Snowdrops lead Oldhands 7.5-4.5 in Marienbad

Snowdrops and Oldhands – Czech Coal Match 2010

<img data-cke-saved-src="http://en.chessbase.com/portals/4/files/news/2010/snowdrops01.jpg" src="http://en.chessbase.com/portals/4/files/news/2010/snowdrops01.jpg" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px; width=" 190"="" height="190">From 20 November till 27 November the city of Marianske Lazne – more generally remembered as Marienbad – is once again hosting a match between a rising generation of female chess players and chess legends of the 20th century. It is titled “Snowdrops and Oldhands – Czech Coal Chess Match 2010”. Note that "snowdrops" do not refer to snowflakes, as many readers assume, but to the winter blossom Galanthus that flowers between January and April and heralds the coming of Spring. The imagery could not be more apt.

The rising generation this year is represented by the Indian grandmaster Humpy Koneru, currently the world second highest rated female player, the Lithuanian grandmaster Viktorija Cmilyte, the Philippine born Australian WIM Arianne Caoili and the Czech WIM Tereza Olsarova.

Chess 20th century legends are Lájoš Portisch, the best Hungarian chess player during the second half of 20th century, Vlastimil Hort one of the best Czech chess players of his time, Dragoljub Velimirovic, several times champion of Yugoslavia and Wolfgang Uhlmann the best player of Eastern Germany.

The games start each day at 3 p.m. (apart from the last round, which will start at 2 p.m.) and take place in the Villa Butterfly Hotel in Marienbad. Tickets cost only CZK 60, which is less than €2.50 or US $3.30, with children and pensioners paying half the price. Tickets are available at the entrance or they can be bought before hand at the reception of Villa Butterfly. There is game commentary by the captain of the Czech team IM Michal Konopka, as well as discussions with the currently best Czech chess player David Navara, the best Slovak Sergey Movsesian and the world number three Levon Aronian. In addition you can view an art exhibition by the German artist Bernd Besser and also portraits of famous grandmasters taken by the photographer Vladimir Jagr.

Schedule

The event is a double-round Scheweningen match, with games played at a rate of 90 minutes for 40 moves, 30 minutes for the rest, with an increament of 30 seconds per move.

In the first round Wolfgang Uhlmann dropped a pawn early in the game and then was ground down in 74 moves by a determined Humpy Koneru (above during the game) – who we note is almost 200 points above the East German grandmaster on the Elo scale.

Tereza Olsarova did not have and serious problems in a Steinitz and drew Lajos Portisch in 36 moves. Above we see the two analysing after the game, with organiser Pavel Matocha looking on.

Arianna Caoili faced the former World Championship candidate Vlastimil Hort, 230 points her senior.

Caoili,Arianne (2242) - Hort,Vlastimil (2473) [C50]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (1), 20.11.2010
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.c3 d6 6.Bb3 a6 7.Nbd2 Ba7 8.h3 h6 9.Nf1 Be6 10.Qe2 Qd7 11.Ng3 g6 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.Qxe3 Bxb3 14.axb3 Qe6 15.b4 Rd8 16.0-0 d5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Qc1 g5 19.d4 Nf4 20.Qc2 0-0 21.Rfe1 Rd5 22.dxe5 Nxe5 23.Nd4

Vlastimil Hort was apparently not feeling too comfortable in this game against his Australian opponent and went for the following wrap-down: 23...Rxd4 24.cxd4 Nf3+ 25.Kf1. Not of course 25.gxf3 Qxh3 and Black mates. Now, instead of trying for a win with 25...Nxe1 the former Czech GM takes a draw by repetition: 25...Nh2+ 26.Kg1 Nf3+ 27.Kf1 Nh2+ 28.Kg1 Nf3+ ½-½

Cmilyte,Viktorija (2514) - Velimirovic,Dragoljub (2425) [A64]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (1), 20.11.2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.Nc3 g6 5.g3 e6 6.Bg2 exd5 7.cxd5 Bg7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a4 Re8 11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.h3 Rb8 13.Nc4 Ne5 14.Na3 Qc7 15.e4 c4 16.Be3 b6 17.Qe2 Bd7 18.Nc2 Nd3 19.Nd4 b5 20.axb5 axb5 21.Nc6 b4 22.Ra7 Qc8 23.Nxb8 Qxb8 24.Rfa1 bxc3 25.bxc3 Qc8 26.Bd4

26...Bxh3?! 27.Ra8 Qxa8 28.Rxa8 Rxa8 29.Bxh3 Re8 30.Bg2 Nxd5 31.Bxg7 Kxg7 32.Qa2 Nf6 33.Qxc4 Nc5. Now the dust has cleared we count the pieces: White has a queen and bishop for a rook and two knights. Viktorija is on the road to victory. 34.f3 g5 35.Qd4 Ne6 36.Qxd6 Rd8 37.Qe5 Rc8 38.Qa5 h5 39.Bf1 g4 40.e5 Nh7 41.f4 h4 42.gxh4 Nxf4 43.Qb4 Ng6 44.Qxg4 Rc5 45.Bd3 Rxe5 46.Qd4 Nf6 47.Bxg6 Rd5 48.Qe3 Kxg6 49.c4 Rh5 50.Qg3+ Kh7 51.Qf4 Kg6 52.Qd4 Rf5 53.c5 Nd5 54.c6 Nf4 55.Qd6+ Rf6 56.Qxf6+ 1-0.

After losing the first round 1:3 the Oldhands came back with a 3:1 in the second, thus equalizing the score 4:4. GM Dragoljub Velimirovic managed to win a drawn pawn endgame against Tereza Olšarová (both sides played sub-optimally); Wolfgang Uhlmann exploited an error committed by Arianne Caoili's in time trouble; Lájoš Portisch was contented with a draw in a rook endgame against Viktorija Cmilyte; and Vlastimil Hort was better after the time control, but Humpy skillfully manage to hold him to a draw.

Viktorija Cmilyte analysing with Lájoš Portisch after their drawn game

They are stunned by some of the lines that an interfering Levon Aronian comes up with

A bleak day for the Oldhands, who crumbled 3.5:0.5 to the Snowdrops. Humpy severely punished Portisch in an Open Catalan and Vlastimil Hort was very lucky to escape with a draw in a Queen's Indian against an aggressive Viktorija Cmilyte. The other two games we want to show you.

Olsarova,Tereza (2185) - Uhlmann,Wolfgang (2412) [C00]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (3), 22.11.2010
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 c4 5.d3 Bxb4+ 6.c3 Be7 7.dxc4 Nc6 8.Bf4 Bc5 9.Nbd2 Nge7 10.Bd3 Ng6 11.Bg3 f5 12.exf6 Qxf6 13.0-0 0-0 14.Qc2 Nce7 15.Nb3 Bb6 16.c5 Bd8 17.Rae1 Nf5 18.Be5 Nxe5 19.Nxe5 g6 20.Nd4 Bc7 21.f4 Qe7 22.Bxf5 gxf5 23.Rf3 Qxc5 24.Qf2 Qe7 25.Rg3+ Kh8 26.Rg5 Bxe5 27.Rxe5 Qf6 28.Qh4 Bd7 29.Re3 Rf7 30.Reg3 e5 31.Nf3 Qb6+ 32.Kh1 e4?

Wolfgang Uhlmann, one of the world's leading experts in the French, has been struggling against his youthful opponent. His last move was a deadly mistake which Tereza punishes resolutely: 33.Rg6. So many threats, Black is completely overloaded and duly hands over the point: 33...Qxg6 34.Rxg6 exf3 35.gxf3 Bc6 36.Rg2 Re8 37.Qf2 Rg7 38.Rxg7 Kxg7 39.Qxa7 Re2 40.Qd4+ Kg6 41.h4 Re6 42.Qh8 h6 43.Qg8+ Kf6 44.Qf8+ 1-0.

Caoili,Arianne (2242) - Velimirovic,Dragoljub (2425) [A48]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (3), 22.11.2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 d6 4.h3 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.Be2 b6 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Bh2 Nbd7 9.Nbd2 Qe8 10.Rc1 e5 11.c4 e4 12.Ne1 Qe7 13.b4 c5 14.Nc2 Rad8 15.Nb1 cxd4 16.Nxd4 Ne5 17.Nc3 Rd7 18.Qa4 a6 19.Qb3 Rc7 20.Na4 Nfd7 21.Rfd1 Rfc8 22.Rc2 Nd3 23.Bg4 N3e5 24.Be2 h5 25.Nb2

Velimirovic is famous for his brilliant combinations, which earned him the nickname "Yugoslavian Tal". Here he gives us a sample of his style: 25...Nc5 26.bxc5 bxc5. Clever, the knight has no square to retreat to. 27.Qa3 cxd4 28.exd4. The grandmaster runs into the impeccable defence of a talented young WIM. Now it is the black knight that is in an embarrassing situation – simply retreating it would expose the d6 square to a bishop fork. 28...Nf3+ 29.gxf3 Qg5+. A desperate attempt, but the Australian WIM has everything under control. 30.Kh1 Qh4 31.d5 Qxh3 32.Qe3. To defend against the terrible threat of ...Be5. 32...Re7 33.fxe4 Qxe3 34.fxe3 Rxe4 35.Bxd6 Rxe3 36.c5 Rce8 37.c6 Bc8 38.Bf1 Bf5 39.Rf2 Bg4 40.Rd3 Rxd3 41.Nxd3 Rd8 42.Ne5 Bxe5 43.Bxe5 Rxd5 44.Bf6 Rc5 45.Rd2 1-0. Nicely played, Arianna.

Team results

Individual results

Links Official tournament site 2009 tournament Snowdrops and Old Hands All games in PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!

Copyright ChessBase