The Second Marburg Chess Tournament at the Steinmühle

After 150 minutes of intense concentration, nerve-wracking chess thrillers, and 105 captivating chess games, the winners were finally determined. On January 25, 2016, the 2016 Marburg School Chess Championship was once again held at the Steinmühle. Students up to the 6th grade were eligible to participate. This time, the winner had to prevail in a singles competition that remained thrilling until the very end. The field of participants consisted of 42 students from eight different schools in Marburg. Among the participants were students from the Carl-Strehl School, the Freie Schule Marburg, the Richtsberg Comprehensive School, the Elisabethschule, the Philippinum, the Martin Luther School, the Otto Ubbelohde School, and the Steinmühle.

 

It wasn’t until the final round of the five-round tournament that the outcome of what had been a completely open competition was decided. The top 10 finishers were:

1. Jakob Wolf (Elisabeth School)

2. Urs Seifart (Steinmühle)

3. Dimitri Schuster (Otto Ubbelohde School)

4. Amira Id-Lefqih (Philippinum)

5. Richard Henkel (Steinmühle)

6. Jannik Knorr (Freie Schule Marburg)

7. Tom Kewald (Otto Ubbelohde School)

8. Taha Baroudi (Richtsberg Comprehensive School)

9. Paul Anton Schmölz (Steinmühle)

10. Kilian Behrens (Elisabethschule)

Once again, it has become clear that this game is “a test of the mind” (Goethe). For the players, the key is to successfully identify winning strategies despite the intense time pressure of rapid chess games.

The friendly and fair atmosphere during the tournament was wonderful. At the awards ceremony, everyone received medals, and trophies were awarded to the top three finishers.

Special praise is due to Mr. Allig, our dedicated chess club advisor. This was the second time he organized the event; he created a relaxed yet focused atmosphere and kept a close eye on the many games throughout.