The action in today's tenth round at the 35th olympiad in Bled, Slovenia was on the one hand fast, frenetic and furious and, on the other, incredible, innovative and intense. Jamaica's women's team continued to impress with yet another victory, this time over a European nation !! The Jamaican men, au contraire, did not fare as well and were humbled by their assiduous adversaries.  

WOMEN

JAMAICA

Jamaica's chess goddesses made another statement to the chess world by beating a strong Luxembourg team 2-1 today, Tuesday the 5th November, 2002 in the great sports hall in Bled, Slovenia. The games started at 2:30 pm but by the time defending national female champion Deborah Richards resigned after a 70-move marathon, the result was already guaranteed.

DEFIANT RICHARDS

On board one, Richards faced WFM Grayza Bakalarz's Torre attack and played a fantastic game and just  failed to hold on for at least a draw, losing a technical endgame where she had a Bishop for Gryzna's knight. Richards frustrated Bakalarz, a twenty-year veteran, whose persistence was rewarded when the Jamaican failed to find the precise moves in the very difficult and instructive endgame which had many spectators rapt.

On board two, Hui Zhu continued her fine run in beating Fiona Steil-Antoni with her Scotch. Zhu, displaying tenacity, extricated herself from a very difficult position, won a piece and the game to put Jamaica's reggae chess queens 1-0 up. She is now an impressive 5/7 in the tournament.

On board three, the diffident Vanessa Thomas returned to play a sparkling game and wiped Clementin Conrardy-Janssen from the board. Her final move, a beautiful discovered check, forced her opponent to capitulate immediately to great joy in the Jamaican camp. The team captain and the resting Maria Palmer did not conceal their delight.

The Jamaicans are now on a commendable 12.5 points and have climbed higher to board 34 where they will face Italy, another European powerhouse, in round eleven tomorrow. 

BARBADOS VICTORIOUS

Barbados' women  also did the West Indies proud by defeating Yemen 2-1 with wins by Nathali Greenidge and Rashaana Blenman on boards one and two, respectively. The Bajans, with 11 points, will face Jamaica's "victims" Luxembourg on board 40 in round eleven.

Cuba had a tough 1.5-1.5 draw with Mongolia in match 12, exchanging wins on boards two and three, respectively, after WGM Maritza Robain Arribas drew with WFM Bayanmon Anhchimeg on board one. The Cubans on 17 points will face Switzerland (16. points) on board 13 in round eleven.

GEORGIA STILL ON TOP

The Georgians had the luxury of resting GM Maia Chiburdnidze from board one duties but still had enough ammunition to defeat Hungary 2-1 in the top board encounter. Maia's locum tenensWGM Nana Ioseliani had the sole win of the match by beating WGM Szidonia Vajda on board one. The women from Havana now have 17 points and will "pawn off" against Switzerland (16.5) in round eleven.

China kept in the race by beating Greece 2.5-0.5 although champion GM Zhu Chen was rested. Russia had a valuable 2-1 win over India and the USA did its cause no harm by beating Slovakia 2-1.

Georgia leads the standings with 24 points and in round eleven will play Poland (19 points) in the top board clash. China, in second position with 21.5 points will play Romania (19) in the second board clash. Russia (20.5) will face Germany (18.5) while the USA (also 20.5) will face Armenia (18.5).

MEN

JAMAICAN

Jamaica's men came upon a very unsmiling Lebanon team and were put to the sword being humbled 4-0. On board one FM Warren Elliott, went down to strong play by IM Fadi Eid in a queen's pawn opening.

On board two, FM Ahmad Najjar turned up the heat and NM Shane Matthews was scorched.

On board three NM Jomo Pitterson faced Antoine Kassis' King's Indian Defence turned Benoni and did not survive.

On board four Nassim Sakr outplayed NM Duane Rowe's Reti to complete the rout.

The Jamaican men, still on 16 points, will have to lick their wounds quickly in order to recover for match 56 where they will have face the unpredictable Ethiopians tomorrow in round eleven.

CARIBBEAN NEIGHBOURS

Trinidad and Tobago, the best positioned of the West Indies triumvirate hitherto with 17 points, were similarly assailed 4-0 by Albania with GM Erald Dervishi (who had to fight to draw with Zambian IM Amon Simutowe several rounds ago) easily defeating FM Ryan Harper on board one.

Barbados came upon a tenacious Hong Kong team and shared the honours with a 2-2 draw. FM Philip Corbin and Askari Elson won on boards one and two, respectively, but Kevin Greenidge, continuing his miserable tournament, lost on board three and Kelvin Daniel lost on board four.

SIMUTOWE WINS

IM Amon Simutowe continued his quest to become a grandmaster by leading Zambia to a 4-0 thrashing of Mauritius in match 51.

Zimbabwe, resting star IM Robert Gwaze for the third consecutive match, were humbled 4-0 by Andorra in match 47.

MASTERFUL KASPAROV

Russia re-emphasized that it will not lose its crown easily by beating a strong Chinese team 3-1 in the top of the table clash. On board one, the living legend Kasparov (who was again late - a time gambit ?) played with the white pieces and set the tone by defeating the strong GM Ye Jiangchuan's Sicilian defence in a 56-move game that had the spectators, other players, journalists and even organisers buzzing.

On board three the rock-solid superGM Alexander Khalifman continued his impressive form by beating GM Zhang Zhong. The games on boards two (between GM Alexander Grischuk and GM Xu Jun) and three (between GM Alexander Morozevich and GMBu Xiangzhi) were drawn. Russia, now on 28.5 points will face Germany (26 points) in round elevent tomorrow.

Hungary kept its challenege alive with a good 2.5-1.5 win over  the tough Bosnia-Herzegovina aggregation, GM Zoltan Almasi beating GM Bojan Kurajica on board three for the only win of the match. The "Magyars" on 27.5 points will face England, 26 points, in the second board match-up in round eleven.

England, behind wins from GM Michael Adams on board one and GM Nigel Short on board two turned back the young and talented Indians 3-1.

In match 5 Fide world champion GM Ruslan Ponomariov beat the ultra-strong Polish GM Michal Krasenkow on board one as the Ukraine beat Poland 2.5-1.5 to move closer to a match with Russia and a mouth-watering Kasparov-Ponomariov confrontation. The Ukraine now have 25 points and will face China, alsoon 25, in round eleven.

SLOVENIAN TIDBIT: The size of Slovenia is 20,273 sq.km

Ian Wilkinson

Jamaican team captain

Press centre

Festivalna Dvorana

Bled, Slovenia