6/19/2026 – A true Hamburg tradition: since 1958, Hamburg's Right Alster Bank has played against the Left Alster Bank! Yesterday, 3,744 pupils gathered on Hamburg's Rathausmarkt to take part in the world's largest school chess competition. This year, the opening move was made by Schools Senator Ksenija Bekeris together with Francesca, 10, and Thore, 10, from the Windmühlenweg Primary School. In the end, the Left Alster Bank won for the fourth time in a row, albeit by a relatively narrow margin, with 951½ points to 920½. That takes the overall score across all years to 40–22 in favour of the Left Alster Bank. This year, the team from Wielandstraße School took home the large challenge cup. | Photos: Nils Rhode

6/23/2025 – It might well be the world’s biggest scholastic chess tournament: the “Rechtes gegen Linkes Alsterufer” match, played every year in Hamburg. Schools from the right bank of the Alster – the river that runs through the city – compete in teams of eight against schools from the left bank. The event began in 1958, with the left bank winning 65–33 and taking a 1–0 lead. Today, the left bank leads with 40–22 in team points and 31,277.5 to 30,512.5 in board points. Over the years, a total of 123,738 students have taken part in the event. The most recent match took place on June 18, outdoors in the center of Hamburg. The left bank won 966.5 to 769.5. | Photos: Nils Rhode

6/11/2025 – On the Thursday before the Whitsun weekend, Bremen's market square was once again transformed into a large open-air chess tournament hall. 1,300 schoolchildren competed to show what they had learned as part of the Bremen school chess project "Schach macht schlau!" (Chess makes smart). At the end of the day, the cup winners were drawn from the winning team. This time, the trophy featuring the Bremen Town Musicians went to Burgdamm School with classes 1c and 2c. | Photos: Nils Rhode