Top-class Starnberg commemorative blitz tournament with chess grandmasters in honor of Markus Stangl

Created: 04/07/2022, 10:01 am

By: Florian Ladurner

The chess club Starnberg and the badminton department of TSV Starnberg organize a blitz chess tournament at the end of April/beginning of May at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.

© Andrea Jaksch

Starnberg - There has probably never been such a form of collective remembrance: In honor of the chess grandmaster and passionate badminton player Markus Stangl, who died on November 1, 2020 at the age of only 51, the Starnberg Chess Club and the badminton department of TSV Starnberg are jointly organizing Led by Stangl's ex-wife Anita, SC chairman Fritz Absmaier and TSV division manager Peter Schickel from April 29 to May 1, a three-day series of events consisting of a blitz chess tournament, badminton and a social evening with many friends and companions of Markus Stangl. 

The blitz chess event on Friday, April 29, from 7 p.m. in Starnberg’s “Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten” promises to be particularly top-class, to which organizer Anita Stangl would also like to welcome interested spectators: around 100 participants have already registered for it limited tournament (entry fee 10 euros) registered eight real grandmasters.

Many of them are former teammates of the well-loved Markus Stangl from the chess division of FC Bayern, who also played a key role in the organization of this commemorative event under their boss Jörg Wengler.

A delegation from the Austrian state league champions SC Jenbach, for whom Markus Stangl was active, is also coming to Starnberg.

Among the starters in the blitz tournament are illustrious names such as the long-standing number 1 in the German ranking list,

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, the ex-national coach (and GM) Uwe Bönsch, the former participant in the World Cup candidates tournament, Artur Jussupow and the Bundesliga player Stefan Bromberger, who was once active for SC Starnberg.

"On the day of our blitz tournament, Markus would have had his 53rd birthday - this entire event with chess and badminton would certainly have been in his spirit," says his ex-wife, herself a strong chess and active badminton player and well-known as an entrepreneur for their "MedienLB" based in Starnberg.

The start in the "Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten" ends on April 29th.

Incidentally, with a buffet/dinner "on request" (costs 24 euros).

"On the day of our blitz tournament, Markus would have had his 53rd birthday - this entire event with chess and badminton would certainly have been in his spirit," says his ex-wife, herself a strong chess and active badminton player and well-known as an entrepreneur for their "MedienLB" based in Starnberg.

The start in the "Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten" ends on April 29th.

Incidentally, with a buffet/dinner "on request" (costs 24 euros).

"On the day of our blitz tournament, Markus would have had his 53rd birthday - this entire event with chess and badminton would certainly have been in his spirit," says his ex-wife, herself a strong chess and active badminton player and well-known as an entrepreneur for their "MedienLB" based in Starnberg.

The start in the "Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten" ends on April 29th.

Incidentally, with a buffet/dinner "on request" (costs 24 euros).

Part 2 of the three-day series of events is dedicated to Markus Stangl's "second sport", badminton: on Saturday, April 30, various competitions will take place in all three sections of the Brunnangerhalle, presumably individual, team and mixed.

As in chess, the so-called "Swiss system" is also used here, in which the participants with the same number of points or after victories have to compete against each other.

An overall winner should then be chosen from the results in chess and badminton: "Apart from trophies and prizes, there is actually not much to win," emphasize Anita Stangl and the TSV 1880 department head "Badminton", Peter Schickel, unison.

The whole thing is actively supported by the Vice President of the Bavarian Badminton Association, Kay Manazon.

Above all, it should be fun

this “triathlon” of chess, badminton and conviviality (dinner together).

He will bring old friends together again and also wants to be an advertisement for the two sports, especially among young people: "In Blitz, for example, 20 participants are reserved for young players - Markus would have liked that too," says Anita.

Together with the chairman of the chess club, Fritz Absmaier, who as a chess teacher had met with a great deal of positive feedback at the Percha elementary school, the very affable and friendly Markus Stangl had always taken on the promotion of the next generation of chess, of course also in his own family – the one with Anita common sons have already reached considerable skill levels.

He will bring old friends together again and also wants to be an advertisement for the two sports, especially among young people: "In Blitz, for example, 20 participants are reserved for young players - Markus would have liked that too," says Anita.

Together with the chairman of the chess club, Fritz Absmaier, who as a chess teacher had met with a great deal of positive feedback at the Percha elementary school, the very affable and friendly Markus Stangl had always taken on the promotion of the next generation of chess, of course also in his own family – the one with Anita common sons have already reached considerable skill levels.

He will bring old friends together again and also wants to be an advertisement for the two sports, especially among young people: "In Blitz, for example, 20 participants are reserved for young players - Markus would have liked that too," says Anita.

Together with the chairman of the chess club, Fritz Absmaier, who as a chess teacher had met with a great deal of positive feedback at the Percha elementary school, the very affable and friendly Markus Stangl had always taken on the promotion of the next generation of chess, of course also in his own family – the one with Anita common sons have already achieved considerable skill levels.

"At Blitz, for example, 20 places are reserved for young players - Markus would have liked that too," says Anita.

Together with the chairman of the chess club, Fritz Absmaier, who as a chess teacher had met with a great deal of positive feedback at the Percha elementary school, the very affable and friendly Markus Stangl had always taken on the promotion of the next generation of chess, of course also in his own family – the one with Anita common sons have already achieved considerable skill levels.

"At Blitz, for example, 20 places are reserved for young players - Markus would have liked that too," says Anita.

Together with the chairman of the chess club, Fritz Absmaier, who as a chess teacher had met with a great deal of positive feedback at the Percha elementary school, the very affable and friendly Markus Stangl had always taken on the promotion of the next generation of chess, of course also in his own family – the one with Anita common sons have already achieved considerable skill levels.

The Starnberg chess club, founded in 1920 and currently a regional league player, had originally planned a spectacular anniversary tournament in the Schlossberghalle for the "hundredth" (and wants to do this again in 2023), but then came "Corona" and then the indoor tournament that has been running since this spring sanitation in between.

The chess club and TSV badminton division, both roughly the same size, also suffered equally from the restrictions caused by the pandemic - many members lost the regular, close connection to their sport.

For badminton player Schickel, it's not just the offspring that's an issue, he's missing the women in particular at the moment: "We're urgently looking for women for our women's team at the moment," he reports at the press conference and also mentions the training evenings ( Monday and Friday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.,

Such a spectacle as the three-day Markus Stangl Memorial means a strong sign of life for both sports - and on top of that it finally brings old chess colleagues and friends of Markus Stangl together again on the third day: "Some of them didn't have any real ones after his sudden death Opportunity to say goodbye,” says Anita Stangl.

So on May 1st there will be a steamer tour on Lake Starnberg, where the chess grandmaster legends Helmut Pfleger (known to TV viewers for decades for his World Cup game analyses) and ex-national player Hajo Hecht will either play simultaneously or will chat from their chess anecdotes treasure chest.

The Erfurt GM Thomas Luther, who himself has played simul once before in Starnberg, has also promised to come - but this time he just wants to "observe"

Perhaps this "memorial" in honor of Markus Stangl also lays the foundation for future chess events in Starnberg, such as GM and IM tournaments in the exquisite "Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten"?

The premises would be absolutely suitable for such purposes.

"It's a question of money, but it can't be ruled out," smiles Anita Stangl.

In any case, as an entrepreneur, she has the very best connections to be able to win sponsors.

Starnberg as a venue for top-class chess events including the promotion of young talent - this would certainly be in the spirit of Markus Stangl. 

Thomas Lochte