USA 6th at World U16 Olympiad

Team USA-2 from left to right: Arthur, Chris, Yian, Michael, Kevin and Mr. Shen.

After ten rounds over eight days, the World Youth Chess Olympiad in Chongqing, China ended with a Closing Ceremony on Monday.  As expected, the race for gold came down to the top two seeds.  Russia and India, both featuring lineups rated over 2400, scored eight wins each.  The difference came in round 6, when the scholastic chess superpowers squared off in a match that saw three tense draws and only one victory, by India's third board.  The #2 rated Indians faced 8 of the top 10 teams, impressively beating 6 and splitting with #3 Hungary and #7 Turkey.  The higher rated Russians still could have shared top honors; alas, they halved a match with the upstart China-2 team right after the rest day.

Final Team Standings

1. #2 India (18 MP, 30.5 GP)
2. #1 Russia (17 MP, 30.0 GP)
3. #7 Turkey (15 MP, 26.0 GP)
4. #3 Hungary (15 MP, 25.0 GP)
5. #4 China-1 (14 MP, 29.0 GP)
6. #6 USA-2 (14 MP, 26.0 GP)
7. #16 SCWY School (14 MP, 24.5 GP)
8. #8 Iran (14 MP, 23.0 GP)

No doubt the host Chinese are disappointed not to have earned a team medal.  Indeed, three Chinese squads were among the top 5 going into round 9, after China-1 crushed #5 Australia by 4-0 and China-2 nicked the Russians 2-2.  And as a pleasant surprise, SCWY School checkmated the Czech Republic.  However, all three local teams lost in round 9, shattering their medal dreams.  Nonetheless, the future appears bright for the talented students at the elite Chinese chess academies.

SM Kevin Wang

SM Chris Gu

The American teams also hoped for better results.  To their credit, the official team USA-2 managed to claw back to respectability with a share of 5th place.  They faced only two higher rated squads, halving the match against #3 Hungary and subsequently losing a showdown with #1 Russia by the narrowest margin.  The low point came following the rest day, when the Americans lost to #10 Kazakhstan and, a few hours later, tied with the overachieving students of SDQD School.  Each member of USA-2 tasted defeat at least once, some due to an embarrassing blunder or with a match hanging in balance.  Board 3 Kevin Wang (78% record) and alternate Chris Gu (81% record) posted the best results, both scoring six wins.  Kudos to Chris for earning 3rd board prize among eligible alternates!

The extra team USA-1 struggled throughout the event, especially against the underrated local schools.  They finished above 50% with 11 MP, good for 25th place out of 72 teams.

Website Links

• Final Team Standings
• Individual Board Prizes
• Team USA-2 Results
• Team USA-1 Results 
• Mid-tournament Report by GM Ian Rogers
• Video of the Closing Ceremony - 4 1/2 minutes long and worth watching
• Official Photo Albums

Final Rounds of Chongqing Olympiad

Team USA-2 prepares before round.  From left to right:
Arthur, Michael (standing), Yian, Kevin and Chris.

Well ... that did not go as planned.  After back-to-back disappointments today, the official team USA-2 finds itself eliminated from medal contention at the World Youth Chess Olympiad.  In the morning, the Americans lost 1.5-2.5 to Kazakhstan, despite an upset win by Kevin Wang against their previously undefeated board 2.  Unfortunately, the afternoon round proved not much better.  Only Yian Liou scored the full point as the team halved the match against another talented Chinese school.  With two rounds remaining, USA-2 fell to 14th place and 3 Match Points out of the medals.

Let's ask Yian what those characters mean.

USA-2 (Official Team)
(click for full results)

14th place with 10 MP, 20.5 GP

6. Defeated Indonesia by 2.5-1.5
7. Lost to Kazakhstan 1.5-2.5
8. Split with BJHD School (China) 2:2
9. Paired against SDQD School (China) 

Check out the great photos of USA-2 players in the round 8 album at the official website.

The tournament has gone even worse for the lower rated USA-1 team.   After sweeping the weak Taiwan delegation, they conceded a third match to the local schools by the frustratingly tight score of 1.5-2.5.  No doubt that some Chinese chess academies have developed strong and underrated players, but the masters from Texas are no slouches themselves with an average USCF rating of 2300!  USA-1 gets another chance against a local school on Sunday.

USA-1 (Extra Team)
(click for full results)

43rd place with 7 MP, 16.5 GP

6. Lost to CQFLHY School (China) 1.5-2.5
7. Defeated Taiwan by 4-0
8. Lost to CQLBNS School (China) 1.5-2.5
9. Paired against CQFLPE School (China)

Photo Essay: USA vs Russia

Board 1: IM Artemiev 1-0 FM Michael Bodek

Board 2: FM Yian Liou 1/2 IM Oparin

Board 4: FM Arthur Shen 1/2 IM Zenzera

Board 3: FM Alekseenko 1-0 SM Kevin Wang

Photos courtesy of Chiiwen Liou.

Halftime Report for Youth Olympiad

USA-2 on left versus Hungary. From front to back:
Chris, Arthur, Yian and Michael (not visible).

Teams from 26 countries arrived in Chongqing, China to compete in the World Youth Chess Olympiad.  Ten American juniors came to represent the nation on two separate teams.  The official team USA-2 scored 11 out of 12 points in the first three rounds, vanquishing opponents from Singapore and two Chinese schools. USA-2 split round 4 against #3 seed Hungary on the strength of a win by Chris Gu on board 4.

This result set up a showdown versus top rated Russia on Thursday morning. Although Arthur Shen won and Yian Liou drew, the Russians proved simply too strong with the White pieces on boards 1 and 3. After this setback, the team regrouped quickly to pull out an important match victory in the afternoon round against Indonesia.

Board 2 FM Yian Liou

Board 1 FM Michael Bodek

Heading into Friday's rest day, USA-2 stands in 7th place with 9 Match Points (2 per win) and 17 Game Points, only one MP out of 2nd. India defeated Russia in round 6 to take the lead at 11 MP. Four rounds remain, including another double round on Saturday. The tournament concludes on Monday (Sunday evening in California).

Team Standings (after Round 6)

• 11 MP - India
• 10 MP - Russia, China-2, Hungary and Iran
• 9 MP - China-1, USA-2, Australia-1, Turkey and Kazakhstan

Unfortunately, the lower rated USA-1 team has fallen on tough times, losing first to #2 seed India and subsequently to two of the Chinese schools.  These scholastic programs represent the future of Chinese chess, which developed many talented young Grandmasters over the years--including 7 of the current Top 100 in the World, all under age 30!

Websites

• Pairings and Results 
• Schedule (subtract 15 hours for PDT)
• Live games  
• Chess Life Online (report by GM Rogers)
  

Photos courtesy of Chiiwen Liou.

Youth Olympiad Kicks Off

USA-2 on left versus Singapore.  From front to back:
Chris Gu, Arthur Shen, Kevin Wang and Yian Liou.

The World Youth Chess Olympiad kicked off this week in Chongqing, China.  A total of 72 teams have entered the championship, representing mainland China and 25 other countries.  Ten American juniors made the trip, competing as two separate teams.

To date, three rounds are in the books.  The top teams will begin to clash in round 4 tonight, including the showdown between the #1 seed Russia and the home team and #4 seed China-1.  And our boys, #6 seed USA-2, face #3 seed Hungary.

Update on Wednesday morning: USA-2 drew Hungary 2:2 on the strength of a board 4 win by Christopher Gu.  The Americans are paired versus top rated Russia for round 5.  Watch it LIVE at 6pm PDT tonight! 

Update late on Wednesday evening: USA-2 lost a close fight to Russia by 1.5-2.5.  Next up is Indonesia at 12:30am PDT on Thursday early morning!  Then, after playing six rounds in four days, the players earned a rest day on Friday.

USA-2 at Opening Ceremony

USA-2 (Official Team)
(click for full results)

7th place with 9 MP, 17 GP

1. Defeated CQFLHY School (China) by 4-0
2. Defeated Singapore by 3.5-0.5
3. Defeated BJJM Club (China) by 3.5-0.5
4. Split with #3 seed Hungary 2:2
5. Lost to #1 seed Russia 1.5-2.5 
6. Defeated Indonesia by 2.5-1.5
7. Paired against Kazakhstan on Saturday
   

USA-1 (Extra Team)
(click for full results)

49th place with 5 MP, 11 GP

1. Defeated Hong Kong by 3-1
2. Defeated SouthAfrica-3 by 3-1
3. Lost to #2 seed India by 0-4
4. Lost to CDSD School (China) by 1.5-2.5
5. Split with QD School (China) 2:2
6. Lost to CQFLHY School (China) 1.5-2.5
7. Paired against Taiwan on Saturday

Photos courtesy of Chiiwen Liou.

Opening Ceremony

Young Dancers

Team USA at World Youth Olympiad in China

Yangtze River gorge

Chongqing lies in south-central China.

Two teams will represent the USA next week at the World Youth Chess Olympiad (under 16) in Chongqing, China. The host city lies on the mighty Yangtze River, more than 900 miles distant from eastern metropolises Beijing and Shanghai.  The players will quickly become accustomed used to hot & humid weather (made worse by pollution) and traditional Szechuan cuisine (spicy).

For full results of each round, go to Chess-Results.

The stronger American squad (paradoxically called USA-2) comprises of four masters from the Northeast and one from the Bay Area.  All five players are rated above 2400 USCF and they have combined for eight IM norms.  Indeed, the three lower rated members each scored a norm at World Open earlier this month! 

USA-2 (Official Team)

• FM Michael Bodek (2386 FIDE rating, age 15, state NY)
• FM Yian Liou (2381, 16, CA-N)
• SM Kevin Wang (2297, 15, MD)
• FM Arthur Shen (2286, 16, NJ)
• SM Chris Gu (2264, 14, RI)
• Averages: 2323 FIDE, 2455 USCF, age 15

The other American team is mostly younger and dominated by players from the state of Texas. 

USA-1 (Extra Team)

• FM Jeffery Xiong (2369, 12, TX)
• NM Jarod Pamatmat (2172, 16, TX)
• FM Tommy He (2128, 13, TX)
• Joshua Sheng (1995, 12, CA-S)
• Bovey Liu (2000, 11, TX)
• Averages: 2133 FIDE, 2303 USCF, age 13

Just like the Chess Olympiad for Grandmasters, country teams consist of four boards plus an alternate.  All participants have birthdays in 1997 or later.  Some countries, including the USA, entered multiple teams.  There are 72 teams from 27 different countries have registered.  About 40 teams represent different schools or clubs from China.  Eight countries feature competitive master level lineups.

Top 10 Teams (by average rating of top 4 players)

1. Russia (2480) - 3 IMs including Young Stars champ Vladislav Artemiev (2554)
2. India (2426) - 3 IMs
3. Hungary (2370) - 5 FMs
4. China-1 (2345) - led by current youngest Grandmaster in World Wei Yi (2557)
5. Australia (2340) - 2 IMs including Australian Open champ Bobby Cheng (2438)
6. USA-2 (2338)
7. Turkey (2305) - 2 IMs
8. Iran (2271) - 3 FMs and a WIM
9. USA-1 (2167)  
10. China-2 (2133)

The Youth Olympiad commences on Monday, July 22, and continues through Monday, July 29.  The schedule shows 10 rounds over 7 days, with a free day planned on Friday the 26th.  Games will be played at 9:00am and 3:30pm China time, which translates to 6:00pm (on the previous day!) and 12:30am Pacific time.  That means round 2 on Tuesday morning is actually on Monday evening in California time zone.

Watch the official website for pairings, results and perhaps even live games.  I hope to provide daily updates on my chess blog and Twitter account.