Bundesliga: Viernheim still perfect, Baden-Baden only manage a draw

Viernheim a draw away from league victory

Round thirteen of the Chess Bundesliga was played on Friday in Berlin, where the final three rounds of the season are being staged at the Willy-Brandt-Haus.

The day's results saw SC Viernheim extend their lead at the top of the standings. Thanks to a narrow 4½–3½ victory over third-placed Schachfreunde Wolfhagen. In the parallel encounter, OSG Baden-Baden were held to a 4–4 draw by SC Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied. The leaders from the Hessian town of Veirnheim - who have won all their matches so far this season - now hold a four-point advantage over Baden-Baden.

Mastering the London System

In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines

Following these results, Viernheim require only a drawn match (4–4) in Saturday's encounter against Baden-Baden to secure the Bundesliga title. Even in the event of a Baden-Baden victory in that direct clash, they would also need Viernheim to lose their final-round match against Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied on Sunday in order to have chances of claiming first place.

Standings after round 13

Viernheim 4½-3½ Wolfhagen

Viernheim's win came in a closely contested match. On the top board, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who has played nine of the thirteen rounds and remains unbeaten with 5½/9, drew his game. Alexey Sarana and Bassem Amin secured the two decisive victories that brought the match points to Viernheim. Sarana improved his score to 8/11 for the season, while Amin continued his remarkable and consistent run for his team, reaching 11/13 after playing in all thirteen matches of the season.

Wolfhagen, who have now secured at least third place in a memorable season, managed one win in the match, as Vladimir Onischuk defeated Jorden van Foreest on board five.

Najdorf: A dynamic grandmaster repertoire against 1.e4 Vol.1 to 3

In the first part of the video series, we will look at White’s four main moves: 6. Bg5, 6. Be3, 6. Be2 and 6. Bc4.

Viernheim's lineup also included the 14-year-old Turkish grandmaster Yagız Kaan Erdogmus, who recently became the youngest player to surpass the 2700 rating mark on the live ranking. Playing his third game of the season, Erdogmus drew with white against Yuriy Kuzubov.

The final rounds are being played in a spacious playing hall | Photo: Nils Rohde

Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied 4-4 Baden-Baden

In the parallel encounter, Baden-Baden were held to a 4–4 draw by Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied. Baden-Baden, the league's sixteen-time champions, remain unbeaten but have now recorded their fourth drawn match of the season. The team fielded former world champion Viswanathan Anand on the top board for the first time this season. Anand, currently ranked 12^th in the world at the age of 56, drew his game against 2571-rated Croatian grandmaster Leon Livaic.

Despite having higher-rated players on seven of the eight boards, Baden-Baden managed only two wins, as Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Bennet Hagner scored full points. Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied matched this with victories from Jorge Viterbo and Sven Tica, while the remaining four games ended in draws. Notably, Viterbo obtained an upset win over living legend Alexei Shirov on board five.

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This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.

Leon Livaic managed to get a half point against multiple world champion Viswanathan Anand | Photo: Nils Rohde

Pairings

Rosters of the three frontrunners

SC Viernheim

OSG Baden-Baden

Sfr. Wolfhagen

All available games

Links

• Official website
• Pairings and results on the German Chess Federation website