IM Dietmar Kolbus 1966-2024

[LawrenceCooper]

It's reported that Dietmar passed away whilst playing in the Biel Chess Festival Masters tournament:

https://perlenvombodensee.de/forum/topi ... ostid-2083
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietmar_Kolbus
https://chess-results.com/tnr963846.asp ... =30&snr=65

[John Saunders]

Desperately sad news which I only learnt yesterday evening when contacted by a German journalist. Dietmar must have died on Saturday night (20 July) in his hotel room after his 6th round game. Sunday was a rest day in the tournament and it was only after his failure to appear for the Monday round that the discovery was made. A picture of him playing in the Biel tournament on 15 July can be seen on Flickr. He had been due to represent the Isle of Man at the forthcoming Budapest Olympiad. RIP.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

That is so sad. I will leave others who knew him better to pay tribute. He organised the Manx Liberty Masters in 2021. Was he still captain of the Manx 4NCL Team? Can I also ask if he was resident in both Germany and the Isle of Man? I hope the appropriate arrangements can be made in both countries. RIP.

[Matthew Turner]

Very sad news.

Dietmar was a larger than life character who put a huge amount into chess. He was passionate about the game and it is perhaps difficult to underestimate his achievement as the driving force bringing the very best players in the World to a tiny island in the Irish Sea.

As a player he was tenacious and incredibly difficult to defeat. I think he was very proud of holding Fabiano Caruana to a draw in the Bundesliga https://old.chesstempo.com/gamedb/game/1530933

I am sure that Dietmar's many friends will draw comfort that his last picture at Biel shows him looking in rude health, enjoying the game he loved. RIP big man.

[Nick Ivell]

Sad to hear. I remember him as a big presence at 4NCL.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

There was a memoriam photo shown at Biel:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/143150736 ... 874946382/

And a German-language obituary here (with games and what looks like a personal tribute from those who knew him in Germany):

https://de.chessbase.com/post/dietmar-kolbus-1966-2024

It is possible to read a Google Translate (or other translation engine) version of this, but maybe some selected quotes could be put here, and hopefully some English-language obituaries will follow.

EDIT: I misread the German-language obituary slightly. It has some interesting background and a couple of nice games and positions (a win against Haslinger, a draw against Rapport, and an anecdote from his university days). The history of Dietmar financing teams in Germany and then later in the UK chess leagues is covered as well.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Quite likely that an English language version of the Chessbase article will appear in due course.

[John Upham]

Here is Dietmar from the British Championships in 2013 during round 5:

IM Dietmar Kolbus (1966 - 2024)

_JUA6250-XL.jpg (334.87 KiB) Viewed 2850 times

[John Upham]

and likewise from round 11:

IM Dietmar Kolbus (1966 - 2024)

_JUA6468-XL.jpg (311.67 KiB) Viewed 2850 times

[Matt Mackenzie]

Quite likely that an English language version of the Chessbase article will appear in due course.

This has now duly been posted, featuring a few of his more notable games.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

For the record:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/rememberi ... -1966-2024

It isn't quite the same. The German-language version has an extra bit appended to it (the memories from a university contemporary). Understandably omitted for the 'international' edition, but it is worth reading a translation of that extra bit if you can.

[Stewart Reuben]

It was very sad to learn from the Saturday Daily Telegraph that Dietmar Kolbus had died in Biel.
He became an IM in 2005 and frequently played in both Hastings and the British Championship. From 2021 Dietmar played for the IOM, which is where he lived. He gave very strong personal support to the international team he managed in the 4NCL. He was the leading IOM player and their only IM.

Dietmar was a delightful dinner companion and we dined together quite frequently.