16 nations participated in the 3rd edition of these already popular <Student Chess Olympiads>, organized by FIDE. Venue was the historic Swedish University centre of Uppsala, April 5th – 15th, 1956. For the first time, students from the United States of America also came along to compete.

The teams were divided into four groups in the Preliminaries, the two best teams advanced into a Final A group of eight teams, the other eight teams had been relegated into a Final B group. The points from the Preliminaries did not count for the total standings, the eventual winner of the Final B group is subsequently ranked on 9th place overall. Of course, players from teams in the Final A group faced stronger opponents than the those in the B group.

Gold was won by the USSR (with Viktor Korchnoi on board one, scoring 6/7, no loss), Hungary claimed Silver, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria shared the third place, followed by Spain, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and the USA in the Final A group.

Iceland (with Fridrik Olafsson on board one, scoring 9/10, nine wins, one loss, this was also the best board one individual percentage) won the Final B group, ahead of Poland, East Germany, England, Finland, France, and ex- aequo on shared last place Sweden, the hosting nation, and Norway.

The highest individual percentage of all players at Uppsala was realized by Anatoly Lutikov, USSR, who scored formidable 6.5/7 points as a substitute.

Lutikov, was a promising player in his student years, but «Luka» later had a tough life, and his difficulties increased: «Deficiencies, camouflaged in youth by optimism and energy, become more evident», as Sosonko wrote in his «The Reliable Past».

There were so many strong chess players in the USSR in those days, and Lutikov did not made it to the very top. Apparently, he suffered alcohol and health issues. Lutikov, sole second at the traditional Hoogovens tournament in Beverwijk in 1967 (behind only Boris Spassky, above Ciric as clear third, the heavyweights Larsen, Gligoric, Szabo, and Darga, Donner, Pomar, or Robatsch in a field of 16 players), became a GM not until 1974, aged already 40plus. He passed away fifteen years later in 1989. Destiny was not on the side of Anatoly S Lutikov.

Most prominent players at Uppsala in 1956 were the three International Grandmasters Matanovic and Ivkov (both Yugoslavia), and mentioned Korchnoi (USSR), the two International Masters Fridrik Olafsson from Iceland and Roman Toran Albero from Spain, plus the still untitled young Polugaevsky and young Tal on board two and three for the USSR, Bilek, Portisch, Forintos (Hungary), Padevsky, Bobotsov (Bulgaria), Mednis, Lombardy, Saidy (USA), and Raaphi Persitz, then playing on board one for England, he later moved to Israel, and Switzerland.

Rolland had good memories of his chess experience as a student, discussing with such personalities. Opting for a civil career, he became a professor of philosophy at a French University.

Pierre Rolland played in some National Championships of France, winning the title in 1956, the year he participated in the World Student Team Chess Champiopnship, and sharing first place in 1966 (no title due to lesser tie-break score), in some City Championships of Paris, and once in an International Open in Bordeaux, mostly during his holidays.

In 1966, Rolland participated for the first time in an International Invitation Tournament, organised in Le Havre, France.

And, what a début!

<Le Havre International Invitation Tournament in 1966>: Larsen won ahead of 2./3. Polugaevsky, Krogius, 4./5. Matanovic, Forintos, 6./7. Rolland, Bobotsov, etc. (12 players).

Pierre Rolland, titleless, was the best player from France, he beat GM Matanovic in a good game, GM Bobotsov, plus IM Dueckstein, amongst others, and drew the two Soviet GMs, Polugaevsky and Krogius, he also drew IM Forintos, but lost to GM Larsen, the eventual winner: https://www.365chess.com/tournament...

Rolland subsequently was invited to play in the International Grand Prix of Monaco in Monte Carlo (1967), including Bobby Fischer who won, above Smyslov, Geller, Larsen, Matanovic, Gligoric, but died earlier in an automobile accident that same year. Le Havre 1966 thus remained his only international individual invitation tournament.