Berlin to host decisive final three rounds

Two further rounds of the Chess Bundesliga were played last weekend at venues across Germany. With twelve of the fifteen rounds now completed, SC Viernheim lead the standings and hold a three-point advantage over OSG Baden-Baden. In the Bundesliga scoring system, each match victory is worth two points. Sfr. Wolfhagen stand in third place, one point behind Baden-Baden, and still retain chances of reaching first place with three rounds remaining.

The final three rounds of the season are scheduled to take place in Berlin during the league's concluding weekend, from 24 to 26 April. Notably, the programme includes direct encounters between the three leading teams. Viernheim will face Wolfhagen on Friday and Baden-Baden on Saturday, respectively, while Wolfhagen and Baden-Baden are set to meet in Sunday's final round. In addition, all three frontrunners will coincidentally play SC Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied in their remaining fixture. Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied are currently ranked 13^th out of the 16 teams, with 8/24 match points.

Mastering Chess Strategy Vol.1-3

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Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price!

The Viernheim squad have reason to celebrate | Photo: Angelika Valkova

The rounds played last weekend were officially rounds nine and ten, although rounds eleven and twelve had already been staged earlier in the season, at the start of January. Viernheim collected two clear victories over the weekend and thus maintained their perfect match record. Both Baden-Baden and Wolfhagen scored one win and one draw, finishing the weekend with 3/4 match points.

Baden-Baden were held to a 4–4 draw by defending champions Düsseldorfer SK, who currently occupy eighth place in the standings. Baden-Baden had a rating advantage on seven of the eight boards, but managed only one victory, as Nihal Sarin (2716) defeated Antonios Pavlidis (2565) on board two. Düsseldorf levelled the score by collecting an individual win on board six, where Arthur Pijpers (2468) beat living legend Alexei Shirov (2616). (Find below the game with annotations).

Wolfhagen were also involved in a drawn match, sharing the points with SV Deggendorf, who are currently ranked tenth. Wolfhagen entered the encounter with a rating advantage on all eight boards, although some of the differences were relatively small. Six games ended in draws, while each team collected one win. Vladimir Onischuk (2600) scored for Wolfhagen by defeating Boban Bogosavljevic (2465) on board four, while Martin Petrov (2543) obtained Deggendorf's point with a victory over Ruslan Ponomariov (2631) on board two.

As for the leaders Viernheim, Parham Maghsoodloo and Igor Kovalenko were their most successful performers during the weekend, both scoring 2/2. Viernheim were the winners of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, when they finished with a perfect match score and ended Baden-Baden's consecutive sequence of titles that had run since the 2016/17 campaign.

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol 13: Reversed Colour Systems – Grünfeld & Dutch

In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of Dutch and Grünfelkd structures with colours reversed.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores one of the most intriguing and under-examined areas of modern chess: reversed opening systems, focusing on the Reversed Grünfeld and the Reversed Dutch. At first glance, these two systems seem unrelated. However, they share a common strategic challenge: the value of tempi, structure, and psychology when familiar openings are played with colours reversed. Drawing on his long professional experience, Sokolov explains why these positions are far more subtle than they appear and why traditional engine evaluations often fail to capture their true complexity.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Larsen’s b4 Plan vs Reversed Stonewall Setups: Larsen - Spassky

Alexei Shirov (Baden-Baden) v. Arthur Pijpers (Düsseldorfer) started with 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 | Photo: Jan Werner

Shirov 0-1 Pijpers

Standings after round 12

Find here all results and detailed information...

All available games

King’s Indian – A Complete Repertoire for Black Part 1 & 2

GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
The King’s Indian Defence has been one of the most dynamic and popular responses to 1.d4 for decades. Legends such as Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura have employed it at the highest level – and it continues to fascinate today, as it offers Black not only solidity but also rich attacking and counterattacking opportunities. Its special advantage: the King’s Indian is a universal system, equally effective against 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. Grandmaster Felix Blohberger, multiple Austrian Champion and experienced second, presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black. His approach: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: London System