Ireland at the 41st World Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014

cdeb

OK, let's.

Daly is 60 points lower rated than Mark. The others on the team out-rate him by even more.

Ratings are based purely on results. Ergo - there isn't an equally good player on the bench. He's a good player to be sure, and on his day could get a result off any of the other four. But if you want your best team out, you drop Colm.

Harbour Man

cdeb wrote: »

OK, let's.

if you want your best team out, you drop Colm.

It may be so but Mark hasn't been playing a lot lately, and he needs to rest once in a while. This is where Colm comes in.

cdeb

Mark hasn't been playing a lot lately, and the solution for that is to play him less often?

Strange one.

Not as if Mark's been completely inactive either. He's playing leagues in Germany for a start. He's gained 15 points in the last year too. Hardly concerning. (Daly has dropped 25 in the same time)

Obviously Colm should get some gametime, and he'll slot in well when he does play. But let's not kid ourselves that his absence from the team is harming it.

checknraise

I don't know if you have seen the same game as everyone else but Mark Heidenfeld played terrible today way below his normal game. I would say this is a direct result of the fact that the team was not submitted as Mark was either not expecting to play or expecting to play a different colour.

Preparation is so important the higher level you get to in chess as the advantages of each player becomes less and less and you are not relying on blunders to win.

The big difference between the Olympiad and your standard league match is that is not in Ireland. Everyone will have had to take a significant time off work at there own expense which in the case of Norway is extremely expensive. It would not be fair on anybody to go through all that without getting to play a reasonable amount of games.

Sparks

Harbour Man wrote: »

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

Meh, it'd be weak sauce compared to some of the crap that's been slung by Colm at other chess players over the years (including his current teammates and the Irish arbiters at this Olympiad).

Point is, the fact that he's there and has played three out of seven rounds despite that history of abusive behaviour, bans from Irish chess and officially renouncing Irish chess himself; that doesn't say he's being badly treated, it says he's been given special treatment because in any other sport, he'd have been banned for life years ago. For feck's sakes, he's the lowest rated player on the Irish team and he's complaining that he's only played in just under half the games, especially with that history? Good grief...

Harbour Man

Sparks wrote: »

Point is, the fact that he's there and has played three out of seven rounds despite that history of abusive behaviour, bans from Irish chess and officially renouncing Irish chess himself; that doesn't say he's being badly treated, it says he's been given special treatment because in any other sport, he'd have been banned for life years ago. For feck's sakes, he's the lowest rated player on the Irish team and he's complaining that he's only played in just under half the games, especially with that history? Good grief...

And who do you think you are? How can you judge him? What have you done for Irish chess, I wonder, apart from playing in the Bodley Cup and spending long hours on this chess forum?

Sparks

Harbour Man wrote: »

How can you judge him?

By reading what he wrote himself and encountering him in person.

Harbour Man

The fact is, being who he is, he's done a lot for Irish chess, and so doesn't deserve to be smeared. Nobody does.

Sparks

Smeared? I didn't write that stuff about other Irish chess players, he did. I just read it (and if nobody deserves to be smeared, what the hell is he doing writing that kind of thing for decades?). And he's not being smeared; the complaint was that he's not played in enough games, the observation in reply was that 3 out of 7 for the lowest rated player on the team with that kind of history is not grounds to say he's been unfairly treated. If anything, compared to how that history would get you banned for life in other sports, he's been treated exceptionally well.

Harbour Man

"crap that's been slung by Colm"

This is smear in my book. Exceptional players like Colm - or any other Irish international - deserve to be judged by their equals, and not just by anybody who takes pleasure in pouring bile on them.

L1m1tless

Please back on topic guys, No need to make things personal



Who is enjoying the tournament so far? Kingscrusher has some great videos of the best sac so far.

Lucena

Harbour Man wrote: »

"crap that's been slung by Colm"

This is smear in my book. Exceptional players like Colm - or any other Irish international - deserve to be judged by their equals, and not just by anybody who takes pleasure in pouring bile on them.

So your point is only players rated 2323 (or above) get to comment on Colm's behaviour?

Harbour Man

My point is, this forum is not supposed to be used for personal attacks. Let's keep it clean.

marienbad

Harbour Man wrote: »

My point is, this forum is not supposed to be used for personal attacks. Let's keep it clean.

As an interested outsider I find it all very informative , so keep it coming

L1m1tless

Infractions will be issued if this continues

EnPassant

Open: Ireland v Macedonia
31.1 GM Baburin, Alexander - GM Colovic, Aleksandar 2487
31.2 IM Collins, Sam E. - IM Pancevski, Filip 2464
31.3 IM Astaneh Lopez, Alex - GM Mitkov, Nikola 2500
31.4 FM Daly, Colm - GM Bogdanovski, Vlatko 2426

Colovic is their top scorer so far and the only one with positive rating change on the Macedonian team. Jonathan has updated the daily report here with a description of the Scotland match.

Women: Bosnia & Herzogovina v Ireland
40.1 WIM Boric, Elena 2196 - WFM Menon Jayadev, Poornima
40.2 WFM Dengler, Dijana 2070 - WFM Lowry-O`Reilly, Hannah
40.3 Jacimovic, Sara 2032 - WCM Ui Laighleis, Gearoidin
40.4 Topic, Aja 2132 - WCM Kruk, Karina

Topic has lost 62 rating points so far from the 3 games she's played.

Sparks

Today's games up here...

cdeb

Can't follow the games live. What's happening so far?

Ficheall

cdeb wrote: »

Can't follow the games live. What's happening so far?

Baburin v Colovic (2487) is 0.53
Pancevski (2464) v Collins is 0.77
Lopez v Mitkov (2500) is 0.39
Bogdanovski (2426) v Daly is 1.38

All too close for a patzer like me to predict what's going to happen

EnPassant

cdeb wrote: »

Can't follow the games live. What's happening so far?

On the women's team, Hannah has lost and Poornima is in trouble but the others are equal.

On the men's team, Colm has Q+R+N v Q+R+B and is a bit cramped with his rook stuck in a corner. The other games are fairly equal.

cdeb

Told you that Daly fella was useless!

(Joke! Just in case...)

brianhere

Colm Daly is looking a bit restricted, his knight and rook don't look very active unlike his opponent's rook and bishop but he has a good queen so who knows.

Lopez's opponent is now offering his knight to get some play with his rook on the f file and it looks rather clever by him so I'd be a bit worried for Alex.

Baburin looks solid in a scattered looking position, it's too early to see an advantage to either side there.

Sam's game also looks even but maybe his opponent is setting the pace a little with some nice attacking pawn options.

So early days I guess but I think we could be in the wars here.

Ficheall

Tie in Baburin's game.

1.5 against Sam
0.72 for Alex
1.42 against Colm

Not looking good..

brianhere

No, Alex moved quickly I think to make the time control on move 40 but at the end of that he is facing the music with an isolated passed pawn for him versus a very solid connected two pawns and maybe mate stuff for his opponent. His opponent could take a pawn either here presumably if he wants to.

Colm is battling gamely for a draw I think. He is back to the restricted rook again and going nowhere in a hurry but his opponent hasn't broken through though.

Sam has swapped off the double bishops he was facing and it looks maybe drawish at this point.

caissa007

Kramnik lost again....... having a very bad year .......

brianhere

To my untutored eye it looks like Alex Lopez has pulled a good move out of the locker here. If the bishop takes the passed pawn then its queen down for check winning the bishop and check again?

brianhere

It worked, he is back in this game big time now.

L1m1tless

Yep, looks like he has escaped with the draw.

brianhere

Maybe he could go queen to f7 although I guess it lets in a perpetual for black if he wants it?

L1m1tless

Yeah exactly. Its not looking too bad on the other boards now. Daly may hold and Collins shouldn't lose that rook endgame.

brianhere

Maybe in Alex's game they will agree a draw soon - only guessing but it looks perpetualish? - while Colm is inching his way back into his game and Sam's still looks even. It actually looks all draws , 2-2, right now...

L1m1tless

Yea it should be lol. his opponent is doing a lot of checking but avoiding the perpetual. Maybe he is trying to build his clock up or something?

brianhere

I dunno I think Lopez's opponent is messing around now, if he doesn't go for the perpetual then he would lose e6 which is disastrous. I don't think white can avoid a perpetual can he?

EnPassant

brianhere wrote: »

Maybe in Alex's game they will agree a draw soon - only guessing but it looks perpetualish? - while Colm is inching his way back into his game and Sam's still looks even. It actually looks all draws , 2-2, right now...

Yes - it looks like Alex will draw. The other 2 are more difficult but there is a good chance of 4 draws.

EnPassant

brianhere wrote: »

I dunno I think Lopez's opponent is messing around now, if he doesn't go for the perpetual then he would lose e6 which is disastrous. I don't think white can avoid a perpetual can he?

Maybe Alex's opponent he will move his king up to g3 when he might get into trouble.

L1m1tless

If Alex plays 65 Kg3 is 3 fold repetition as far as I can tell.

Yreval

Huge win for Karina Kruk in the women's section incoming - the 2132-rated Topic has blundered. Will put a bit of pressure on board 3, at least.

brianhere

Well whatever it is is a mystery to me anyways!...We will say a draw here anyways so its up to the two Dubs now, Collins and Daly, can they shape a win out of an even position in both cases?

EnPassant

CowboyDreams wrote: »

If Alex plays 65 Kg3 is 3 fold repetition as far as I can tell.

I don't think Alex has played Kg3 before - maybe there is no point in allowing the possibility of Black playing Kg5 and h4 mate.

Possibly the Macedonian is just keeping the game going to see what happens on the other boards, in case he needs to play for a win.

Yreval

OK, surely the arbiter should step in in the Lopez game? It was a three-fold repetition 10-15 moves ago, as far as I can tell.

brianhere

I'm with you there I thought it would fall foul of the not making progress rule anyway...

EnPassant

Yreval wrote: »

OK, surely the arbiter should step in in the Lopez game? It was a three-fold repetition 10-15 moves ago, as far as I can tell.

Is it not up to the players to claim it? I don't think arbiters can decide something like that (they probably can't keep track of it anyway).

Rrydlny

One of the players needs to claim the repetition, the arbiter just can't step in and decide.

cdeb

As of last month, the arbiter can step in and declare a draw in the case of five fold repetition. Or 75 moves without a capture or pawn move

brianhere

Its draws all round now other than Collins which the computer says is also drawn although it looks like he could be in a bit of trouble even?

Yreval

EnPassant wrote: »

Is it not up to the players to claim it? I don't think arbiters can decide something like that (they probably can't keep track of it anyway).

There was a similar incident in last year's Ulster Championship where the game was called by the controller, although in fairness it was a more extreme situation than the Lopez game.

e: Computer now showing a small advantage to Collins...

brianhere

Sam is playing well here and could win yet although they are still level...

cdeb

I was at a tournament in Austria a few years back, and two 1700 players were quite focused on a completely drawn KvP ending, to the extent that people on the boards beside were chuckling. The controller eventually got a sheet of paper and wrote "= ?" on it and showed it to the players, who finally agreed a draw.

Ficheall

Karina has won, fair play to her.

Lost 2.5-1.5 though. Still, considering their team is about 300 points higher, 'tisn't a bad result at all.

brianhere

Now Collins can take the white passed pawn?