3rd Kolkata Open Grand Master Chess Tournament 2008
March 23-April 2, 2008
Gorky Sadan, Kolkata, India
Final Top Standings
(10 Rounds)
1-2 GM Viktor Laznicka CZE 2595, GM Krishnan Sasikiran IND 2677, 8.5/10
3 GM Shukhrat Safin UZB 2493, 7.5/10
4-10 GM Chanda Sandipan IND 2593, GM Ziaur Rahman BAN 2492, GM Humpy Koneru IND 2612, Rolando Nolte PHI 2412, GM Alberto David LUX 2557, IM Prasad Arun IND 2423, IM Jayaram Ashwin IND 2478, 7.0/10
11-22 GM Nguyen Anh Dung VIE 2525, GM Ahmed Adly EGY 2551, GM Tejas Bakre IND 2459, IM Roy Saptarshi IND 2404, GM RB Ramesh IND 2473, GM Dibyendu Barua IND 2491, GM Smbat Lputian ARM 2616, IM Kidambi Sundararajan IND 2442, GM Al-Rakib Abdulla BAN 2506, GM Das Neelotpal IND 2486, Krishnan Murali IND 2363, IM Jha Sriram IND 2457, 6.5/10
Total of 114 players
GM norms achieved: Rolando Nolte PHI, Prasad Arun IND
IM norms achieved: Oliver Barbosa PHI, Arghyadip Das IND, Dhopade Swapnil IND, and MS Thejkumar IND
caption: Rolando Nolte
The Philippines’ Rolando Nolte earned his first GM norm with a 4-win 6-draw performance in the 2008 Kolkata Open. Already in his early 40s, Nolte was just there to try and improve his rating, but he took his chances when they came and was undefeated in the tournament. He faced 7 International Grandmasters, defeating two (Lputian and Abdulla) and drawing with 5 (Neelotpal, Dobrov, Ramesh, Safin and Sandipan). He drew with IM Enamul Hossain and defeated two untitleds to round off his total score of 7 out of 10.
“Nolts” has an interesting story. He was a strong junior who developed a close friendship with Joey Antonio, later on to become the Philippines’ third International Grandmaster. This was in the late 80s, when they were both just considered “promising”. The two of them sparred everyday and became so strong that by 1990 Joey Antonio did something that no Fillipino chesser had achieved before him – he ended GM Eugene Torre’s 20-year reign as Philippine champion.
The Antonio-Nolte collaboration was not one-sided - practising every day with probably the greatest attacking player in the history of Philippine chess (although Wesley So is on his way to disputing this title) developed Nolte’s tactical skill to a very high level, enough to qualify for the national team to the 1992 chess olympiad.
In 1994 Rolando Nolte made a quantum leap in his career by winning the prestigious 279-player Far East Bank Open. Eugene Torre and Mascarinas were absent, but all the other top Filipino chessers were. This was a tremendous achievement, and as far as Nolts was concerned the highest point of his career. He then semi-retired from chess, got married, settled down in Baguio and used the Far East Bank prize money to purchase a Toyota Tamaraw which he converted to a taxi. His chess career was put on hold while he concentrated on family.
Everything was fine and OK until one day a few years ago his wife died under tragic circumstances. This completely uprooted Nolte and caused him to sell off his assets in Baguio and relocated back to Manila to resume a professional chess career. As the reader may have noticed Nolte is making steady inroads up the chess ladder and is on his way to re-entering the country’s top ten list. I am really happy with his GM norm for he is one truly nice person who deserves better.
It is time to show you his best game from Kolkata. Nolte reminds me of IM Rolly Martinez in this regard – he likes to provoke the opponent into complications and then hit back with a counterattack. The following victory over GM Smbat Lputian is typical.
By the way, allow me to make a few comments about GM Lputian. The Armenian GM is no ordinary GM - he was among the top Soviet GMs in the 80s and participated in several USSR Championships, rubbing elbows with the likes of Kasparov, Karpov, Petrosian, etc. He is also the trainer of the world champion Armenian Olympiad team and a renowned expert in the French Defence.
Nolte,Rolando (2412) - Lputian,Smbat G (2616) [C04]
3rd Kolkata Open (6), 29.03.2008
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6
This is an idea popularized by the Argentinian player Carlos Guimard in the 1940s. It is not so popular, but the Armenian players, especially Vaganian, play it a lot. Contrary to the usual plan and the traditional design of attack of the base of the chains of pawns by c7-c5, in this line Black will attack the head of the pawn chain by ...Nc6 and ...f7-f6.
4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd7 6.Bb5
Not as common as 6.Nb3 or 6.Be2, but Black has to be alert to get a good position.
6...a6
Would you believe that one of the main lines here is for Black to play 6...a5 followed by ...Na7 and ...c7-c5?
7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.Nb3 c5 9.Bg5
While I was looking at this position it occurred to me that 9.Na5 was a tricky line, threatening Nc6 which wins the black queen. Then I noticed 9...c6! which makes the white knight look ridiculous on a5, since 10.Nxc6 Qb6 traps the knight. Then it occurred to me that White can allow this, since he has another wicked knight move: 11.Ng5! with the idea of 11...Qxc6 12.Qh5 g6 13.Qf3 and a very strong attack. On the 11th move instead of taking the knight Black can insert 11...h6, but then there comes 12.Nxe6! with a strong attack. To analyze all of that is beyond the scope of this article, but I have never seen anyone mention these possibilities before - chess is so beautiful!
9...Be7 10.h4!?
A new move. Usual is 10.Na5 but 10...Nb8 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 and Black is fine.
10...h6 11.Be3 cxd4 12.Qxd4 c5 13.Qg4 g6
White must open up the position.
14.c4!?
Nolte wants e4 for his knight.
14...d4 15.Bf4 Bb7 16.Nbd2 Qc7 17.0–0–0
Most people would have castled kingside, but I did say Nolte likes to provoke his opponents, right?
17...Bc6 18.Kb1 Rb8 19.Ka1 Qb7 20.Rb1 Bd8 21.Rhd1 Ba5 22.Ne1 Bxd2 23.Rxd2 a5 24.Qg3 a4 25.Rc1 Qa8 26.f3 Kf8 27.Nd3 Kg7 28.Qf2 Rb3 29.Rcc2
Of course not 29.axb3?? axb3+ 30.Kb1 Qa2#
29...Rhb8 30.Nc1 R3b6 31.Nd3 R8b7 32.Rd1 Ra7 33.Qd2
Now watch the counterattack kick in.
33...h5 34.Bh6+ Kh7 35.Bg5 Qf8 36.Qf4 Qg7 37.g4 Rb3 38.Re2 Rb8 39.Rg1 Rg8 40.Reg2 Raa8 41.Be7
The top players like to do this. Of course he has seen that 41.gxh4 wins, but Black cannot improve his position anyway so Nolte tos and fros for a while and gives Lputian a chance to blunder.
41...f5??
Which he promptly does. Don't fret - Black was lost anyway.
42.exf6 e5 43.Nxe5 1-0
caption: final position
Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com
"This article first appeared in Bobby Ang's column in Businessworld (Philippines) on 11 April 2008"
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