CHESS: ARMENIA LEADS OLYMPIAD
by Peter Parr
Sydney Morning Herald
November 17, 2008 Monday
Australia
Armenia is the only country to have won every match in the first three
rounds in both the open and womens chess Olympiads. Armenia has scored
10 wins and two draws from 12 games in the open (GM Gabriel Sargissian
and GM Tigran Petrosian each 3/3) and eight wins with four draws from
12 games in the womens division. Armenia won the gold medals in the
open at the last Olympiad in Turin 2006 finishing outright first on
game points and match points.
The nine countries leading the open Olympiad with 6/6 match points
after three rounds (11 rounds,154 teams) are in count back order
ââ~B¬" Armenia, Germany (one team), England, India, Romania, Russia,
Norway, Spain, Ukraine. Russia the top seeds beat Switzerland 2.5-1.5,
Poland 2.5-1.5 and Cuba 3.5-0.5. Second seeds Ukraine defeated Vietnam
2.5-1.5,Serbia 2.5-1.5 and Georgia 2.5-1.5.
Australia seeded 53 lost to Czech Republic (18) by 0.5-3.5 in the
first round with only GM Z.Zhao drawing with GM D.Navara 2633 on board
1. Australia lost to the much lower rated El Salvador(91) in round two
by 1.5-2.5 with GM D.Johansen winning. Australia was in 127th place
but a decisive 4-0 win in round three against British Virgin Islands
(136) has pushed us up to 93rd place with 2/6 match points.
Progress scores GM Z.Zhao 2567 0.5/2, IM D.Smerdon 2470 1.5/3,
IM S. Solomon 2470 1/2, GM D. Johansen 2446 2/2, IM G. Xie 2403
1/3. Australia plays Guernsey (128) in round four.
The six countries leading the womens Olympiad with 6/6 match points
after three rounds (11 rounds, 114 teams) are in count back order
ââ~B¬" Hungary, Armenia, Poland, Serbia, China, Georgia. The top two
seeds Russsia and Ukraine are on five match points. Australia (54)
has played three higher rated teams in the first three rounds. WM
Arianne Caoili on board one outplayed WGM Anna Sharevich 2322 of
Belarus (26) and we tied the match 2-2.
We lost to Lithuania(23) 1-3 in round 2 but our best match so far
was a 3-1 win over Argentina (29) in round three. Australia is in
58th place with 3/6 match points. Progress scores WM A. Caoili 2170
1.5/3, T. Nguyen 2101 1.5/3,WM L. Moylan 2114 1.5/2, WM B. Dekic
2103 1/2, WFM S. Oliver 1942 0.5/2. Australia plays El Salvador (59)
in round four. FM Jonathan Humphrey (AUS 2330) scored 5/11 in an IM
event in Budapest last week. Tony Truscott (1930) won the Queensland
Championship (eight players, seven rounds) scoring 5.5 points ahead
of Y.Liu (1730) 5, FM J.Sarfati (2263) 4.5 and D. Lovejoy (1875)
4. Igor Goldenberg won the Victorian Championship by defeating IM
Leonid Sandler in a long endgame in the final round. Guy West won
his last six consecutive games. Leading final scores (11 players,
10 rounds, FIDE rated) FM I. Goldenberg (2386) 7.5, IM G.West (2342),
FM E.Levi (2203) 7, IM M.Rujevic (2281), FM D.Hamilton (2209), D.Hacche
(2207) 5.5.
Final scores in the Ford Memorial at Norths, Cammeray, Sydney
(63 players, nine rounds) ââ~B¬" B.Atzmon-Simon (2114), A. Papp
(1527) 7.5: K. Hursky (2017), T. Luchtmeijer (2081), S. Garner
(1779), N. Greenwood (1491) 6.5. Top seed Roger Cook (2212) scored
six points. 32 players competed for over $3000 prize money in the
Fisher’s Ghost Grand Prix Weekender at Campbelltown. Leading final
scores: FM V. Smirnov (2309) 6, FM J. Sales (2295) 5.5: K. Thapa(2143),
J. Bolens(1996), A. Huynh(1835), A. Camer(1979) 5.
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