Chess makes smart: 1,300 children on Bremen's market square!

by ChessBase
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

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It couldn't have been better: 1,300 schoolchildren played chess on Bremen's market square on Thursday! A new record for the Bremen school chess project "Schach macht schlau!" School Senator Sascha Karolin Aulepp was delighted "that so many children from Bremen and Bremerhaven transformed Bremen's market square into a giant chessboard" and opened the tournament together with project initiator Marco Bode. This year, the children from Burgdamm School won the big challenge cup!

For the fifth time, the chess year in Bremen was concluded with the Market Square Tournament: 1,300 schoolchildren played outdoors in front of Bremen City Hall.

Marco Bode, German footballer and coach, talks about the project he co-initiated

School Senator Sascha Karolin Aulepp welcomes the students

Rainer Woisin, ChessBase (on the right)

Divided into four teams named after the Bremen Town Musicians – Donkey, Dog, Cat and Rooster – four rounds were played.

The children scored points in a simple way: each win earned them two walnuts, which they then threw into large Plexiglas tubes. Great fun!

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Ultimately, it was clear to everyone which tube contained more walnuts. Presenter Daniel Haselbach (Radio Bremen) created a lively atmosphere in the square. Before each round, all the children shouted enthusiastically: "Chess makes smart!"

Team Dog won this year. Then a draw was held to determine which of the schools in Team Dog would win the Challenge Cup. The Burgdamm School, represented by classes 1c and 2c, was delighted to win.

All the children received a "Schach macht schlau" T-shirt, which also served as a ticket for the Bremen tram. The tram has supported the tournament since its inception. Other supporters include Werder Bremen, BLG Logistics, Bremische Volksbank, Schütting Stiftung, ChessBase and Schach Magazin 64. The German Chess Youth is a new partner in the project. The new chairman, Finn Petersen, set off at 5 a.m. with three helpers from Münster, arriving in Bremen in time to assist with setting up and act as referees. They said: “Great event! There are lots of ideas on how to make school chess even more visible and accessible nationwide.” The helpers from Werder Bremen's chess department and a team from ChessBase were, of course, back on the market square! 

The "Schach macht schlau" project currently reaches 5,350 children! In 221 primary school classes, there is one hour of chess lessons per week! All classes receive chess boards, demo boards, Fritz & Fertig software and Fritz & Fertig workbooks. The project is organised by the association "Das Erste Buch" (The First Book)! 

Website of the project: https://schachmachtschlau.de/


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