Magnus Carlsen plays in the Bundesliga and makes headlines

by André Schulz
1/14/2025 – Even before the start of the Bundesliga season, the announcement that Magnus Carlsen would be playing for the Hamburg club St. Pauli caused a huge media stir. Last weekend the world's best chess player made his debut for his new club - and created a real chess hype, not only in Hamburg. | Photos: André Schulz

ChessBase 18 - Mega package ChessBase 18 - Mega package

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

More...

Magnus Carlsen is no stranger to the Bundesliga. Back in 2005, SF Neukölln were the first Bundesliga club to sign the then 14-year-old Norwegian. However, he lost his first league game against his future coach Peter Heine Nielsen. The best Danish grandmaster at the time was playing for Wattenscheid. The following season Carlsen was lured to Baden-Baden, but played only four games there, and for the next two seasons he played only two games a season. His last Bundesliga game before signing for St. Pauli was against Polish grandmaster Bartosz Socko, who defeated the 18-year old rising star. That was in 2008 and by then Carlsen was already one of the world's top players with an Elo rating of 2786.

A lot has happened since then. Magnus Carlsen became world champion in 2013 and Peter Heine Nielsen has long been his permanent second and coach.

Peter Heine Nielsen

In 2022, Carlsen announced that he would no longer play World Championship matches and surrendered his title without a fight. But he is still the world's best chess player. And he is the pop star of the chess scene – whether he likes it or not.

On Saturday, all three were sitting in the same room, Magnus Carlsen, Peter Heine Nielsen and Bartosz Socko, this time in the colours of the same team. With seven points from eight games, Bartosz Socko was one of the top scorers of the St. Pauli team that was promoted from the Second Bundesliga North to the top division last year. However, just like the football team St. Pauli, which also made it to the top division at the same time, the chess team would have to fight relegation unless they were able to significantly strengthen their ranks.

Something was actually happening in Hamburg. Jan Henric Buettner, a Hamburg entrepreneur, had rediscovered his childhood love of chess and recruited Magnus Carlsen for joint projects. They founded Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH and organised a freestyle chess tournament with the world's best players at Jan Henric Buettner's Weissenhaus Luxury Resort on the Baltic Sea. In freestyle chess, the starting position is determined by a draw. It used to be called Fischer Chess or Chess960, but Freestyle sounds better.

The Weissenhaus Luxury Resort is not quite in Hamburg yet, but it's not far away either. So Oliver von Wersch, head of the St. Pauli Bundesliga chess team, asked if something could be done. Something was done. Magnus Carlsen and St. Pauli – two names that go well together. When Carlsen gave a simultaneous exhibition match in Hamburg for the 70th anniversary of Die Zeit, he also attended a St. Pauli game, then still in the second division, as a football lover. Carlsen liked the atmosphere and the mood. In short: Carlsen wanted to become a St. Pauli fan and also brought a few strong chess players along. It was clear that the ‘Viking’ reinforcement would not take part in all the matches, but a few would.

Last weekend the time had come. Carlsen signalled that he wanted to play at relatively short notice in order to get the team out of the relegation zone. Carlsen has always been a team player. In the first four matches of the season, St. Pauli had picked up just one team point and were languishing in a relegation zone in 14th place.

The mere news that Magnus Carlsen would be playing for St. Pauli triggered a huge reaction in the media. Sure, it's a bit like Messi now playing for Heidenheim. On Saturday, the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) sat at the table in person in Hamburg. But it wasn't that easy for Carlsen to get there.

This way

The St. Pauli chess club would have liked to hold the matches in one of the event rooms at the Millerntor stadium. However, this was not possible because the football team was playing a home game against Frankfurt in the stadium on Saturday.

So the meeting was moved to rooms in the Brahms Kontor building, kindly provided by Statista, not far from the stadium. The Brahms Kontor is a very elegant office building, completed in several stages between 1903 and 1931, and is 15 storeys high.

The Bundesliga matches were played in a hall on the second floor. There was plenty of room for the players, but not much for the spectators and press. However, they were able to spread out in two adjoining rooms.

The volunteers of the St. Pauli chess club had expected a lot of attention, but were still somewhat overwhelmed when it became clear that Carlsen would be making his debut in Hamburg this weekend. The interest of the media and Hamburg chess fans was enormous. On Saturday six television teams shared the limited space and filmed for their clients. There were also around 1000 requests for tickets. These could not be fulfilled. Only a few handpicked spectators were given tickets. In addition, a few tickets were raffled. That's about it. Nevertheless, the rooms were very well filled with players, helpers, press etc.

Carlsen, behind him Jan Henric Buettner, Sebastian Siebrecht and Jan Werner, the director of the Düsseldorf team

The cause of this media frenzy was visibly uncomfortable with the fuss. Carlsen pushed his way through the crowd to his seat and looked around the room, somewhat surprised, at the multitude of cameras and microphones all aimed at him.

Speaking of dress code: the two referees Hugo Schulz and Stefan Wolff exceeded every conceivable dress code with their outfits.

On Saturday, however, Carlsen very convincingly defeated the young Dutchman Max Warmerdam.

St. Pauli picked up two important points against Solingen in the fight against relegation. On Sunday, Wei Yi was a much tougher opponent. Carlsen was unable to build any pressure and the game ended in a draw. After his game, Carlsen analysed the other games with Giri and others to see if his team might pull off a 4-4 draw against the nominally much better team from Düsseldorf. It wasn't quite enough. 

Video: Arne Kähler / André Schulz

The few spectators and many media representatives were well looked after by St. Pauli. There were free hot and cold drinks, canapés, bread rolls and wraps. Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH provided bags with T-shirts printed with the Chess Vikings to take away.

The games were shown and analysed in the auditorium. In an adjoining room, Fiona Steil-Antoni, together with St. Pauli players Benedict Krause and Aljoscha Feuerstack, commented on the games. The stream was broadcast on the internet.

After the match on Sunday, the media, players and organisers met for a meet and greet in the St. Pauli clubhouse at the Millerntor stadium. But Carlsen just popped in for a quick glass of water and then disappeared again. Carlsen's buddy, the ever engaging David Howell, took on the role of the strongest player representative and spent hours fulfilling selfie and autograph requests.

Oliver von Wersch moderated and asked Jan Henric Buettner about Carlsen

Sebastian Siebrecht gave tips for playing against Grandmasters: "Don't shy away from risks and sacrifices..."

Chess journalist Stefan Löffler

Andrea Hafenstein with a unique chess set made out of Lego. She has written about her illness in two books. Chess has helped her a lot.

Not everyone would want Carlsen's schedule. At the turn of the year he played in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York, where he got into trouble with FIDE and the referee because Carlsen's jeans were not formal enough for them. On the first weekend of the year Magnus Carlsen married his girlfriend Ella Victoria at Holmenkollen in Norway. But their honeymoon first took them to Hamburg for the Bundesliga. But now the world's best chess player is taking a short break. On 7 February the first tournament of the new Freestyle Grand Slam will begin at the Weissenhaus Luxury Resort.

Carlsen's programme in Hamburg had already begun on Friday evening. Jan Henric Buettner had invited players from St. Pauli and the Hamburger SK chess club, media representatives and friends to dinner at his Bootshaus Bar & Grill in the HafenCity.

The German-Danish table: Jonas Buhl Bjerre, Rasmus and Frederik Svane, Florian Pütz (Spiegel) and Evi Zickelbein (Hamburger SK)

Leonardo Costa with his father

Alexandra Leib (press officer at St. Pauli Schach) and Oliver von Wersch (team manager) had a lot to do, but they enjoyed every minute of it.

Carlsen also appeared briefly, but was too tired to mingle with the crowds much longer.

Almost all German media, TV stations and internet portals reported on Carlsen's visit to Hamburg over the weekend. It was a bit like a papal visit. There has probably not been such a media frenzy around a chess player in Germany since 1972. Even the St. Pauli football department is rubbing its eyes in amazement. Incidentally, the footballers lost their match against Frankfurt. The next St. Pauli chess home match is in March. Then there will also be large rooms available in the stadium. Hamburger SK will also play their two home matches there. A small chess festival. Will Carlsen be there again? We will find out shortly. If so, it will be a big chess festival.

Bundesliga: Carlsen scores 1½/2 for St. Pauli, Düsseldorf and Baden-Baden share the lead


André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors