2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014

Tromso Olympiad 2014

Tweets have been increasingly quoted in game write-ups in the past two years. They can be very entertaining if they have content.

Tweets concerning the first three rounds of the Olympiad are at

http://chessintweets.com/

There is a photo of 11 year-old Luzia Pires from Angola, a photo of what $50 will get you from the Tromso 7-11, a very rude sign about your cell phone, the best legs in the Olympiad, Kirsan in front of a Kasparov poster and what looks like Eric Hansen getting a haircut. I wonder what that cost?

Some interesting tidbits:

- Its funny, all Vietnamese players have the same first name – Nguyen & they won 4-0 in the 1st round.

- You know that Hikaru arrived at the Olympiad when US Captain John Donaldson ran to the store to get him Red Bull

- NRK reporting an Iraqi player left the board to get some water, told the arbiter. Returned too late and got forfeited.

- Is Aronian stoned? White to move, against MVL, he played Kd3. Totally ridiculous.

- L’Ami’s victory today was wonderfully Karpovian, which probably made it even more painful for Kamsky

- If you have the time, check the game Almasi-Yu (Hungary-China) and find out why @Unudurti tweeted: “Zoltan Almasi is the saddest man on the planet tonight”.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

Admirably put, Steve!

[Steve Douglas]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

In this game Bator blundered ... e3 and resigned in already lost position.

I asked about this yesterday.

The live feed showed the final move as Bator playing Bc7. The official PGN shows the same thing. The ChessBomb coverage shows Black replying to that move with e3, magically capturing the White King.

This is why we're wondering what happened. Either moves are missing from the official PGN/feeds, or the moves shown are wrong.

Steve

[Ken MacDonald]

Sambuev Game

Gary, among 4400 posts this one is not the smartest one. So do you really think I could advise Bator to resign, reduce our tie-break, lose 5 rating points... Please keep tell us more about your huge international experience.

In this game Bator blundered ... e3 and resigned in already lost position. Before this blunder black couldn't do anything with the extra pawn, it's just a draw.

What were the final moves? All we see is the Bc7 move and 0-1.

Thanks.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

In this game Bator blundered ... e3 and resigned in already lost position. Before this blunder black couldn't do anything with the extra pawn, it's just a draw.

Our performance in the first 3 round is very poor. We didn't have a good start.

The final position on Chessbomb does not show a king in the final position and it was assumed the game ended after the previous ply. I would assume that's why the loss was not understood.

The team won 2 out of the first 3 matches from what is being reported. I wouldn't call that very poor.

I'm 100% behind our national team and wish the players the very best.

[Victor Plotkin]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

You'll have to ask him.

To me it looked like his opponent could have made another 50 or more moves wasting time. The match was already lost. Possibly the team captain told him to resign. It's team play.

Gary, among 4400 posts this one is not the smartest one. So do you really think I could advise Bator to resign, reduce our tie-break, lose 5 rating points... Please keep tell us more about your huge international experience.

In this game Bator blundered ... e3 and resigned in already lost position. Before this blunder black couldn't do anything with the extra pawn, it's just a draw.

Our performance in the first 3 round is very poor. We didn't have a good start.

[Brad Thomson]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

2. The old question: should FIDE rate the Olympiad games ?
No - if you have to "throw" half-points here and there.
Some players refuse to participate for this reason.
But then: not rated games = no norms.

Agreed. To rate games and offer norms in a so called "team" competition is absurd.

[Aris Marghetis]

Re: 2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad

Bator
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2036[/ATTACH]

Nava (I am not sure)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2037[/ATTACH]

Viktor
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2038[/ATTACH]

Aris
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2039[/ATTACH]

Andrei, you are priceless for finding this picture, who's that guy photo-bombing me during the Germany-England match I was working today?! By the way, it ended 2-2, and Nigel was taking a break. The English reserve won his.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

To be sure 100% this is the case here, we have to check those tablebases.

What's the difference what the table bases show. The game was played without computer engines and if the player thought he was lost and resigned or lost on time, that's chess.

Losing the game may have given an easier pairing next round.

When you play on a team you have to be a team player.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: jackboots at CRA

I guess if the charities are following the law they have nothing to worry about.

Otherwise they can use their money instead of my money to fund their activities.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

Would it not be more likely that the moves were cropped for some reason rather than some sort of elaborate conspiracy to avoid a mildly more difficult (in theory) pairing this early in a tournament? I do agree about the norm things, though. It doesn't make sense to rate these sorts of events where a player might get say 8 out of 11 games with White.

It would be disappointing if you were right. And it would raise at least 2 points:

1. I understand a captain to ask a player to agree to a draw so you don't risk the team's win or draw in the match.
But a willful loss not. How much energy would take to shuffle pieces for another hour or so ?
To be sure 100% this is the case here, we have to check those tablebases.

2. The old question: should FIDE rate the Olympiad games ?
No - if you have to "throw" half-points here and there.
Some players refuse to participate for this reason.
But then: not rated games = no norms.

[Emil Smilovici]

Re: sounds like ridicule to me.

I understand it is "just an example", but was Zero Tolerance enforced 100% in Moscow 1994 ?

And then - do you really think what happened was "tragic" ?
I did not answer to that first time - but here it is: I am sure that in the Rwandan team there are some adults, don't you think ?
Then, a whole team (or 3 out of 4) to be late - it is plain silly.

It costs a lot to bring these teams and players in that remote spot beyond the Arctic Circle - asking to be in time for your game is not that much.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

jackboots at CRA

In this country BDS is getting registered charities reviewed by the CRA.

Reducing poverty in Canada as a goal is also getting political reviews by the Harper jackboots at the CRA as well. I guess poverty is good for business or something.

See Use of CRA audits for political means. The article makes reference to the Harper "Enemies List" that includes anti-poverty organizations, PEN and other freedom of expression groups, organizations that investigate politically motivated audits (good to silence those ones, eh?), groups that protect the environment, and, undoubtedly, children's lunch programs will be next. By a devious use of funding, the CRA is funnelled into auditing pretty well exclusively those groups whose politics differ from the Harper regime. Just don't say the word "culture" or they might reach for something other than a pen ...

[Emil Smilovici]

Re: Tromso Olympiad 2014 Women

You'll have to ask him.

To me it looked like his opponent could have made another 50 or more moves wasting time. The match was already lost. Possibly the team captain told him to resign. It's team play.

It would be disappointing if you were right. And it would raise at least 2 points:

1. I understand a captain to ask a player to agree to a draw so you don't risk the team's win or draw in the match.
But a willful loss not. How much energy would take to shuffle pieces for another hour or so ?
To be sure 100% this is the case here, we have to check those tablebases.

2. The old question: should FIDE rate the Olympiad games ?
No - if you have to "throw" half-points here and there.
Some players refuse to participate for this reason.
But then: not rated games = no norms.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: sounds like ridicule to me.

In theory I agree with you but in practice ... 1994 Olympiad in Moscow we were staying in the hotel where the event was happening so you would think arriving in time was easy, but the elevators would randomly break down. With people inside of them. Multiple times per day. They didn't like you to use the stairs, I don't know why. Just one example. I am sure it is worse now with all of the means they use to prevent terrorists and electronic devices. ;-)

Zero tolerance is not a new rule and I just don't see why it continues to be a point of controversy. In every game in olympiad history, there has been a set time when if you show up after that time, you forfeit. It should make no difference if the round starts at 2 and the death time is 2 or the round starts at 2 and the death time is 3. Calling this "tragic" is ridiculous.