A dispute in the Bundesliga

10/13/2026 – The German Chess Bundesliga is known for its continuity. For decades, it has operated under well-established rules, although players, spectators and arbiters have not always agreed on how to apply them. A particularly curious case arose in the 1986/87 season: A match started late, raising the question of whether a grandmaster had arrived on time. What followed was a furious battle over the rules, a series of appeals, a replayed match, a relegation play-off and repeated changes to which team would be relegated. | Photo: Dr Robert Hübner playing in the Bundesliga in the 1980s (All photos courtesy of Eising and Treppner, Schachbundesliga)