2024 Chess Olympiad: Round 9

2024 Chess Olympiad: Round 9
Friday, 20 September 2024

Open

In Round 9, India was slowed as it was held for the first time by Uzbekistan in a 2-2 result. That match had a bit of controversy as Vladimir Kramnik complained about the presence of phones used to record the match by ChessBase India. These phones were in airplane mode and approved by the arbiters. Kramnik ultimately filed a complaint. Here is his statement and a follow-up by Mike Klein of chess.com.

Uzbekistan's coach Vladimir Kramnik on drawing India: "I think we were very close to winning the match unfortunately… but I'm proud of my guys. They really showed that they can play real chess."

On phones: "obvious violation of FIDE rules."#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/uEUNHi512G

— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2024

Vladimir Kramnik has filed an official complaint about phones in the playing hall. ChessBase India said their phones, used to record video, are all in airplane mode. The phone on board 1 of India vs. Uzbekistan was removed but then returned.#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/ey9ruHyvZ7

— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2024

Meanwhile, the U.S. and China kept coming after wins over Hungary and Iran, respectively. The U.S. has now won three matches in a row after losing ground in the middle of the tournament. Fabiano Caruana and Levon Aronian continue to carry the team, but it was Leinier Dominguez who came through with a win.

Another story was Magnus Carlsen losing to Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia. While his opponent was not the player at his peak, he is still quiet dangerous and led his adopted country to a 3-1 victory. Many Russian expats have help to bolster teams during the Russian sanctions.

?? Slovenia shines in Round 9 of the #ChessOlympiad, securing a 3-1 victory over ?? Norway!

Anton Demchenko put Slovenia on the board with a key win against Johan-Sebastian Christiansen. Vladimir Fedoseev followed suit, defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a thrilling… pic.twitter.com/4xIaQqwG2M

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 21, 2024

Fedoseev's preparation against Carlsen stretched to the endgame, and he felt the momentum shift: "… after he pulls back I understood I should be in chances in this game."#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/pF8EKxvClT

— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2024

Tomorrow will be U.S.-India and Uzbekistan-China in the penultimate round. This round may very well determine the positioning for the medals.

Women

Kazakhstan won a key match over Poland to land on top of the field for the first time. This performance is amazing, given the absence of Zhansaya Abdumalik. Of course, several key players are missing from top teams, but the Kazakhs came in ranked 10th and were longshots to medal. While Bibisara Assaubayeva has been solid, the lower boards have bolstered the medal chances. Alua Nurman got an 82-move win in a textbook rook ending.

Olympiad Spotlight (Round 9)

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