This issue celebrates the 41st Chess

Olympiad played in Tromso, Norway,

earlier this month. Up in the north of
Norway, above the Arctic circle, far north
of Iceland.
During the Olympiad it was light 24 hours
a day!
Nearly 3000 chess people descended on
the city of 70,000.
In this issue:
2 Winners, history, strange facts
4 Women’s Section – Russia’s 3rd Gold
By WGM Anna Burtasova
6 Simple Ideas in Tromso
By FST Kevin O’Connell
7 Judit Polgar – End of an Era
By WGM Anna Burtasova
8 Puzzles by FST Kevin O’Connell

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 Winners – the Chinese Dragon & Asia to the fore!

History
The USSR first took part in an Olympiad in up (to Hungary) in 1978. They then won
1952. That was the 10th Olympiad and the next six. The winning streak was only
they won it. They repeated their success in broken by the break-up of the USSR, but
the next 11 Olympiads. They did not play Russia won the next six. So, from the 10th
in 1976 (boycott) and were only runners- (1952) to the 35th (2002) they had won 24
out of 26. The next five were won twice by

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the Ukraine (2004, 2010) and three times The total number of players in both men's
by Armenia (2006, 2008, 2012), both of and women's sections was about 1600
which had been part of the Soviet Union. (difficult to count!).

Now, finally, that 'Soviet' domination has Who was the youngest player? We think
been broken. In Tromso, none of those that honour goes to Murara Umuhoza
teams were among the medals and a new Layola (born 2003) who played top board
name is engraved on the Hamilton-Russell for the Rwanda women's team. But she
trophy that goes to the winners. may not have set a new record because
Congratulations China! Heidi Cueller was only 10 when she played
for Guatemala in 1986.

As for the oldest, we do not know who

that was, but the historical record goes to
Bill Hook of the Virgin Islands - he was 83
Facts
when he played in Dresden in 2008. He
177 teams registered for the Open section has another claim to fame, having been
and 172 actually played. As is usual, a few featured on a set of stamps. Part of a set
of the teams suffered travel delays, the celebrating the 60th Anniversary of FIDE,
Maldives and Swaziland being worst the 75c stamp featured a position from his
affected, both missing the first two final round game in 1980 when he won
rounds. the gold medal for the best individual
performance.
At least this time there was no repeat of
1982 when the team from Uganda arrived
for the Olympiad in Lugano, but that was
where the 1968 event had been played;
everyone else was gathered in Lucerne -
fortunately not far away in the same
country and the team only missed the first
round.

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Women section: Russia’s third Gold by WGM Anna Burtasova

136 teams competed in the women’s Kateryna LAGNO (2540)

section of the Olympiad. 4 playing boards HOU Yifan (2661)
with one reserve player and 11 rounds,
1.d2-d4 g8-f6 2.c2-c4 e7-e6 3. g1-f3
just like in the Open section. d7-d5 4. b1-c3 f8-b4 5.c4xd5 e6xd5 6.
c1-g5 b8-d7 7. d1-c2 c7-c5 8.g2-g3
Russia was victorious at the previous two h7-h6 9. g5-f4 0-0 10. f1-g2 b7-b6
Olympiads – Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 and 11.0-0
Istanbul 2012, so before the start, experts
predicted a fight for gold between the
defending champions and top-seeded
China led by world champion Hou Yifan.

Both teams started with flying colours

winning their first 6 matches while other
teams that traditionally fight for the
medals – Ukraine and Georgia – started to
fall behind.

The anticipated encounter happened in

round 7. Russia won 3-1. Kateryna Lagno
defeated Hou Yifan on the first board and
Olga Girya won against Tan Zhongyi on
board 4. The other games ended in draws. 11. ... c8-b7?
Black had to immediately take the knight
The world champion, who did not lose any on c3, otherwise she is in trouble.
other game and got a silver medal on the
first board, conducted this one in a 12. c3-b5! b7-c6
nervous and unsually unconfident [Maybe the least from evil was 12... f6-
manner. Something went completely e4 13.a2-a3 b4-a5, where White could
wrong for her in the opening. continue as 14. f4-d6 e4xd6
15. b5xd6 d8-b8 16. d6xb7 b8xb7
17. f3-h4 winning one of the central
pawns]

13. b5-c7 *a8-c8 14.a2-a3 b4-a5

15.b2-b4 f6-e4 16.d4xc5 b6xc5
17.b4xa5 *c8xc7 18. f4xc7 d8xc7
White won an exchange and gradually
converted her advantage.
1-0

The result of this match determined the

Hou Yifan losing to Kateryna Lagno. outcome of the whole event, although in
Photo : David Llada for Tromso2014.com penultimate round China got another
chance. Russia who won all the matches,

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was facing a principal and serious
opponent – Ukraine. The hero of the day
was Natalia Zhukova who won against
Olga Girya on the last board and brought
her team a much needed victory in this
match again the leader!

Ana Matnadze in action.

Photo : David Llada for Tromso2014.com

That’s how, even after a loss, Russia kept

the sole lead. It was not such a tough task
to win against Bulgaria in the last round
and Russia claimed olympic gold for the
third time in a row. China drew with
Ukraine to tie for second.

Zhukova – Girya in round 10.

Photo : David Llada for Tromso2014.com

It was a moment for China to win the

match and tie with Russian in the lead.
But... the very same dat China drew with
Spain.
Ana Matnadze , originally from Georgia
and living in Barcelona for many years
now, did the job winning against Tan Russian team with captain Sergey
Zhongyi on board 3 and compensating for
Rublevsky singing the national anthem
the loss on the top one. Photo : David Llada for Tromso2014.com

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Simple Ideas in Tromso by FST Kevin O’Connell
Recognize and remember patterns! Teamwork!

What could be more appropriate in a team

competition? The next position arose in
the game Lazaro BRUZON-Maxim
RODSHTEIN. It’s a pity that the -f6 covers
e7, otherwise White could now play the
standard + mating pattern - . e2−e7+.

White to move in both.

38.*e8−g8+ 1-0 [38... g7xg8 (38... g7−h6

39. g5−f7#) 39. e2−e8+ g8−g7 40. e8−
f7+ g7−h6 41. f7xh7#].

Never forget those Checks!!

The top diagram (Alexander ONISCHUK-

Camilo RIOS CRISTHIAN) saw 22.*d1-d8+
[22... c8xd8 (22... f6−e8 23. d8xe8+)
23. c4xc5] 1-0.

The lower diagram (Daniele VOCATURO-

Henry Robert STEEL) ended 25.*d7−d8+
[25... g8−h7 (25... c8xd8 26. a4xc6)
26. a4xc6 c8xc6 27. d8xb8] 1-0.

This is why we play over games, solve

tactical positions and read books about
the middle game and the endgame – all Arturs NEIKSANS-Sabino BRUNELLO.
the time we are seeing patterns, some of White’s move. 38.-f5xh7+ .g8xh7
which stick in the mind and help us to find [38... g8−h8 39. f7−f8+ h8xh7 40. e5−
the right path when we come across a h5#] 39./e5−h5+ .h7−g8 40.*f7−f8+
similar position. [40. f7−f8+ g8xf8 41. h5−f7#] 1-0.

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Judit Polgar – the end of an era By WGM Anna Burtasova
During the Olympiad in Tromso the great chess popularizers. Now Judit will
strongest female chess player in the world also devote more time to it. Her book How
announced her retirement from I broke Fischer’s record (telling of her early
competitive chess. career up to becoming the youngest
grandmaster at the age of 15) is already
award-winning (“ACP Book of the Year
2014”); and the continuation of the series
is still to follow.

Perhaps, Judit will still play chess, but not

as extensively as before, preferring
shorter time controls and exhibition
games.

Here is the final strike of Judit’s game

Judit Polgar dominated women chess against Guerrero Vargas from the second
since she was 12 years old when in 1989 round of the Olympiad in Tromso.
she was the first woman to break into top- Black is winning, but how to finish it off?
100 in world rating list. Later in 1996 she
climbed to top-10! For many years she
competed in super tournaments with no
less than the best players of the world and
represented her native Hungary in the
men’s team.

33. ... *h8xh2+! 34. .h1xh2 /d6-d2+

White resigned. 0-1
Sisters Polgar
If 35. e4-g2 [35. .h2-h1 d2-h6+ 36.
.h1-g2 h6-h3#] 35... d2-h6+
Her two sisters Susan and Sofia (once
forming women team of Hungary, Ildiko
Pictures from http://www.juditpolgar.com/en
Madl added on the last board) stopped
their chess careers earlier and are now

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 Puzzles selected by FST & FM Kevin O’Connell (www.kochess.com)

1 Black to play. Simple technique. 3 Black to play.

Elshan MORADIABADI – Viktor LAZNICKA Ilse BERZINA – Beatriz FRANCO VALENCIA

41st Chess Olympiad, Open, Tromso 2014 41st Chess Olympiad, Women, Tromso 2014

2 Black to move. 4 Black to move. Undefended pieces?

Farai MANDIZHA – Abdulla AL-RAKIB LIM Hakyung – Silje BJERKE

41st Chess Olympiad, Open, Tromso 2014 41st Chess Olympiad, Women, Tromso 2014

SOLUTIONS TO PUZZLES

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