Bundesliga

Streaks are made to be broken. For many years, the German Bundesliga, the strongest national league in the world, has been dominated by the team from Baden-Baden. Their lineups include the likes of Viswanathan Anand and Richard Rapport as well as England Olympiad players Michael Adams and Nikita Vitiugov. Before this season, they had won 16 of the last 17 league titles, with just one hiccup in 2015/16, when the team from Solingen took the title. This season proved to be a second bump on the road, when they were beaten by the team from Viernheim. This was no David and Goliath moment. At the crucial showdown in February, Viernheim, who are sponsored by the consulting firm d-fine, fielded such a strong side – including Hikaru Nakamura on top board – that they were even slight favourites on paper. In a thrilling match, they beat Baden-Baden by a 5-3 margin.