2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Visa Crisis at the 2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad

The 'Improved Lisitsin Gambit' has been scoring rather well of late. Frode Urkedal, 2500 FIDE, playing board 1 for the Norway '2' team, used it in Tromso today to smoke Vassily Ivanchuck in just 29 moves.

Dennis Monokroussos recently highlighted a 14-move crush by Loek Van Wely over Erwin L'Ami. It's not often you see a strong GM lose in just 14 moves (:

http://www.thechessmind.net/blog/201...in-gambit.html

[Caesar Posylek]

Re: Visa Crisis at the 2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad

Yeah, chess in the world isn't much better than chess in Canada. It reflects the usual politics and money issues, and the well-to-do lord it over the not-so-well-to-do.

But, sometimes, justice prevails.

In other words, as our lives tell us what to do! No doubts!

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014

I see there's no requirement for boards to be assigned in rating order.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014

[QUOTE=Andrei Botez;85027]Bo. 19 India (IND) Rtg - 37 Canada (CAN) Rtg 0 : 0
26.1 GM Negi, Parimarjan 2645 - GM Kovalyov, Anton 2622
26.2 GM Sethuraman, S.P. 2590 - GM Hansen, Eric 2593
26.3 GM Sasikiran, Krishnan 2669 - IM Gerzhoy, Leonid 2473
26.4 GM Adhiban, B. 2619 - GM Sambuev, Bator 2528

India is evidently trying to win on boards 3 and 4.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/spor...cle2359829.ece

[Andrei Botez]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014

Tromso Olympiad 2014

Second Round Pairings

According to Chess-rsults.com, tomorrow the Canadian men are paired against India, which is without its two strongest players, Anand and Harikrishna.

The ladies go against Vietnam.

Bo. 19 India (IND) Rtg - 37 Canada (CAN) Rtg 0 : 0
26.1 GM Negi, Parimarjan 2645 - GM Kovalyov, Anton 2622
26.2 GM Sethuraman, S.P. 2590 - GM Hansen, Eric 2593
26.3 GM Sasikiran, Krishnan 2669 - IM Gerzhoy, Leonid 2473
26.4 GM Adhiban, B. 2619 - GM Sambuev, Bator 2528

Bo. 45 Canada (CAN) Rtg - 20 Vietnam (VIE) Rtg 0 : 0
31.1 WIM Yuan, Yuanling 2241 - WIM Hoang, Thi Nhu Y 2269
31.2 WFM Botez, Alexandra 2089 - WGM Hoang, Thi Bao Tram 2329
31.3 WCM Zhou, Qiyu 2109 - Luong, Phuong Hanh 2171
31.4 WIM Starr, Nava 2145 - IM Pham, Le Thao Nguyen 2331

[Andrei Botez]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014

Round 1 pics:
Aman
Yuanling

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014

Tromso Olympiad 2014

Second Round Pairings

According to Chess-rsults.com, tomorrow the Canadian men are paired against India, which is without its two strongest players, Anand and Harikrishna.

The ladies go against Vietnam.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

The nearest any team on a top board got to a R1 upset was likely Yemen, the #100 seed, who were edged by Norway, the #14 seed, by the score of 2.5 - 1.5. The Yemen 4th board, Hatim Al-Hadarani, an FM rated 2254, absolutely crushed Norway's 4th board, GM Kjetil A. Lie, 2528, in an offbeat QPG opening (2.Nc3 and 3.h4).

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

Round One
Barbados – Canada Match
August 2, 2014

Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women
Round One
August 2, 2014
Board One
Blackman, Katrinia (BAR) – Yuan, Yuanling (CAN)
B50 Sicilian, 2…d6 3.c3

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. h3 g6 5. Bd3 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Bc2 Nc6 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 10. Bb3 d5 11. e5 Ne4 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nc6 14. Re1 Bf5 15. Bf4 Rc8 16. Rc1 Na5 17. Nd2 b5 18. a4 a6 19. axb5 axb5 20. Ba2 Qd7 21. Nb3 Nxb3 22. Qxb3 Rfd8 23. Bb1 Rc4 24. Bd2 Rb8 25. Qb2 f6 26. exf6 Bxf6 27. Ba2 Rcc8 28. Bf4 Rb6 29. Qb4 e6 30. Be5 Be7 31. Qb2 Bg5 32. Ra1 Qc6 33. Qa3 Ra6 34. Qb4 Ra4 35. Qb2 Kf7 36. f4 Bh4 37. Rec1 Be7 38. Qe2 Rca8 39. h4 Qa6 40. g4 Be4 41. f5 Rxa2 42. fxg6 hxg6 43. Rf1 Kg8 44. Rxa2 Qxa2 45. Qxa2 Rxa2 46. Rf2 Ra1 47. Rf1 Ra3 48. g5 Rxc3 49. Bf6 Bf8 50. Ra1 Ba3 51. Kf2 Rc2 52. Ke3 Bc1 0-1

Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women
Round One
August 2, 2014
Board Two
Khoudgarian, Natalia (CAN) – Murray, Donna (BAR)
C06 French, Tarrasch, Closed Variation

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. O-O Bd6 11. Nf3 O-O 12. Bg5 Qc7 13. Nc3 a6 14. Bh4 Nh5 15. Qc2 Rxf3 16. gxf3 Nxd4 17. Bxh7 Kh8 18. Qd3 Bxh2 19. Kh1 Qf4 20. Bg3 Bxg3 21. fxg3 Nxg3 22. Kg2 Nxf1 23. Rxf1 Bd7 24. Rh1 g5 25. Be4 Qh4 26. Rxh4 gxh4 27. Qxd4 Kg8 28. Nxd5 h3 29. Kg3 Kf7 30. Qf6 Ke8 31. Qe7# 1-0

Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women
Round One
August 2, 2014
Board Three
Ramsay, Sheena (BAR) – Botez, Alexandra (CAN)
A46 Queen’s Pawn, Torre Attack

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 Be7 4. e3 b6 5. c3 Bb7 6. Nbd2 d6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. a4 a5 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. Bh4 c5 12. Rfe1 d5 13. h3 c4 14. Be2 Bd6 15. Nb1 Qc7 16. Na3 Ba6 17. b3 g5 18. Bg3 Bxg3 19. fxg3 cxb3 20. Qxb3 Bxe2 21. Rxe2 Qxg3 22. Rf1 g4 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. Rxf6 Nf3 25. Rxf3 gxf3 26. Rf2 Kh8 27. Qd1 fxg2 28. Rf3 Qg5 29. Qe1 Rg8 30. Nb5 Rg7 31. Qf2 f5 32. Nc7 Rxc7 33. Rg3 Qf6 34. Qxg2 Rg7 0-1

Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women
Round One
August 2, 2014
Board Four
Zhou, Qiyu (CAN) – Nurse, Lydia (BAR)
C77 Ruy Lopez, Anderssen Variation

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 h6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 Bd6 8. Nf3 Qe7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Nbd2 b5 13. d4 Bb4 14. c3 Ba5 15. Nf1 Nxe4 16. Ng3 Bg6 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Ne5 Bd5 19. Nxc6 Qxe1 20. Qxe1 Bxc6 21. Bf4 Rad8 22. Qe3 Rfe8 23. Qg3 Re6 24. Bxc7 Bxc7 25. Qxc7 b4 26. Qxd8 Re8 27. Qb6 Bb5 28. cxb4 Re2 29. a4 Bd3 30. d5 1-0

The scores of the men’s games were given a few posts earlier in this thread.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: ?!

They had the board four result reversed earlier.

The final result shows a 3-1 win for Greece. The first two boards were draws and Greece won on boards 3 and 4.

Steve

[Steve Douglas]

Re: ?!

Botswana 2-1 vs Greece with one game to go. Must be one of the greatest upsets ever, even if they lose the last N ending. At least I assume the scores are right (perhaps wrongly).

The final result shows a 3-1 win for Greece. The first two boards were draws and Greece won on boards 3 and 4.

Steve

[Gary Ruben]

Re: ?!

You made the claim that Israel and Russia were pretty well in the same boat here. Even at the height of the current NATO campaign, it's pretty easy to see that that is not the case.

Actually, I'm not making that claim at all. Russia has a veto on the Security council.

I played international correspondence chess during the cold war. Right back to the 1960's. I received an assignment sheet and played with all my opponents regardless of their country and the political tensions. What I didn't do was discuss politics with my opponents. I am a chess player. I'm not a politician or a soldier. Others may feel differently.

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: ?!

I think boycotts tend to be most effective against lesser powers such as apartheid-era South Africa. The Western boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics accomplished nothing other than depriving many athletes of their best chance at a gold medal, and causing the counter-boycott of the 1984 L.A. Games.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: ?!

Botswana 2-1 vs Greece with one game to go. Must be one of the greatest upsets ever, even if they lose the last N ending. At least I assume the scores are right (perhaps wrongly).

[Nigel Hanrahan]

?!

I can see where your sympathies lie but trying to transfer them to the Olympiad is simply wrong headed.

You made the claim that Israel and Russia were pretty well in the same boat here. Even at the height of the current NATO campaign, it's pretty easy to see that that is not the case.

I generally agree with keeping politics out of sport but sometimes events take over. For example, the cruel treatment meted out to US Gold medalist Tommie Smith, Bronze medalist John Carlos and Silver medalist Auzzie Peter Norman was way out of propertion to their defiant salute in honour of African-American struggles in Mexico in 1968. See Dave Zirin's book for more about this.

You might not recall, but the record shows Germany won the Olympiad in 1939. WINNING IS EVERYTHING. Boycotts are useless.

The anti-apartheid movement of South Africa made specific reference to the importance of the boycott campaign in their successful struggle to end the apartheid regime without a protracted and violent civil war. When he was released from almost 3 decades of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela did so as well. The boycott made a difference.

In any case, that's a bit of a strange example wrt the Olympiad that you've chosen to emphasize. Germany's loss was Argentina's gain, and, for example, the current world record of 45 simultaneous blindfold games (by Miguel Najdorf) is an Argentinian record, not a German one, as a result of the throng of Jewish players who chose to stay in Argentina rather than return to Nazi cruelties.

correction! Najdorf played for Poland, not Germany. However, he was part of a group of players that stayed in Argentina following the Olympiad.

In any case, enjoy the Olympiad. Go, Canada Go!