Dortmund: Dinara Wagner and Matthias Bluebaum grab crucial wins

A Open: Bluebaum, Piorun and Poh co-leaders

Amilal Munkhdalai from Mongolia surprisingly became the sole leader of the Dortmund A Open. After four rounds, he was the only player with a perfect score and had half a point more than his pursuers.

Sole leader for one day: Amilal Munkhdalai lost to Matthias Bluebaum in round five | Photo: tournament organisers

One of those pursuers was Matthias Bluebaum, whom Munkhdalai had to face in the fifth round. Bluebaum had prepared specifically for his opponent and was not surprised by his creative Caro-Kann variation. He quickly took control and won the game convincingly, despite the odd inaccuracy.

Bluebaum is therefore the highest-rated member of a three-player leading group. Kacper Piorun, who beat Hussain Besou, and Yu Tian Poh, who defeated David Navara, also have 4½ points after their wins yesterday. The chasing group on 4 points includes Bluebaum’s national team colleague Dmitrij Kollars, as well as the two German talents Christian Gloeckler and Mykola Korchynskyi. The latter followed up his win against GM Andrew Hong in round four with another good result, an untroubled draw against GM Rithvik R Raja.

The Benko Gambit is back at the very highest level – and it’s easy to see why. Black sacrifices a pawn to seize the initiative on the queenside, obtaining long-lasting pressure, active pieces and open files that make life difficult for White.
In modern chess, activity has become one of the most prized ressources of all. Engines have taught us again and again that active piece play, the initiative and dynamic pressure can more than compensate for small material or structural concessions. The Benko Gambit fits this philosophy perfectly. By giving up a pawn early, Black immediately gets exactly what the modern player is looking for: open lines, harmonious development and relentless, long-term pressure on White’s queenside. It’s a genuine fighting opening, ideal for players who don’t want to drift into the quiet, slow-maneuvering waters that 1.d4 so often leads to, but instead prefer to seize the initiative and steer the game into sharp, dynamic and double-edged territory.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample chapter: Alternatives Move 3

Round six will see the two young German players face each other. Kollars has been floated up to board two and will meet Poh. On board one, Bluebaum plays Piorun. Fourth seed Rasmus Svane drew for the third time in a row, this time against IM Max Hess. Svane now has 3½ points and, like Hess and eleven other German players, shares places 18 to 50.

Closing in near the top: Christian Gloeckler | Photo: Official website

Round 5 results

Standings after round 5

This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas.
Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King’s Indian Setup

…208 participants in total

All available games

Women’s Tournament: Wagner takes sole lead

In the International Women’s Tournament, Dinara Wagner showed that she had recovered well from finishing last in Tuesday’s blitz tiebreak tournament. She emerged comfortably from the opening against leader Nataliya Buksa. She maintained a slight positional advantage in the middlegame until her opponent made a surprising mistake:

Then came the losing move: 28…Ra8?? 28…Rc8 or …Rge6 should have followed. Wagner converted consistently and followed up the infiltration along the a-file and the pawn win with the gain of a piece: 29.Rxa8 Bxa8 30.Rxb5 Nb6 31.Bc7 Nd5 32.Rb8+ Ke7

33.Bd8+ Kd7 34.Rxa8 Rxg2 35.Bh4 g5 36.Bg3 f5 37.Bf1 Rg1 38.Bxc4 1-0

With this convincing win, Wagner moved to the top of the field.

Song Yuxin was able to carry over the momentum from her victory in the blitz tournament the previous evening. In a Sicilian Maroczy structure, she achieved the important central break …d6-d5! as Black on move 18. Klaudia Kulon reacted incorrectly, and Song had the initiative in the middlegame, which she converted into a full point after a missed chance by her opponent.

In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.

“The game was not perfect. I had a good position, but missed some tactical chances. Suddenly, Klaudia could have forced a draw with 34.Qb4!. She missed that, and so I was able to win”, was the self-critical analysis of Song Yuxin, the winner of the game.

The guest of honour for the round, Ricky Krause, general manager of the partner hotel, at the opening of the game between Klaudia Kulon and Song Yuxin | Photo: Official website

Round 3 results

Standings after round 3

All games

A look ahead to day 6 of the Dortmund Festival

The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3.
Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 2…g6

In the A Open, the following games, among others, will be played:

The fourth round of the International Women’s Tournament:

Links