Batumi Olympiad 2018

Tim Harding · 30-09-2018 7:35pm

Round 7 team pairings up.

OPEN Yemen v Ireland. They have two IMs and an FM but this looks like a winnable match, maybe by a big margin.
Poland v Azerbaijan in the meeting of the only two teams with 12 MP. Can young Duda win again or will Shak continue his ominous pursuit of Magnus's number 1 rating?

Then Croatia (10 MP) v USA (11 MP) and there are nine other teams on 10MP including quite surprisingly Egypt (who play India, who have only 9MP).

In our women's tour of Africa, Diana & co. next play Botswana who have two WIMs and one EFM rated in the 1700s which may mean their titles were gifted as a bribe in the shady world of Kirsan and Makro'. Or maybe they were stronger once.

Anyway this looks like a close match which we might win.
On the top table, Armenia play USA, both on 11MP.

Nine teams have 10MP and then in match 6, India (10MP) play Georgia-1 who have 11MP. Rather strange.

cdeb · 30-09-2018 8:02pm

Tim Harding wrote: »

In our women's tour of Africa, Diana & co. next play Botswana who have two WIMs and one EFM rated in the 1700s which may mean their titles were gifted as a bribe in the shady world of Kirsan and Makro'. Or maybe they were stronger once.

In fairness, women's titles are given out much readier than open titles; it could be for winning a continental title or even a decent Olympiad score. We have two 1700 titled players ourselves; not WIMs, but still below the nominal thresholds for the titles. I don't think those titles were corruptly achieved, so I don't think it's fair to accuse Botswana of the same thing

Past_Pawn_99 · 01-10-2018 12:08am

We will probably see a lot less of these lower rated players with titles now since the whole conditional title and minimum rating requirements was introduced last year.

For example if Eibhia or Mercedes achieve a WCM/WFM score here they will have to cross 1800/1900 respectively before the ICU can request for the title(s) to be awarded.

Tim Harding · 01-10-2018 8:49am

Good point. Their WIMs (one is not playing today) apparently got direct titles from a southern African women's zonal.

Day off for Hannah (who already has a title) as Mercedes and Eibhia are offered a chance to get points on the board.

Conor rested today; we are higher rated on every board in both matches, though only marginally in some.

Tim Harding · 01-10-2018 2:23pm

Crushing win for David Fitzsimons but the other games have a long way to go.

Women's match is also tight; board 4 looks very bad for us.

Gelfand blundered into a mate versus Navara in a double rook ending:
https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/olympiad-batumi-2018-open/7/5/1

Apart from that and a few draws it is early days in the top matches.

HaraldSchmidt · 01-10-2018 4:04pm

Did Gearoidin really draw? It seems hard to believe her opponent would agree to that a piece up.

Tim Harding · 01-10-2018 4:25pm

HaraldSchmidt wrote: »

Did Gearoidin really draw? It seems hard to believe her opponent would agree to that a piece up.

A win for the opponent looks a lot more plausible but they don't upload the results to chess-results.com until the round is over, so we cannot be sure. Of course it makes a big difference between 2MP or only 1 MP for us.

We are 2-1 up in the Open with Stephen Jessel likely to win soon also.

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 01-10-2018 4:29pm

Might also be a "steward's enquiry" into Diana's game given black's last move. That may also have been a draw..

Tim Harding · 01-10-2018 4:34pm

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

Might also be a "steward's enquiry" into Diana's game given black's last move. That may also have been a draw..

You don't think Black put her rook en prise (forgetting the queen no longer defended it) and resigned on the spot?

Maybe you can contact Ioana and ask her what really happened in these games?

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 01-10-2018 5:11pm

Captains can't have phones in the playing hall like everyone else. Just heard from Diana once she got back to hotel that her opponent did indeed panic so she won.

Tim Harding · 01-10-2018 5:24pm

And Geraoidin's result?

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 01-10-2018 5:26pm

haven't heard but I'd guess it was a draw. Gearoidin wouldn't give up there. More likely her opponent just thought she couldn't make progress

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 01-10-2018 6:03pm

Confirmed by chess-results: http://chess-results.com/tnr368909.aspx?lan=1&art=3&rd=7&fed=NEP&flag=30&zeilen=99999

I think its Chile for the ladies and possibly Turkmenistan for the open team.

Tim Harding · 01-10-2018 7:43pm

Confirmed. Chile women bd 4 and reserve seem to be doing well.
Turkmenistan have only played their reserve once.

Caruana v Mamedyarov is a juicy prospect for tomorrow: the two guys vying to catch Magnus! A win for Fabiano would bring him very close to top in the live ratings, I think?
The drawn matches at the top today helped USA who are probably in pole position now if they can win tomorrow's match.

Ukraine came very close to winning both Black games against China today but somehow Wei Yi and Li Chao hung on.

Russia had another bad match. Maybe they are sorry now they didn't bring Svidler instead of Jakovenko.

Armenia are now in sole lead in the women's tournament but I expect them to be beaten by Ukraine tomorrow.

Tim Harding · 02-10-2018 10:32am

Alex Lopez and Gearoidin rested today.

Yes, our women's team did win yesterday's match, somewhat luckily, by 2.5-1.5.

Top games to watch: Caruana-Mamedyarov (and indeed the whole of the US-Azeri match); also Ding Liren v Anish Giri.

Tim Harding · 02-10-2018 4:16pm

Our women's team lost 4-0 alas.

The live boards were frozen for ages in the men's match. They have just been updated showing Conor and David have lost, Stephen has drawn, and Alex Baburin is trying to hang on a pawn down in the ending.

In the top match, USA badly need Shankland to win because Wesley So is losing, Nakamura drew and Caruana's advantage is perhaps only nominal. If they lose the match, the defence of their title is in serious jeopardy.

UPDATE: Caruana may be getting somewhere now?

Tim Harding · 02-10-2018 5:35pm

Caruana won nicely and Shankland just completed the US win over Azerbaijan which looked unlikely two hours ago.

Some interesting endings today.
B+P v B occurred in two top games. Mickey Adams demonstrated good technique to hold against Gelfand. Yu Yangyi blew a won position against Erwin L'Ami.

Luke McShane found a way to win for England after his opponent went wrong in a tricky rook ending.

Ireland unfortunately only scored half a point from eight games today.

cdeb · 02-10-2018 6:59pm

A double-header of sorts for our teams tomorrow - the IPCA (physically disabled team) for the men, and the IBCA (blind team) for the women.

Tim Harding · 02-10-2018 8:32pm

It can be very distracting to play such opponents, though in part it depends on whether they have assistants to make their moves. They probably do in the olympiad? Or at least the blind players will?

Tim Harding · 02-10-2018 8:34pm

I think tomorrow (October 3) is the big day to decide the new President and ICCF executive.
Are Ireland sticking with their declared intention to vote for Arkady Dvorkovich? Or perhaps we shall never know if it's a truly secret ballot.

Nigel Short is almost certain to come third on the first ballot, but apparently that doesn't mean (unlike the French parliamentary system) that the third placed candidate is eliminated unless he chooses to be.

Tim Harding · 03-10-2018 9:47am

Baburin and Mirza rested today; the women are out-rated on every board and it would have been the same even if Diana had played. It looks a winnable match for the Open team, though.

USA (15MP) is top match in the Open, with the Americans needing at least a drawn match against the impressive Poles (14MP) to preserve their lead. Robson sits it out again. Very big matches among the chasers on 13 MP: Azerbaijan-China, India-Armenia, Germany-France and
England-Norway. (Norway are only on 12.)

Action starts at noon.

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 03-10-2018 3:17pm

Dvorkovich elected - 103-78 with Short pulling out last minute.

Ladies had a great win 2.5-1.5

Tim Harding · 03-10-2018 3:22pm

Great result for the ladies indeed! Not looking good for the Open team.

Malcolm backed the wrong horse, I fear.
We await Nigel's next column in New In Chess.

cdeb · 03-10-2018 4:29pm

Real struggle for the Open team - though they are stronger on all four boards, they're 2-0 down and hanging on a pawn down in endings which they surely have no chance of winning, though a draw may be holdable. So at best 3-1; probably 3½-½

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 03-10-2018 4:41pm

2 or 3 players on the Open team have been sick for the last few days - takes its toll! Hopefully Lopez can torture his opponent into submission over the next 30 moves. Good hold by David in the end

Tim Harding · 03-10-2018 4:57pm

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

2 or 3 players on the Open team have been sick for the last few days - takes its toll! Hopefully Lopez can torture his opponent into submission over the next 30 moves. Good hold by David in the end

Sorry to hear some of the players have been unwell; this must have affected performances.
Alex's game is down to N+2 v N+1 with no passed pawn but the defence can be tricky, especially as his opponent has much less time.
Alex is blitzing back; not sure if that's the best strategy... I suppose you stop and think if you sense the opponent has made a mistake.

Tim Harding · 03-10-2018 5:15pm

Caruana trying to win R+B v R but probably won't, in which case Poland beat USA and go into the sole lead!

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/olympiad-batumi-2018-open/9/1/1

There are wins today for Armenia and China, and probably England, in the chasing group, so all the medals are up for grabs in the Open with two rounds to go.

cdeb · 03-10-2018 5:23pm

Tablebase draw, but it's a tricky ending from both sides - although I think white has done the hard work and can just sit still; it helps that there's only one side to defend.

I imagine Caruana will push to the 50-move mark; has no reason not to. Move 117 is the deadline for Caruana to win.

Tim Harding · 03-10-2018 5:53pm

Just drawn. Online engine and commentators on the English Forum say Caruana blundered at the start of the ending, 65...Bg4 when he had a forced mate with 65...Rd1+ instead. He didn't have to go for the h-pawn.
If so, White's 63 g3+ was a bad mistake but Duda got away with it and defended the pawnless ending very well.

Tim Harding · 03-10-2018 6:05pm

So it is Poland leading on 16 MP with two rounds to go
On 15 MP there are USA, Armenia, China and England.

Poland already played Armenia so it's probably China for them tomorrow.
If they downfloat the lowest seed again then USA will play Armenia and England would play Russia.

Maybe that is not forced though; depends on their pairing software.

On 14 France, Germany, Russia, Croatia

Batumi Olympiad 2018

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