German And British Leagues Underway

The 2008/09 seasons of both the German and British Chess leagues started recently.  The German Bundesliga is the stronger of the two, featuring as it does the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Alexei Shirov, Peter Svidler, Michael Adams, and a currently otherwise engaged Vishy Anand - and that's just from the Baden-Baden team!

The British League, the 4NCL (4 Nations chess league) doesn't have quite the same cachet as the Bundesliga, but also features many familiar grandmasters, some of which also play in the Bundesliga!  Well, a professional player has to make a living, and there are only so many invites to the lucrative big-money events available.

Both leagues provide a wealth of fierce competition and interesting games, like the attractive miniature below by Alexei Shirov from the opening weekend of the Bundesliga.