Kevin Kuranyi scored twice on Saturday to lift Schalke into first place in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
A pinpoint pass by Kuranyi in the 17th minute also set up a goal by Gustavo Varela as Schalke stretched their unbeaten streak to nine, taking a three-point lead over Werder Bremen.
Schalke, who are hoping for their first Bundesliga title since 1958, moved six points clear of another title favorite, Bayern Munich, who where beaten 3-2 by Dortmund on Friday.
The top four teams entered the league's second half after a 40-day winter break separated by just four points, raising expectations in Germany of a heated title race.
"Everyone here wants to be champion -- that's why we have to play every match like it's a final," Schalke midfielder Lincoln said.
Kuranyi, the Brazilian-German once considered Germany's top forward, turned in one of his best efforts in an attempt to play himself back onto the national team after some rocky years.
"I've said he is a top forward again and he proved that today," Schalke coach Mirko Slomka said. "My respect to him -- he worked for this. He didn't miss one minute of training."
Kuranyi broke a 1-1 tie against Frankfurt in the 70th by heading in at the right post after Brazilian teammate Marcelo Bordon extended a corner. In injury time, he finished a breakaway for his second goal.
Schalke had been stunned by Naohiro Takahara's 48th-minute equalizer against the flow of play. Frankfurt's Japanese forward stole the ball from defender Mladen Kristajic and toe-poked in from close range.
Stuttgart's fourth-place team were routed 4-1 by FC Nuremberg in heavy snowfall and fell seven points behind Schalke.
Nuremberg's biggest win of the season moved them to sixth place and dealt a lesson to one of the Bundesliga's youngest teams.
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