Batumi Olympiad

[Chris Rice]

Round 4 report from Peter Doggers. Ding Liren won his game for the Chinese team and is now unbeaten in 81 games stretching back to 9 August 2017.

[Geoff Chandler]

From Round 4.

Deng Cypriano Rehan (South Sudan) - Salim Aliyan Al Mashikhi (Oman)

Black to play and find the only move that allows checkmate in one.

2q4k/4Qpbp/3p1np1/p7/8/6P1/5P1P/B4BK1 b - - 0 29

[JustinHorton]

Very nice, and a good example of The Worst Move On The Board.

I notice that the only Singaporean player to avoid defeat against Turkey today was WGM Qianyun Gong. Are there any other women playing in the Open?

There are a few, at least one playing top board I think?

(unfortunately I forget who that is)

Karelina Polina, Bahamas

Thanks. Three so far.

[NickFaulks]

You would hope so, but awards of dodgy titles has gone on so long

People in England keep saying that, but I rather resent it. If you mean the hordes of direct CM titles and to a lesser extent FM titles, I accept that this has got out of hand although we have recently moved to cut them down. However, the standards required for the GM and IM titles, which are the ones which really matter, have been maintained. Even the requirements for the lesser titles have been set and applied with scrupulous care.

All this changed at the last PB, which gave swathes of titles to selected parts of the world which are now presumed to be in the Makro camp. I do not believe anything remotely similar has happened since the days of Campo, when the title system was less well defined.

[Mick Norris]

Bo. 9 England (ENG) Rtg - 34 Italy (ITA) Rtg

18.1 GM Adams, Michael 2712 - GM Vocaturo, Daniele 2615
18.2 GM McShane, Luke J 2672 - GM Godena, Michele 2501
18.3 GM Howell, David W L 2689 - GM Brunello, Sabino 2552
18.4 GM Pert, Nicholas 2549 - IM Valsecchi, Alessio 2500



Bo. 25 England (ENG) Rtg - 43 Philippines (PHI) Rtg

15.1 IM Houska, Jovanka 2402 - WGM Frayna, Janelle Mae 2287
15.2 FM Kalaiyalahan, Akshaya 2253 - WIM Secopito, Catherine 2157
15.3 WFM Head, Louise 2161 - WFM Mendoza, Shania Mae 2113
15.4 WIM Maroroa, Sue 2112 - WIM Galas, Bernadette 2080

[JustinHorton]

Just idly wondering if the Women's team might achieve a higher final placing than the Open team

[Kevin Thurlow]

Dodgy titles - I was thinking historically of awarding a GM title to AN Other to encourage his small country. I also feel that automatic titles given to under 10s etc are not good. Having said that, if I move to a small nation and get an FM title by playing a low board at an Olympaid, I won't complain!

[NickFaulks]

Dodgy titles - I was thinking historically of awarding a GM title to AN Other to encourage his small country.

I'd say that ended at least thirty years ago. I believe the BCF was complicit in it, so others may no better.

[Roger de Coverly]

I'd say that ended at least thirty years ago.

If you read old magazine reports about FIDE meetings of long ago, it's apparent there was a certain amount of trading went on with the award of titles. Special cases such as Norms shorter than the tournament or ratings achieved during a tournament are now directly allowed, but were then argued over. Becoming a country's first titled player also seemed to qualify as a special case.

But I think what you are suggesting is that the long standing exemptions from Norm and rating requirements of players scoring well in world championship qualifying tournaments are being extended in an undesirable manner to sub-continental events where the participants aren't really strong enough that winners should get automatic titles.

FIscher became a GM at a very young age. Wasn't that because he qualified for the Interzonal from the US Championships?

[JustinHorton]

Wasn't the title for reaching the Candidates?

[Roger de Coverly]

Wasn't the title for reaching the Candidates?

I think you are right. Reaching the Interzonal is something you did from a Zonal. I recall from fifty years ago a subplot at a Zonal in Portugal where Hartston and Levy could gain an IM title by scoring well. Levy eventually got enough points to be awarded the title, but I believed he noted that he had achieved the title without a single win against a fellow IM.

From the wiki on RJF

At age 14, he became the US Chess Champion, and at 15, he became both the youngest grandmaster (GM) up to that time and the youngest candidate for the World Championship.

[Chris Rice]

Wasn't the title for reaching the Candidates?

Yes it was. It's interesting that there are so many stories about Fischer that Brazilian GM Leitao has actually got a web page with a test called LIES AND TRUTHS ABOUT BOBBY FISCHER. His GM title is covered at Q2 of the test.

[JustinHorton]

Mongolian women have a curious board order

[Thomas Rendle]

Race to the last 5 minutes between David and Michele Godena

[JustinHorton]

Kramnik playing for the loss again