Dietmar Kolbus 17/01/1966 – 20/07/2024
We were all shocked and saddened to hear of the recent death of Dietmar Kolbus at the age of just 58. Dietmar had been playing in Switzerland at the Biel Chess Festival and passed away in his hotel room on 20 July.
Dietmar was a long-term resident of the Isle of Man, having moved here in around 2009. He was our only International Master and was Manx Chess Champion for eight consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2017 when he didn’t lose a single game.
He was deeply honoured to play in the FIDE Grand Swiss held here in 2019 and 2023, latterly playing under the Manx flag having transferred his allegiance from Germany after Isle of Man Chess Association became an affiliated member of FIDE. He played more tournaments under the Manx flag than anyone else, regularly representing the Isle of Man in open events in Europe. He was also looking forward to being part of the Isle of Man team at the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest in September, the first time that we had entered this prestigious competition.
Dietmar had a deep passion for the game and was keen on helping local players to develop their chess-playing skills, often hosting informal training sessions at the Empress Hotel in Douglas. Over the years, he also gave the occasional lecture at the chess club and played in simuls, taking on many players at the same time. Dietmar will also be remembered as the driving force behind the Manx Liberty chess team which won back-to-back 4NCL titles in 2022 and 2023.
Dietmar’s passing is a huge loss to the Isle of Man chess community, and he will be greatly missed.
Alan Ormsby
Chairman, Isle of Man Chess Association