Munich chess festival 2025: continuing the German tradition
Right after the big Grenke Open at Karlsruhe it now time to move to the beautiful city of Munich. The Oktoberfest is what the Bavarian capital city Munich, situated in southern part of Germany is known for all over the world. But the magic of 64 squares caught the imagination of the “Muncheners” and the Munich chess festival was born. This edition, the 3rd Munich Chess Festival, runs from 29th May to 14th June with multiple tournaments in the offing.
In the past Munich had hosted the 13th Chess Olympiad in 1958 when Botvinnik led Soviet Union clinched the Gold. Not a surprise when we look at the other members of the Soviet team viz., Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Tal and Petrosian. Imagine Tal (13.5/15) and Petrosian (10.5/13) as the 5th & 6th members of the Soviet Union playing in the first and second reserve!!
Prior to that at the turn of the last century Munich hosted one of the strongest chess tournaments in the world – the 12th DSB Congress, Munich 1900 – which boasted the participation of legends viz., Pillsbury, Schlechter, Maroczy, Janowski among others.
In the last few decades, Germany has made a mark for itself thanks to Bundesliga, a premier league for team chess. Add to it Sparkassen Dortmund Chess Meeting and Chess Classic Mainz from the past and you get the aesthetics of chess in Germany. Not to be left far behind, is the Munich Chess Festival which keeps growing every year.
This year the Munich Chess Festival 2025 offers:
Münchner Open “A” : Open or all with Elo 1900 or above (only 5 below 1900 get access)
Münchner Open “B” : Open for all with Elo below 2000
IM, GM Norm tournaments
Munich Youth Open
Munich Senior Open
International Whitsun Open “A” & “B”
Also, Munich is hosting the German Chess Championships in 2025, marking the first time in 125 years that the event is held in the Bavarian capital. The championships are scheduled from May 15 to May 24, 2025 at the Fat Cat GmbH venue (formerly Gasteig) in Munich. Schachfestival Meunchen e.V is hounoured to be part of this historic event.
This will feature top German players, including Grandmaster Vincent Keymer and Women’s Grandmaster Dinara Wagner, competing in round-robin tournaments. The championships will also include candidate tournaments and blitz championships for both men and women.
In addition to the main competitions, a diverse supporting program is planned, featuring events such as a simultaneous exhibition with GM Pavel Eljanov, a Chess960 tournament, a problem-solving competition, a photo exhibition by renowned chess photographer Stev Bonhage and commemorative events honoring Wolfgang Unzicker and Robert Hübner.
Just a week after the tournament Schachfestival Muenchen is planned a grand opening ceremony of Chess Festival 2025 at the venue on 28th May 2025. Swaminathan Marimuthu, founding member of Schachfestival Muenchen e.V said, “These consecutive events in Munich bring added joy to chess lovers, honoring the city’s rich chess legacy and offering a captivating experience for both players and enthusiasts”.
Among “not to miss” landmarks is the “Frauenkirche” which denotes the famous church in Munich that serves as a Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The church has a 99 meter iconic green onion twin domes built in 15th century. They are the tallest of all towers in the city and no other building is allowed to be built taller than the Munich Cathedral by the city administration. It is a move by the local administration to preserve the historic character of Munich.
Professionals, amateurs, GMs, IMs, kids, seniors every one can hope to make their cut in Munich. If one needs to plan a chess holiday, that of pleasure and leisure, then Munich Chess Festival is the place to be.
Official Site: https://schachfestivalmuenchen.de/
Pictures Courtesy: Official Facebook page & Swaminathan Marimuthu
