Bundesliga: Defending champions Viernheim struggle in Hamburg

by André Schulz
10/8/2024 – The reigning champions of the Bundesliga, Viernheim, made a false start to the new season and lost to the host team in Hamburg. The defending champions were missing the top six boards due to the Global Chess League taking place concurrently. Baden-Baden also played without its top players in Munich. | Pictured: The cheerful Hamburger SK team with captain Reinhardt Ahrens | Photos: André Schulz

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Hamburger SK caused the first surprise right at the start of the new Bundesliga season as they beat the defending champions Viernheim at home on Sunday. The champions had to do without a number of their top players, most of whom are playing in the Global Chess League taking place in London. The top six players on the entry list and Chithambaram VR were missing. Aravindh, originally registered on board seven, took the top board.

The Indian grandmaster could do little more than draw against Frederik Svane, much like David Anton against Rasmus Svane and Anton Korobov against Niclas Huschenbeth. Luis Engel and Julian Kramer scored full points against their opponents Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Konstantin Tarlev, while the team from Viernheim were unable to win on a single board, even though they had the higher rating on all boards (despite the absence of their top players).

Luis Engel

Julian Kramer

Julian Kramer won a theoretical duel against his nominally stronger opponent and was lucky that his rival did not take advantage of a few inaccuracies by the Hamburg player at the end.

The previous day, Hamburger SK had defeated Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied, so they are now one of the leading teams with four match points. HSK also started last year with a surprising 4-4 against Baden-Baden, but were unable to keep up the pace over the course of the season and were even in serious danger of relegation.

The strongest pair of brothers in German chess: Rasmus and Frederik Svane

This is unlikely to be the case in the new season, as the club is now supported by patron Jan Henrik Büttner and his Freestyle Weissenhaus Operations GmbH. They have been able to keep stars Frederik and Rasmus Svane and have made strong additions with the return of Niclas Huschenbeth and Leonardo Costa.

Niclas Huschenbeth

Leonardo Costa

Due to the last-minute withdrawal of Doppelbauer Turm Kiel, Hamburger SK have lost their travelling partners and gained the right to play additional (real) home matches - as only one match is now played at each of Hamburg's guest matches, the HSK can hold the Bundesliga encounters in their beautiful clubhouse.

However, some matches will be played in the auditorium of the Alter Teichweg district school and a few others at neighbouring St. Pauli. In any case, the league table will be skewed until the end of the season, until all teams have completed their by round against Kiel.

Following the reform of the second division, the relegation battle is a little more relaxed than in previous years, as there are now only three relegated teams instead of four. Since Kiel have already been relegated, only two teams will be affected this season.

In addition to Viernheim, the co-favourites from Düsseldorf and Baden-Baden also suffered from the Global Chess League taking place these weeks, as they missed their highest-rated representatives during the first week of the league. Nonetheless, both teams grabbed wins in both their matches to go into round 3 tied for first place.

Standings after round 2

Team Matches MP BP TB
1. Düsseldorfer SK 2 4 12 55
2. SG Solingen 2 4 11½ 53
3. Hamburger SK 2 4 11½ 49
4. USV TU Dresden 2 4 10½ 49½
5. OSG Baden-Baden 2 4 40
6. Schachfreunde Deizisau 2 3 9 39
7. SF Bad Mergentheim 2 3 35½
8. SV Deggendorf 2 1 38
9. SV Werder Bremen 2 1 30
10. FC St. Pauli 2 0 29
11. FC Bayern München 2 0 6 27
12. SK Kirchweyhe 2 0 6 26
13. SC Viernheim 1 0 3 15½
14. SV Mülheim Nord 2 0 10
15. SC Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied 1 0
16. SK Doppelbauer Turm Kiel

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
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