Round #2 Report - Ian Wilkinson (Jamaica)
THE MAGICIAN WAVES HIS WAND
Jamaica´s NM Shane Matthews (2251) scored his country´s first individual win in an inspired performance on board one to defeat New Zealand´s FM Roger Nokes (2333). Matthews faced Nokes´Sicilian Sveshnikov and at one point in a tense middlegame had only forty (40) seconds (!!) on his clock compared to his opponent´s twenty-five (25) minutes!!! Shane, however, displayed heart and great composure and used the Fischer time control (extra 30 seconds per move) to gain some mileage on the clock and register a fantastic win. Indeed, close by Holland and Belarus were locked in battle and the Dutch supremo GM Loek Van Wely, who often wields the Sveshnikov, took time out from his encounter with GM Aleksandrov and repeatedly looked across at Matthews´game with great interest. Van Wely´s game was eventually drawn as Holland won 2.5-1.5 with a win by GM Van Den Doel on board 4.
THE BRAVE MAY FALL BUT NEVER YIELD!!
Kingston College past student NM Duane Rowe, reeling from a stomach bug, lived up to his alma mater´s motto (fortis cadere cedere non potest - the brave may fall but never yield) and survived determined play from the 30+-year veteran FM Robert Smith on board two to draw with the black pieces in a Zaitsev variation of the Ruy Lopez. Rowe, a pawn down but with the two bishops against knight and bishop, remembered his chess theory and gave up a piece in an instructive ending appreciating that his adversary´s bishop could not guard the promotion square for his passed h-pawn.
Unfortunately, on boards three and four, respectively, NM Russel Porter (with the white pieces) and NM Ras Malaku Lorne (with black) could not weather the storm and lost to determined opponents Wang Puchen and FM Peter green. New Zealand thus won 2.5-1.5.
Jamaica, on two points and down the table, will next play the Dominican Republic in the third round on Sunday the 17th October. Both teams clashed in the 2002 Olympiad, the men from Santo Domingo triumphing 3-1.
WEST INDIAN NEIGHBOURS
Jamaica´s West Indian neighbours did not have much luck. Although their top board player, IM Kevin Denny, played well to defeat IM Nathan Zilberman, Barbados lost 1-3 to Kyrgystan.
Ravishen Singh and Frank Yee drew their games but losses by Christo Cave and FM Mario Merrit on boards one and two, respectively, saw Trinidad & Tobago losing 1-3 to Pakistan. In the third round Barbados will play Bermuda and Trinidad will face IBCA (visually challenged players).
The men´s competition is being led by Ukraine, one of the favourites, with a perfect 8/8. In yesterday´s second round, wins from GMs Vassily Ivanchuk, Andrei Volokitin, Alexander Moiseenko and Pavel Eljanov, respectively, helped the men from Kiev to a 4-0 routing of Spain B, their second consecutive clean sweep.
RUSSIA VICTORIOUS
Russia, the defending champions, playing down the table had a solid 3-1 win over Switzerland with two wins and two draws. The Russians were led by GM Alexander Morozevich who ruthlessly dispatched the legendary Russian-born Victor Korchnoi on board one.
Of interest was the appearance on the top board of the world´s number two rated player Indian GM Vishwanathan Anand who comfortably defeated Costa Rica´s GM Alejandro Ramirez, the latter unable to repeat his heroics of the 2002 Bled Olympiad when he drew with Morozevich in the first round. India won the match 3.5-0.5. In other interetsing encounters Spain A drew 2-2 with Argentina, England, behind wins from GMs Michael Adams and Luke McShane, beat Croatia 3-1 and Macedonia, Jamaica´s first round conquerors, beat a Polgar-less, Leko-less Hungary 3-1.
The top board clash in the third round will see the Czech republic, who defeated Bangladesh 4-0, facing Ukraine.
GERMANY LEAD IN WOMEN´S SECTION