2012 Olympiad results and games

[Christopher Kreuzer]

What is happening in Howell's game? The site engine was saying a draw after 56...a3 and 57.Rd8 (both of which were played), but something else has happened... They both seem to be blitzing - what is the time control?

[Nick Thomas]

Gaswain has drawn, so the question now seems to be our margin of victory. As I said above, a very good team performance. I wonder whether Gawain was more or less OK after he sacrificed/was forced to lose his queen?

But is Short going to draw his game?

[Mick Norris]

90m:30m+30spm(1) is the time control

[Andrew Camp]

Short is winning.

[Roger de Coverly]

They both seem to be blitzing - what is the time control?

If the times on the clocks are to be believed, they are both left with only the 30 second increment. I believe they are using the "5 hour game" control, 40 moves in 90 minutes plus 30, with 30 second increment from the start of the game.

It's now showing as a draw with the final few moves being a repetition.

The engine assessment in Nigel's game is still optimistic of Black's drawing chances, but Knight v bad Bishop can give good winning chances, especially as Black is low on time.

[Andrew Camp]

Short is crushing.

[Nick Thomas]

Short has lost.

[Nick Thomas]

Only kidding.

[John Moore]

3-1 against Cuba is a great result - wins with White and draws with Black.

[Mick Norris]

Very good result, and the board order seems to be working fine too

Wonder who the next opponents will be

[John Philpott]

Meanwhile, the women drew 2 - 2 with Kyrgyzstan - a win for Sarah but a loss for Kanwal.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Great stuff, isn't it - let's try to remember to support them if/when they lose too.

Elsewhere update - Ukraine won the last two games to beat Israel, and Denmark did the same to draw with Scotland. Ireland won 4-0, for the second time, after losing 3.5-0,5 - anyone would think they were in the women's section - and their opponents today (Algeria) had an interesting line up in two respects; their board two was more than 100 points lower than their board three (see above) but moreover, those players were a FM rated 2030 and an IM of 2155! I can think of other similar examples from less fancied teams too. Presumably these are people who got their titles by the Olympiad route - there are a lot of them!

Last time I suggested Vietnam as a potential surprise package. They then started with 4/4 but then crashed. This time, my surprise Asian pick, for better or worse, is the Philippines.

[Andrew Bak]

Some fascinating chess today - well done to England for a superb victory! Done in true Russian style, draw with Black and grind out wins with white whilst making sure you won't lose.

[Roger de Coverly]

Presumably these are people who got their titles by the Olympiad route - there are a lot of them!

According to the FIDE rating site, the IM got his title at a Zonal in 1985 whilst the FM got his at an U14 event. It's a long standing FIDE tradition to give away titles as prizes. David Levy became an IM by this route in 1969. I think that made him the first British IM since Penrose, who in turn was the only new qualifier once FIDE had ceased grandfathering titles in the early fifties.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Presumably these are people who got their titles by the Olympiad route - there are a lot of them!

According to the FIDE rating site, the IM got his title at a Zonal in 1985 whilst the FM got his at an U14 event. It's a long standing FIDE tradition to give away titles as prizes. David Levy became an IM by this route in 1969. I think that made him the first British IM since Penrose, who in turn was the only new qualifier once FIDE had ceased grandfathering titles in the early fifties.

Talking of which, I checked the FIDE rating page for Nick Pert, and it still insists that his GM title was gained in 2001. Other sources indicate 2003 or 2004. I've never quite understood that one. I thought it might have been to do with him being World Under-18 Chess Champion in 1998, but don't know if that resulted in a norm or not.