Eltaj Safarli prevails at traditional Staufer Open

Safarli outstanding in Schwäbisch Gmünd

The Staufer Open in Schwäbisch Gmünd, which takes place every year in the first week of January, is undoubtedly one of the largest traditional tournaments in Germany. There was plenty of room for the 538 participants from 23 nations in the Congress-Centrum Stadtgarten: most of the boards were accommodated in the large hall, while part of the B tournament was held in an equally comfortable adjoining room. In the foyer, people could analyse the games between rounds, chat and relax or stock up on new reading material at the large bookstall.

The tournament hall

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Let Toptrainer Sokolov show you the ins and outs of middlegames. This course is about the catalan structures vs. semi-slav/triangle setups

A different perspective — the first 11 boards were separated from the rest by a barrier. This time Max still had to watch his dad GM Spyridon Skembris from the outside, but in a few years he will certainly make the leap behind the barrier himself!

With only 4 GMs at the top of the starting rank, the tournament was not quite as strong as in previous years. In general, it seems to me that there are currently fewer grandmasters at open tournaments in this country than in the past — presumably many (semi-)professionals have had to look for other sources of income during the coronavirus period. However, with 47 titleholders, there was still a strong field.

The 31-year-old Azerbaijani GM Eltaj Safarli was the favourite going into the race, and he more than lived up to his role as favourite: his eight wins (with only one quick draw) looked almost effortless, which was a pleasure to watch (except for his opponents, of course...)

Eltaj Safarli won with an outstanding 8½/9 score

An example of Safarli’s artistry.

And one more.

IM Valentin Buckels finished in second place, and FM Timo Küppers was also very satisfied with his fourth spot in the final standings

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In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.

The direct duel for the women’s top prize ended with the victory of Kateryna Dolzhykova — incidentally, the 35-year-old Ukrainian is the reigning German champion.

Final standings

...253 players

In the B tournament, four players finished level on points: Rüdiger Nickel (2nd board with Black) ahead of Lennart Bergmann (not in the picture), Vasilios Telioridis (1st board at the back, with White) and Wong Chun Hei from Hong Kong (front board with White)

It is not all about winning in a tournament. It is also an opportunity to gain experience and train your chess fitness, as 9 rounds in 5 days is pretty exhausting... Accordingly, many young players from the region, but also from further afield, were represented. Artur and Nadja Jussupow looked after the students of their chess school directly on site, and the Hessian School also travelled with over 40 people, including coaches.

The Chess Player's Mating Guide Vol. 1: The King in the Centre

One of the first lessons you learn in chess is to bring your king into safety by castling – be it on the kingside or the queenside - after having developed your minor pieces. By ignoring this rule of thumb, not only may your king end up in trouble, but your other pieces and in particular, your rooks, may never end up playing much of a role, and before you know it, things are looking grim. Even at the highest level, the consequences of neglecting this basic element of opening theory has been frequently underestimated. In this first volume of the new Mating Guide series, the emphasis will be on how to exploit a vulnerably placed king in the centre. A must-have for ambitious chess players who want to improve their own attacking skills.

The head coach of the Hessian School, IM Uwe Kersten, was busy analysing the games around the clock

The Staufer Open was held for the 34^th time since its first editnio in 1989. It was no coincidence that the motto of the tournament was, “Where you meet friends”. Before the last round, the most loyal tournament participants were honoured: Heinz Mück has taken part in all 34 tournaments!

From left: Volker Knolmayer, Andreas Weiss (31 participations each), main organiser Wernfried Tannhäuser, Heinz Mück (34 participations), Andreas Strohmaier (chairman of the Schwäbisch Gmünd chess community).

David Bronstein is quoted in the tournament brochure: “Everyone wins in chess. If you enjoy the game — and that's the main thing — even losing a game is no misfortune”, With this in mind, we eagerly await for the 35^th edition of the Staufer Open!

Links

• Official website
• Artur Yusupov: “We are at a dangerous point”