At the 2026 European Club Cup, most attention goes to the professional squads at the top. René Mandelbaum, who played for SK Weisse Dame Hamburg, wrote a ChessBase account from the bottom of the table. His team, from the fourth-tier Landesliga, finished 99th, with an average rating of 1981.
The story starts with a puzzle. Looking at the standings, Mandelbaum saw many teams full of 1800 to 2000 players and thought a field like that should not leave him last.
How a fourth-tier club got in
Each country may nominate five teams if it runs a league. Bundesliga clubs must confirm by early August whether they will play. If they decline, other clubs can apply.
Mandelbaum’s reading, which he presents as his own piecing together, is that German Bundesliga backers have little interest in paying their professionals to play the Club Cup. Chess differs from football here: players can represent clubs in several countries at once, and for second-tier professionals that is an important source of income.
Hamburg got the vacated place with one week to the registration deadline. Players had to clear work, university and school. Seven were found for the six-board matches.
Border, tent and cold rooms
The venue changed from Herceg Novi to Budva two weeks before the start, and the team learned officially only days before travelling. On the Friday before the first round, half the team landed in Dubrovnik.
A coach waited 90 minutes for a delayed flight, then stood at the Montenegro border for two to three hours. Passengers finally crossed on foot, reaching the hotel around 11 p.m.
The rooms were worse. The team had booked what was billed as a four-star suite at €99 per person in a double room.
They found no hot water and draughty, cold, unclean rooms, and slept in their jackets without showering. Reception said to contact the organiser.
They were moved the next morning. One player’s promised family room and baby’s crib did not exist, so he moved to another hotel. Mandelbaum says it is unknown whether he will be refunded.
Over the superstars’ shoulders
All games were in one large tent, so amateurs sat beside the elite. Phones were banned in the hall. One teammate said Anish Giri studied his board for half a minute: “He probably hasn’t seen a position with two queens against three very often.”
Mandelbaum also enjoyed queuing behind Vishy Ivanchuk at the buffet. Ben Erk got a photo with well-known streamers and Matthias Bluebaum.
The two wins
Hamburg’s goal was two match wins and finishing ahead of nine teams, and they did both. In round 3 they beat Bloemendaal of the Netherlands 3½-2½. Florian Popist (2245) beat Robert Oosting (1886), Sebastian Kielhorn won on board two, and Mandelbaum (2089) beat Edwin Rutte (1763).
In round 4 they lost 5½-½ to the Finnish side Etela-Vantaan Shakki.
In round 6 they beat S.S. Lazio Scacchi 4½-1½. Popist beat FM Marco Corvi (2216) on board one.
Kielhorn, Deniz Schmidt and Mandelbaum also won, and Erk drew with Marco Tinari.
Popist and Kielhorn each scored 3.5 from 6, and Mandelbaum 3.5 from 7. Erk managed 0.5 from 6.
Mandelbaum describes a field with professionals on top, then strong amateur sides, then retirees on a group trip. He regrets that only the top three were honoured on stage. The European Club Cup clearly has room for all of them.
Original source: ChessBase
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