Olympiad Round 6

[Jonathan Berry]

Canada - Iraq
women - Mexico

I believe that tomorrow Tuesday is a rest day, so CU Weds.

[Bob Armstrong]

Rd. 6 - Women's Team - In Progress

Posted on CFC Chess Forum today:

Rd. 6 sees Canada's Women's team playing Mexico on Bd. 21.

WFM Yuanling Yuan ( 2157 ) is on first board ( 21.1 ) ( WIM Natalia Khoudgarian has a rest day ) playing WIM Aurora Esquivel De Leon ( 2037 ).

Since Yuanling is a member of my chess club, Scarborough CC, I ( read Fritz ) will be doing live analysis of her game on the chess website, Chess5 ( www.chess5.com ). When you get to the homepage, click on " Public Games " to get the November list of games. Find the game, and then click on " View " and you will get a board and the score, with analysis ( it takes a few seconds for the game to load ). Hope you find it interesting.

Bob

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Rd. 6 - Women's Team - In Progress

An early result, and it's not good news, I'm afraid. Pascal made the classic sac Bxh7+ with mate on the h-file and at h7, but apparently overlooked the defense Qd8-a5+-f5, covering h7. Canada 0-1 Iraq.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Rd. 6 - Women's Team - In Progress

Canada is doing better in the remaining games. By my reckoning, it's a pawn up on board 2 vs Mexico and board 3 vs Iraq, and comfortable positions in the other games.

Interesting that Canada (like England men) rested their top boards on the round after the rest day. My guess is that it was to minimize opponent prep. during the hiatus.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

Hazel has just sac'd a piece with a thematic Bxe6 move.

Note the absence of Peru from the Olympiad. A Peruvian friend of mine says they have no money (so what else is new?). Their 10 best players rank 49th in the world (Canada is 43rd).

http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml

The highest-ranked countries not at the Olympiad:

Myanmar (42nd)
Peru (49th)
Morocco (67th) - surprising they are not there.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Rd. 6 - Women's Team - In Progress

Hazel sacrificed a bishop for two pawns against the vivacious and friendly but competitive Alejandra Guerrero. Your typical Mexican is an inch or so shorter than your typical Canadian, but coming from the northern state of Durango, Alejandra is taller than the norms. That's not saying anything about the chess. I'm trying to divine the payoff for the sacrifice, but maybe somebody using an engine will visitate.

Dina used a Zwischenzug to digest a second pawn and looks great to me. Yuanling's game might still be theory (sorry, I don't know that opening ... amongst others) but both players, especially the Mexican, have consumed megatime. Irina looks to me to have equalized. The position isn't dead, but it is subtle.

[John Coleman]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

Hazel just sacked a Bishop on h6. I can't see any chances for her at all, I guess she is just hoping for a mega-blunder from her opponent.

[Hugh Siddeley]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

Another notable absence is Chile! I lived for many years in Chile while growing up and my parents still live there (they're English btw not Chilean) as my Dad is a geologist and they own a grape vineyard on the outskirts of Santiago. I visit them every Christmas and go to the Santiago chess club and also play in their "Plaza de Armas", an outdoor venue which is always packed (with usually 40-60 players and they are no slouches at the board!).

[Gordon Taylor]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

Have you ever run into Carlos Jauregui? He used to live in Sydney, Nova Scotia where he taught at the Coast Guard College for many years. When I went back home (Point Edward, N.S.) I would sometimes look him up and we'd play speed chess long into the night. But I think in the mid 1990's he moved back to Chile, I thought to Santiago. He used to wax nostalgic for the speed chess in the capital (battling the "dogs" he would say) and if he's still alive I'd expect he'd still be playing.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

I played Carlos 2 or 3 times. Also played Pedro Donoso. I'm indirectly interested in an obscure player whom I never met, Anselmo Radigan. He reportedly "disappeared" after the Pinochet coup.

Back to chess, Dina still looks great and we're still waiting for the compensation in Hazel's game. That leaves Yuanling (is it still theory?) who has the two Bs, but Black has that Sicilian entrenched central formation. And Irina, whose game continues to be subtle today.

The Men's games are more interesting right now, with Igor's opponent having practically rammed a pawn down his throat. Nikolay is two pawns down. His knight is great. I guess we'll be able to tell in a few moves whether that is sufficient compensation. Thomas is raking.

Both matches are up for grabs.

[Hugh Siddeley]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

I don't know the name (Jauregui, anyway) but who knows I may have bumped into him if he did go back to Santiago. It is true about the speed chess in the capital, "dogs" sounds about right although I've always thought about them as "wolves", as in a large pack of them and they're all pretty decent players, not much diffence between them.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

I should clarify that Igor's opponent sacrificed the pawn by leaving it en prise for several moves. Igor eventually took it. By rammed I might have meant advanced to a commanding position, but no.

Whoa! Igor's opponent has sac'd a piece at h6.

Nikolay's position is especially interesting. It will do Black no good to win a piece if White's a4-pawn queens.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

I'm regret that Canada today discovered Husseins' WMDs.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

So Canada saving the Iraq match comes down to the chances of Nikolay winning his position with two pawns down. That's incentive! If he does it, it will be a classic bad bishop exploit.

In the last message "I regret" rather than "I'm regret". Unfortunately the Edit button does not work for me. Also posting Quick Reply never shows the changed page. Have to ^R to show it.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Olympiad Round 6

Wow, nice win by Yuanling. A sound sac on h7 makes up for Pascal's game. So Canada has at least a draw in the Mexico match. In the remaining game, I'm sorry, I prefer the knight, but let's see what happens. Irina has come through in worse-looking positions.