National Team Olympiad Round One

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  • National Team Olympiad Round One

    Getting paired up in the first round is the lot of all Canadian teams, but to me the pairing versus India was one of the more favourable matchups possible as Canada has some experience with some members of their Olympiad squad. Of course one could argue that that knife cuts both ways...

    The Noritsyn-Sandipan encounter was the first to finish, and one of the first in the entire round. This game underscores one of the differences between the new match point scoring system versus the old game point scoring system. Since a 2.5-1.5 win counts the same as a 4-0 rout, my expectation is that favoured teams are going to, in poker terms, decrease their variance in exchange for a greater likelihood of winning matches. So you will see fewer players with Black trying hard to win if they are convinced that their team-mates with White can do so with little or no risk. The "game" itself had been played in my database over 20 times already. A way to get around the 30-move rule against draws, and a rating upset of 200 points, but also a missed chance to try and score with White as well as a missed chance for Nikolay to get a GM scalp.

    Harikrishna-Bluvshtein was a fantastic clash. Mark played the Benoni, which I think was a good choice as it forced White to mix it up to try for an advantage. Black geared up for the typical ...b5 queenside play while White tried to make e4-e5 work. Black got there first, then played the thematic but risky 18...Bxc3, exchanging off his kingside dark-square guardian for a knight, an extra pawn and bunch of active pieces. White made use of the aforementioned dark squares and soon Black had to trade off his other bishop for a knight. They eventually settled into a repetition, but in this case neither player can be faulted as it was unbalanced but roughly equal then anyway. A real treat.

    Charbonneau-Ganguly was a disaster for Pascal. I just don't think these blocked French Winawer positions are his cup of tea. Ganguly's 8...c4 was a particularly inspired choice as it seems to minimize the tactical shootout aspects, which I think is Pascal's greatest strength. Ganguly had tried this idea at least once before, versus Shabalov, but in that game it became tactical when Black tried to play ...f6 too early, and lost. Rybka liked Pascal's position in the early middlegame but I don't think I am exhibiting any confirmation bias when I say I don't think it is right. It seems to me that as long as Black is careful he will eventually be able to make some play while I just don't see how White is going to break in on the queenside. Although the opening and the pawn structure is quite different, this game strongly reminded me in texture to Zugic-Adams from Khanty-Mansiysk. My one suggestion for White's defense is move 36. I think after the f-file is open, White is lost. So he has to try 36.Be2 with the idea of recapturing on g4 with the bishop then trying to plug all the files with f3. Rybka liked 39...Qh7 better than what was played, and that does indeed look crushing, but even what Black played was more than enough. I like how he never took any risks in the later stages of the game, and eliminated all possible counterplay.

    The last game to finish was Geetha-Zugic. I have to admit that I thought out of the opening that Igor was going to experience a the sort of dour defensive suffering in one of those isolated d-pawn position where only two results are possible. I was wrong, wrong, wrong. White allowed Black to generate some play with ...N/c6-a5xb3 and I think Black's problems (if he ever had any) were over. I liked Black even better after the exchange of rooks on e4 and the unbalanced pawn structure, with Black having the bishop. Looks like from that point on the play was roughly balanced. White sacrificed a pawn to gain time to escort his passer, but he didn't get even close to promoting it. There was almost no play or material left when the draw was agreed. Gritty performance by Igor.

    Well 1.5-2.5 in the match system is the same as 0-4, but I bet that the players don't think so! Expect a much easier pairing next round, and probably a match win as well.

    In other games, check out: Aronian-Caruana (board one Armenia v Italy), Mamedyarov-Nenev (board two Azerbaijan v FYROM) and Buhmann-Shirov (board one Germany 3 v Spain). Some wild, brutal stuff.
    "Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.

  • #2
    Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

    As always, comments, additions, criticisms, etc. are welcome.
    "Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.

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    • #3
      Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

      Originally posted by Tom O'Donnell View Post
      As always, comments, additions, criticisms, etc. are welcome.
      I think you have made a decent general assessment of the games.

      Zugic's opponent played the French Tarrasch rather than allow a Winawer. By the time the draw came that was all India needed to win the match.

      I agree with you that Pascal seems to be having problems against the Winawer. Possibly he might be better avioiding it.

      I don't like the Benoni as black. Normally I have to stop white from shoving his center pawns down my throat. This game seemed to have a different move order than I generally see.

      With match play a draw doesn't hurt the team. Simply getting a draw amounts to "holding" your board.

      I didn't put an engine on the games yet. Had to go out for awhile during the games.

      I spent some time watching the women's team. Honestly, I didn't know Cuba was such a super power in Women's chess.
      Gary Ruben
      CC - IA and SIM

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      • #4
        Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

        Thanks Tom for your game high-lites. In the HK - Bluvshtein game, I posted that I thought Mark was winning. I expected 21....Nxb4 22 bxa6 Ne5 with active knights and a formidable pawn centre. Was the a6 pawn something to worry over?

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        • #5
          Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

          I was wondering about that, too.

          However, it looks to me like 22.Ng4!, threatening 23.Nh6# - kingside dark squares! - is a bit of a problem. For example:

          22.Ng4 Qg7 23.Qxg7+ (Rybka likes 23.bxa6, but let's keep it simple for now) 23...Kxg7 24.Bh6+ Kg8 25.Bxf8 Kxf8 26.bxa6 Bxa6 27.Bxa6 Nxa6 28.Ra1 Nb4 29.f3! - a key move as it opens lines for the rooks. I think White can't be worse there.
          I think this sort of line was why Harikrishna chose Nh2 over Nd2. Rybka liked Nd2 better, but I think in White's place I would play Nh2 as well. It just feels like White should be putting things on the dark squares around Black's K.
          "Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.

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          • #6
            Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

            At their press deadline The Hindu was worried they were going to lose to Canada again:

            NEW DELHI: Sandipan Chanda’s 15-move draw with Canadian underdog Nikolay Noritsyn saw India take-off on the wrong foot in the opening round of the Chess Olympiad at Dresden, Germany, on Thursday.

            The 13th seeded Indians, looking to avenge the defeat suffered in the 12th round of the previous edition of Olympiad in 2006, started as the favourites against the 48th seeded Canadians despite resting their spearhead K. Sasikiran.

            However, Sandipan lost a queenside pawn and immediately forced a draw by repetition of moves against Noritsyn, rated 207 points below.

            When the match entered the fourth hour, P. Hari Krishna drew thetop-board battle with Mark Bluvshtein, rated 102 points below. This32-move draw, with Hari playing white, was another blow to India’swinning chances.

            With Surya Shekhar Ganguly in the defensive mode against Pascal Charbonneau on the second board and G. N. Gopal locked in an even battle against Igor Zugic, India’s prospects of making a triumphant start looked remote.

            In the ladies section, India, seeded 11, was up against a much weaker Switzerland, seeded 38. But the difference between the two sides was not reflected even in the fourth hour. All four games — D.Harika-Gundula Heinatz, Monika Seps-Tania Sachdev, NishaMohota-Barbara Hund and Anastasia Gavrilova-Swati Ghate — were evenly poised.

            Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) and Peter Leko (Hungary) are among the leading men staying away from the opening round action.

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            • #7
              Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

              Now did Mark miss the win in round 2 when he played the flashy 45 Rxg6+ when simply 45 Nc6 and if Rc8 then 46 Bb5 and the black B on a2 is lost?

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              • #8
                Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

                I think 45.Nc6? Bb1+! 46.Kxb1 Rxd3 47.Nxb4 Rxb3+ and 48...Rxb4

                Like I tell my students: "Look at every check, no matter how ridiculous!" ;-)
                "Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.

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                • #9
                  Re: National Team Olympiad Round One

                  My bad luck that I wasn't your student!

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