Guyana’s final round eleven game at Tromso in the 41st World Chess Olympiad pitted her against Palau, an island country in the Pacific Ocean. Guyana competed for honours with the following countries, and the results were as follows:
1. Guyana 0 – Albania 4. Drayton faced his first grandmaster on top board.
2. Guyana 0 – Kyrgyzstan 4.
3. Guyana 1½- Liechtenstein 2½. Drayton drew on Board 1 and Greenidge won on Board 2.
4. Guyana 4 – Burundi 0.
5 . Guyana 4 – Bhutan 0.
6. Guyana 1 – Nigeria 3. Here Drayton defeated a FIDE International Master on top board.
7. Guyana 1 – Namibia 3. Drayton defeated a FIDE Candidate Master.
8. Guyana 1½- Brunei 2½. Greenidge won, and Hai Feng Su drew on Board 3.
9. Guyana 1½- Jersey 2 ½. Greenidge won and Su drew. Jersey, an island, is a British Crown dependency just off the coast of Normandy, France.
10 . Guyana 1½- Afghanistan 2½. Maria Thomas won on Board 4, and Su drew. Drayton and Greenidge both opposed FIDE Masters on the top boards.
11. Guyana 3 – Palau 1. Drayton, Greenidge and Su won their games.
Billed as the fourth largest sporting event worldwide and lasting for two weeks, the chess Olympiad is the most important tournament on the chess calendar next to the world championship. This Olympiad, the 41st, involved 2200 players from 170 national chess federations.
In other Olympiad news, China maintained an implacable pace and with a final round victory, clinched her gold medal. China came out hard and fast in her match against Poland. Hungary took the silver, and India came out of nowhere to defeat Uzbekistan and walk away with the bronze. Cuba finished in 7th place, a sensational result, just below that of Ukraine, which finished in the sixth position. Russia finished in 4th place. In the Women’s Section Russia took gold, China secured the silver medal and the Ukraine took the bronze.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the incumbent who has been at the helm of FIDE for 19 years, has won another four-year term for the presidency of the world chess federation. Ilyumzhinov’s challenger Garry Kasparov, lost by a margin of 110 votes to 61, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Chess games
Chess Olympiad, Tromso, Norway
Guyana versus Afghanistan: Guyana lost the match 2½ to 1½. Su drew while Maria won her game.
Ahmadi v Haifeng
White: Zabiullah Ahmadi
Black: Haifeng Su
WhiteElo 2031; BlackElo 1724
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. h4 h6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Ngf6 10. Be3 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qc7 12. O-O-O e6 13. Kb1 Be7 14. Rhe1 b5 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd5 17. h5 a5 18. f4 O-O-O 19. Qf3 Bh4 20. Qg4 Bxg3 21. Qxg3 b4 22. c4 bxc3 23. Bxc3 Nxc3+ 24. Qxc3 Rd5 25. Rc1 Kd7 26. Re4 Qb6 27. Rc4 Rc8 28. Qc2 Qb5 29. g4 c5 30. b3 Ke7 31. Ka1 Qd7 32. Qc3 Qb5 33. f5 exf5 34. gxf5 Qb8 35. f6+ gxf6 36. exf6+ Kf8 37. Re1 Qd6 38. Kb2 Rxh5 1/2-1/2.
Varona-Thomas v Sarwary
White: Maria Varona-Thomas
Black: Hamidullah Sarwary
WhiteElo 1777; BlackElo 1920
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Bd3 d6 8. h3 O-O 9. a3 Kh8 10. O-O Be6 11. Qe2 Rc8 12. Be3 a6 13. Rfd1 Qc7 14. Rd2 Rfd8 15. Na4 Nd7 16. b4 b5 17. Nb2 Nf6 18. Rc1 d5 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Bf5 Rb8 21. c4 bxc4 22. Nxc4 e4 23. Ng5 Ne5 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. Nxe5 Qxe5 26. Nxf7+ Kg8 27. Nxe5 Rxe5 28. Bxh7+ Nxh7 29. Bf4 Reb5 30. Bxb8 Rxb8 31. Qxe4 Bf6 32. Qe6+ Kh8 33. Rc8+ 1-0.
Zahiruddin v Drayton
White: Asefi Zahiruddin
Black: Anthony Drayton
WhiteElo 1996; BlackElo 1828
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 O-O 7. Rc1 h6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bb3 Nbd7 11. O-O a6 12. Nd2 Bb7 13. Qf3 Qb6 14. Qh3 c5 15. Nf3 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Nc5 17. Bc2 b4 18. Na4 Nxa4 19. Bxa4 Rfc8 20. Rxc8+ Rxc8 21. Bb3 Bd5 22. Be5 Bxb3 23. Nxb3 Nh7 24. Bd4 Qb5 25. Qf3 Ng5 26. Qg4 Qf5 27. Qxf5 exf5 28. Rc1 Rxc1+ 29. Nxc1 Ne6 30. Bb6 f4 31. Nd3 fxe3 32. fxe3 Kf8 33. Kf2 Bd6 34. h3 Ke7 35. b3 Kd7 36. Ba5 Nc5 37. Nxb4 Ne4+ 38. Ke2 Bxb4 39. Bxb4 g6 40. Kd3 f5 41. Bf8 h5 42. Kc4 Kc6 43. b4 Nf6 44. a4 Nd7 45. b5+ axb5+ 46. axb5+ Kc7 47. Bc5 g5 48. Kd5 Nf6+ 49. Ke6 Ne4 50. Bd4 g4 51. h4 Kd8 52. b6 Kc8 53. Kxf5 Nd6+ 54. Kg6 Kd7 55. Kxh5 Ke6 56. Kxg4 Kf7 57. h5 1-0.
Greenidge v Kooshani
White: Ronuel Greenidge
Black: Mahbuboollah Kooshani
WhiteElo 1630; BlackElo 2036
1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 c6 7. O-O Bd6 8. d3 O-O 9. e4 dxe4 10. dxe4 Qe7 11. Re1 Ne5 12. Bg5 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Qe5 14. g3 Qxg5 15. Qxd6 Bh3 16. e5 Rfd8 17. Qb4 Qf5 18. Qh4 Qxf3 19. Qxh3 Ng4 20. Ne4 h6 21. Qh5 Rd5 22. Qh3 Rxe5 23. Qg2 Qxg2+ 24. Kxg2 Rae8 25. f3 Nxh2 26. Kxh2 f5 27. Nf6+ gxf6 28. Rxe5 fxe5 29. Rd1 e4 30. Kg2 Kf7 31. Rd7+ Re7 32. Rd6 Kg7 33. f4 Rc7 34. Kf2 b6 35. Ke3 c5 36. Kd2 h5 37. Ke2 c4 38. Kd2 Kh7 39. a4 Rg7 40. Rf6 Rxg3 41. Rxf5 Kg6 42. Re5 Rd3+ 43. Ke1 e3 44. Re4 c3 45. bxc3 Rxc3 46. Re7 Kf5 47. Ke2 a5 48. Re5+ Kxf4 49. Rxh5 Rc2+ 50. Kd1 Rd2+ 51. Ke1 Ra2 52. Rb5 Kf3 53. Rf5+ Ke4 54. Rb5 Kd3 55. Rb3+ Kd4 56. Rxb6 Rxa4 57. Rb8 Ra2 58. Rd8+ Kc4 59. Rc8+ Kb4 60. Rb8+ Ka4 61. Re8 e2 62. Re4+ Kb3 63. Re3+ Kc4 64. Re8 a4 65. Rc8+ Kb3 66. Rb8+ Ka3 67. Re8 Rc2 68. Rb8 Ka2 69. Rb4 a3 70. Rb8 Ka1 71. Rb3 a2 72. Kf2 Rb2 73. Rh3 Kb1 74. Rh1+ Kc2 75. Ra1 Kb3 76. Re1 Rb1 0-1.