- Hess
- Shankland
- Robson
- Arnold
- Holt
Coaches: Ben & Yasser & Kevin
(edited to insert “My” in Subject)
Your idea of perfect varies from most. Most of those players aren’t strong enough to make up a team that would be in contention for medals, at least not yet.
Neither were the Chinese (and Indians) until recently. China has a long-term view of chess, politics, economics, etc. And they grow their own players – no imports. The quick fix is not the answer.
Nakamura is not an ‘import’. Although he was born in Japan, according to Wiki his mother was an American citizen at the time of his birth, which, according to most legal scholars, would make him a native born American citizen eligible to be President of the United States.
There you go again. Who said anything about Nakamura? He is a product of our chess system. He is definitely not an import. I just don’t place him on MY perfect TEAM.
Do you think he’ll run in 2024? His age makes him currently ineligible. He does having experience standing up to foreign powers trying to defeat the US. 
Then please explain your definition of perfect, otherwise we are in the dark as to how a team can be perfect when it leaves off the #5 player in the world.
Above I emphasized the word “TEAM”. I leave it to all and sundry to figure it out.
I’ve suggested that I think Hess/Shankland/Robson are the next wave of players with a chance to grow into solid members of the US Olympiad team - I also would put Alex Lenderman in that group. Lenderman has pretty good pedigree as well - gold medal at the World Youth Chess Festival, for example, to earn the title of World Under 16 champion in 2005.
Still, Nakamura is clearly the US’ best player - and likely will be for some time. While you have suggested that he isn’t on your team because of ‘team’ aspects, I’d want him on my team every year for what could be a very long time. I’ve seen nothing in his conduct or play that suggests he is anything but an outstanding leader for the US team - and sometimes your top player (in any sporting activity) needs to call out others and demand their best. Michael Jordan, among others, was known to do that.
Jordan had the respect of the other players. He could and did call them out. Whether Nakamura has a similar stature among his teammates we’ll find out against Poland in round 11.
IMHO, you seem to be suggesting things about Nakamura without a lot of foundation. If there was another member of the team that was performing at Nakamura’s level (even close to it), we would probably be playing for the gold in the last round - nobody else is even close. He’s got the second best performance rating in the entire tournament.
Even accepting your claim, what, exactly, do you think Nakamura would have to do to have ‘the respect of the other players?’ And, if he doesn’t, whose fault is that, given his performance to date? If I were team captain and other players were in a snit about Nakamura’s tweet, based on performance, I’d suggest that perhaps they should look in the mirror rather than at first board.
Respect for a chessplayer:
I have great respect for among others the likes of Sammy Reshevsky, Robert and Donald Byrne, Larry Evans, Pal Benko, Nick Rossillimo, Bill Lombardy, Al Horowitz, Frank Marshall, Art Bisguier — I could names many more.
Not on my list is Bobby Fischer notwithstanding that he is/was the greatest player in History.
Respect must be earned and it doesn’t happen overnight. Whether GM Nakamura rises to that level only time and history will tell.
Of the players you list as respecting, only Reshevsky and Marshall were what you could call world class players based on their OTB results. If you wish to put together a team of classy individuals and good sports and call that your perfect team, go ahead - it wouldn’t be my perfect team. I want to win - and a US team (during their prime) that didn’t include Fischer or Nakamura isn’t your best chance to win.
I’m reminded of the Vince Lombardi quote that ‘show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.’
Apparently Mike Nolan and Randy Bauer take exception to MY list of MY dream team because I didn’t include GM Nakamura. I never even mentioned Nakamura until Mike injected him into the thread. Then Randy jumped on the Nakamura bandwagon with baseless assertions and innuendo. Nice try guys! 
. Btw I don’t equate respect with OTB play or ratings. If you do, that’s your choice.
Exactly the point of this harrumph is unclear. The poster lists his ‘perfect Olympiad men’s team’ and leaves off the US Champion, highest rated US player and player with by far the best performance in this Olympiad. Others point this out, and now it appears the poster wants to take his team and go home. Boo hoo.
I’ll put up Nakamura, Kamsky, Onishuck and Lenderman against that team and be very confident of who would be the winner.
I guess my idea of a Perfect Team is different than his - I just want to win.
Several of the players on the suggested “perfect” team are likely to go on to other pursuits. Chess will be an interesting hobby, but not a livelihood. This is based on comments they have made in interviews. We should all wish them success and hope they become benefactors.
I see nothing to indicate that there is a problem with the present team playing in Istanbul. Team chemistry is important, but strength and preparation are equally big factors for the success of a team. From what I can see from the numbers, many of the teams lack a weighty presence on the fourth board and alternate positions. Only Russia has real depth. Teams with strong lower boards do better, that is just a simple fact. China’s performance is not that surprising; their players have been preparing for two years for this event.
The US lacks depth (at least in terms of FIDE rating) versus basically every team we are tied with or behind - they all have a higher average 4/5 board FIDE rating than the USCF. Simply put, this is where the US is falling down in this event - period.
That is the case for China, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Germany - and also the case for the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Israel and France.
If we want to do better, we need better depth.
Round 11
Robson bloomed at 4 position. Perhaps Nakamura’s “pep” tweet worked. Perhaps Robson read Randy’s remarks about our big weakness at 4 position. Who knows? One thing for sure, Robson saved our butt.
I highly doubt Robson reads the Forums, and I’m even less inclined to think he would give a rat’s behind about my comments. That said, he did, indeed, save the day today.
I think Robson has a lot of talent and a future on the US Olympiad team if he is so inclined. In another thread, I suggested he, Hess, Shankland and Lenderman are our top younger players who might become team mainstays (keeping in mind, of course, that Nakamura is also in his mid-20s).
As has been pointed out, some of those players may have other plans that don’t involve chess as their profession - for example, Hess is attending college at Yale, and he’s not there on a chess scholarship. Given that Robson is attending a ‘chess college’ it might be that he is more likely to make chess his avocation. If so, more power to him, and this experience should be helpful in the long run.
When Polgar’s team was at Texas Tech, was that a “chess college”?
I guess Webster is not where the snobby effite elite meet 'n greet. 
Webster is no diploma mill.