"TENSE DRAWS"

EIGHTH ROUND REPORT

JAMAICA AT THE 2002 CHESS OLYMPIAD IN BLED, SLOVENIA

Saturday, the 2nd November, 2002 was a very interesting day in the 2002 chess olympiad, especially from a West Indian perspective. Jamaica's men's team was paired against a very combative Barbados aggregation. What made the tie even more curious was the fact that both delegations are staying in the same hotel and have been encouraging each other at breakfast, lunch, dinner and whereever the players cross paths. Barbados had already played neighbours Trinidad and Tobago and had drawn 2-2 with each side winning two games in a bloody encounter. Would the "West Indian clash - part deux" be just as brutal ?

WOMEN

JAMAICA

Jamaica's women's team played a great match to draw with their Puerto Rican counterparts 1.5-1.5.

On board one Maria Palmer won her second game of the tournament by beating the veteran Joyce Martorell who played her favourite Fench defence. Palmer's game was watched by her teammates and many other persons as she played an instructive Knight-pawn endgame to win in seventy moves. A truly marvellous performance.

On board two Deborah Richards faced a very serene Chrissy Oguendo but lost after dropping a piece.

DYING ON THE CHESS BATTLEFIELDS - EPITOME OF DETERMINATION

On board three, Vanessa Thomas, playing with the White pieces, faced Miriam Basem-Hassan's Sicilian Dragon and was in a hopeless position but remembering her captain's words (to "die on the chess battlefields"), she fought like a true Jamaican chess queen and pulled off a miraculous draw after her adversary failed to play correctly. The determination and tenacity displayed by Thomas was refreshing to see and she was hugged, lifted and spun around in the air by the team captain to the amazement and amusement of the numerous onlookers.

The girls managed to draw the tie 1.5-1.5 and will face a very tough Costa Rican team in the ninth round.

Barbados

Rashaana Blenman won on board three but Barbados still lost to Lebanon after Nathali Greenidge and Rashida Corbin lost on boards 2 and 3, respectively. 

AT THE TOP

It was a clash of past and present champions when former champions Georgia faced defending champions China in the top board clash. Former women's world champion 41-year old GM Maia Chiburdanidze continued her great performance at the tournament by beating champion GM Zhu Chen on board one as Georgia cemented their position at the top by defeating China 2.5-0.5.

Russia and Romania drew 1.5-1.5 but the USA had an encouraging  2-1 win over Germany with WIM Camilla Baginskaite having the sole win of the match beating WGM Elisabeth Paehtz on board two.

Cuba continued to play impressively drawing with France 1.5-1.5 with WGM Maritza Robain Arribas stunning the stunning WGM Almira Skripchenko-Lautier by defeating her Sicilian defence on board one. WIM Maria Nepeina-Leconte preserved French honour by beating WIM Zirka Frometa on board three.

Georgia leads the standings on 19 points, ahead of the USA on 17 and China and Russia on 16.5. Romania and a consistent Vietnam team are tied on 16 points in fifth and sixth positions, respectively.

MEN

JAMAICA

CARIBBEAN PEACE TREATIES

In match 51 all four games between Jamaica and Barbados were drawn. The first was the board three encounter between NM Jomo Pitterson and FM Delisle Warner. A truce was then called on board four between NM Robert Wheeler and Askari Elson. The next two games were tension-filled as FM Warren Elliott, playing on board one against Barbados' national champion FM Ricardo Szmetan, faced the modern defence and a complicated and unclear game ensued. On board two NM Shane Matthews fearlessly deployed the Sicilian defence and took on FM Philip Corbin's Smith-Morra gambit. After a very sharp game in which Corbin even sacrificed his faithful steed, the captains agreed a draw.

Jamaica will now face Malta in the ninth round.

Trinidad and Tobago beat Liechtenstein 2.5-1.5 with Ravishen Singh on board four securing the only win of the match by beating Kurt Muendle.

Trinidad now have 14 points while Barbados and Jamaica are tied on 13.5

FIDEL'S MEN MARCH ON

Cuba had a solid 2.5 - 1.5 win over a fighting Australian side with GM Lenier Dominguez obtaining the sole victory in the tie by defeating GM Darryl K Johansen on board two.

SIMUTOWE HOLDS ANOTHER GRANDMASTER

Although Zambia lost to Mongolia 2.5-1.5, IM Amon Simutowe performed strongly on board one to draw with GM Dashzeveg Sharavdorj.

Zimbabwe, as stated in our last report, rested the blazing IM Robert Gwaze. The African nation, however, lost 1-3 to Bolivia.

RUSSIA STILL AT THE TOP

Russia rested super GMs Garry Kasparov and Alexander Khalifman but still had too much power for the Netherlands who played without their top player GM Loek Van Wely who reputedly returned home to attend one of his relative's wedding. Although GM Sergei Rublevsky lost on board four to GM Friso Nijboer, victories by GM Alexander Grischuk on board one over GM Ivan Sokolov and by GM Peter Svidler on board three over GM Erik Van Den Doel secured the win. On board two Russian GM Alexander Morozevich drew with GM Sergei Tiviakov. 

GRUDGE MATCH

Hungary had a big 3.5-0.5 win over Romania on the second board as GMs Judit Polgar, Zoltan Almasi and Peter Acs all recorded wins. GM Peter Leko, playing on top board for his country, drew with Dieter Nisipeanu. The Hungarians will now face Russia in the next round. This sets up a grudge match as the "Magyars" defeated Russia in the last olympiad in Istanbul. The aficionados are also licking their lips in anticipation of the board one clash between Kasparov and a much-improved Leko.

Fide world champion Ruslan Ponomariov drew with fellow prodigy GM Teimour Radjabov as Azerbaijan beat the Ukraine 2.5-1.5, GM Vugar Gashimov securing the only win of the match by beating GM Vereslav Eingorn on board three.

India played very well to beat the USA 3-1 with wins by GM Krishnan Sasikiran over GM Gregory Kaidanov on board one and by IM Shekhar Surya Ganguly over GM Larry Christiansen on board three.

England had a good 3-1 win over Spain behind victories by GM Nigel Short and GM Jonathan Speelman on boards two and three, respectively.

SPRIGHTLY SEPTUAGENARIAN

In match 17 the "youthful" seventy year-old Russian-born Swiss legend GM Viktor Korchnoi continued to defy time by beating GM Luc Winants on board one as Switzerland and Belgium drew 2-2.

Russia leads the standings with 24 points, 1.5 ahead of Hungary on 22.5. China, making up gorund quickly, are on third with 21.5 with Georgia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bosnia-Herzegovina in 4th to 7th posiitons, respectively, on 21 points each.

REST DAY

The ninth round of the competition will be held on Monday 4th November as Sunday 3rd November is a rest day. All the games are scheduled to start at 2:30 pm local time.

SLOVENIAN TIDBIT: In January, 2003 the 42nd Vitranc Cup, the world cup in Alpine Skiing, Men's Slalom, will be held in Slovenia.

Ian Wilkinson

Jamaican team captain

Press centre

Festivalna Dvorana

Bled, Slovenia