8/10/2021 – Chess tournaments in Dortmund, Germany, have a long and illustrious tradition. In 2021, the Sparkassen Chess Trophy continued this tradition. Vishy Anand won a "No Castling" match against Vladimir Kramnik, Pavel Eljanov won the "Deutschland Cup". Now, the organizers released a video that reviews highlights of this year's tournament. In a personal statement during the award ceremony, Carsten Hensel, former manager of Kramnik, and driving force behind the organisation of the tournament, had already explained why Dortmund 2021 was a real highlight for him.
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After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6!?, Black takes the initiative, luring White into overextending their central pawns, only to dismantle them with precise counterplay. The Tango is not just an opening – it’s a weapon, designed for players who want to win as Black
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Highlight video of the 48. Chess Days in Dortmund
Carsten Hensel during the award ceremony on 18 July:
"In addition to the many highlights in the congress centre of the Westfalenhallen, this evening formed a symbiosis between chess, culture and art: a combination that is so important to us alongside the aspects of sport, technology and education.
For me personally, it was an outstanding feeling to finally organise a top event again after a long dry spell: to feel the adrenaline, to look into people's faces and to see not only masks but emotions!
My thanks go first and foremost to our sponsors Sparkasse and the City of Dortmund, Sportland NRW, DeepMind, Dokom21 and Mercedes-Benz. Likewise, I would like to thank our partners Kongress Westfalenhallen Dortmund, the World Federation FIDE, the German Chess Federation and the German Chess Youth. The representatives of the aforementioned institutions always stayed by our side during the last two years of the pandemic.
With few exceptions, the participating chess players fought and gave their best in the various competitions. This compliment goes not only to our grandmasters, but especially to the youngsters.
It was a pleasure to be there and to see them play. In the future, we will continue our efforts not only to present top chess, but also to keep an eye on hopefuls among boys and girls in order to give these talents opportunities within the framework of the Chess Days.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my team very much. It would not have been possible without you! The challenges were great: a new team, a new venue, a complete relaunch of our brand, a new sports concept, up-to-date communication and the successfully started digitalisation.
Now a highlight video has been released that leaves a lasting impression of the 48th International Dortmund Chess Days. A conclusion to this event that whets the appetite for more!
In this sense I am already looking forward to the next Sparkassen Chess Trophy from 16 to 24 July 2022, then hopefully again with an open tournament in the Westfalenhallen and an audience on site."
Carsten Hensel (left) and Dr. Reinhard Rauball, President of Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund's famous football club. | Photo: Guido Kohlen
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
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