Should there ever be a vote for the most beautiful venue for a chess tournament, Weissenhaus would certainly be one of the favorites. After the opening event at the beginning of the year, with the dazzling staging of a freestyle tournament featuring some of the world's best players, entrepreneur and chess enthusiast Jan Hendric Buettner really stepped on the gas and launched several new projects.

In cooperation with the chess department of St. Pauli, which had just been promoted to the Bundesliga, Buettner convinced Magnus Carlsen and several other top grandmasters to come to the vibrant club. A move that attracted great attention, not only in the chess press.

The Hamburger Schachklub von 1830, the second oldest sports club in Hamburg and one of the largest chess clubs in Germany, was delighted about the return of Niclas Huschenbeth and the addition of Leonardo Costa - here Jan Hendric Buettner had also worked in the background.

Buettner also founded the Weissenhaus Chess Academy to support top players and German talents. One of the initiatives was the Weissenhaus Young Masters, which began on Monday, 14 October,  and ended on Friday, 18 October. It was a classical tournament with a very tight schedule. Except for the opening day, two rounds were played each day: the first round starting in the morning at 10 a.m., and the second round at 4 p.m.—a grueling program.

Four young talents - Marius Deuer (16), Leonardo Costa (16), Hussain Besou (13), and Christian Glöckler (12) - had the opportunity to gain experience by playing against seasoned grandmasters.

Marius Deuer

Glöckler and Costa

The veterans were GM Pavel Eljanov from Ukraine, who now lives in Munich, GM P. Sethuraman from India, GM Sune Berg Hansen from Denmark, Estonian Grandmaster Kaido Kulaots, and GM Christian Bauer from France.

Pavel Eljanov

P. Sethuraman

Sune Berg Hansen

Kaido Kulaots

Christian Bauer

Benedict Krause from the FC St. Pauli completed the field.

At 27 years, Krause is certainly not part of the "old guard." Considering some of the much younger participants, especially Besou and Glöckler, he called himself a "semi-veteran".

The tournament schedule was particularly demanding for the older players, some of whom have other commitments as well. For example, Sune Berg Hansen runs a business of his own and has little time to focus on chess. Christian Bauer had just played in the Swiss League, then competed in the tournament at Weissenhaus, and then rushed to Serbia to play in the European Club Cup in Vrnjacka Banja.

The Weissenhaus site

The players stayed in various houses on the estate, and the younger players stayed in the Chess Academy house were regular training camps take place. At the end of the tournament, most players of the German national team came by for a visit.

German national team coach Jan Gustafsson with Matthias Blübaum, Rasmus Svane, Dmitrj Kollars and Alexander Donchenko

Kollars, Blübaum, Donchenko and Reinhard Ahrens, captain of the HSK Bundesliga team, try their skills at a different game.

The "living room"of the Academy

Those who live on the Weissenhaus site have many opportunities for relaxation. The Baltic Sea and the beach are just a few steps away, between the pier at Weißenhäuser Strand and a cliff on the way to Hohwacht.

Or you stay on the premises, relax in the spa, sit in the foyer or in the library or visit the billiards room.

The Weissenhaus Young Masters took place in the "North Wing" of the castle. Tournament director Sebastian Siebrecht announced the start of each round with a strike of the gong.
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Main arbiter Sandra Schmidt oversaw the adherence to the rules, which was probably easier here than at the U.S. Championships in Saint Louis.

Hussain Bisou with his uncle Mohammed

Leonardo Costa with his father Vinzenco

In the end it was Indian Grandmaster P. Sethuraman who won the tournament.

Final standings

Games

Links

• Weissenhaus Chess Academy...
• Sethuraman wins Weissenhaus Young Masters...
• Interview with S. P. Sethuraman