Chess

One of my biggest passions is chess. In my teenager years, I had the honor to work with IM Tibor Karolyi. As a result, I made rapid improvements.

In 1994, I became blitz champion of Bavaria in the adult category (Bayerischer Meister im Blitzschach). I also managed to win a serious game against GM Robert Hübner, the former number 3 in the world rankings. You can read a commented version of this game as a pdf here.

I was then accepted as a member of the special chess unit in the German Army (Sportfördergruppe Schach). While being exempted from regular duty, I got trained by former world champion candidate GM Klaus Darga. In 1996, I received the title International Master (IM) from FIDE, the world chess federation. Soon after, I decided to pursue chess only as a hobby.