LSS Radar: The Standout Squares – August/September 2026 Tournament Highlights

Dear LSS Community,

Welcome back to LSS Radar, our recurring series where we dive into the most fascinating stories, statistical anomalies, and brilliant victories from across the Lechenicher Schachserver. With hundreds of games played every month, we cannot cover every single event, but we are thrilled to highlight the tournaments that truly stood out in recent weeks.

From marathon endurance tests and the realities of the “draw curse” to incredibly lucky knockout runs and the launch of our new Order of Merit, let’s dive into the standout tournaments that recently concluded on LSS.

The Arena Marathon vs. The Draw Curse

Endurance and discipline are the keys to our Arena Open tournaments. Arena Open AO-00036 was a true marathon, taking over a year to complete. Played at a tempo of 30 days base time plus 1 day per move, this event was a battlefield. Out of 320 games, an impressive 56.9% ended in a decisive victory. There was no sign of the notorious top-level correspondence draw curse here! Kurt Pilgram (GER), a loyal member since 2012, took the crown with 23.5 points, finishing a full 2.5 points ahead of runner-up Sergey Novikov (RUS) and third-place finisher Rudolf Gruber (GER).

Conversely, the 19th LSS Anniversary Tournament Final showed us exactly how the draw curse operates when elite players are given more time. Played at a slower 30 days plus 2 days per move, only 3 out of the 55 games ended in a win. The three game-winners all tied for first place with 5.5 out of 10 points. ICCF IM Nicolae Nicolaescu (ROM) claimed the ultimate victory on tiebreak (highest Sonnenborn-Berger score) because his sole win was achieved with the black pieces. He was closely followed by Zdenek Chmela (CZE) and LSS IM Sebastian Boehme (GER). As we noted in our 20 Years of LSS research, giving strong players more time inevitably drives up the draw rate—which is exactly why we are expanding our Rapid and Blitz daily formats.

Knockout Blitz: Drama, Luck, and Future Innovations

If you want high stakes, the KO Blitz Open is the format for you. Played at a blistering 10 days base time plus 1 day per 10 moves, 16 players face off in a pure knockout format. If a game ends in a draw, a random draw decides who advances.

Recently, we saw two very different KO events conclude. KO Tournament 116 was a bloodbath with a 53.3% decisive game rate. Stefan Salzmann (SWZ) defeated Vladimir Orlov (RUS) in the final—advancing via the random tiebreak after a hard-fought draw, but having earned his spot by winning his semi-final outright.

KO Tournament 114, however, was a masterclass in luck. Only 20% of the games were decided on the board. The rest was left to the random generator. In a spectacular display of fortune, LSS founder Ortwin Paetzold (GER) won the entire tournament by drawing every single match from the Round of 16 all the way through the final, winning every random tiebreak along the way!

A look ahead: While the random draw adds lottery-style excitement, we are currently researching ways to reward good play. We are exploring the use of an analytical Stockfish tool—primarily designed to ensure fair play in No-Engine tournaments—to act as an objective judge in drawn KO matches. Did one player push harder or create better chances? We are still in the research phase, but we will keep you posted!

Kings of the Month & The New Order of Merit

April saw the introduction of our premium prize-money tournaments and our internal currency: LSS Piasters (π). To track the most successful premium players, we have launched the LSS Order of Merit (OOM), inspired by the 24-month rolling ranking used in professional darts (PDC).

We recently concluded two King of the Month (KOTM) events. George Dimitrov (BUL) won KOTM 2, and Nelson Bernal Varela (COL) took down KOTM 3. Both earned 560 piasters, catapulting them into a joint lead on the OOM. They are closely followed by runners-up Christian Bartsch (GER) and Norge Pascual-Perez (CUB) with 420 piasters each.

Thematic Fireworks: Building Your Repertoire

For players looking to sharpen specific openings, our Thematic Tournaments (30 days + 2 days/move) are a goldmine. Remember, all these games are added to our 20-year database, making it a perfect resource for building your own opening repertoire. Here are the latest winners:

• Latvian Gambit (T480-C40): 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5. A highly tactical, explosive opening. Gennady Obukhov (RUS) navigated the chaos best, winning with 5.5/8. View Tournament
• QGD Been-Koomen Variation (T477-D50): 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5. Despite the provocative early c5, correct play maintained the draw margin, with only one decisive game. Victor Reppert (USA) took the win. View Tournament
• Scotch Game (T470-C45): 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4. Defying its drawish reputation, this event saw many decisive games. Stefan Salzmann (SWZ) claimed his second prize of the month here! View Tournament
• Sicilian Morra Gambit (T453-B21): 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3. A cut-throat competition won by LSS CM Frank Fritsche (GER) with an impressive 6/8. View Tournament
• King’s Gambit (T484-C39): 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4. Christian Bartsch (GER) secured his second prize of the month, edging out Ilmars Cirulis (LAT) on tiebreak after both scored 5.5/8. View Tournament

Your Next Move: Upcoming Tournaments

As we celebrate these recent victories, the next battlefield is already being prepared. Starting this Wednesday, registration officially opens for the 7th King of the Month tournament. This is your next opportunity to compete in a premium event, earn LSS Piasters, and make your mark on the newly established Order of Merit. If fast time controls are not your preference, rest assured that there are plenty of exciting standard time control events on the horizon as well, including the highly anticipated next edition of the LSS Cup.

Whatever your preferred style or speed, your next challenge awaits. Head over to the LSS Arena to register and make your move!

Keep playing hard, keep analyzing deeply, and above all, keep enjoying the camaraderie that makes this platform home.

Best regards, Erik van Dijk on behalf of The LSS Leadership Team