There were no chess clubs in Saulheim, a German village with a population of 8,000, near Mainz. So Vincent Keymer travelled to a nearby village to play chess. Though born into a musical family, his extraordinary talent in chess did not go unnoticed. Among those he impressed was the legendary former World champion Garry Kasparov. Keymer is now one of the world’s most exciting players and is considered Germany’s greatest chess hope since Emanuel Lasker, who was the World champion from 1894 to 1921. Excerpts from Keymer’s interview with The Hindu:
One of the highlights of your career must have been the 2023 World Cup at Baku. You reached the fourth round, where you shocked Magnus Carlsen in the first classical game and nearly knocked him out of the tournament.
Yes, it was for me a very interesting experience, just kind of knowing that I was basically one move away from knocking him out. Just getting the chance was great and also having the tiebreak going to the fifth game. Of course, I would have loved to win that match after he gave me this incredible chance.
