Snowdrops increase their lead in Marienbad

by ChessBase
11/26/2010 – Snow has come to Mariánské Lázne, tons of it, and the Snowdrops are apparently thriving. They lead the Oldhands by 14:10. The event is extraordinary: in the last three rounds, the subject of this report, there was one single draw. Best player with 4.5/6 is GM Humpy Koneru, the only undefeated player Vlastimil Hort. Big illustrated report with beautiful pictures by Vladimir Jagr.

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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" width="190" "="" height="190" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px; width=" 190=""> From 20 November till 27 November the city of Marianske Lazne is once again hosting a match between a rising generation of female chess players and chess legends of the 20th century. 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. The 20th century chess legends are Lájoš Portisch, Vlastimil Hort, Dragoljub Velimirovic and Wolfgang Uhlmann. The games start each day at 3 p.m. in the Villa Butterfly Hotel in Marienbad. The rate of play is 90 minutes for 40 moves, 30 minutes for the rest, with an increment of 30 seconds per move.

Mariánské Lázne as a spa town was developed at the beginning of the 19th century. The spa pavilions were mostly built in the classicist and neo-Renaissance style, while most of the buildings in the spa district are in the Art Nouveau style. The Colonnade, built in 1889, is an important architectural monument and the main promenade of the spa.

Its medicinal waters are coming from about 100 springs of cold ferrite acidulous water of various chemical consistencies. Its waters are effective for the treatment of kidney and urinary tract diseases, nerve disorders, organic nerve diseases, disorders of the digestive system, metabolic diseases and disorders of the endocrine system, diseases of the respiratory tract, skin diseases and diseases of the locomotive system. [Source: MarvaoGuide]

In the past few days cold air streaming in from Scandinavia has brought cold temperatures and lots of snow to the area around Mariánské Lázne – much to the delight of some of the players.

Snowdrops in the snow


Arianne Caoili from Australia and Viktorija Cmilyte from Lithuania in Mariánské Lázne


Humpy, from Andhra Pradesh, India, well below the Tropic of Cancer, confronts the snow


Snowdrop Tereza Olsarova is from the area and cannot be fazed by a little snow


Arianne, who is of Philippine extraction, discovers an important application of snow

Round four: Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Dragoljub Velimirovic 
0-1
 Humpy Koneru
Lajos Portisch 
1-0
 Arianne Caoili
Vlastimil Hort 
½-½
 Tereza Olsarova
Wolfgang Uhlmann 
0-1
 Viktorija Cmilyte

Velimirovic,Dragoljub (2425) - Koneru,Humpy (2600) [B06]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (4), 23.11.2010
1.e4 g6 2.h4. Have you ever tried this opening? 2...d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.h5 Bg7 5.Nc3 Qd6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.hxg6 hxg6 8.Rxh8 Bxh8 9.Bc4 Nf6 10.Nb5 Qb6 11.d3 a6 12.Be3 c5 13.Nc3 Nbd7 14.Qd2 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Ne5 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 17.Bb3 Nxf3 18.Na4 Qc7 19.Qc3 Nd7 20.Qc4 Nfe5 21.Qe4 e6 22.Qg2 Bf6 23.Nc3 Rh8 24.Ne4 Bg7 25.Qg3 Rh5 26.Ng5 Bh6 27.Kb1

The trick opening has not worked against the 2600 GM from India, who is now looking for a stylish way to win. 27...Nxd3 28.Qg2 Bxg5 29.Bxg5 Qe5. 30.cxd3 Rxg5 31.Qh3 Rh5 32.Qf3 Rf5 33.Qg2 Qe2 0-1.


Lajos Portisch in his game against Arianne Caoili

Portisch,Lajos (2544) - Caoili,Arianne (2242) [D94]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (4), 23.11.2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb3 c5 9.0-0 cxd4 10.exd4 Nc6 11.d5 Na5 12.Re1 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nxb3 14.axb3 Qxd5 15.Qxd5 Nxd5 16.c4 Nb4 17.Rxe7 Nc6 18.Rc7 f6 19.Nd2 Rd8 20.g4 Rd4 21.h3 Ne5 22.f3 Bd7 23.Ne4 Nxf3+ 24.Kf2 Rxe4 25.Rxd7 Ne5 26.Rxb7 Nd3+ 27.Kf3 Rae8 28.Bd2 Nc5 29.Rb5 Rd4 30.Bh6 Rd3+ 31.Kg2 Nxb3 32.Rxa7 g5 33.Rg7+ Kh8 34.Re7

Now Arianne had a nice chance to draw with a perpetual: 34...Rd2+ 35.Kf1 Rd1+ 36.Ke2 Rd2+ 37.Kf3 Nd4+ 38.Kg3 Rd3+ etc. But she was in time trouble and played 34...Red8? which lost: 35.Bg7+ Kg8 36.Bxf6 Rd2+ 37.Kf3 R2d3+ 38.Ke4 Nd2+ 39.Kf5 Nxc4 40.Rg7+ Kf8 41.Rxh7 R8d5+ 42.Rxd5 Rxd5+ 43.Kg6 Ke8 44.Re7+ Kf8 45.Re4 Nd6 46.Bg7+ Kg8 47.Re6 Rd3 48.Be5 1-0.


Tereza Olšarová played well against Vlastimil Hort and got a well-deserved draw


Round five: Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wolfgang Uhlmann 
0-1
 Humpy Koneru
Vlastimil Hort 
1-0
 Arianne Caoili
Lajos Portisch 
0-1
 Tereza Olsarova
Dragoljub Velimirovic 
1-0
 Viktorija Cmilyte

Portisch,Lajos (2544) - Olsarova,Tereza (2185) [D45]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (5), 24.11.2010
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 b6 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Bb2 Bb7 10.0-0 c5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Rad1 Rc8 13.Qe2 Ne4 14.Nb5 Bb8 15.dxc5 Ndxc5 16.Bc2 Ng5 17.Bf5 Rc6 18.Nfd4 Rh6 19.f4 a6 20.Na3 g6 21.Bb1 Nge4 22.Nf3 Qe7 23.Nc2 g5 24.Ncd4 f5 25.fxg5 Qxg5 26.b4 Qh5 27.h3 Ng3 28.Qc2 Nxf1 29.Kxf1 Ne4 30.Qb3 Rg6 31.Ne2 Ng3+ 32.Nxg3 Rxg3 33.Rxd5 Rxf3+ 34.Kg1 Qf7

The Hungarian chess legend had survived a very dire phase in this game and now had a clear draw with 35.Rd7! But he threw it all away against the aggressive Czech WIM with 35.Qc3?? Qg6 36.Rd7. The original threat of 36.Qh8+ does not work because it is no longer mate, but the text move is a jump from the frying pan into the fire: 36...Bh2+ and Black has a nice mate: 37.Kxh2 Rxh3+ 38.Kxh3 Qxg2+ 39.Kh4 Qg4# . 0-1.

The game Dragoljub Velimirovic vs Viktorija Cmilyte was the most attractive for viewers. Cmityle had a winning position, but she missed the best continuation (20...Qxd3). After some inaccuracies Velimirovic found a decisive attack.

Arianne Caoili played slowly and got into time trouble in the game against Vlastimil Hort. The Australian WIM had a deformed pawn structure and Vlastimil Hort skilfully managed to use his advantage to chalk up a full point. Vlastimil is the only player in this event who has not suffered a defeat.

 


Round six: Thursday, November 25, 2010
Humpy Koneru 
0-1
 Vlastimil Hort
Arianne Caoili 
1-0
 Wolfgang Uhlmann
Tereza Olsarova 
0-1
 Dragoljub Velimirovic
Viktorija Cmilyte 
1-0
 Lajos Portisch


Viktorija Cmilyte, who is currently at plus two, in second place behind Humpy

Cmilyte,Viktorija (2514) - Portisch,Lajos (2544) [D37]
Czech Coal Match Prague CZE (6), 25.11.2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bf4 dxc4 6.e3 a6 7.a4 Nb6 8.a5 Nbd5 9.Bxc4 Nxf4 10.exf4 Bd6 11.Ne5 0-0 12.0-0 c6 13.g3 Bc7 14.b4 Bd6 15.Qb3 Nd5 16.Nd3 Rb8 17.Ne4 Be7 18.Nec5 Qc7 19.Rfe1 Bf6 20.Ne5 Rd8 21.Re2 Be7 22.Rc2 Bf8 23.Re1 Qd6 24.Bd3 g6 25.h4 Bg7 26.h5 Ne7 27.Bc4 Nd5 28.Rce2 Qc7 29.Qf3 b6 30.Ne4 bxa5 31.bxa5 Rb4 32.Bd3 Rxd4 33.Ng5 Nxf4 34.gxf4 Bxe5 35.fxe5 Qe7 36.Ne4 Rxd3 37.Nf6+ Kg7 38.Re3 Rxe3 39.Rxe3 c5 40.h6+ Kh8 41.Rb3 c4 42.Rb8 c3?? After hanging on against the Lithuanian GMs relentless attack the Hungarian veteran cracks.

43.Qxc3 Bb7 44.Qc5. The back rank mating threats decide it. 1-0.


Tereza Olšarová had a better endgame but managed to lose it against Dragoljub Velimirovic


Wolfgang Uhlmann lost on time against Ariana Caoili in a worse, but playable position

All pictures © Vladimir Jagr

Team results

 
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
R8
Snowdrops
3
1
3.5
2.5
2.0
2.0
 
 
Oldhands
1
3
0.5
1.5
2.0
2.0
 
 
Total Snowdrops
3
4
7.5
10
12
14
 
 
Total Oldhands
1
4
4.5
6
8
10
 
 

Individual results

   
O1
O2
O3
O4
O1
O2
O3
O4
Total
S1 Humpy Koneru
1
0
1
 
1
1/2
 
1
4.5
S2 Arianne Caoili
1
1/2
 
1
0
0
0
 
2.5
S3 Tereza Olsarova
1
 
1/2
0
1/2
 
1
0
3.0
S4 Viktorija Cmilyte
 
1/2
1
1
1
 
1/2
0
4.0
   
S1
S2
S3
S4
S1
S2
S3
OS4
 
O1 Wolfgang Uhlmann
0
1
 
0
0
0
0
 
1.0
O2 Vlastimil Hort
1/2
 
1/2
1
1
1/2
 
1/2
4.0
O3 Lajos Portisch
 
1
0
1/2
0
 
1/2
0
2.0
O4 Dragoljub Velimirovic  
0
 
1
1
 
0
1
0
3.0

 


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