Chess Federation Reports Positive Results—An Entire Sport Wins

The German Chess Federation has declared its “Chess Summit” in Dresden a complete success. “We are very satisfied and happy. The media response has been outstanding,” Paul Meyer-Dunker, president of the Chess Federation, told the German Press Agency. The players provided very positive feedback. “It was simply a great event and has given the chess scene a new boost. What more could you ask for?”

Over the past ten days, some 1,000 chess players from all over Germany gathered at the Dresden Congress Center. On one day, games were also played outdoors in the Großer Garten. Today, the spectacle on the board comes to a close with blitz chess.

Chess is also a team sport

In Meyer-Dunker’s view, chess can truly reveal its beauty, above all, as a team sport. Among the world’s top players, the players have a team at their side for analysis anyway. “The lone fighter doesn’t get very far.” For top players, the analysis team often no longer operates on-site but in a different time zone. “For example, if a game ends in the evening in Asia, the team can analyze it the same day in Europe, and the player can continue playing the next morning—armed with new information.”

Team spirit is also important in recreational sports. “Team competitions—playing with others on a team—are what people enjoy the most. Winning together, losing together, analyzing together, spending time together afterward—chess is a very social sport,” emphasized Meyer-Dunker.

Machines cannot replace one’s own thinking

The president also addressed the question of whether chess computers or artificial intelligence will one day dominate the game on the board. “Machines cannot replace one’s own thinking. They can analyze variations for the player, show one path or another all the way to the end, but they cannot enhance one’s own creativity.”

Anyone who blindly relies on a machine’s analysis could quickly reach a dead end. “What if the opponent deviates from their previous line of play? There’s always this human element in chess. In the end, a human must make the decision.”

2027 Chess Summit in Stuttgart—Federation Celebrates Anniversary

According to Meyer-Dunker, the Chess Federation plans to host an annual summit like the one in Dresden again in the future. The meeting has been skipped since 2022. Planning for the Chess Summit in Stuttgart is already underway. “It coincides with our 150th anniversary as a chess federation. It’s going to be a big event.”