German top tournament starts with a surprise

by Johannes Fischer
4/6/2021 – The "Kader-Challenge", where ten of the best German players meet over-the-board in Magdeburg, began with a surprise. Frederik Svane (pictured), a FM with a rating of 2421, convincingly outplayed Germany's current number one Matthias Blübaum and took the lead as the four other games all ended in draw. In the women's tournament, Germany's number one women player, Elisabeth Pähtz, fared better than Blübaum and won the first round with Black against Annmarie Mütsch. | Photo: Bernd Vökler (Archive)
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An ideal start for Frederik Svane

The 16-year old Frederik Svane, the younger brother of the better known German Grandmaster Rasmus Svane, is still a FIDE-Master, and with a rating of 2421 he is currently not even among the top 100 in Germany. Therefore, it is no wonder that Svane initially was not in the line-up for the "Kader-Challenge". But when Vincent Keymer was invited to join Team Polgar in the Julius Baer Chess Challenge that will start on Thursday, and had to withdraw from the "Kader"-tournament, Svane was invited to play in Magdeburg as a last minute replacement.

After all, he is considered to be one of the greatest German talents, and in December 2020 he surprisingly won the World Online Junior Championship U16.

In the very first round of the "Kader-Challenge" Svane also showed how justified it was to invite him to this prestigious tournament. He convincingly outplayed Germany's number one, Matthias Blübaum, who currently has a rating of 2670 and 249 Elo-points more than Svane. But in the game it was Svane who from the very beginning set the pace and played for a win.

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.c4 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nc3 Nc7 7.d3 e5 8.Nd2 Be7 9.Nc4 f6 10.Bxc6+ bxc6
A well-known and interesting position. White gave up his white-squared bishop and to destroy Black's pawn structure but in return has weaknesses on the white squares. 11.Be3 This logical is new: White immediately eyes Black's weak pawn on c5. 0-0?! This might be a bit too slow. The engines recommend 11...Nb5 with approximate equality. 12.Qa4 Bd7 13.Qa5! Preventing ...a5, attacking c5 and aiming to exchange queens which would favour White. Nd5 14.Qxd8 Rfxd8 15.Bd2 Nb6 16.b3 Be6 17.f3 Rac8 18.g4 Here, White is clearly better. g6 19.h4 h5 20.g5 Undermining the pawn on e5 and provoking Black to take on c4. Nxc4 21.bxc4 f5 22.Be3 Rb8 23.0-0-0 Black is in serious trouble. He does not have counterplay on the b-file and the pawn on c5 is very weak. Rb4 24.Kc2 f4 25.Bf2 Bf5 26.a3! Inviting Black to take on c4. Rxc4 Black decides to give the exchange. After 26...Rb7 Black sooner or later would have lost the pawn on c5, e.g. 27.Rb1 Rdb8 28.Rxb7 Rxb7 29.Na4 and Black's position is horrible. 27.Rb1! Avoiding 27.Kb3? Rb8+ 28.Kxc4 Be6+ 29.Nd5 cxd5+ and it is Black who is winning! 27...Rd7 28.Rb8+ Kf7 29.Rhb1 Rcd4 Black gives the exchange and hopes to save the endgame. 30.Bxd4 cxd4 31.Na4 Bxa3 32.R1b7 a5 33.Nb6 Rxb7 34.Rxb7+ Ke6 Black has two pawns for the exchange but his pawns are too weak. 35.Nc4 Bb4 36.Kd1! Preventing ... Be1. Kd5 37.Rb8 Be6 38.Ra8 Kc5 39.Nxa5 Bf7 40.Nc4 Kd5 41.Rb8 Bc5 42.Ra8 Bb4 43.Rc8 Bc5 44.Na5 Bb6 45.Nxc6 Kd6 46.Nb4 Bb3+ 47.Nc2 Bc5 48.Rb8 Ba4 49.Rg8 Kd5 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Svane,F2421Bluebaum,M26701–02021A34DSB-Kader-Challenge 20211.3

After a year, in which almost all over-the-board tournaments were cancelled, the "Kader-Challenge" wants to give the German top players the chance to get some "live" practice again, but of course, there is also a lot of prestige at stake. Particularly so in regard to the fight for the top spot on the national ranking list. Currently, Blübaum is first with 2670 but with a rating of 2659 Alexander Donchenko might dream to catch his rival and to become Germany's new number one.

Easter bunnies can help to make sweet wins even sweeter | Photo: Frank Hoppe

Results of round 1

 

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Women's Tournament

In contrast to the men's tournament, only eight players start in the women's tournament. Clear favourite is Elisabeth Pähtz, the long-time number one women's player in Germany. In round one she showed how determined she is to win this tournament and defeated Annmarie Mütsch with energetic attacking play:

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 a6 6.Nbd2 Ba7 7.0-0 d6 8.Bb3 h6 9.h3 g5!? Black wants to win and uses the first opportunity to attack. 10.Nc4 g4 11.hxg4 Bxg4 12.Be3 Rg8 13.Bxa7 Nxa7 14.Ne3 Qd7 15.d4 Nxe4 16.Re1 16.Bd5 was a good alternative. After exd4 17.cxd4 Black still has to prove that her attack is strong enough. 16...0-0-0 17.dxe5 Nd2!? Energetic and creative. 18.Qxd2 Bxf3 Objectively, this position is about equal but in practice it is difficult to defend for White. 19.e6? Better was 19.Bd1!= and White should hold. 19...fxe6 20.Qd4 Kb8 21.Qf6 Attacking e6 and f3. But Black has more than enough counterplay. Qc6?! Missing a chance to finish the attack brilliantly: After 21...Bxg2 Black crashes through, e.g. 22.Nxg2 Qc6 23.f3 Rdf8 24.Qxh6 or 24.Qxe6 Rxg2+! 25.Kxg2 Qxf3+ 26.Kg1 Qf2+ 27.Kh1 Qh4+ 28.Kg1 Rf2 and Black wins. 24...Rxf3 and White's king is too exposed. 22.Bxe6 Rdf8 23.Qh4 Rg6 Black again misses a good chance. After 23...Bxg2 24.Bxg8 Rxg8 Black has a strong attack and a apwn for the exchange, e.g. 25.Qf4 Be4+ 26.Kh2 Qc5 and White has trouble to find an adequate defense against the threat 26...Qh5+. 24.Bh3 Rfg8 25.g3 Qc5 26.Qf4?! Better was 26.Bf5! 26...Bc6?! Better was 26...Qh5 27.Bg2 Bxg2 28.Kxg2 Nc6 with a clear advantage for Black. 27.Rad1 h5 28.Bg2 Rg5 Now, White has equalized and Pähtz has to win again. 29.Qd4 Qa5 30.a3?! Better was 30.Nd5 with a roughly equal position. 30...Bxg2 31.Kxg2 Nc6 32.Qe4 Qb5 33.b4 Ne5 34.c4 Qa4 35.Ra1? White finally collapses. After 35.c5 dxc5 36.Rd5! Nc6 37.Rxg5 Rxg5 38.Nc4 White has strong counterplay and is only slightly worse. 35...h4! 36.Nf5 hxg3 37.Nxg3 Rg4 38.Qh7 Qc6+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Muetsch,A2266Paehtz,E24670–12021C54DSB-Frauenkader-Challenge 20211.3

Annmarie Mütsch (left), Elisabeth Pähtz

Results of round 1

 

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chess-results

Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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