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The World Team Championships 50+, 65+ take place from 26th June to 4th July in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Radebeul, near Dresden, Germany. Organiser is the ZMDI Schachfestival Dresden. The tournament is a 9 round swiss open with teams consisting of four players. Teams from all FIDE federations have the right to participate and they may represent or any regional structure of a national federation. But all players must come from the same federation.
The winning team obtains the title "World Team Champion 2016 (50+ or 65+). The best placed women's team obtains the title "FIDE Woman Team Champion 2016".
A wide variety of teams take part in the event. National teams such as England, Iceland, Armenia, Germany, Scotland or Finland compete with regional or club teams such as SK Norderstedt or SK Kaltenkirchen. But there also teams named "Störtebeker" (a famous German pirate who lived from about 1360 to 1401) or the team "Dettmann" which starts with Armin Waschk on top board and Gerd, Holger, Uwe and Jürgen Dettmann on boards two to five.
But who is the guy who executes the first move in the game
Arthur Jussupow vs Johann Hjartarson in the match between Iceland
and the Emanuel Lasker Gesellschaft?
The World Senior Championships take place in Radebeul, and this is the place where Karl May, one of the most successful and influential German writers died on 30th March 1912. May is particularly well-known for his adventure novels set in the "Wild West" - and the guy in the picture seems to be an impersonation of one of May's most famous heroes, "Old Shatterhand".
According to the Wikipedia May "is one of the best-selling German writers of all time with about 200 million copies worldwide".
Karl May (25. February 1842 - 30. March 1912) (Photo: Wikipedia)
Later in his life May was a wealthy and successful author but he was born into a poor family and as a young man turned to stealing and other petty crimes. He served several prison sentences for theft and vagrancy, the last one from 1870 to 1874. After his release he focused on writing and became a prolific author of colportage, adventure and travel novels.
May wrote his most successful novels as a first-person-narrator and though they were pure fiction he later in life claimed to have lived through all the adventures of his heroes himself, claiming "I am Old Shatterhand".
His novels about "Winnetou" and "Old Shatterhand" in which he painted an idealized, romanticized version of the "Wild West" and Native Americans while indulging in phantasies of good, great heroes with clear moral values were extremely popular and widely read. Arguably May had a deep and lasting influence on German culture with admirers ranging from Albert Einstein to Adolf Hitler.
Incidentally, May also has a connection to chess. Lothar Schmid, Grandmaster, chess collector and arbiter was born on 10th May 1928 in Radebeul into the family which owned the Karl May Verlag and the rights to the books of May. Later, Schmid inherited and led the Karl May Verlag.
But the modern version of Old Shatterhand did not bring much luck to the team of the Emanual Lasker Gesellschaft, which lost its match against Iceland 1.5-2.5. But in round five Iceland in turn lost against Armenia and after five rounds the Armenians share the lead with the team of Germany I, which defeated England 2.5-1.5.
In the England vs Germany match Klaus Bischoff won
a crucial game against Jon Speelman
| Pl. | Team | ELO | Man.Pkt. | Brt.Pkt. | SoBerg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Armenia | 10:0 | 16.5 | 93.5 | ||
| 1. | Rafael A Vaganian | 2577 | 4.5:0.5 | 11 | 9 | |
| 2. | Ashot Anastasian | 2532 | 3.5:1.5 | 12.5 | 7.25 | |
| 3. | Karen Movsziszian | 2488 | 4:1 | 13 | 10.75 | |
| 4. | Norayr Kalantaryan | 2378 | 3:0 | 13.5 | 7 | |
| 5. | Sergey Galdunts | 2415 | 1.5:0.5 | 12.5 | 5.25 | |
| 2. | Germany 1 | 10:0 | 16.5 | 85 | ||
| 1. | Uwe Bönsch | 2545 | 4:1 | 14 | 10.5 | |
| 2. | Klaus Bischoff | 2500 | 5:0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | |
| 3. | Karsten Volke | 2478 | 3:2 | 13 | 7.5 | |
| 4. | Raj Tischbierek | 2439 | 4:0 | 12.5 | 9.5 | |
| 5. | Gernot Gauglitz | 2396 | 0.5:0.5 | 10.5 | 1.5 | |
| 3. | England 1 | 8:2 | 15.5 | 68.5 | ||
| 1. | John D M Nunn | 2597 | 4:1 | 11.5 | 8 | |
| 2. | Jon S Speelman | 2523 | 2.5:1.5 | 13 | 5 | |
| 3. | Mark L Hebden | 2510 | 4.5:0.5 | 12.5 | 11.5 | |
| 4. | Keith C Arkell | 2453 | 3:0 | 13.5 | 9 | |
| 5. | Glenn C Flear | 2450 | 1.5:1.5 | 13 | 2.25 | |
| 4. | Emanuel-Lasker-Gesellschaft | 8:2 | 14.5 | 73 | ||
| 1. | Artur Jussupow | 2596 | 2.5:1.5 | 13 | 6.75 | |
| 2. | Alexander Graf | 2561 | 3.5:0.5 | 12.5 | 9 | |
| 3. | Jakob Meister | 2456 | 3.5:0.5 | 13 | 8.75 | |
| 4. | Dr. Gerhard Köhler | 2201 | 2.5:2.5 | 14 | 7.5 | |
| 5. | Thomas Pähtz | 2361 | 2.5:0.5 | 12.5 | 6.5 | |
| 5. | Iceland | 8:2 | 13 | 68.5 | ||
| 1. | Johann Hjartarson | 2547 | 2:2 | 15 | 6.75 | |
| 2. | Helgi Olafsson | 2543 | 3:2 | 13.5 | 7.5 | |
| 3. | Margeir Petursson | 2509 | 3:1 | 14.5 | 10.5 | |
| 4. | Jon L Arnason | 2490 | 3.5:1.5 | 12 | 8.25 | |
| 5. | Fridrik Olafsson | 2377 | 1.5:0.5 | 12 | 3 | |
| 6. | Canada | 8:2 | 13 | 57.5 | ||
| 1. | Jean Hebert | 2370 | 2:2 | 15.5 | 4.75 | |
| 2. | Deen Hergott | 2385 | 3.5:0.5 | 12.5 | 8.75 | |
| 3. | Tom O'Donnell | 2354 | 2:2 | 13 | 5.5 | |
| 4. | David Ross | 2296 | 3:1 | 10.5 | 6.75 | |
| 5. | Paul Ross | 2282 | 2.5:1.5 | 14 | 8.25 | |
| 7. | Stiftung BSW / DBAG II | 8:2 | 13 | 43 | ||
| 1. | Michael Müller | 2244 | 2.5:1.5 | 12.5 | 6.5 | |
| 2. | Detlev Kuhne | 2085 | 2:2 | 11 | 3.75 | |
| 3. | Ralf-Peter Stahr | 2018 | 5:0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | |
| 4. | Wolfgang Tichatschke | 1975 | 2:2 | 11.5 | 4.25 | |
| 5. | Karl-Heinz Schneider | 1975 | 1.5:1.5 | 11.5 | 3.5 | |
| 8. | Thüringen | 7:3 | 14 | 67.5 | ||
| 1. | Peter Enders | 2448 | 3.5:1.5 | 12.5 | 8.75 | |
| 2. | Thomas Casper | 2377 | 3.5:1.5 | 13 | 7.75 | |
| 3. | Joachim Brüggemann | 2304 | 3:2 | 10.5 | 6.5 | |
| 4. | Gunter Sandner | 2267 | 1:0 | 11 | 1.5 | |
| 5. | Lutz Espig | 2263 | 3:1 | 13 | 9 | |
| 9. | England 2 | 7:3 | 12.5 | 53.5 | ||
| 1. | H James Plaskett | 2445 | 4.5:0.5 | 10.5 | 9.5 | |
| 2. | Andrew P Lewis | 2269 | 2:2 | 12.5 | 5.25 | |
| 3. | Ingrid Lauterbach | 2107 | 2:2 | 13 | 5.75 | |
| 4. | Mark E Page | 2080 | 3:1 | 12.5 | 7.75 | |
| 5. | Kevin Bowmer | 2071 | 1:2 | 11.5 | 3 | |
| 10. | Russia Women | 7:3 | 12 | 64.5 | ||
| 1. | Galina Strutinskaia | 2237 | 3:2 | 12 | 7 | |
| 2. | Svetlana Mednikova | 2180 | 2:2 | 14 | 5.75 | |
| 3. | Valentina Kozlovskaya | 2218 | 3:2 | 11.5 | 7 | |
| 4. | Elena Fatalibekova | 2227 | 2.5:1.5 | 11.5 | 4.75 | |
| 5. | Elena N Sazonova | 2176 | 1.5:0.5 | 11 | 3.75 | |
Elisabeth Pähtz opens the round in the women's tournament
In group 65+ the team "Russia 65+" dominates the event and has won all of their five matches.
Vadim Z. Faibisovich (left) plays against Evgeny Sveshnikov.
GM Nikolai Pushkov waits for his opponent.
| Pl. | Team | ELO | Man.Pkt. | Brt.Pkt. | SoBerg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Russia 65+ | 10:0 | 15.5 | 82.5 | ||
| 1. | Evgeny Sveshnikov | 2509 | 3:1 | 13.5 | 7.5 | |
| 2. | Evgeni Vasiukov | 2403 | 2:0 | 13.5 | 6 | |
| 3. | Yuri S Balashov | 2408 | 3:1 | 14 | 10 | |
| 4. | Vladimir V Zhelnin | 2455 | 3.5:1.5 | 13 | 8.25 | |
| 5. | Nikolai Pushkov | 2315 | 4:1 | 11.5 | 8.25 | |
| 2. | Sankt-Petersburg | 8:2 | 15 | 93 | ||
| 1. | Vadim Z Faibisovich | 2348 | 4:1 | 12.5 | 8.75 | |
| 2. | Nikolai M Mishuchkov | 2306 | 4:1 | 12 | 8.5 | |
| 3. | Vladimir I Karasev | 2347 | 4.5:0.5 | 11 | 9.5 | |
| 4. | Igor Blechzin | 2349 | 2.5:2.5 | 12.5 | 7.25 | |
| 3. | Belgium 1 | 8:2 | 14 | 66 | ||
| 1. | Jan Rooze | 2322 | 5:0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | |
| 2. | Marcel Van Herck | 2155 | 3:2 | 13.5 | 7.75 | |
| 3. | Robert Schuermans | 2128 | 3.5:1.5 | 10 | 6.5 | |
| 4. | Valeer Maes | 2084 | 2.5:2.5 | 13 | 7.25 | |
| 4. | Schachfreunde Leipzig | 8:2 | 13 | 54.5 | ||
| 1. | Manfred Böhnisch | 2302 | 2.5:2.5 | 12.5 | 5.5 | |
| 2. | Thomas Schubert | 2362 | 3.5:1.5 | 12 | 8.25 | |
| 3. | Manfred Schöneberg | 2245 | 2:1 | 13 | 5.25 | |
| 4. | Dr. Gottfried Braun | 2240 | 2.5:1.5 | 10 | 5.75 | |
| 5. | Robert Beltz | 2121 | 2.5:0.5 | 12 | 6.25 | |
| 5. | England 1 | 8:2 | 12.5 | 57 | ||
| 1. | Anthony J Stebbings | 2292 | 2:2 | 11.5 | 4.5 | |
| 2. | Geoffrey H James | 2203 | 2:2 | 10.5 | 4 | |
| 3. | Michael Stokes | 2187 | 3.5:0.5 | 13.5 | 8.25 | |
| 4. | John M Quinn | 2152 | 2.5:1.5 | 14.5 | 6.75 | |
| 5. | Julian T Farrand | 2048 | 2.5:1.5 | 13.5 | 8.5 | |
| 6. | USV TU Dresden | 8:2 | 10.5 | 37.5 | ||
| 1. | Gerhard Schmidt | 2203 | 3:2 | 11.5 | 7 | |
| 2. | Wolfgang Lenk | 2213 | 2:3 | 13.5 | 4 | |
| 3. | Peter Kahn | 2097 | 2.5:2.5 | 13.5 | 6.5 | |
| 4. | Prof. Dr. Hans Petzold | 2092 | 3:2 | 10.5 | 6.75 | |
| 7. | Moldova | 7:3 | 12.5 | 57.5 | ||
| 1. | Victor Romcovici | 2122 | 4.5:0.5 | 9 | 9 | |
| 2. | Boris M Nevednichy | 2122 | 3.5:1.5 | 8.5 | 6.5 | |
| 3. | Albert Scovitin | 2209 | 3:2 | 13.5 | 7.75 | |
| 4. | Nicolai Seredneac | 1395 | 0:1 | 9 | 0 | |
| 5. | Viktor Gyrlea | 2384 | 1.5:2.5 | 11 | 3.25 | |
| 8. | Stiftung BSW / DBAG I | 7:3 | 12 | 52 | ||
| 1. | Karl-Heinz Lehmann | 2108 | 1.5:2.5 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2. | Werner Kugelmann | 2144 | 2.5:2.5 | 12 | 6 | |
| 3. | Dr. Friedrich Baumbach | 2193 | 4.5:0.5 | 11 | 9.25 | |
| 4. | Hans-Jürgen Fleuch | 2078 | 2.5:1.5 | 11.5 | 6 | |
| 5. | Dr. Valerij Goldberg | 2123 | 1:1 | 12 | 3 | |
| 9. | Germany 2 | 7:3 | 11.5 | 58.5 | ||
| 1. | Jefim Rotstein | 2332 | 1.5:3.5 | 14.5 | 4 | |
| 2. | Boris Khanukov | 2323 | 3:2 | 12 | 8.25 | |
| 3. | Sergej Salov | 2198 | 3.5:1.5 | 13.5 | 9.25 | |
| 4. | Boris Gruzmann | 2202 | 3.5:1.5 | 13 | 9 | |
| 10. | Sachsen-Anhalt | 7:3 | 10.5 | 35.5 | ||
| 1. | Heinz Liebert | 2182 | 2:3 | 11.5 | 4.75 | |
| 2. | Karl-Heinz Bondick | 2055 | 2.5:2.5 | 11 | 4.5 | |
| 3. | Dieter Bocionek | 1956 | 3:2 | 10.5 | 5 | |
| 4. | Roland Rümmler | 1952 | 3:2 | 9.5 | 5.75 | |
| 11. | Hessen 1 | 6:4 | 13 | 47.5 | ||
| 1. | Georg Haubt | 2132 | 4:1 | 11 | 7.75 | |
| 2. | Dr. Reinhard Zunker | 2134 | 3.5:1.5 | 11 | 6.25 | |
| 3. | Dr. Helmut Biller | 2082 | 2.5:2.5 | 10 | 5.75 | |
| 4. | Horst Müller | 2165 | 3:2 | 10.5 | 7.25 | |
Photos: Karsten Wieland
