Dmitrij Kollars

Overview

Dmitrij Kollars (born August 13, 1999) is a German chess grandmaster representing the German Chess Federation (GER). He was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 2015 and achieved the Grandmaster (GM) title in 2017 at the age of 17. Kollars achieved a career-high FIDE classical rating of 2659 in September 2024. Primarily recognized as a professional tournament and elite team player, he is the 2024 German Individual Champion and a multiple-time representative of the German national team in international team competitions.

Biography & Major Career Milestones

Kollars developed through the German youth system, starting with early successes in the Bremen regional and school chess scenes. He placed fourth in the German U12 Championship in 2011, and secured second place in the German U16 Championship in 2014. Later in 2014, he earned his first IM norm at the German Chess Championship in Verden, where he finished eighth with a score of 5½/9.

In 2015, Kollars won the German U16 Championship. He completed his remaining IM norms at the Festival de Ajedrez Nazarí in Granada, Spain, and the VMCG-Schachfestival in Lüneburg, Germany, subsequently gaining the IM title.

Kollars' path to the GM title began in 2016 when he secured his first GM norm by winning a round-robin tournament in Jūrmala, Latvia, with a score of 6½/9. Later that year, he finished tied for third (fourth on tiebreaks) at the World U16 Youth Championship. In March 2017, he earned his second GM norm at the First Saturday GM tournament in Budapest, Hungary. He secured his third and final GM norm in May 2017 at the 36th Zalakaros Chess Festival (Sax Gyula Memorial) in Hungary, scoring 5½/9 to officially obtain the GM title.

At the national level, Kollars shared first place with Niclas Huschenbeth at the 90th German Championship in Magdeburg in 2019, taking the silver medal on tiebreak criteria. In 2021, Kollars tied for first place in Group A of the Sunway Sitges Chess Festival, finishing with 8 points.

In July 2022, Kollars scored one of the most prominent individual achievements of his career by winning the No Castling World Masters in Dortmund. Entering the event as a late replacement for Vladimir Kramnik, he defeated Daniel Fridman in the final round to tie for first with Viswanathan Anand and claimed the championship on tiebreaks.

In August 2024, Kollars won the German Individual Chess Championship in Ostfildern, finishing clear first to secure his maiden national title.

Elite Team & Event Performance

• 44th Chess Olympiad (2022): Represented Germany in Chennai on Board 5, contributing to the team's overall campaign.
• 45th Chess Olympiad (2024): Represented the German national team in Budapest, playing on the lower boards alongside teammates Vincent Keymer, Matthias Bluebaum, Frederik Svane, and Alexander Donchenko.
• European U18 Team Championship (2017): Won the gold medal representing Germany.
• Mitropa Cup (2016): Secured a silver medal with the German national team.
• Schachbundesliga: A seasoned league player, Kollars has represented Hamburger SK and SF Deizisau in the top tier of the German Chess Bundesliga.

Playing Style, Material Tendencies & Endgame Profiling

Kollars possesses a universal, highly technical playing style typical of modern computer-era grandmasters. He prioritizes structural soundness and gradual positional pressure over speculative tactical complications. His defensive resilience in slightly inferior positions makes him a difficult player to break down, frequently steering complex middlegames into balanced or slightly favorable endgames.

Kollars is highly proficient in handling space advantages and utilizing minor positional weaknesses to restrict his opponent's counterplay. He is exceptionally strong in technical endgames, particularly rook-and-pawn endings. A prime example of his technical conversion was his final-round victory against Daniel Fridman in the 2022 No Castling World Masters, where he masterfully converted a rook endgame with an active king and an advanced e-pawn.

Opening Repertoire & Theoretical Move Orders

1. As White

Kollars is predominantly a 1.e4 player, utilizing a structured theoretical repertoire aimed at solid positional advantages.

Against the Sicilian Defense (1...c5), he strongly prefers anti-Sicilian setups, frequently employing the Rossolimo Attack against 2...Nc6:

Against 2...d6, Kollars frequently utilizes the Canal-Sokolsky Attack:

He also employs the Alapin Sicilian as an alternative weapon against 2...e6 setups:

Against 1...e5, Kollars regularly plays the Giuoco Pianissimo, emphasizing slow maneuvering:

Against the Caro-Kann Defense (1...c6), Kollars plays the Advance Variation, often opting for the Tal Variation:

Against the French Defense (1...e6), he frequently opts for the symmetrical structures of the Exchange Variation:

2. As Black

Against 1.e4, Kollars employs a dual defense system relying on the solid Berlin Defense or Closed Ruy Lopez, as well as the Sicilian Defense.

His primary choice in open games is the Berlin Defense:

When playing the Closed Ruy Lopez, he favors standard mainlines:

When looking for sharper counterplaying chances, he employs the Sicilian Najdorf:

Against 1.d4, Kollars utilizes the King's Indian Defense to create unbalanced, dynamic positions:

He also uses the Queen's Gambit Declined for highly structured, classical setups:

Links

• FIDE: https://ratings.fide.com/profile/12909572
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitrij_Kollars