Bundesliga: Carlsen scores 1½/2 for St. Pauli, Düsseldorf and Baden-Baden share the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
1/12/2025 – Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2024/25 Chess Bundesliga saw significant developments, including Magnus Carlsen's return to the league after many years, helping St. Pauli secure their first win of the season before losing to leaders from Düsseldorf. Viernheim defeated perennial favourites Baden-Baden in round 5 and then overcame Deizisau, who entered round 6 as sole leaders. Baden-Baden recovered with a narrow win, leaving them tied with Düsseldorf at the top of the standings. The next rounds are set for 1-2 February. | Photo: André Schulz

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Round 5

Carlsen outplays Warmerdam

Chess superstar Magnus Carlsen had last played in the Bundesliga in 2008, at the age of 17. Now, only days after getting married, he made a sensational return to the world's most competitive chess league. Thanks to the support of chess patron Jan-Henric Buettner, Carlsen joined the St. Pauli squad and debuted in round 5 of the 2024/25 season.

St. Pauli faced Solingen in this round, a team boasting a perfect 3/3 record from their initial matches of the season. As expected, Carlsen played on the top board, and two other players who made their debut this season joined him in the lineup: three-time British champion David Howell and Peter Heine Nielsen, Carlsen's long-time second. Carlsen, armed with the black pieces, was paired against Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam.

The match concluded with a resounding 5½-2½ victory for St. Pauli, marking a turning point for the team. Carlsen delivered one of the four wins for his side, with Nielsen, Jonas Bjerre and Bartosz Socko also emerging victorious. Howell, however, succumbed to seasoned Dutch GM Erwin l'Ami. Carlsen's performance stood out as he employed remarkable strategic play to outplay Warmerdam. The Norwegian spent about 10 minutes before deciding how to reply to 1.c4 and admitted afterwards that his move 9...e4 was "kind of a bluff".

Warmerdam v. Carlsen
9...e4 has been played in the past by strong - though not elite - GMs. Apparently, Warmerdam was surprised by this idea, as he erred soon after (on move 11), despite spending almost 20 minutes reflecting on his decision.

This win was St. Pauli's first of the season, as the team had struggled with two losses and a draw in earlier rounds.

St. Pauli 5½ - 2½ Solingen

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1.c4 e5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nd7 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Bg2 Ngf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qc2 Re8 9.Rd1 e4 10.Ne1 Nb6 11.c5 Nbd5 12.cxd6 Qxd6 13.Bg5 e3 14.f3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Nd5 16.c4 h6 17.cxd5 hxg5 18.Rac1 Bf5 19.Qb3 Rab8 20.Qc4 Rbd8 21.f4 gxf4 22.Qxc7 fxg3 23.Qxd6 Rxd6 24.hxg3 Ra6 25.Bf3 Bf8 26.g4 Be4 27.Rc7 Rxa2 28.Kf1 Rd2 29.Ra1 Rxd4 30.Rxa7 Bxd5 31.Bxd5 Rxd5 32.Kg2 Rd2 33.Kf3 Rd1 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Warmerdam,M2646Carlsen,M28310–12025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Howell,D2673L'Ami,E26140–12025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Ragger,M2580Christiansen,J2664½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Bjerre,J2640Andersen,M25941–02025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Van Wely,L2614Maurizzi,M2579½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Socko,B2553Ganguly,S25781–02025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Krastev,A2431Nielsen,P26180–12025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Feuerstack,A2458Naumann,A2476½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255

Chess Bundesliga 2024/25

Viernheim obtain crucial victory over Baden-Baden

Although Magnus Carlsen's return to the Bundesliga stole the spotlight on Saturday, the most significant match of round 5 was the showdown between defending champions Viernheim and perennial powerhouses Baden-Baden. Baden-Baden entered the round with a flawless record after four matches, while Viernheim had struggled with consistency, sitting at 50 percent after recording a win, a draw and a loss in their first three encounters.

Both squads fielded their strongest line-ups of the season, setting the stage for an intense battle. Baden-Baden welcomed Alireza Firouzja, Levon Aronian and Vincent Keymer to their roster for the first time this campaign, while Viernheim introduced an equally formidable quartet: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Parham Maghsoodloo. With so much star power on display, fans were treated to a gripping encounter that promised high-quality chess.

In a tightly contested match, 7 of the 8 games ended in draws, leaving David Anton's victory over Rustam Kasimdzhanov as the decisive result. Playing with the white pieces, the Spanish grandmaster showcased exceptional technique to convert a double-rook endgame with three pawns against two after 67 moves. Anton's crucial win secured a narrow 4½-3½ victory for Viernheim, propelling the team to a stronger position in the league standings.

This upset allowed Schachfreunde Deizisau to take sole possession of the lead with 9/10 match points, having amassed four wins and one draw by that point in the season (team victories grant 2 match points). On Saturday, Deizisau edged past Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied in a closely contested 4½-3½ victory. Daniel Dardha and Benjamin Gledura played pivotal roles, scoring wins that kept their team at the top of the standings.

Viernheim 4½ - 3½ Baden-Baden

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1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 e6 4.e4 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bb4 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 e5 9.0-0 0-0 10.h3 Re8 11.Qc2 h6 12.Be3 d6 13.Na4 c5 14.a3 Ba5 15.Rab1 Rb8 16.Rfd1 Bd7 17.Nc3 a6 18.Ne2 Nh7 19.Ng3 Ng5 20.Be2 Ne6 21.Rxd6 Qc7 22.Rd3 Nd4 23.Qd1 Be6 24.Bxd4 exd4 25.Nh5 Re7 26.Rg3 f5 27.exf5 Bxf5 28.Nf6+ Kh8 29.Nd5 Bxb1 30.Nxc7 Bxc7 31.Rf3 Bg6 32.Bf1 Rbe8 33.Qd2 Kg8 34.Rb3 Re1 35.Rb7 Be5 36.g3 Bf6 37.Rb3 d3 38.Kg2 Be4+ 39.Kg1 Bg6 40.Kg2 Be4+ 41.Kg1 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Abdusattorov,N2768Firouzja,A2763½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Aronian,L2747Duda,J2740½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Mamedyarov,S2732Keymer,V2733½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Vachier-Lagrave,M2733Maghsoodloo,P2674½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Sarana,A2677Rapport,R2721½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Svidler,P2698Aravindh,C2726½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Anton Guijarro,D2664Kasimdzhanov,R26831–02025German Bundesliga 2024/255
Deac,B2696Korobov,A2627½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/255

Chess Bundesliga 2024/25

Round 6

Carlsen draws Wei, but cannot prevent Düsseldorf victory

Chess fans were eager to witness Carlsen take on newly-crowned world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in round 6. However, Gukesh was not fielded by Düsseldorf in their match against St. Pauli, leaving spectators to enjoy another marquee clash: Carlsen playing white against Wei Yi. The Chinese grandmaster, fresh off a stellar 2024 that included a victory in the Tata Steel Masters - where he defeated Gukesh in tiebreaks - provided a worthy opponent for the Norwegian star.

Wei opted for the Sicilian Defence in response to Carlsen's 1.e4, setting the stage for a dynamic and tense battle. Carlsen, determined to secure a crucial point for his team, took calculated risks in search of a win. Nevertheless, Wei's resourceful play ensured the equilibrium was never broken, and the players agreed to a draw after 36 moves. Wei, who had defeated Velimir Ivic in the previous round, boosted his rating by 4.3 points with his 1½/2 performance over the weekend, climbing to 8th place in the live ratings list.

Despite Carlsen's efforts, the match ended in favour of Düsseldorf, who extended their perfect record with a fifth consecutive victory. St. Pauli managed an individual win on board 7, with Bartosz Socko scoring his second full point in a row by defeating Raunak Sadhwani. However, Düsseldorf's Jorden van Foreest and Javokhir Sindarov both delivered vital wins. Van Foreest claimed his third consecutive victory in the league, while Sindarov continued his remarkable form, achieving his fifth win in as many games despite playing four of them with the black pieces.

Christiansen v. Sindarov
Sindarov demonstrated how to win this materially balanced position with bishops of the same colour (from the black side) - White's pawns are stuck on dark squares

Düsseldorf 4½ - 3½ St. Pauli

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.a4 e5 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bg5 Be6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Nd5 Nd7 11.Bc4 Rc8 12.Qd3 Nb6 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Bxe6 Qxe6 15.0-0 0-0 16.Rfd1 Rc6 17.b3 Nd7 18.c4 Nc5 19.Qe3 f5 20.exf5 Qxf5 21.Ra2 Rb6 22.Rb2 Nxa4 23.Rbd2 Nc5 24.Rxd6 Rxd6 25.Rxd6 Qb1+ 26.Ne1 e4 27.Kf1 Nxb3 28.Rb6 Nd2+ 29.Kg1 Qa2 30.Rxb7 Nxc4 31.Qd4 Ne5 32.h3 Qe6 33.Qxe4 Qc6 34.Qb4 h6 35.Qb2 Qe4 36.Nd3 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2831Wei,Y2751½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Giri,A2731Howell,D2673½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Christiansen,J2664Sindarov,J26920–12025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Van Foreest,J2680Bjerre,J26401–02025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Maurizzi,M2580Esipenko,A2699½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Sadhwani,R2675Socko,B25530–12025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Nielsen,P2618Gustafsson,J2598½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Bologan,V2603Krause,B2414½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256

Chess Bundesliga 2024/25

Baden-Baden bounce back

While St. Pauli faced Düsseldorf in a highly anticipated match, Viernheim and Baden-Baden were also put to the test in key challenges against strong teams. Viernheim went up against sole leaders Schachfreunde Deizisau, while Baden-Baden took on Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied, with both teams needing victories to stay in the hunt for the championship.

Both matches ended decisively with narrow 4½-3½ victories. Viernheim's Parham Maghsoodloo and Aravindh Chithambaram delivered crucial wins to hand their team overall victory, knocking the leaders off the top spot. Baden-Baden also edged out their opponents, thanks to a key victory by Rustam Kasimdzhanov. This marked a redemption moment for Kasimdzhanov, who had suffered a loss to David Anton in the previous round. Seven of the games in the Baden-Baden match ended in draws, mirroring the trend from their clash with Viernheim in round 5.

These results left Düsseldorf and Baden-Baden tied for first place with 10 match points each. Crucially, Düsseldorf still has a game in hand, giving them an edge in the standings. With rounds 7 and 8 scheduled for 1-2 February, the race for the Bundesliga title remains wide open.

Viernheim 4½ - 3½ Deizisau

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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Ne5 Be6 8.Be2 g6 9.0-0 Bg7 10.c3 0-0 11.Re1 Qb6 12.Nd3 Rfe8 13.Bf4 Rad8 14.Bf1 Bc4 15.Qc2 e6 16.h3 Nd5 17.Bg3 Bxd3 18.Bxd3 Rd7 19.a4 a6 20.a5 Qd8 21.Bc4 Bf8 22.b4 Bd6 23.Bxd6 Rxd6 24.g3 h5 25.h4 Nf6 26.Re2 Ng4 27.Rae1 Kg7 28.Qc1 Rd7 29.Kg2 Rde7 30.Qf4 Qc7 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kollars,D2642Abdusattorov,N2768½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Duda,J2740Bluebaum,M2643½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Dardha,D2645Mamedyarov,S2732½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Maghsoodloo,P2674Gledura,B26611–02025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Kamsky,G2611Sarana,A26771–02025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Aravindh,C2726Moussard,J25991–02025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Dautov,R2564Anton Guijarro,D2664½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Korobov,A2627Heimann,A2547½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256

Chess Bundesliga 2024/25

Baden-Baden 4½ - 3½ Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied

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1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3 c6 8.a4 exd4 9.Qxd4 Nc5 10.Rd1 Be6 11.b4 Bxc4 12.Qxc4 Ne6 13.Be3 Re8 14.a5 Qc8 15.Qb3 Bf8 16.Nd2 Nc7 17.Bd4 Qe6 18.Rab1 Nd7 19.b5 Qxb3 20.Rxb3 Ne6 21.Be3 Ndc5 22.Rbb1 g6 23.bxc6 bxc6 24.Nc4 Rad8 25.e5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Firouzja,A2763Livaic,L2557½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Kraemer,M2579Aronian,L2747½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Keymer,V2733Lodici,L2574½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Nasuta,G2497Vachier-Lagrave,M2733½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Rapport,R2721Zilka,S2525½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Ferreira,J2524Svidler,P2698½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Kasimdzhanov,R2683Kosakowski,J25391–02025German Bundesliga 2024/256
Winterberg,L2411Deac,B2696½–½2025German Bundesliga 2024/256

Chess Bundesliga 2024/25

Current standings

Chess Bundesliga 2024/25

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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