Peter Enders (2 February 1963 – 2 February 2025) was a German chess Grandmaster (GM, 1997) who won the

German Chess Championship The German Chess Championship has been played since 1861, and determines the national champion. Prior to 1880, three different federations organized chess activities in Germany: the ''Westdeutscher Schachbund'' (WDSB), the ''Norddeutscher Schachbun ...

(1994).

Biography

Peter Enders grew up in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

and was considered one of the most talented young players there. During this time he played in numerous chess tournaments in Hungary and also played in the Hungarian chess league. Enders suffered greatly from the disputes with the East Germany chess association. Although he had achieved or far exceeded the required norms for the title '' International Master (IM)'', the association did not award the title to the

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( , ), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the Spor ...

requested. In 1989 he was not admitted to the East German Chess Championship because of disputes about accommodation there (Enders wanted a single room). Since he was number three in the country at the time, he assumed he was entitled to it. Enders then attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

.Interview with Enders in the magazine „Schach“ 1/1995 P. 16–19. Only after the

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...

did he gain a better chess footing in Germany; in 1990 he became German Blitz Chess Champion and in 1993 received the International Master (IM) title.According to Enders, he has achieved 25 standards, two are necessary, ibid. In the same year he won the

, which brought him the qualification for the FIDE World Chess Championship Zonal Tournament in

Ptuj Ptuj (; , ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, eighth-largest town of Slovenia, located in the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria (northeastern Slovenia). It is the seat of the City Municipality of Ptuj, Municipality of Pt ...

and his first chess grandmaster norm. He finally received the title in 1997 after winning the grandmaster chess tournament in Schöneck together with

Normunds Miezis Normunds Miezis (born 11 May 1971) is a Latvian chess Grandmaster (1997). Chess career He won the Latvian Chess Championship in 1991 and 2006. He played for Latvia in the Chess Olympiads of 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 ...

at the end of 1996 and thus achieving his third and last norm. In 1996 he also became German champion in

rapid chess Fast chess, also known as speed chess, is a type of chess in which each player is given less time than classical chess time controls allow. Fast chess is subdivided, by decreasing time controls, into rapid chess, blitz chess, and bullet chess. A ...

. Enders died in Freyburg, Germany on 2 February 2025, his 62nd birthday.† Peter Enders
schachbund.de, 6 February 2025 (in German). Retrieved 6 February 2025.

Clubs

After the

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, Peter Enders played in

Chess Bundesliga The term Chess Bundesliga () normally refers to the premier league of team chess in Germany established in 1980. It is arguably the strongest league of its kind and attracts many high-rated grandmasters. Austria also has a Bundesliga for chess, u ...

from 1990 to 1993 for the ''Münchener SC 1836'', from 1993 to 1995, in the 1998–99 season and from 2002 for the ''Erfurter Schachklub'' (until 1995 ''SV Erfurt West''), from 1995 to 1998 for ''PSV Duisburg'' and in the 1999–2000 season for ''SK Passau'' several seasons in the 1st Chess Bundesliga, most recently in the 2009–10 season. In the Austrian Chess Bundesliga he played for ''SK Kufstein'' in the 1998–99 season.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Enders, Peter 1963 births 2025 deaths Chess Grandmasters East German chess players German chess players