Real live chess

It is nigh on seven months since I sat opposite a flesh and blood opponent, so I expected to feel unusual playing my first games in the Schachbundesliga, Germany’s team competition. I had no special concern on grounds of health. German case numbers look (relatively) low, the playing hall was cavernous, to facilitate social distancing, and the organisation was slick. Rather, I feared that the trappings of Covid might tarnish the atmosphere. There was talk of mass testing before the event began. Plexiglass screens divided the board, and players wore masks as they paced around. Handshakes were out, hand sanitiser was in — tiny bottles wherever you looked. There was no coffee. No coffee! What gritty reportage might one dispatch from this brave new world?

Nothing of the sort. Once the battle started, the other distractions faded away. I had forgotten what an immersive experience it is to play chess. It was the same old game, and it was wonderful. Every player I spoke to seemed to share the same enthusiasm.

Sixteen teams compete in the traditional Bundesliga, but the 2019/20 season will resume in spring 2021. This was a separate event, held in Karlsruhe, near Frankfurt, which saw eight of those teams fighting for an ad-hoc 2020 Bundesliga Championship. My own team, Werder Bremen, finished a respectable fourth, my own contribution being seven draws (not for want of excitement, I am pleased to add).

The team from Baden Baden usually dominates the league, and in Karlsruhe they fielded the likes of Caruana, Vachier-Lagrave and Aronian, making this undoubtedly the strongest over-the-board event since the onset of lockdown. But their best performer was England’s Michael Adams, who began with five consecutive wins. He secured the title for Baden Baden with a crucial draw in the final match against the team from Viernheim, who finished second.