Looking Back at the Olympiad for Disabled

The first FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities proved a success with the participation of nearly 400 players on 60 teams representing 44 countries from 5 continents. No doubt many would have been unable to travel to an over the board Olympiad, even sans pandemic. The level playing field allowed unheralded outsiders to compete with veteran champions, and upsets naturally occurred. After seven rounds, squads from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Philippines, Germany, Croatia and Israel finished among the Top 10. Russia-1 took first, Ukraine-3 got second and Poland-1 recovered from an earlier upset to slip into third place.

Four leading teams were invited to battle for the medals in a knockout format. After an extensive fair play analysis resulted in one disqualification, the underrated Poland-3 selection moved up to claim the fourth spot in the semifinals, narrowly edging Philippines-1 on tiebreaks. Match play semifinals saw Russia-1 edge past Poland-3 while Poland-1 thumped Ukraine-3. In the two-day final match, Russia-1 claimed the early lead, but top seeded Poland-1 roared back to seize the gold medal. 

Final Standings:

• GOLD = Poland-1
• SILVER = Russia-1
• BRONZE = Ukraine-3
• FOURTH = Poland-3
• 10 MP = Philippines-1, Poland-2, Germany, Russia-2, Croatia
• 9 MP = Israel, Hungary, Venezuela, India-2, North Macedonia, Ukraine-2, United States of America, Chile, India-1
• 8 MP = Cuba, Russia-3, Kyrgyzstan, Canada, Turkey-1, Brazil, Ukraine-1
• Total of 58 teams completed all seven rounds

Team USA surprised the world and exceeded all expectations by sharing 10th place in the final standings. Seeded 39th out of 60 with an average FIDE rating of 1582, the Americans competed each day against the top half of the field, including three opponents seeded among the top 10 with lofty ratings over 2000. Nobody can forget the first round tie with the mighty Russians, the miraculous comeback versus Romania-2 or the stunning blowout of North Macedonia. The team shed the underdog label during the final round by confidently clinching a fifth upset on the strength of three crushing games, each decisive within 30 moves. 

Team USA Results:

1. Tied 2-2 with #9 Russia-2
2. Lost 0-4 to #3 Philippines-1
3. Won 2.5-1.5 against #30 Romania-2
4. Won 3.5-0.5 against #10 North Macedonia
5. Lost 1-3 to #18 Chile
6. Won 3-1 against #25 Argentina
7. Won 3-1 against #24 Brazil 

The success arose from a full team effort. Playing board 4, Jessica Lauser was the most indispensable member since the regulations mandated the participation of one woman each round. Paired against underrated opponents in most rounds, she won twice and stayed true to her aggressive playing style.

Jessica Lauser vs Marija Arsova (1-0)
USA against North Macedonia

Pranav Shankar scored five wins on board 3, with his results mimicking the team outcomes. A fearless warrior, the 13 year old crossed swords daily, delivering a pair of checkmates in under 30 moves to conclude the tournament. Pranav also distinguished himself by defeating an opponent later forfeited for cheating.

Pranav Shankar vs Elias Moyses Sobrinho (1-0)
USA against Brazil

Board 2 Griffin McConnell persevered in spite of challenging foes and medical distress every day, finishing with four wins. The 16 year old became the team magician, twice winning hopeless positions many others would have resigned. Griffin showed his class against North Macedonia, calmly converting a complex middlegame.

Griffin McConnell vs Vladimir Trkaljanov (1-0)
USA against North Macedonia

Your reporter NM 

Michael Aigner manned the top board, scoring three wins and two draws versus the strongest disabled players around the world. While playing chess at six in the morning was brutal, the games proved enjoyable after all. Check out the positional squeeze from the last round against Brazil.

Michael Aigner vs Adriano Albiani Barata (1-0)
USA against Brazil

The critical role of captain NM Lior Lapid must not be understated. He served as chief strategist, openings coach and team psychologist. He directed daily meetings on Zoom to debrief the players and prepare for subsequent matches. Nightly emails confidently prognosticated the team's future triumphs against the odds.

USA Commentary Team
Captain Lior Lapid and alternate Oskar Zoffer 

Neither of the alternates Oskar Zoffer and Nguyen Tran saw action, but their youth (ages 11 and 8) guarantees playing time in the coming years. Oskar seized the unique opportunity to become team mascot, always projecting positive vibes to the combatants. Two words: enthusiasm wins!

Also check out the US Chess website: Team USA Shocks The World

Personal postscript: I was deeply honored by this opportunity to represent the United States and compete against the best disabled chess players in the world. The camaraderie, team spirit and infectious enthusiasm made the experience all the more memorable. Many thanks to US Chess, our captain and my teammates. 

The online format provided for a more inclusive tournament, eliminating concerns involving travel logistics. Frankly, the 36+ hour trip to Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) would be impossible due to my power wheelchair and other serious daily medical limitations. I only hope FIDE sees fit to continue this online event even post pandemic, so people such as myself may participate.

Argentina No Match for Team USA

The late soccer great Diego Maradona also promoted the royal game.

One day after falling against Chile, the Americans crossed the Andes to defeat Argentina, a country mourning the passing of its soccer hero Diego Maradona. First, Pranav Shankar unleashed his inner f-pawn, advancing f5-f4-f3 to checkmate the white monarch on g1. Meanwhile on top board, Michael Aigner resisted playing his favorite pawn until move 43 and instead nursed a positional advantage into an endgame victory. Even the magician on board 2 came through, somehow escaping checkmate to seal a 3-1 result. 

Round 6: #25 Argentina vs #39 USA == 1-3

1. Leonel Amato (2100) vs Michael == 0-1
2. Griffin vs Luis Sanz (2186) == 1-0
3. Valeria Simone (1453) vs Pranav == 0-1
4. Jessica vs Raul Grosso (1746) == 1-0

Team USA improved to a tie for 16th place with 7 match points, clinching a minimum 50% final score despite difficult opposition rated more than 200 points higher in every round.

Valeria Simone vs Pranav Shankar (0-1) 

Leonel Amato vs Michael Aigner (0-1) 

Round 7 tomorrow concludes the swiss stage of this Online Olympiad and four top teams advance to a knockout semifinal. After a tie today, Russia-1 leads with 11 match points while four countries lurk one point behind (Poland-2, Germany, Philippines-1, Ukraine-3) and three more trail by another point (Poland-1, Russia-2, India-1). Since as many as six teams may reach the 11 point plateau, tiebreaks (most game points) become decisive. An interesting quirk is the pairing of the two Polish squads in essentially an elimination match. Stay tuned for some wild scrambling!

Round 7 Pairings:

1. Russia-1 (11) vs Philippines-1 (10)
2. Ukraine-3 (10) vs Germany (10)
3. Poland-1 (9) vs Poland-2 (10)
4. Russia-2 (9) vs India-1 (9)

Standings After Round 6:

• 11 MP = Russia-1
• 10 MP = Poland-2, Germany, Philippines-1, Ukraine-3
• 9 MP = Poland-1, Russia-2, India-1
• 8 MP = Israel, Poland-3, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Philippines-2, Ukraine-1, Croatia
• 7 MP = Romania-1, Canada, India-2, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, Ukraine-2, USA, North Macedonia, Turkey-1
• Total of 58 teams remaining

Team USA concludes its tour of South America with a match against #25 seed Brazil on Friday at 6:00 AM PST. Once again the Americans enter as underdogs, but past success brings cautious optimism. Check out all of the games at Chess24 or FollowChess.

Chile Wins in Round 5

Michael Aigner (left) playing blitz against the late GM Walter Browne.

The two match winning streak by Team USA abruptly ended this morning as Chile dominated the lower boards. An admittedly lucky win against Romania-2 followed by a convincing result versus highly ranked North Macedonia left the Americans feeling optimistic, but Chile iced those aspirations with a 3-1 victory. This reporter, playing on top board, earned his first win of the Olympiad in full Capablanca style, confidently trading into an endgame up a pawn.

Michael Aigner vs Cristian Gonzalez Astete (1-0)

The defeat dropped the USA to an even record and a tie for 25th place, 32nd on tiebreaks.

Round 5: #39 USA vs #18 Chile == 1-3

1. Michael vs Cristian Gonzalez Astete (2130) == 1-0
2. Tomas Figueroa Morales (2093) vs Griffin == 1-0
3. Pranav vs Andres Saul Tapia Loncon (1890) == 0-1
4. Valeska Rozas Lazcano (1435) vs Jessica == 1-0

Russia-1 emerged from the showdown against Germany to move into sole first place with 10 match points. However, the results on tables 2 and 3 surprised many. Poland seized clear second place, but it was Poland-2 which upset India-1 with the lopsided margin of 3.5-0.5. The top rated Poland-1 team, led by 2018 World Champion for the Disabled GM Marcin Tazbir, lost to #3 seed Philippines-1. The Filipinos currently share third place with a quintet of squads, including Germany and two from Ukraine. After round 7, the top four teams (if necessary by tiebreaks) advance to the knockout phase of the championship.

Standings after Round 5: 

• 10 MP = Russia-1
• 9 MP = Poland-2
• 8 MP = Germany, Philippines-1, Israel, Ukraine-1, Ukraine-3, Croatia
• 7 MP = Poland-1, Russia-2, Ecuador, Romania-1, Chile, India-1
• 6 MP = Vietnam, Russia-3, Poland-2, Ukraine-2 and six others
• 5 MP = Canada, Argentina, USA, North Macedonia and six others
• Total of 58 teams remaining

The Americans seek to bounce back against Argentina, yet another higher rated opponent. Each of the first six opposing teams have been ranked in the top half of the field, while Team USA came in seeded 39th out of 60. Games begin on Thursday at 6:00 AM PST and will be broadcast on both Chess24 and FollowChess. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all readers! 

USA Crushes North Macedonia

North Macedonia is the southern part of the former Yugoslavia.

After the dramatic conclusion of Monday's round, the American victory against the highly ranked lineup of North Macedonia was surprisingly anticlimactic. The combination of opening preparation and tactical opportunism resulted in a sweep boards 2-4. Three-time US Blind winner Jessica Lauser had lost her first three games at the Olympiad, but she knocked out her opponent this morning with a flurry of middlegame tactics. 

Jessica Lauser vs Marija Arsova (1-0)

Team USA advanced to 5 match points out of a possible 8 despite being paired up every round, including facing three top 10 countries, and are tied for 15th place.

Round 4: #10 North Macedonia vs #39 USA == 0.5-3.5

• Tode Zafirovsky (2138) vs Michael == 1/2-1/2
• Griffin vs Vladimir Trkaljanov (2096) == 1-0
• Zarko Selkovski (2007) vs Pranav == 0-1
• Jessica vs Marija Arsova (unrated) == 1-0

As the FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities passed the halfway point, Russia-1 and Germany shared the lead with a fourth straight match victory. Top rated Poland-1 rested the tournament's only Grandmaster and only mustered a 2-2 tie against India-1. In the first heavyweight matchup of the week, #4 Israel held #3 Philippines-1 to another 2-2 tie. The underrated team from Vietnam impressed with their third upset victory. 

Standings after Round 4:

• 8 MP = Russia-1 and Germany 
• 7 MP = Poland-1, Poland-2, India-1
• 6 MP = Israel, Philippines-1, Russia-3, Vietnam and five others
• 5 MP = India-3, Ecuador, Russia-2, Chile, USA and three others
• Total of 58 teams remaining

Tomorrow morning, Team USA squares off against #18 seed Chile in a rare pairing of two countries from the Americas. Look for a competitive match despite the rating gap of 350 points between the teams. The first pawn moves on Wednesday at 6:00 AM PST. Check out the games at FollowChess (live) and Chess24.

Miracle at the Chess Board

The magician himself! Please meet Griffin McConnell.
Credit: Turkish Chess Federation

Nobody knows exactly what happened. It was a miracle! After an opening crush by Pranav and a solid draw by Michael, the match was knotted at 1.5. Griffin McConnell carefully nursed an advantage on board 2 when everything went amiss. At first, a peaceful conclusion seemed likely, until black dropped his knight. Alas, white struggled to convert the win, and each spite check brought Griffin closer to a draw. Inexplicably, white returned the favor, abruptly blundering his knight - and the match point. The Americans stole the match! Indeed, a popular chess proverb says nobody ever won by resigning. 

Round 3: #39 USA vs #30 Romania-2 == 2.5-1.5

1. Michael vs Constantin Stroe (1917) == 1/2-1/2
2. Mihai Dima (1997) vs Griffin == 0-1
3. Pranav vs Eugen-Cezar Vieru (1798) == 1-0
4. Maria Lupascu (1480) vs Jessica == 1-0

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win.
Mihai Dima vs Griffin McConnell (0-1)

The tournament field continues to thin out. After three rounds, only six teams remain perfect at 6 match points, all among the top dozen seeds. Poland-1 and Russia-1 annihilated their opponents, scoring an impressive 11.5 and 11.0 game points out of 12. Three additional countries have 5 match points. Other notable results include Philippines-1 beating Russia-2 by 3-1 and the upset by Kyrgyzstan over its northern neighbor Kazakhstan by 3.5-0.5.

Standings after Round 3:

• 6 MP = Poland-1, Russia-1, Germany, Ukraine-1, Croatia, India-1
• 5 MP = Israel, Philippines-1, Poland-2
• 4 MP = 15 teams
• 3 MP = Canada, Russia-2, North Macedonia, USA and seven others
• Total of 58 teams remaining

The new pairing pits Team USA against #10 seed North Macedonia, previously known as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The challenging matchups continue as the Americans face a third team rated in the top 10. Games begin on Tuesday at 6 AM PST. Find the games at Chess24 or FollowChess.