2024 Chess Olympiad: Round 5
2024 Chess Olympiad: Round 5
Sunday, 15 September 2024
Open
The Indian men have continued to dominate in the Open Section. D. Gukesh (4/4) and Arjun Erigaisi (5/5) scored for India, while R. Praggnanandhaa got his second consecutive draw while Vidit Gujrathi drew with Shakriyar Mamedyarov who seems to be sliding further and further down the boards despite having the highest rating on the Azeri team. To no avail. India has no weakness in the team, and an ultra-solid player like Pentala Harikrishna offers veteran advice.
By virtue of being the host country, Hungary plays on the top boards and this home-court advantage has yielded dividends. With a narrow win over Ukraine, they are now in a four-nation tie with 5/5. Richard Rapport won an attacking game against last-round hero Vasyl Ivanchuk in a Grunfeld. The white king ended up on e5, and there was no certainty of how safe it would be in the open, but the Hungarian soon demonstrated.
China edged Spain, with Wei Yi’s win being the margin of victory. China is winning by minimal margins, which could hurt them in a tiebreak situation. The only exception is if they win every match by that margin. Vietnam joins its Asian neighbors on 5/5 with a win over Poland. Norway beat an upstart Turkish team. Mustafa Yilmaz had and advantage, but the game ended in a draw. Despite the match loss, he made this post about his encounter:
Iran keeps winning and moved into fifth position after smashing Canada, which had been punching above its weight. One could imagine where Iran would be with Alireza Firouzja playing for them. They would appear to be in medal contention with several other Eastern nations. Chess in the West is simply not growing at the same pace. Uzbekistan, India, China, Vietnam, Iran, and Turkey have produced supreme talents in recent years.
Women
Things are getting tougher. Both China and the U.S. were upset. India squeaked past Kazakhstan despite Harika Dronavali losing her second game against Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Photo by Michal Walusza
China lost their first match to Armenia with Zhu Jiner losing her first game. The U.S. also lost with Mongolia expatriate Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova losing to her former teammates. Turmnukh Munkhzul beat her in an instructive textbook ending. With the win, Mongolia moves into third position along with India and Armenia on 5/5.
Olympiad Spotlight
Photos: Michal Walusza, Mark Livshitz, Maria Emelianova
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