Grandmaster Goal at 41: ChessBase Plays a Leading Role in Oliver Kurmann's Elo Climb
Swiss International Master (IM) Oliver Kurmann is pursuing an exceptionally ambitious goal at an age when many chess players have entered a more cautious phase of their careers: completing the requirements for the Grandmaster (GM) title. In an interview with the Swiss Chess Federation, Kurmann discusses both his career path and his training approach, while emphasizing how central the ChessBase software has been in this process. The experienced master, who most recently competed for Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, has already achieved three GM norms, but he still remains 118 Elo points short of the 2500 Elo threshold required for the title.
What makes Kurmann's story especially striking is that he openly acknowledges how difficult the goal is. In his own words, he knows this may be the least favorable period for an "Elo attack": in top-level chess, Elo deflation has made it harder to gain rating points than in the past, and maintaining peak performance does not become easier with age. Even so, the Swiss player is approaching the challenge with full seriousness. Kurmann, who works professionally as a lawyer, has taken a sabbatical from his career in order to pursue his grandmaster goal. The decision once again shows that chess is not a battle won through weekend tournaments alone, but through systematic work, physical endurance, and strong tournament practice.
On the training side, the indispensable tools of modern chess stand out. In Kurmann's training routine, ChessBase has a wide range of uses, from opening preparation and opponent analysis to studying model games and building a personal repertoire. In today's professional chess world, competing without database support has become almost impossible, and opponent-specific preparation is particularly important when chasing norms and rating points. The fact that Kurmann's favorite player is Garry Kasparov also makes this approach meaningful, since Kasparov is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern preparation culture and computer-assisted chess training. It is notable that ChessBase is seen here not as a mere "auxiliary program," but as a training platform that directly shapes performance.
The fact that Kurmann previously earned GM norms at the 2008 Copenhagen Politiken Cup, the 2012 Swiss Team Championship, and the 2021 Swiss Team Championship shows how close he has come to the title in technical terms. Yet in the chess world, the hardest hurdle is often not the norms, but the final rating jump. Especially above 2450, every single point requires serious effort, and a gap of 118 points is by no means insignificant. Even so, this goal carries a powerful message not only for Kurmann's personal journey, but also for the idea that improvement remains possible at a later age. The Swiss master is not romanticizing the situation before him; on the contrary, he sees the difficulties clearly and chooses to fight anyway. That is precisely what makes him so interesting to the chess public: pursuing a goal that seems almost impossible through methodical work and stubborn belief.