Olympiad
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Do rule changes ruin Olympiad spirit?
Approximately one month ago, teams trekked across the globe to attend the premier team event in chess… the biennial Chess Olympiad. Many federations make plans to attend well in advance and the nationalistic fervor heightens as the date approaches. However, the Dresden Olympiad had a number of rule changes. Some…
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Historic Moments: African Diaspora at Olympiad
I’m compiling a photo montage of photos from the 2008 Chess Olympiad. It will contain images of players of African descent around the world. While covering the Olympiad at home from rounds 1-7, I noticed very few photos showing a diversity of federations. In fact, you would have thought only…
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Rwanda reports Olympiad visa problems
Rwanda, only fielding three players, also had visa problems and were not permitted to stay until the end of the Olympiad. It’s ironic that they mentioned the success of Uganda, a team fielding two players due to visa problems. Several other African nations reported visa problems. Other affected African nations…
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Reflections from Dresden Olympiad
The 2008 Dresden Olympiad was one of memories… some good, some bad. Overall the Chess Olympiad is like a dreamland for chess players. A place were thousands of people assemble from all corners of the earth for one thing… chess. Imagine that. People traveling for thousands of miles for chess……
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Uganda’s Kawuma scores 9/10!
Moses Kawuma (near right) playing against British Virgin Island’s Christopher Art. Kawuma scored 9/10 for the highest winning percentage in the open section. Steven Kawuma plays the legendary Bill Hook. Photo by Daaim Shabazz. Kawuma performance sparkles, but not golden Moses Kawuma and brother Steven came to the Olympiad with…
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Drum Interviews @ Dresden Olympiad!
GM Pontus Carlsson (Sweden) – Carlsson was Sweden’s 16th GM and the second Black player to earn the coveted GM title. In this interview, he gives a candid interview about the Olympiad, rule changes, his career and his future. Carlsson always speaks candidly on issues and if you’ve seen him…
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2008 Chess Olympiad: Closing Ceremonies
ARMENIA, GEORGIA WIN GOLD! Armenia men rejoicing over 2nd consecutive Olympiad gold. Photo by Daaim Shabazz. The legendary Maia Chiburdanidze (center) was clearly the leader. Photo by Daaim Shabazz. The 38th Chess Olympiad ended with a rousing Closing Ceremony as traditional chess powers Armenia (open) and Georgia (women) won the…
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2008 Chess Olympiad: Round #11
Men Final The Armenian men repeat, Israel second… the USA wins bronze! China 1½-2½ Armenia USA 3½-½ Ukraine Israel 2½-1½ Netherlands Russia 2-2 Spain France 1½-2½ Azerbaijan Women Final Georgian women edge Ukraine for the gold… USA women match men’s performance, power over France to bronze! Poland 1½-2½ Ukraine Georgia…
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2008 Chess Olympiad: Round #10
Top Boards Ukraine tops Israel… Poland wins, sits atop women’s field! Ukraine 2½-1½ Israel Serbia 1-3 Armenia England 1½- 2½ China Slovenia ½-3½ Russia Spain 3-1 Bulgaria Pregame Analysis: Israel is attempting to hold onto a slim lead going into the 10th round match with the Ukraine. Boris Gelfand is…
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2008 Chess Olympiad: Round #9
Top Boards Armenia 1½-2½ Israel Poland 2-2 Germany 1 Russia 1½-2½ Ukraine Serbia2½-1½ Azerbaijan France 1-3 China Round #9 Analysis: Before the tournament, practically every chess pundit and journalist picked Russia to win the gold medal primarily because of the powerful individual players with an average rating of over 2750.…
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