The chess division of FC St. Pauli has announced a sensational new addition: Magnus Carlsen, the world’s best player, will be competing for the team in their promotion season.
Can FC St. Pauli maintain their position in the league? Following their promotion, many consider it questionable without significant reinforcements for the Chess Bundesliga. Yes, not only has the football division of FC St. Pauli reached the top tier, but their chess division has also ascended to the premier league and is now boasting a spectacular new recruit: Magnus Carlsen, the world’s strongest chess player, will be playing for FC St. Pauli in the upcoming season.
In the Second Bundesliga North, the club secured its promotion by better board point evaluation against the equally scoring team of Schachfreunde Berlin, making them, alongside Hamburger SK, the second Hamburg team in the first Bundesliga (something not seen in football).
Previously, the prominent members of St. Pauli’s team included Polish Grandmaster and top player Bartosz Socko and his wife Monika, the only female player on the team, both long-standing St. Pauli members. With only these members, the team would struggle to stay in the league. Now, they are supported by Hamburg patron Jan Henric Buettner.
Through a collaboration with the Weissenhaus Chess Academy, initiated by Buettner, Magnus Carlsen will play for St. Pauli. This partnership is intended to be long-term and will include various activities beyond the chessboard. Buettner had also organised his Freestyle Chess Tournament at Weissenhaus on the Baltic Sea in February around Carlsen. The proximity to Hamburg made it a natural fit for the unique FC St. Pauli. “I am thrilled to be part of the coolest brand in Germany,” the world number one and former world champion commented on his involvement.
Carlsen, an avid football and sports fan, is often seen engaging in sports or playing football on his days off from major tournaments, like recently at Weissenhaus. The Norwegian even played for a club in Oslo’s second football team for a while. Internationally, Carlsen has a special affection for Real Madrid in football, although they do not have a chess division.
