THE 2021 DSB-Kader-Challenge – organized by German Chess Federation – kicked off Monday, April 5, with 10 of Germany’s top chess players participating. The over-the-board classical tournament is a Category 14 (average Elo: 2590), single round robin event with a time format of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves plus 30 minutes to finish plus 30 seconds increment per move starting from move one.
The competition was played at Maritim Hotel in Magdeburg, the capital and second-largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The players are GMs Matthias Blübaum (2670), Alexander Donchenko (2659), Rasmus Svane (2613), Andreas Heimann (2606), Niclas Huschenbeth (2604), Daniel Fridman (2601), Dmitrij Kollars (2598), Dennis Wagner (2581), Luis Engel (2553), and FM Frederik Svane (2421).
The first round didn’t start with a bang, but rather with an irony – the top seed was defeated by the last seed. Blübaum was ambushed by the strong FIDE Master Svane, losing in 49 moves from the black side of an English Symmetrical. The win, the only decisive game of the round propelled the 17-year old Svane on top of the leader board. The rest of the Round 1 games – although fiercely fought – were all drawn.
Svane, Rasmus (2613)-Fridman, Daniel (2601) [B13]
Magdeburg (1.1) 2021
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Qc7 6.h3 Nf6 7.Nf3 g6 8.0-0 Bg7 9.Re1 0-0 10.Be3 Bf5 11.Be2 Ne4 12.Nbd2 Rad8 13.Rc1 Rfe8 14.Nb3 Qb8 15.Bd3 f6 16.Nh4 Be6 17.Qc2 Nd6 18.f4 f5 19.Nf3 Ne4 20.Ne5 Bf6 21.Qe2 Qc8 22.Nxc6 bxc6 23.Nc5 Bf7 24.b4 Qc7 25.Bxe4 dxe4 26.a4 Kh8 27.b5 Rg8 28.Rf1 Rg7 29.bxc6 Qxc6 30.Qb5 Qxb5 31.axb5 Bc4 32.Rf2 g5 33.Ra1 g4 34.h4 Rb8 35.Rb2 Rxb5 36.Rxb5 Bxb5 37.g3 Rg8 38.Rxa7 Rb8 39.Rb7 Rxb7 40.Nxb7 e6 ½-½
Kollars, D (2598)-Heimann, A (2606) [C45]
Magdeburg (1.2) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba6 9.b3 g6 10.Ba3 Nb4 11.Bb2 Bg7 12.a3 Nd5 13.Nd2 0-0 14.0-0-0 Rfe8 15.Qf3 Nb6 16.Kb1 d5 17.exd6 cxd6 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Qc3+ Kg8 20.h4 d5 21.h5 dxc4 22.hxg6 fxg6 23.Bxc4+ Bxc4 24.Nxc4 Rad8 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Re1 Qf7 27.Nxb6 axb6 28.f3 c5 29.Kb2 Qd5 30.Re2 Kf7 31.Qe3 Qd4+ 32.Qxd4 Rxd4 33.Kc3 g5 34.b4 g4 35.fxg4 Rxg4 36.bxc5 bxc5 37.Kb3 Rg3+ 38.Kb2 Rg4 39.Kb3 Rg3+ 40.Kb2 Rg4 ½-½
Svane, F (2421)-Bluebaum, M (2670) [A34]
Magdeburg (1.3) 2021
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.c4 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nc3 Nc7 7.d3 e5 8.Nd2 Be7 9.Nc4 f6 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Be3 0-0 12.Qa4 Bd7 13.Qa5 Nd5 14.Qxd8 Rfxd8 15.Bd2 Nb6 16.b3 Be6 17.f3 Rac8 18.g4 g6 19.h4 h5 20.g5 Nxc4 21.bxc4 f5 22.Be3 Rb8 23.0-0-0 Rb4 24.Kc2 f4 25.Bf2 Bf5 26.a3 Rxc4 27.Rb1 Rd7 28.Rb8+ Kf7 29.Rhb1 Rcd4 30.Bxd4 cxd4 31.Na4 Bxa3 32.R1b7 a5 33.Nb6 Rxb7 34.Rxb7+ Ke6 35.Nc4 Bb4 36.Kd1 Kd5 37.Rb8 Be6 38.Ra8 Kc5 39.Nxa5 Bf7 40.Nc4 Kd5 41.Rb8 Bc5 42.Ra8 Bb4 43.Rc8 Bc5 44.Na5 Bb6 45.Nxc6 Kd6 46.Nb4 Bb3+ 47.Nc2 Bc5 48.Rb8 Ba4 49.Rg8 1-0
Engel, L (2553)-Wagner, D (2581) [C47]
Magdeburg (1.5) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Be2 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.0-0 Nxc3 7.bxc3 e4 8.Ne1 f5 9.f3 Bc5+ 10.Kh1 0-0 11.d4 exd3 12.cxd3 f4 13.d4 Bd6 14.Nd3 Kh8 15.Nf2 Ne7 16.Ne4 Nf5 17.Re1 Qh4 18.Nxd6 cxd6 19.Bd3 Bd7 20.Bd2 Rf6 21.Bxf5 Bxf5 22.Qa4 Raf8 23.d5 Qf2 24.Qd4 Qxd4 25.cxd4 g5 26.Rac1 Kg7 27.Bb4 R8f7 28.Re8 Rd7 29.Rcc8 Rff7 30.h4 gxh4 31.Rg8+ Kf6 32.Be1 Rg7 33.Bxh4+ Kg6 34.Rgf8 Rdf7 35.Rxf7 Rxf7 36.Rg8+ Rg7 37.Ra8 a6 38.a3 Bd3 39.Rf8 Kh5 40.Rxf4 Bf1 41.g3 Bc4 42.Kg2 Kh6 43.Rf5 Rd7 44.g4 Kg6 45.f4 a5 46.Rh5 Kg7 47.f5 b5 48.Bg5 b4 49.axb4 axb4 50.Bh6+ Kf6 51.Kg3 b3 52.Bc1 Kg7 53.Bh6+ Kf7 54.Bc1 Kg7 55.Bh6+ ½-½
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qh7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Nxh7 2.Nxd5#; 1…Nxg4 2.Kg5#; 1…Nc7/xf4+ 2.Kxf6#; 1…Ne7+/e3 2.Q(x)e7#; 1…Kxd4/e5 2.Sd3#./PN
