On September 15, 1965, the two-week conference of the World Chess Federation began in the Kurhaus. Around half of the 65 member associations sent delegates to the spa town to discuss new rules for title matches and problems of day-to-day work, as well as to maintain friendships and contacts with one another.

At the reception hosted by the presidium of the World Chess Federation in the ballroom of the town hall, Lord Mayor Buch was delighted that the spa town had been chosen as the venue for the first congress of its kind on German soil. As an amateur chess player, he showed himself to be knowledgeable and emphasized the unifying effect of an association with over five million members worldwide.

The president of the organization, the Swede Bror Rogard, thanked Buch for his warm welcome and kind words. He emphasized respect for and fairness towards one another as the main concerns of the association and thus the prerequisites for the peaceful coexistence of peoples. The chess officials then signed the city's Golden Book.