Peter Enders, born on 2 February 1963 in Taucha, was considered one of the greatest talents in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). At the age of 15, he took part in the GDR state championships for adults for the first time in 1978 and was a regular participant in the following years. He played in several smaller invitational tournaments in Dresden. He also took part in tournaments in the GDR's "socialist brother countries" in the 1980s.
From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!In his home country, he often came into confrontation with the authorities. Although Peter Enders had far exceeded the number of norms required for the title of International Master, the GDR Chess Federation did not send the applications for his title. In 1989, following a dispute, the GDR Chess Federation did not invite Peter Enders to the national championship, even though he was the third-best player in the country at the time.
After reunification and the accession of the GDR states to the Federal Republic of Germany, Peter Enders, then almost 30 years old, was able to develop his play in better conditions. In 1990, he became the German Blitz Chess Champion. In 1993, he was finally awarded the title of International Master. In the same year, Enders won the German Championship. In 1996, he became German Rapid Chess Champion. In 1997, he was also awarded the title of Grandmaster.
After reunification, Peter Enders took part in team competitions for various clubs. From 2002, he played for the Erfurter SK in the German League. He remained loyal to this team from that point on.
Peter Enders died on his 62nd birthday, 2 February 2025, in Freyburg (Unstrut).
Artur Yusupov v. Peter Enders - German Championship 1998
Jan Timman v. Peter Enders - Bundesliga 1998
John Nunn v. Peter Enders - Bundesliga 2000
Obituary by the Erfurt Chess Club
The Master is dead.
In this video course, kings will play a role of strong and active pieces. We will explore how Kings can be helpful in defence and prophylaxis, or even in attack!We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the death of our long-time club member, Grandmaster Peter Enders. Peter was a passionate chess player. He was "chess mad" in the truest sense of the word. In the 1980s, he achieved his first notable successes, particularly in blitz, where he became GDR champion, both individually and with his team.
With Peter Enders, Mikroelektronik Erfurt won the GDR team championship for the first time in 1988. Peter achieved a perfect 4 out of 4 on the last weekend in Berlin. With his help, Erfurt managed to break into the phalanx of the big GDR clubs, with SG Leipzig and Buna Halle.
After reunification, Peter Enders played for various clubs in the Bundesliga. He became German blitz chess champion in 1990. In 1994, he was crowned German champion at the 66th tournament in Binz. Peter Enders probably achieved his best tournament performance at the 1998 DEM in Bremen with a spectacular victory over world-class player Artur Yusupov. From 2002, he played for Erfurter SK again and remained a valuable member of the first team for more than twenty years. He repeatedly showed his class in various team tournaments.
Most recently, he played against two Berlin teams in the Oberliga Ost in Plauen in January.
Peter Enders - a life for chess!
- The board of the Erfurt chess club
Obituary at Erfurter SK...
