Zude is a three-time winner of the Hesse federal state chess championship (1986, 1992, and 1994).[3] In the 1995 German Chess Championship he finished in second place (behind Christopher Lutz).[4] In 1995 Zude became a FIDE International Master. He regularly participated in the German Chess Bundesliga, which represented the SV Hofheim (with interruptions from 1984 to 2005) and PSV Duisburg (1997–2000) teams.
For his achievements in chess, on 7 December 2005 Zude received the highest sports award in Germany: Silbernes Lorbeerblatt.[5]