Germany
The German number one
Youngest German grandmaster ever, first native German with an Elo rating above 2700, the clear German number one since 2022. Vincent Keymer (18) gives chess fans in Germany cause for hope like no one before him for decades, maybe even a century.
Insiders knew since the early 2010s that an exceptional chess talent is growing up in the small town of Saulheim in the southwest of the republic. The general public first heard about Vincent Keymer at Easter 2018. He was 13 years young at the time, an IM with a moderate rating of 2403 – and he won Europe's strongest open, the Grenke Open in Karlsruhe, ahead of 49 grandmasters: 8 points from 9 games, tournament performance 2795, world class. Never before in the history of chess had a 13-year-old performed so strongly.
Milestones for others, intermediate goals for Keymer
Since then, things have gone steadily uphill. What would be milestones for others were intermediate goals for Vincent Keymer. He checked them off one by one: Elo 2500, grandmaster title, Elo 2600, Elo 2700 – and last but not least secondary school. Vincent Keymer has been a professional since he acquired his “Abitur” in the early summer of 2022.
In the coming years he wants to devote himself entirely to chess and become as good as he can. The WR Masters represents a welcome opportunity for the 18-year-old to measure himself against the very best in the sport and to find out whether he might already be on par with them. Afterall, here’s another chance for the only German in the field to check off another milestone: victory in a super tournament.
