After the successful start of the Chess Days and growing events in the 1980s, the 19th International Dortmund Chess Days are the last under the direction of Eugen Schackmann. He hands over to Gerd Kolbe as event director and he brings Carsten Hensel into the event team. Together with Jürgen Grastat, they want to turn the Chess Days into something great. 1992 marks the high point. The Dortmund press ran the headline "Kasparov can come".

After the successful start of the Dortmund Chess Days in 1973, the tournament remains under the direction of Eugen Schackmann, the head of the Press and Information Office of the City of Dortmund, for 18 years, with great support from Klaus Neumann, Friedhelm Bachmann, from 1982 on Jürgen Grastat and numerous voluntary helpers during the tournament. In 1980, probably the biggest name in the chess scene of the last 50 years travels to Dortmund for the first time: Garry Kasparov.

The idea of establishing Dortmund as the chess capital arose in 1972 when Eugen Schackmann, the head of the city's press and information office, suggested Dortmund as the venue for the World Championship between Spassky and Fischer. Although Reykjavik eventually won the bid, Dortmund aroused the interest of the German Chess Federation, which decided to hold the 2nd International German Individual Championship in Dortmund in 1973.

He was awarded grandmaster in 2022 and has now already shot up to the 2600 rating mark: GM Frederik Svane, current German No. 8 in the rankings, will participate in the A-Open of the 50th International Dortmund Chess Days just like his brother GM Rasmus Svane.