Rolf Knobel’s win over Valentinas Normantas of Lithuania in the XII Olympiad final takes center stage this month. Playing first board for Switzerland, Rolf has been scoring well against the very strong competition that is always found in the Olympiad finals.

Rolf is 37 years old, married, and has 3 children (Sara 9, Lukas 7, Simon 4). He lives and works in Rotkreuz, a village with 7000 inhabitants in the very center of Switzerland, between Lucerne and Zurich. Trained as a physicist, he works for Roche Diagnostics in the Molecular Systems division. Here he heads a team developing integrated systems that enable physicians to get the most sensitive diagnostics for the treatment of various diseases as HIV or hepatitis. He has several patents dealing with processes and instrumentation that are integral to these diagnostic systems.

Learning chess from his father at the age of 7, Rolf played in his first junior tournament at the age of 12. Later over-the-board successes include team competitions in the Swiss B league with Riehen and Zurich, 2nd in the Central Swiss championship, winner of Central Swiss team championship with Zug, and 5th in the Swiss master class B championship. His best tournament result is 7 of 11 in Dortmund Open 1989 where he drew against GM Martinovich. Since ‘90 he has played over the board very sporadically.

Once correspondence chess takes hold, over-the-board activity tends to fade. Rolf began playing cc in ‘89 and achieved an IM norm in his first tournament. The IM title came in ‘98. He has represented Switzerland in many cc team competitions, gaining a bronze medal in the EU/MSM/IV, and now playing first board in the XII Olympiad Final. This year (2000) he received the SIM title, and is already looking forward to the next higher step !

For the past twenty years Rolf has enjoyed being a trainer of junior players. He has coached the Central Swiss junior’s team, lead the Central Swiss juniors chess camp, and organized Swiss junior championships and young master tournaments. His success as a trainer of the juniors from Zug (Jugendschach Zug) is reflected in the fact that many of these juniors took top prizes in the Swiss junior championships, one is a member of the national team, and another has placed either1st or 2nd in the union championship three times. Rolf also enjoys writing about chess and has written articles for the Swiss chess news and a iweekly chess column.

A few other interesting tid bits. Did you know that there is a crater on Mars named Knobel? Even more surprising, there is a village in Arkansas (USA) named Knobel. The Knobels do get around!

Rolf’s win against Valentinas Normantas of Lithuania illustrates his talent in handling complex tactical games. Having seen several of Rolf’s games, including his draw against Ulf Andersson (also in the Olympiad Final), I would say that this game is very representative of his style; very thorough opening preparation and a preference for sharp attacking positions. So it’s not surprising that he chooses one of the sharper variations against the Slav defense. Just one or two slow moves by Black in the opening, and the attack proceeds too rapidly against his porous position. The annotations are by the winner

 Knobel, R. (2545) - Normantas V. (2625)
XII Olympiad Final, Board 1, 1998, [D43]

This is my first win against a top twenty player. More important for me is the pleasure I had calculating the entertaining variations. I have added the latest theoretical news to this game - some of which was not available at the time of the game.

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4

In my opinion the correct answer to the move 5. ... h6(?!) - sometimes called the Moscow variation. White keeps the position alive - just the opposite of black's intentions. Secondly, I believe that the exchange is not promising for white.

6...dxc4 7.e4

7.a4 Bb4 8.e3 b5 (8...g5 9.Bg3 Nd5 10.Qc2 Qa5 11.Rc1 b5 Minev) 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0-0 a6 Udivich-Trifunovic, YU (1963)

7...g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2

The theory behind this move can be found in NIC YB 43, 46, 49 and 54: SL 6.6. At the time when these moves were played, I was mainly inspired by the game Kramnik-Anand.

9...Bb7

This has remained the main variation even after many games have tested this position. 9...b4 10.Na4 Nxe4 11.Be5 Nf6 12.Nc5!± Sakaev-Kobalia, St. Petersburg, 9 (1998); 9...Nbd7 10.d5 b4 (10...Bb7 11.dxe6 fxe6 12.Nd4 Nc5 13.e5 Nd5 14.0-0± Zhu-Dreev (1999); ; 10...cxd5 11.exd5 Nb6 12.dxe6 Bxe6 13.Nd4± Beliavsky-Bacrot (1999)) 11.dxe6 bxc3 (11...fxe6 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.Qxd8+ Kxd8 14.Bxe5) 12.bxc3 (12.exd7+ Qxd7 13.Qc2 g4 14.Rd1± Beliavsy-Bacrot (1999) ) 12...Nxe4 13.Qd4± Beliavsky-Atalik (1999); ; 9...Bb4 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxe4 12.Qc2 Sokolov-Peng, NL (1999)

10.e5 Nd5

10...Nh5 11.a4 a6 12.Nxg5 Nxg3 13.Nxf7 Kxf7 14.fxg3 Kg8 15.0-0 Nd7 16.Bg4 Qe7 17.Ne4 Rh7 18.Nd6 Rb8 19.axb5± (19.b4? Kramnik-Anand, Beograd (1997))

11.h4 g4

11...Qa5 12.Rc1 g4 13.Nd2 Nxc3 (13...c5 14.Nce4 cxd4 15.0-0± Kasparov-Tal, Moskov IZT (1982))

12.Nd2 h5 13.Nde4

13...Be7?!

If one is looking for a mistake in Black's play, it is probably this one. In my opinion, it is just a waste of time. The bishop cannot dream of taking on h4. 13...Nd7 14.0-0 Kasparov. 14...Qb6 15.b3!? Qa5 16.Qc2 b4 17.Na4 c3 18.a3 bxa3 19.Naxc3

14.0-0 Nd7 15.Qd2

White has more than sufficient compensation for the pawn because the black king has no clear shelter for the rest of the game.

15...Nxc3 16.bxc3 c5

The strange loking move 16...f5 is not east to cope with: 16...f5 17.exf6 Nxf6 18.Ng5 Qd5 19.Rfe1 Nh7 20.Nxh7 Rxh7 21.Bf1 Bf6 22.Qc2

17.Nd6+ Bxd6 18.exd6 cxd4 19.Qxd4 f6 20.a4!

The immediate 20.f3?! is too early, 20...gxf3 21.Bxf3 Bxf3 22.Rxf3 Qb6 23.Qxb6 axb6

20...a6 21.f3 gxf3

I was expecting 21...Qb6!? when the road to an advantage for white is narrow. 22.Qxb6 Nxb6 23.axb5 axb5 24.Rxa8+ Bxa8 25.fxg4 Nd5! 26.Ra1 Bc6 27.Ra3 hxg4 28.Bxg4 Rg8 29.Bh5+ Kd8 30.Bf2 Rh8 31.Bf3 Kd7 32.Bc5 Rxh4 33.Ra7+ Kd8 34.Bxd5 exd5 35.Bb6+ Ke8 36.Re7+ Kf8 37.d7+-

22.Bxf3 Bxf3 23.Rxf3 Kf7

The king bravely takes his safety into his won hands a la Steinitz. But, the pathways through the fortress wall are quite open.

24.Re1! Re8

There was the menacing Rxe6! to be looked after. Other moves would were not as good. 24...Qc8 25.Rxe6 Kxe6 26.Re3+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Kf8 28.Qe4 Qe8 29.Rxe8+ Rxe8 30.Qf5+-; 24...Qe8?! 25.Rfe3 e5 26.Bxe5 fxe5 27.Rxe5 Nxe5 28.Rxe5+-

25.Be5 f5 26.Qf4 Nxe5 27.Rxe5 Qf6

There is no choice, f5 has to be defended. 27...Rg8 28.Rxf5+ exf5 29.Qxf5+ Kg7 30.Qf7+ Kh6 31.Rf6+ Qxf6 32.Qxf6+ Kh7 33.Qf5+ Kh6 34.axb5 axb5 35.Qxb5+-

28.axb5

White wins back his pawn and maintains his attack.

28...Rg8 29.b6 Rab8 30.Rc5 Rxb6

This losses by force, but the alternatives would have only prolonged the game. 30...Rg4 31.Qe3 Kg6 32.Rc7 e5 33.Rg3 Qxh4 34.Qxe5 Qf6 35.Rxg4+ hxg4 36.Qxf6+ Kxf6 37.d7+-; 30...Qg6 31.Rc7+ Kf6 32.Qd4+ e5 33.Qf2 Rxb6 34.Rxf5+ Qxf5 35.Rf7+ Kxf7 36.Qxf5+ Kg7 37.Qxe5+ Kh7 38.Qxh5+ Kg7 39.Qe5+ Kh7 40.Qe4++-

31.Rc7+ Kf8 32.d7

This is the most elegent way leading to a win.

32...Ke7 33.d8Q+! Kxd8 34.Rxc4

Now the rook on f3 joins the hunt.

34...e5 35.Rd3+ Rd6 36.Qe3 Rg6 37.Qb6+ Ke8

Here I lost my patience (which is always dangerous in correspondence chess) and announced mate in 16 moves! By the way, I did calculate most of it manually because computer calculation capacity has, and always will have, its limits.

38.Rc8+ Kf7 39.Qb7+ Qe7 40.Rc7

Here my opponent does not cooperate and chooses a mate in 9. After the next two moves by white, this mate can be calculated by a computer in a finite amount of time.

40...Rxd3!? 41.Rxe7+ Kf6 42.Rh7 1-0

A very fine win. Rolf has a web page http://1freespace.com/game/rolf/Annotate.htm where his annotated games and other information are posted.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May the year 2001 bring everyone more victories at the chess board (although there is a conservation principle working against this noble wish).

AMICI SUMUS
Vytas Palciauskas