Ireland at the 41st World Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014

macelligott

While I can understand why Colm Daly is not playing today, it is harder to explain why he wasn't playing yesterday against a weak Andorra. One of the higher rated players could have been rested in that match. Andorra had: 2523, 2222, 2176, 2117 and should have been beatable whatever team we fielded.

Zugszwang

This team selection discussion is getting a bit silly (Colm's past behaviour etc.). Many Olympiad captains take the view that there's 4 on the team plus one or two subs. If the A-team are keen and ready to play, they play. On when one or more of them want a rest, they're rested. Subs aren't 'rested' as such, that's just their normal position.

How many people have told their league captain that they can play a match only to be told they're being rested and a sub played instead? It doesn't happen.

I agree it's a rotten feeling for Colm; they only thing I'd say is that the captain (or the ICU) should really make their policy on team selection clear to the players before the event, preferably before they decide to play in it.

brianhere

I agree with Macelligot anyway that yesterday might have been a good day to rest Sam, who has played all games, and play Colm. But certainly I think Colm should get some more games because 2 1/2 out of 3 is a good record and he is also vastly experienced etc. Apparently he only drew that game because of confusion over time as well.

mikhail

Zugszwang wrote: »

...they only thing I'd say is that the captain (or the ICU) should really make their policy on team selection clear to the players before the event, preferably before they decide to play in it.

Very likely this has already been done. Is Colm actually unhappy about not playing, or is it just idle speculation here?

brianhere

Its just speculation, I am sure Colm understands ok. But just on the question of subs yes sure some captains would look upon it that way, that Colm is just the sub, but bear in mind that he is not significantly lower rated than most of the team. And while all the team have been Irish champions Colm has been so for 6 years out of the last 17. That matters I think because its a bit analogous to this tournament with a game a day for 10 days or so and shows his experience.

Sparks

mikhail wrote: »

Very likely this has already been done. Is Colm actually unhappy about not playing, or is it just idle speculation here?

He's making noises about it on his blog at the moment ("Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die", not only butchering Tennyson but forgetting the preceding line as well...)

Sparks

Meanwhile, today's games are up here...

brianhere

Anyway all the games look about even but Alex Lopez is sacrificing everything on a push on the opponent's kingside having signed up to the castling for wimps brigade himself. Maybe it will work but meantime he has opened his own kingside up a bit.

cdeb

Saric v Lupescu is interesting in the Serbia v Romania game. 17 moves into a Caro-Kann advance, and white has sacced three pawns already. Computer calling it dead level. Could be a fun one, that!

cdeb

Palau v Burundi in the women's section is interesting too; Palau have won 3½-½, though it looks like all games were defaults on the zero tolerance rule. I can only imagine the draw was because neither player was present. The Guardian had a bit about an 11-year-old girl on the Rwandan team being brought to tears because she forfeited a game under this rule in an earlier round.

brianhere

Meanwhile Alex Lopez's game is fascinating. The computer is writing him off almost but he is lining up a pile driver on the kingside and it looks interesting anyway? Presumably given a chance he will go g4.

cdeb

g4 surely locks things up too much?

I'd imagine gh is coming next, when white can't take back because of the pin.

Obviously white gets a move in between.

cdeb

Diana's basically lost. Solid enough elsewhere in that match though.

brianhere

gh? I don't think g4 locked things up? Its wide open now it seems...

brianhere

Its an all or nothing attack anyway I'd say, if white consolidates I don't think Alex will hold on.

cdeb

brianhere wrote: »

gh? I don't think g4 locked things up? Its wide open now it seems...

How's he going to attack with the g and h files permanently closed though? With the major pieces lined up, he needed to open files to attack down rather than close them, which is what he did. Still, computer reckons he's close on lost now.

Edit - actually, computer didn't like that last move. Though in any event, given the computer's previous record, maybe I should try looking at the position myself rather than instinctively trusting to it

Karina is lost too actually; not a great day for the women's team at all against a side seeded below them. Might rescue a 2-2 draw, but that seems the height of ambitions there.

brianhere

I agree totally he needs to keep it open down there but he still has chances here, there is stuff going on?
He has now moved the bishop down I think in order to think of putting his rook on the h file.

brianhere

Shaw is a bit iffy on time, 5 minutes for 17 moves?

cdeb

Incredible blunder in Karina's game - her opponent, at R+4 v R+1, hung her rook! So it's 1-1 there now.

Alex's position is quite interesting alright, and more attack-minded players than me will be able to give better analysis, but I think white has a lot of weak points defended, and it's quite hard for black to find an entry point to be honest. And now his f-pawn is falling too.

Don't forget the 30 second increments. 5 minutes on the clock for 17 moves is actually 13 minutes. Lots of time.

brianhere

True I keep forgetting that, what about if Alex goes king to d7 and gets the other rook going, it could get messy? I dont think white can take that pawn on f just yet...

cdeb

It's not straightforward to be sure, but white is a pawn up as well; can just swap off major pieces and has to have an advantage in that ending. But I'm sure there's better; black's king is getting a bit exposed too.

Gearóidín and Hannah have material advantages; looking at a 3-1 win against Qatar now.

cdeb

brianhere wrote: »

True I keep forgetting that, what about if Alex goes king to d7 and gets the other rook going, it could get messy? I dont think white can take that pawn on f just yet...

That's what he's done anyway; computer says snap the pawn off. Can't see a reason not to tbh. Two pawns up then, and that's definitely a winning endgame if the major pieces come off.

cdeb

Hannah's opponent blunders a piece; 3-1 all but guaranteed now.

Ciaran

Sam's just a pawn up it looks like. His opponent only has a minute plus increments for his next 6 moves, looks promising.

cdeb

Lopez has resigned. 1-0 down. Looks like 2-2 would be a great result at this stage.

cdeb

Czech Republic looking like beating Russia 3-1. Big result that. Could we see a non-former-Soviet-bloc winner this year?

Meanwhile, Ireland's 3-1 win over Qatar is confirmed.

brianhere

We could go down 1-3 yet, with draws for Sam and Baburin and a loss for Mark as well. His position is very restricted, with a virtually dead knight, Baburin's is very drawn looking and while Sam is up a pawn it still looks very even.

Ciaran

Baburin should have a draw with the b-pawns gone. Heidenfeld's king looks in big trouble. Looks like a 2.5-1.5 defeat.

checknraise

Ireland are certain to lose the match.

It looks like the reason Colm wasnt playing is JOC forgot to put the team in.

cdeb

Where'd you hear that?

Is the default team always the top four so?

Edit - shouldn't have had to ask. Colm prattling away on his blog already. He'll probably play the last four rounds now, so sure no real harm done.

cdeb

Mark down material now; inevitable after that onslaught.

Looks like he missed a chance on move 46 though - instead of KxP, Qd5 brings him back into it (if still worse), with an immediate threat on f7. But I guess he was glad of the chance to snap off that pawn; easy done in the circumstances.

Only question now is whether Sam can win. We've seen before that endgames a pawn up are far from won.

Edit - Mark resigns. 2-0 down now.

Ciaran

Looks like Sam should win a second pawn now.

brianhere

Well Sam played well because he has swallowed another pawn and so should win so thats a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 defeat for us.

Ciaran

Sam's wins. He finished that off very clinically.

cdeb

In very quickly there!

Naiditsch beat Carlsen with the black pieces as Germany beat Norway. I think Azerbaijan are the outright leaders now with three rounds to go.

Harbour Man

checknraise wrote: »

Ireland are certain to lose the match.

It looks like the reason Colm wasnt playing is JOC forgot to put the team in.

Colm should be playing more often. His absence doesn't help.

Sparks

checknraise wrote: »

It looks like the reason Colm wasnt playing is JOC forgot to put the team in.

Says Colm. Ha. I'll wait to see what JOC says, if Colm told me the sky was blue, I'd look up before believing him.

cdeb

Harbour Man wrote: »

Colm should be playing more often. His absence doesn't help.

His absence doesn't help what how?

I can understand checknraise saying Daly may be about equal to Heidenfeld. But I don't see how our team would be improved by dropping an IM to bring in an FM.

EnPassant

The draw for the next round is out:-

- the Open team play Macedonia (about 100 points higher than Scotland on average)
- the Women play Bosnia & Herzogovina (whose ratings are from 2293 down to 2032)

cdeb

Who did Scotland get, out of interest?

We're due a good result. Tomorrow maybe?

EnPassant

cdeb wrote: »

Who did Scotland get, out of interest?

We're due a good result. Tomorrow maybe?

Scotland got Iceland in the next round.

Iceland have an average rating of 2521, Macedonia 2484.

Zugszwang

Sparks wrote: »

Says Colm. Ha. I'll wait to see what JOC says, if Colm told me the sky was blue, I'd look up before believing him.

Missing the deadline for team submission happens regularly in team events like the Olympiad.

Sparks

Zugszwang wrote: »

Missing the deadline for team submission happens regularly in team events like the Olympiad.

The sky is regularly blue as well. I'd still check.

brianhere

I am sure it happened the way Colm says in his blog but on the other hand it's hardly a major issue and confirms anyway that they intend playing him again in the competition, which is good.

cdeb

Zugszwang wrote: »

Missing the deadline for team submission happens regularly in team events like the Olympiad.

Really? How come? Seems a straightforward thing to just send in a sheet of paper.

Harbour Man

Sparks wrote: »

Says Colm. Ha. I'll wait to see what JOC says, if Colm told me the sky was blue, I'd look up before believing him.

If I said the same about you, you would probably be offended, and rightly so.

cdeb wrote: »

His absence doesn't help what how?

I can understand checknraise saying Daly may be about equal to Heidenfeld. But I don't see how our team would be improved by dropping an IM to bring in an FM.

Using the same players over and over again doesn't help, especially if you have an equally good player warming the bench.

cdeb

Harbour Man wrote: »

Using the same players over and over again doesn't help, especially if you have an equally good player warming the bench.

Nonsense. The players in the squad are well capable of one game a day. Sure they manage three a day in Bunratty and Kilkenny. And the Olympiad - with a rest or two - is less arduous than the more comparable Irish Championships.

And I disagree there's an equally good player warming the bench.

EnPassant

cdeb wrote: »

Really? How come? Seems a straightforward thing to just send in a sheet of paper.

Actually, I think you enter the team online - there is a link for team captains to enter the daily team composition at http://chess-results.com/.

cdeb

EnPassant wrote: »

Scotland got Iceland in the next round.

Iceland have an average rating of 2521, Macedonia 2484.

Interesting. Obviously we couldn't have gotten Iceland, having already played them. But at least we didn't lose out too much by losing to Scotland.

EnPassant wrote: »

Actually, I think you enter the team online - there is a link for team captains to enter the daily team composition at http://chess-results.com/.

Makes sense I guess. Still, don't understand how it'd be common to miss the submission deadline?

Harbour Man

cdeb wrote: »

I disagree there's an equally good player warming the bench.

Rubbish. Look at the results.