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Ireland at the 41st World Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014

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24567…22

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    #32
    checknraise
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭checknraise


    I dont think Sam's game is a clearly winning and against GM I would say it would probably be a draw.

    Ireland will want to win 4-0 as I believe the pairings are dont on game points so they would need a big score to give them a chance of playing 1 of the top teams


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    #33
    Ciaran
    Registered Users Posts: 908 ✭✭✭Ciaran


    checknraise wrote: »
    I dont think Sam's game is a clearly winning and against GM I would say it would probably be a draw.

    I was about to post something similar. The top Stockfish line on the site doesn't look to me like it's winning at the end.


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    #34
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Fairy nuff; I guess in the computer age, it's easy to be lazy and trust to a computer number instead of doing your own analysis!

    Mark has won a piece for two pawns; computer says "White is much better", but again, not straightforward.

    What's the time control for this? Started with 100 minutes, and 30 second increments being added. But they don't seem to get extra time at 40 moves? It can't be 100+30s, can it?

    Edit - website gives an extra 30 minutes after move 40, but the website doesn't seem to be adding that?


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    #35
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Stockfish analysis now giving Mark as clearly winning, but while it shows Sam +1.5, its line involved some farting about with rooks on both sides with zero progress being made. Looks like Sam's g3 pawn is the problem. The king can't move or the pawn either hangs or is pinned, so the whole kingside can't really get rolling.

    Edit - 3-0; Mark wins. Just Sam left now.


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    #36
    checknraise
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭checknraise


    To have any chance of winning Sam is going to have to give up his A pawn and try and create some mating threats...


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    #37
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Which is what he's done. Looks quite risky though.


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    #38
    checknraise
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭checknraise


    I don't think so black has zero winning chances so long as Sam doesn't drop a rook.


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    #39
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Guess you're right actually. Sam's kingside pawns moving now; king infiltrating to g5. Come on Sam!


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    #40
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Tablebase draw now.


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    #41
    checknraise
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭checknraise


    f5 on move 63 was my first thought but unfortunately it looks like it should be easy for black to draw now.


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    #42
    eclipsechaser
    Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭eclipsechaser


    cdeb wrote: »
    Tablebase draw now.

    Sam seems to be holding out for a fatal cardiac incident from his opponent...


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    #43
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Kind of like 2012 in reverse. Sam on board 1 as Alex wasn't playing; couple of hundred points in the rating difference, but the lower rated player holds on to draw with black.

    Or maybe he's hoping for something along the lines of Australia v American Samoa on board 1. Anyone explain that to me? White is +18 per the analysis, up a piece and queen for two pawns, but then resigned (to a 1900-rated FM?). Surely nobody brought a mobile phone into the playing area? Or is the result just the wrong way around? Sounds almost as bad a glitch as having your phone on you tbh


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    #44
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    Site's listing it as a draw now...


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    #45
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    cdeb wrote: »
    Colm missed the mate in 2
    I guess it's not so far from the Bodley to Tromso :D


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    #46
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    Lots of photos up on Susan Polgar's site from today.


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    #47
    EnPassant
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭EnPassant


    Ireland men playing Iceland today. Based on ratings the result should be a win for Iceland by 2.5 - 1.5 so a draw would be a good result. Colm not playing today.

    The women's team are playing Pakistan who are all unrated.


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    #48
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Random stat - we've played Iceland seven times in the Olympiad and never beaten them. We've picked up only 4½ points off them in those seven games, including just game win (and seven draws)

    Of course, current ratings are all that matters, so maybe we do have a better-than-usual chance of breaking our duck today.

    The women have never met Pakistan.

    Sam on 2, so looks like he'll be going all whites for this tournament. Does that mean Alex will miss out half the games? Or will Sam drop to board 3 on occasion?


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    #49
    eclipsechaser
    Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭eclipsechaser


    cdeb wrote: »
    Sam on 2, so looks like he'll be going all whites for this tournament. Does that mean Alex will miss out half the games? Or will Sam drop to board 3 on occasion?

    I doubt they're making the teams to give Sam white. With Alex and Colm taking a break, that's just the way it has fallen. Unless it happens again, I'd just presume it's coincidence. Next round should tell us anyway.


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    #50
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    Today's games going up on Chess24 here...


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    #51
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    eclipsechaser wrote: »
    I doubt they're making the teams to give Sam white.
    Why not? We were seeded 62nd, we're now 75th, so there never was any realistic chance of bringing home a medal. However, if the team could bring home Ireland's first Irish-born GM, that'd do more good for Irish Chess than any finish place we're realistically likely to achieve and in the long run that does more good for everyone and would be a far better use of any funding sent the team's way from the ICU. So it'd make sense to give Sam white for every game and give him the best opportunity to get his GM norm and maybe the title (though that first draw may have scuppered that).


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    #52
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    I thought that's what had been done with Sam last time, but on checking, evidently not.

    Of course, there's no reason Sam can't play above Alex as white on 1 if required. Duh...


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    #53
    Ciaran
    Registered Users Posts: 908 ✭✭✭Ciaran


    cdeb wrote: »
    I thought that's what had been done with Sam last time, but on checking, evidently not.

    Of course, there's no reason Sam can't play above Alex as white on 1 if required. Duh...
    Are the board orders not set in stone at the start, or am I thinking of some other competition?

    Incidentally, the stockfish evaluations on the official site seem a bit strange again. It has Sam more than a pawn better but Houdini on my laptop has him only 0.4 up.


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    #54
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Karina's opponent missed a tactic and instead of winning a pawn has lost a piece. So looking good there.


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    #55
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Gelfand's game against Tajikistan looks good fun. He's sacced a piece, but has a huge development advantage.

    Baburin's game also getting lively; Ne4 is a nice move.


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    #56
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Board 4 of Bulgaria v the UAE (2461 v 1899) was analysed as +3.17 after black's (UAE's) fourth move! Always encouraging to see.

    Still, white spent 45 minutes on move 6.


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    #57
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Karina's opponent has just hung an exchange for seemingly no reason. That'll be over shortly.

    Meanwhile, Tunisia are 3-0 up against the Solomon Islands, and a piece up in the one remaining game!


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    #58
    checknraise
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭checknraise


    Mark Heidenfeld looks totally lost - pawn down and a bad position. Surprising that Colm wasn't playing today after his clean win yesterday.

    The remaining 3 boards all look slightly better for Ireland so there is still hope of getting a win in the match.


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    #59
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Gearóidín had blundered away her advantage a few moves back, but has got it back now if she can work through the next couple of moves. That'd leave us with three big leads there, and Diana slightly better on board 1.

    Edit - actually, that's harsh on Gearóidín. She just missed 46. Bxd5, which I'm still trying to work through myself. Flicking between boards, I just saw her 46th move, and the scale on the left go way back in black's favour

    Edit edit - ah yes; 46. Bxd5 and if PxB in reply, then 47. e6 hits black's bishop and the soft g7 square. Very nice. Now to work out why 52. Be2 - which she's also missed - forced black to give up the exchange.

    Edit edit edit - there are tactics with Bxb5 and a major piece invasion of the back two ranks. Interesting position, that.


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    #60
    Ciaran
    Registered Users Posts: 908 ✭✭✭Ciaran


    Why is there so little time left in Gearóidín's game? Is the time control different?


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    #61
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    The site has been fairly slow when it comes to adding on the extra 30 minutes after move 40. I can only imagine that's it.

    Great game, that, actually. Technically not perfect by a long way, but ebbing wildly. Her opponent just missed a chance of saccing the queen to force home the queen, and entering a probably drawn endgame. Now Gearóidín has won the pawn on a2 and can consolidate from there. Diana is in trouble on 1 though; other two boards are trivially won.

    Mark has lost; Alex is a pawn up; other two games are level enough.

    Ivanchuk has lost against Norway B; that tie is 1½-1½ and down to the last board. Carlsen could only draw against Finland's board 1.

    I'd be board 1 if I were from Lesotho. :)

    Diana has gone from 4.7 down to 4.7 up in two moves.


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