Performance Rating 3228, 6 out of 6: Christian Gloeckler dominates Qualifiers

by Johannes Fischer
1/29/2026 – 14-year-old German IM Christian Gloeckler remains perfect in the Qualifiers Tournament in Wijk aan Zee: six rounds have been played, and he has won all six. This gives him a performance rating of 3228, and with three rounds to go he leads Henry Edward Tudor by 1.5 points; Tudor is in sole second place with 4.5 out of 6. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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In the first four rounds, Gloeckler demonstrated his tactical skills, in round five, he impressed in the endgame.

“The good player is always lucky,” Capablanca supposedly once remarked after turning a bad position into a win, and Gloeckler, too, has had luck on his side in Wijk aan Zee. In round four, he was able to win a lost position against Dr. Johannes Carow, and in round six he first stood clearly worse against Stepan Hrbek and then clearly better, before eventually winning an objectively drawn position when his opponent lost on time on move 96.

Standings after 6 rounds

Nr Player KNSB Fide Score SB TPR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 Gloeckler, Christian 2444 6 16.5 3228 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 Tudor, Henry Edward 2434 4.5 8.75 2583 0 1 ½ 1 1 1
3 Hrbek, Stepan 2454 3.5 7 2460 0 ½ 0 1 1 1
4 Lohia, Sohum 2410 3 7.25 2411 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½
4 Grutter, Tim 2401 2399 3 5.5 2495 0 0 1 1 1
6 Beukema, Stefan 2413 2394 2.5 6.75 2354 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½
6 Elgersma, Onno 2366 2369 2.5 4.5 2407 0 0 1 1 ½
8 Carow, Johannes, Dr. 2469 2 2 2282 0 0 0 0 1 1
9 Van Foreest, Machteld 2343 2330 1 2.75 2149 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0
9 Baselmans, Luuk 2395 2406 1 2.5 2145 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0

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<< Robert Ris presents timeless classics from Wijk aan Zee
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Topics: Christian Glöckler, Qualifiers, Wijk aan Zee 2026
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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