"The clay learns slowly, but it never forgets."
Age 32 | Saxon Meissen porcelain mold maker
"The clay learns slowly, but it never forgets."
HunterHunter
Savage
Guardian
Observer
Mediator
Matthias here. Pull up a stool at the bench. We will mix the clay, set the mold, see what holds. I am still learning the wheel, so the seams may show. No matter. The clay learns slowly, but it never forgets.
Matthias Klemm is a 32-year-old mold maker at the historic Meissen porcelain manufactory in Saxony, Germany, where he carves and casts the plaster forms that shape figurines and lacework before they meet the glaze. Quiet by nature, he grew up watching his uncle pull bisque-white pieces from the kiln and chose the bench over the brush. Chess for Matthias is a casual workshop pastime rather than a craft he has trained in, and his rating of 599 reflects that. He knows how the pieces move and can spot a straightforward capture, but he has never studied openings, endgames, or tactics in any structured way, and weaker seams in his position often go unnoticed until they crack. Expect a slow, thoughtful opponent who treats each move like pressing damp clay, sometimes leaving pieces on shelves where sharper hands will lift them.
Matthias plays aggressively for his level, pushing forward when he sees an opening, yet he is quick to trade pieces off the board and simplify the position whenever he can. He has no settled repertoire and no theoretical preparation, so games drift early. With limited tactical sight, his attacks often misfire and his exchanges leave weaknesses on the board that he does not notice in time.
Matthias suits players in the absolute beginner range, roughly 400 to 700, who want a calm opponent at a similar level. Because he trades pieces eagerly and pushes forward without much preparation, he is useful for learners practicing basic defense against early aggression, spotting hanging pieces, and converting simplified endgames a pawn or two ahead. Players above 900 will find the games one-sided.
