Magnus Carlsen to make St. Pauli chess debut in January 2025
The world's best chess player, Magnus Carlsen, will make his debut for St. Pauli on 11 and 12 January 2025 in rounds five and six of the Chess Bundesliga.
Carsen confirmed in May 2024 that he had reached an agreement to represent the Hamburg club in the 2024/25 season, and his first matches have now also been scheduled.
St. Pauli will play SG Solingen and Düsseldorfer SK across the weekend in January, with the competition to be held in Hamburg.
Watch: No club like St. Pauli
"It's a great honour for me to play chess for FC St. Pauli," said Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion, in a statement on the club's official website.
"The club has a fantastic reputation and stands for values that are important to me. I'm looking forward to the club, the fans and an exciting match."
The Norwegian grandmaster will take time out to meet fans, children and members of the St. Pauli chess department. The club will also provide a live stream of his matches.
"We're proud that Magnus Carlsen will play for St. Pauli for the first time," said Thomas Schüttler, chairman of St. Pauli's chess department. "It's an exciting opportunity to introduce chess to a wider audience and show how much fun the game can be."
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