Olympiad Round 9

All Things Chess
1

The women had a decent round against the Chinese losing 2.5-1.5 with draws on 3 boards. They were giving up 100 points per board or more. The women are tied for 3rd but their tie breaks suck. So they need good results in the next couple of rounds. They are paired down one match point against Mongolia.

The open team won against the Netherlands 3-1. Fabiano draw against Carlson. Board 3 was a draw with So and Nakamura and Shankland won. So the open team is tied with Ukraine and ahead on tie breaks. They were already paired against Ukraine in round 6 and won 2.5-1.5. So they are paired down against Georgia having also already played and beaten the Russian team which is presently 3rd.

2

Netherlands or a little further North to Norway? Both “N” words… :wink:

3

Of course I meant Norway. Sorry about that.

4

USA acquitted itself pretty well, in this patzer’s opinion; even so, it’s sobering to think that China didn’t even use their #3 player and still had this match well in hand. Not many women’s teams going for gold medals could afford to skip over a 2500-rated player in a late round.

They could really use a big result against MGL next round. 3-1 at minimum, then hope for either POL or IND in round 11, where any win will do.

Today in Home Cooking: The pairing involving AZE-1 appears to have been moved up the pairing list a bit from where it would normally be (same for the open section). There’s no place like home.

Be the Captain: Do you rest Paikidze in round 10?

Pros: The reigning US Women’s Champion has been fighting admirably, but has played two-control torture sessions the last two rounds, trying to save positions that she probably would’ve given up hours before in an individual event. She’ll definitely be needed at full speed for round 11, so there’s some logic to giving her a day to recuperate. Foisor has only played two games, and should be well rested. USA figures to have a rating edge on at least the first three boards, even without Paikidze.

Cons: There’s the question of whether a day off would have the intended effect - on the individual, or on the team. And if USA doesn’t win round 10, round 11 won’t matter in terms of the medal pursuit at all. Thanks to their relatively poor tiebreak, they likely need to go 2-0 to have a real chance at the podium.

The open team completely controls its own fate - well deserved after such a brilliant tournament. Even two wins by the minimum are quite likely good enough to lock up the gold.

Be the Captain: Do you play Shankland or Robson in round 10?

The Gaprindashvili Cup is still out there to be won. Here’s hoping.

One last non-USA note: the Iranian open team is apparently coached by Ivan Sokolov (which certainly doesn’t hurt). Whatever the secret sauce is, they’re hanging very tough, especially given their youth everywhere except board 1. They have an interesting pairing against Norway on table 6, where they’re rating underdogs (what else is new?); if they can find a team win there, then all bets are off for round 11.

5

Or: Do you rest Hikaru Nakamura, who has played all nine rounds thus far, and play both Shankland and Robson in Round 10? If not, then you’re telling Nakamura he must play all eleven rounds.

6

Nakamura has indeed played nine games. Of course, So has done this as well. And Caruana only missed round 1. Such is life when chasing a gold medal.

My uninformed guess is that the top three boards for USA will be the same in round 10 as they were in round 9, health permitting.

7

LOL. We all have those senior moments. But they were “N” words after all.

8

There is a rest day, so this is equivalent to playing a 12 player round robin with one rest day (in other words, the same as a US championship).