1st won against MSC3. On board 1 GM Milan Pacher debuted against IM Hennig Dirk; from the start it went a little better for Black, it was not easy to convert the advantage but Milan ultimately managed his first point, Niklas fought longest and he too took the full point, like Tugrul, Nedas, Lukas, Ardian in the meantime. On boards 2 and 3 we took the points by default. The 2nd team was also hopelessly superior; against the team of my old club RTA4 there was an expected 6-1; the surprise team of the season is the 3rd team, which is doing far better than expected and took its second win, this time against Vaterstetten-Grasbrunn with 4.5 to 2.5 with one board by default! The 4th team was not to step out of line and followed up with 4 to 2 against Tarrasch5. In total we gave up only 5.5 of 28 possible points.
27.10. Tournaments next month – an overview
Training and tournament will alternate in the coming weeks. First of all GM Milan Pacher will introduce himself to the adult team and the juniors on Friday and Saturday. We hope for further impulses from which we benefit. The following tournaments are coming up in November.
At the OIBM Tugrul and Lukas are already taking part (Tugrul with 1.5 and Lukas with 1 out of 2). At the Friedensopen in Augsburg from 29 October, Smrithi will represent the club.
For the DWZ cup tournament in Deisenhofen on 09 November everyone can still register by email: deisenhofen@dwz-pokalturniere.de
On 15 November and 17 November the adult teams play in the league and the cup.
On 16 November we celebrate Children’s Day with workshops at the ASZ, and at the same time the school chess tournament takes place. Registration by 12 November at www.schachbezirk-muenchen.de/jugend
On 20 November the DWZ tournament takes place at the Pelkovenschlössl. We play on two levels, so up to 54 can now take part after all. There are still some free places.
On 22 November our seniors’ team guests in Deisenhofen.
On 23 November the team tournament for children in the morning and the Mini-Olympiad at ASZ Laim for all age groups will be repeated. Three-player teams play against each other. Announcements to follow. Registration of teams etc.: willkommen@schachfreunde-muenchen.de
At the same time we send a U20 team to Augsburg.
20.10. Whether at Bernie’s DWZ tournament, the international U8 tournament in Sebnitz or simply on lichess – our children reach the next level!
Once again quite a few of our tournament-hungry children took part in various chess tournaments over the weekend. Two of our delegates had guested the whole week in Sebnitz (Saxony). Sai Varun reached 5.5 of a possible 9 points (11th place) and Leo 4.5 (22nd place). Both gathered valuable tournament experience and come back strengthened from the tournament. On Saturday, at the same time as the prize-giving, the Bavarians’ DWZ tournament also took place. Here we are already regular customers. This time a total of two children took part in the U10 and Madhushri in the U12 group, three further members mixing it up in the amateur groups. There were two golds, two silvers and one bronze. Darsh won two games and thus his three-player group, as Bruno was ill and could only play on lichess. On Friday he had a real flow and played unleashed, improving his rating by 100 rating points! Darsh’s DWZ is probably, after the next evaluation, just over 1100, just like Mohammad’s, who beat Linus in his group and scored two out of three, thus landing in 2nd place. Madhushri gave up only a half point from five games. Originally she was supposed to take part with the amateurs too. Bearind found a good start in the U10 tournament and reached third place. In the last game against the tournament winner he achieved a half point. This game lasted very long, although the drawn position in the rook endgame with a rook’s pawn had been reached. The surrounding parents applauded the two at the end. Ahead of Bearind, Tigran came second, having resolved to use his thinking time. This succeeded surprisingly well! He gave up the half point only against Bearind.
12.10 MMM: the 2nd and 3rd teams win too
Who would have expected that, a team with a grandmaster in Class B! We actually wanted to make a novelty of fielding our GM Milan Pacher in the district league. But I had looked forward too early to the game on board 1 against Poing; Leon was not allowed to face his first title-holder. In return he took the full point, as did the youngest in the team, namely Matvei. So the young ones took the full points, the older ones contributed on average a half point each, like Wynnie, Andreas, Norman, Alexander – the latter a full one, as the opponent didn’t appear – and Marcus unfortunately none. The 3rd team did it even better against Ismaning and won 6-1. Here the average age is even younger; only Antonios and Corbinian drew, the others took full points. Very strong was Saksham’s win, whose opponent had 1857. Alexander’s opponent even had more. So everyone could be pleased about DWZ gains. That was probably the most successful season opener to date!
10.10. 1st match day – 2 points
At the Pelkovenschlössl, where our next DWZ tournament takes place on Buß- und Bettag, on Wednesday 20.11., and where we train twice a week, we were yesterday guests of Schach-Union. Namik drew early on board 1, in a worse position but in good spirits, as a birthday was coming up, and said his goodbyes soon. In between I had to leave; when I came back the second draw on board 8 was already settled, Winfried and Anton having agreed. After that dramatic positions developed, above all Martin’s is to be thought of, who showed strong nerves in an almost hopeless situation, withstood the opponent’s attacks and was then able to mount a counterstrike. After Christoph had already finished on board 7, two extra pawns in a bishop endgame forced the opponent to resign, and Martin extended the lead further. Julio waited until he found the decisive tactic; his opponent let the clock run down in the search for the best liquidation, but the position was lost. Niklas had a slightly advantageous position and tried a pawn breakthrough, which could be neutralised by the opponent. Ardian was finished by then and also took the half point. Nedas led by a pawn; he could have played on for the win, but the team was already through by then. Without a single defeat we won this match. It can continue like this on 15.11. against MSC at Gymnasium München Moosach!
07.10. We’re going to Bad Homburg with the U12w after all, and successes in Kelheim at the DWZ tournament
The news about the DVM kept piling up; although this year, after a long time, we hadn’t qualified, two teams got the chance to move up. In the U14 three important players were missing, so no application could be submitted. In the U12w it also hung by a thread, but in the end we can field a team. Smrithi already took part in the DWZ tournament in Kelheim and won her group. She raised her DWZ to over 1500 and will also play for Bavaria in the friendly match against Saxony. Madhushri didn’t catch a good day. In the group over 1150 Kayra won convincingly, and in a similarly strong group Seva came off worse. In the U10 we were heavily represented with four players; in the end Bruno won convincingly, second was Mohammad, whose father also scored 2.5 points at his first tournament and won the group over 1200. In 4th place was Darsh and in 5th Tigran.
29.09. Bavarian U10 Championship
We competed, as last year, with three teams. From last year, however, only Sai Varun was still there, who at the time scored two points in the 3rd team. Thanks to his good development he was allowed onto board 1 of the 1st team. Against Ammersee he let a won game slip from his grasp, but Bearind, Bruno and Leo won. In the second round we met the well-known Zugzwang players, the eventual vice-champions and seeded No. 5. Thanks to Bruno and Leo on 3 and 4 we pulled off the surprise with a 2-2. We hoped that similar surprises would succeed for us as the tournament continued. The 2-2 against Germering 2 was not among them; this time we did not live up to our favourite’s role. Board 2 let the game slip with a piece up. After that came the first real setback; against the more experienced Vaterstetten team there was only a 1-3. Bruno took the consolation point. Leo came well out of the opening but couldn’t convert the advantage. So it was sealed that no surprise was to come. We won one more team match and then lost against Garching 3-1. Here only Leo triumphed, and Bruno lost for the first and only time. In the final round there followed the in-club final against the 2nd team.
In the 2nd team Mohammad stood out; he played very thoughtfully and very long games. A loss against SC Dillingen resulted from a wrong castling move, but here too he kept the position closed very cleverly and was able to free himself from the cramped situation, though in the open exchange of blows two mistakes then crept in. One could watch his games spellbound. His game against the experienced Henry was also very well played; he marched forward with connected passed pawns, his opponent defended well in the worse position and even turned the game around, but since his team was already leading 3-0, they agreed a draw after all. Darsh had his good moments in the first half on three. Jan rounded out the team on four. In the direct comparison he still won against Leo, Bruno took the point against Darsh, so Bruno was the best scorer of all the teams with 5.5 and justified his deployment on board 3. Tigran and Bearind agreed a draw. SFM1 won and came 13th, just behind SFM2 in 15th place, and SFM 3 landed in 25th place.
The third team also played well, and with a little luck more than four match points would have been possible too. Ultimately all the teams improved compared to the seeding, SFM1 by one place, SFM2 by six and SFM3 by two places.
Next year too, strong competition awaits us. Several strong teams will be able to field the same line-up. Mohammad will most likely lead the U10 team; although he was inferior in the direct comparison against Sai Varun, he is a year older and can hold his own well against stronger players.
23.09. Bavarian Girls’ Championship U12w
This year we again took part in the Girls’ Championship in Michelsneukirchen and sent a very strong U12 team into the race; by DWZ we were favourites. In rapid chess, however, the balance of power can shift easily, so it came about that the first three teams settled the coveted places 1 and 2 among themselves. The result against Schwarz-Weiß Nürnberg was a draw, but against the eventual vice-champion SC Garching there was an unfortunate narrow defeat. After that Schwarz-Weiß Nürnberg’s win against Kelheim was still on the line, but it ultimately ended according to form. So we landed in 3rd place; as consolation we can note that the same girls will of course be able to compete again, far stronger, in the same age group.
17.09. Tournaments, tournaments, tournaments, over the weekend!
On Saturday it already started in Augsburg; the troupe of four boys dared to take on the strong rapid Open of SK Kriegshaber, with which the club celebrated its 100th anniversary. It went especially well for Kayra, who made it to 66th place. Bearind won against Sara on the second day and took further points. Timon and Linus also played well. On Sunday it was off for eight of our members to Ingolstadt; we met Bruno on the motorway, they drove to Ingolstadt and we to Regensburg for the Oberliga. Sai Varun won the DWZ cup in Ingolstadt with 100% to take 1st place in the U10 and is now over 1100 again, Bruno came 7th with 3.5 points and increased his DWZ by more than 100, exactly to 900, Leo won the U8. Madhushri won her amateur group and raised her rating over 1200 for the first time. Jonas too won many DWZ points and is over 1400 for the first time. The second rapid team played in the Landesliga Süd in Garching and the first team in Regensburg, where with a little more luck it would have been enough for more than 4th place. Finally our blitz team also played online in the 6th Q-League.
08.09. OIS and Open in Bamberg
All in all it went quite well for our players in the last week before school started. Yousif has returned to the board after a long time; he paused for about 6 years and in between only played online. In the C-tournament he gave up only a half point, namely in the final round against Luca, the U10 player of Bayern in great form, who came 3rd. In second place landed Saksham, who had given up a full point against Yousif and a half against Luca. So our club members won no less than 500 euros! Congratulations on that. Also taking part in the tournament were Timon, Kayra and Linus. In the B-tournament Neyan and Smrithi played, and in the A-tournament Andreas.
Tugrul and Niklas were in Bamberg; both narrowly held their ratings.
31.08. 5th place at the Bavarian Championship for Tugrul and 7th place for Tugce
Our chess twins made Rosenheim unsafe this time. In total they took 11.5 of a possible 18 points and both improved their Elo and DWZ ratings. Tugrul’s Elo is now 2150; he made a huge leap with a gain of 117 points! He played one of his best tournaments. His strong performances had already been heralded in spring at the Grenke Open, when he took his first points against title-holders. In Croatia he managed his first draw against a grandmaster. There were very exciting and notable games in Rosenheim. Yesterday, for example, he fought for six hours to force a draw, often in a worse position, against another FM, and today he lured his opponent in a lost position into a stalemate trap. That was the compensation for the game against Lars, which he blundered in one move after very good play. The new DWZ must also be well over 2100. Tugce also played very well and improved by almost 29 Elo points, and is now over 1700, her DWZ well over 1600. Chapeau to both and good luck at the next tournament!
28.08. Holidays and chess in Croatia and in Rosenheim
As a holiday country, Croatia seems to be very popular, but chess tournaments also take place there, and these can be combined with the holiday. So it happened in the case of Bruno, who delivered a very strong rapid tournament, and Tugce and Tugrul, who took part in an international tournament in Split. Barely were Tugce and Tugrul back than they sat at the board again, namely in Rosenheim, at the Bavarian Individual Championship; originally Tugce was to take part in the women’s competition, but Tugrul was also allowed to start as a rookie in the men’s competition. He rewarded the organisers with an excellent performance so far; after the 4th round he leads the table with a performance of over 2400! Even on the site https://www.chess-international.com/?p=94826 the report of the Bavarian Chess Federation was reposted.
Here you can get to round 5: https://lichess.org/broadcast/bayerische-einzelmeisterschaften-2024—allgemein/round-5/iFfuHDyH
In the 6th round he won against an FM! : https://lichess.org/broadcast/bayerische-einzelmeisterschaften-2024—allgemein/round-6/n4wYkmVN#boards
11.08. Smrithi on a winning streak at the AFRO, third-best girl with 4.5 points!
A total of eight members, five active and three passive, took part in the Augsburg Peace Tournament (AFRO), this time in the town hall of Neusäß. Smrithi fared very successfully. She gave up full points only against Fabian and one other opponent, both of whom had about 1650 DWZ. Against a player with about 1550 DWZ there was a draw, and against opponents between 1500 and 1530 she won three times, thereby proving her true strength and making a giant leap. Jonas also managed a draw against a player with 1530. He moreover won twice against opponents around 1100. He gave up two full points against opponents with 1830 and 1570 respectively. In the final round there was a point by default, as the opponent, who had already played and lost against Smrithi, didn’t appear. The juniors dominated the field. They made up almost 50%. So it also came about that Oliver had to play five times against 11-year-olds. Like his son Jonas, he took four out of seven.
The Palaniappan brothers Siranjeev and Sai Varun took part in an Open together for the first time. Siranjeev had a bye in the first round and in the second surprisingly managed a draw against a player with about 1430. After that follows a point by default and, as a result, also very strong opponents in the next three rounds, which he lost. In the final round he took his first full point against an opponent with 1400 DWZ and underlined his positive development. His little brother Sai Varun took two and a half points and gathered valuable experience for the future.
27.07. On Saturday six two-player teams played for three trophies, on Sunday a U10 children’s tournament follows
We close the season with tournaments. This morning we played a team tournament; an all-U8 team and an all-girls team could be formed. The best team consisted of Mohammed and Tigran, who gave up only two match points. Tomorrow evening an online tournament for all U10 children follows.
22.07. The chess mobile of the German Chess Youth visits us on Wednesday at the Pelkovenschlössl!
On Wednesday morning the big school chess tournament takes place at Gymnasium München-Moosach. From 14:00 the chess mobile is then at the Pelkovenschlössl. All children and juniors are invited to free play and to the simul from 15:30.
21.07. Everything went well!
Over 50 children and juniors came together for the DWZ youth tournament at ASZ Laim and played for the trophies. There were some surprises; in the U10, behind Maximillian Dratwa, to whom alone he lost, Mohammed made 2nd place. The good performance of Tommie in this age group is to be highlighted. He came fourth in the U10 and got his first evaluation.
Bruno came third in the U8 behind Zhou Elias and Maximilian Breitner, closely followed by Tigran. Maxim Lorbeer, our dark-horse favourite in the U12, crossed the finish line in 1st and managed a pinpoint landing on 1000 DWZ. In the amateur groups Samuel Walton, Cheng Diwen and Sara Vignesh won.
17.07. Summary of the 2-Weekend Open – Happy to do it again!
The format proved itself; everyone got their money’s worth. The winner of the B-Open was, with 100%, Racky Selina, congratulations! The smaller A-Open was dominated by Namik Krasnikov, who won convincingly with a two-point margin. From the club, Niklas (3rd place with 5 points) and Sebastian (5th place with 4.5 points) particularly impressed. Among the juniors Fabian was the best in 6th place with 4 points. Smrithi won the women’s prize, and Madhushri also took two points from three games.
Results
A-tournament: https://chess-results.com/tnr920343.aspx?lan=0&art=4
B-tournament: https://chess-results.com/tnr920344.aspx?lan=0&art=4
07.07. What happened so far
On Saturday the U12 team travelled to Nuremberg to achieve the almost impossible, namely to qualify against stronger teams for the German Championship. But the opponents showed no weaknesses that could have been exploited. And because simply reaching the final of the last four from 28 teams is a remarkable achievement, Smrithi, Jonas, Kanthaneyan and Madhushri could deservedly accept the trophy for 4th place. Many thanks to the players who gave their all for Schachfreunde München e.V. and to Matvei, who took on looking after the team!
At the same time many of our children took part in the Bayern Kids Cup. As last year, we managed to win the U8 team trophy and take the U8 title. This time Sai Varun had prevailed. A quite good moment was caught in the U12 by Seva, who came 4th, and above all by Yasmin, who landed behind him in 5th place and thus became best girl! She has already picked up her third trophy and only started playing chess at the club half a year ago. Congratulations to all!
**02.07. Dates for the coming weeks and beyond! For the Opens and DWZ cup tournaments, early registration is necessary
**
13.-14.07. The three final rounds of the 2-Weekend Open
21.07. Tournaments for children and juniors. The U10 and U12 play their own DWZ tournament with 5 rounds, all should be under 1000. For juniors from U14 and up to DWZ 1500 there are three games in four- or six-player groups. Registration willkommen@schachfreunde-muenchen.de
Provisional participant list: https://chess-results.com/tnr967194.aspx?lan=0
24.07. The mobile of the German Chess Youth visits Munich. Come everyone at 15:00 to the Pelkovenschlössl!
29.07.-02.08. Chess camp at the Nachbarschaftstreff
08.08.-11.08. Augsburg Peace Festival Chess Open
15.08. Dachau Volksfest blitz tournament
31.08.-08.09. OIS in Oberhaching registration form: https://www.schachbezirk-muenchen.de/ois/item/2289-anmeldeformular-ois-2024.html
14.-15.09. Anniversary tournament 100 years SK Kriegshaber
15.09. DWZ cup tournament in Ingolstadt
21.09. Girls’ Team Championship in Roding
28.09. U10 Team Championship in Garching
27.10.-03.11. OIBM
31.10.-03.11. Friendship Open of the Schachfreunde Augsburg
01.07. With the 2-Weekend Open we’re already over the hump! On 13–14 July the final rounds follow
On balance we can report a successful start to the 2-Weekend Open. On Saturday 32 Schachfreunde gathered at ASZ Laim, so that only two set-up boards remained empty. In the A-tournament Namik Krasnikov strengthened the field. He also leads the group with three out of four. Behind him are Tobias Dietlmeier and Stefan Watzenberger. There were eight players present in the A-tournament on the first weekend. In the B-tournament the youngest were 8 years old; Sai Varun took a full point against an adult for the first time in the 2nd round. So far he had taken part in U8 tournaments. He also made his opponent sweat a little with his early queen sortie in the 3rd round, but the latter patiently fended off the attack and mounted a counterattack. In the 4th round he found himself in the Slav Defence with Black; he lost this game too, but the analysis afterwards was very instructive. Smrithi and Fabian took two out of four; in the direct duel Fabian came off worse, and Niklas is currently playing the tournament of his life with 3.5 out of four, lying behind the leader Racky Selina from Rosenheim, on 4 out of 4, in second place.
01.07. End of the line at Tegernsee for the U14? Shared 3rd place at the Bavarian U14 Team Championship
It was close and, with a little luck, could have gone much better. In the last two matches against TV Tegernsee and SK Kelheim, which were narrowly lost, 1.5 more board points would have been enough to become champions, or just half a point more against SK Kelheim in the final round for direct qualification. Unfortunately, unlike the other teams (in Tegernsee’s case only in the 1st round), we could not field our best formation in any round. From that point of view we had the greatest disadvantage of all the teams and hope that this will also be taken into account in the free-place application. We congratulate the champions TV Tegernsee and the vice-champions SK Kelheim.
22.06. 6 children helped the U12 team to advance
It’s done again; this year too the U12 and U14 teams make it to the Bavarian final. The U12 was on this Saturday at ASZ Laim. Fortunately Emir could join from the 2nd round on, and Maxim also played a game. The final round of the U12 takes place on 06 July in Nuremberg at SC Noris Tarrasch. We wish the team much luck. The U14 already plays a week earlier in Waakirchen for the place in the German final.
17.06. 14 children at Bernie’s DWZ tournament, two bronze medals
In the U8 we were seven of 19, in the U10 we had three and in the U12 one; in the groups over 1000 three of us took part. Darsh managed third place in the U8, and Yasmin also became third in the U12 <1000 DWZ and best girl too. In the U8 the results could have turned out even stronger; Leo gave up 1.5 points from a better position (twice a whole rook up), and Bruno didn’t catch his best day but still scored 50%. In the U10 <1000 DWZ, Robert and Nico reached 4th and 5th place with 3.5 points each. Taking part were, in the U8, Neva 1, Emanuell 2, Benjamin 2, Bruno 2.5, Tigran 3, Leo 3.5 and Darsh 3.5. In the U10 Mohammed 2, Nico and Robert 3.5, in the U12 Yasmin 3 out of five. In the groups over 1000 Joseph 1, Fabian 1 and Saksham 1.5 took part; there were only three games here.
15.06. U14 team manages to advance
The Gräfelfing team came at full strength; with us, Lukas and Tugce had passed, and Timon also had no time for his first appearance in a team competition. So Smrithi rounded out the team. Matvei arrived a little later, Tugrul then extended his lead with two pawns won, and with Smrithi a piece was lost. Matvei switched to attack and David stood somewhat under pressure. It could all have been so easy if Matvei’s attack had gone through, but that wasn’t so, his opponent also had something in the quiver and mounted a counterattack with opposite-side castling; after the games on boards 1 and 4 it stood 1-1 on Berlin tie-break for us. Now a win on 2 or 3, or two draws, would have been enough. Matvei, however, came badly under the wheels and his opponent could have taken the full point with more precise play, but Matvei can also defend tenaciously, and after a fierce exchange of blows a drawn position arose, which both agreed to. David played routinely and let nothing go wrong. He defended his position into a balanced rook endgame.
13.05. U12 team makes it convincingly to the semi-final
The team gave up just two half points and made it convincingly to the semi-final. Again it will take place at our place at the ASZ. The summer collection must be ordered; the children wore the hoodies in summery temperatures.
06.05. The biggest surprise didn’t materialise, heavy defeats in the final rounds in the U20 district league for the 2nd team, the 1st could make it to the Bayernliga!
Again there was a lot of programme over the weekend. First a simul on Friday at the Münchner Bank, just before that school courses with Alex, who still made it to the board in time, training with Norman at the meeting place and online with FM Suvorov as usual. On Saturday then training at the ASZ, a new girls’ group with the Bavarian champion of the U10 and U12 and with many other children, at the same time the U20 district league with four teams and small successes. On Sunday there then followed the final rounds of the U20 leagues, 5th place in the district league, 6th place in the 2nd league and 2nd and 5th place in the 3rd league, and a team children’s tournament at the ASZ. Last but not least the hobby players and many old acquaintances were also allowed to play in the afternoon.
29.04. Twice survival and two promotions in the MMM
It was close and we can count ourselves lucky that our 1st team held its class in the first year after four consecutive promotions. It started well, two consecutive wins, then an unfortunate defeat against Tarrasch, then a surprise win against Schwabing Nord, followed by an unexpected defeat against Aschheim, a hard-fought point against Deisenhofen and then two narrow defeats against Union and the Bayern team. With 3 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses we fell short of expectations. But it was already Stephan’s point that, on the way up, a year’s pause has to be accepted. There is now restructuring, strengthening both on the “transfer market” and through the natural reinforcement of the youth via systematic training. We will be dealing with illustrious clubs such as MSC, Roter Turm and Haar.
The third team comes unexpectedly to promotion to Class B. The 2nd team unfortunately missed promotion from Class B after a strong season.
We will be represented in Class C with one, in Class B probably with two, and in the district league.