"Football is a game with 22 men, it lasts 90 minutes and at the end Germany will be world champions," is the saying of the legendary English football player Gary Lineker. What no longer applies to the 11 friends on the green pitch can now be wonderfully transferred to the European Team Championship in Budva, Montenegro.
No matter how tough the situation, the German men fight their way back into the match and beat the opposing team. This was also the case in round three against the very creative team reinforced by Predke and Sarana.
At the beginning, things did not look good for the German team, which, like in round 1, did not play Dmitrij Kollars, giving Alexander Donchenko another game with white and the chance to get back into form.
Kollars played a very shaky, albeit combative game in round 2 and secured the team victory with a draw.
But the other players simply made too solid an impression not to let them play. Things weren't looking good for the German team at times. Blübaum didn't come out of the opening well with the black pieces and had to accept a disadvantage early on. On the other boards it didn't look like anyone would be able to compensate for the bad position.
But the wind changed, because the strong German team managed to fight its way into the games. Blübaum turned his game around completely and Donchenko, on the last board, was also able to contribute a full point. Donchenko's chess crisis seems to have been overcome early, just in time for the German team to attack at the front. Rasmus Svane, solid as ever, drew on board 2 and so it was no longer decisive that Keymer had to fight hard for a draw with the black pieces on board 1. He did not succeed and so the figurehead of German chess had to be happy that his colleagues saved him this time.
Overall, apart from Keymer's defeat, there has not been a single loss by a German player, be it in the women's or men's competition.
The point in the women's competition for the 2.5-win against Serbia was scored by Josefine Heinemann, who once again played very interesting chess.
So things are going well for the German colors and it is getting more exciting with each round!
