The first FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities kicked off this morning with a brief Opening Ceremony streamed live on YouTube. Highlights included the obligatory rendition of the FIDE anthem and speeches by Chief Arbiter Jirina Prokopova of the Czech Republic and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich of Russia. Replay the video above.
The organizers scheduled a test round after the ceremony to work out any kinks in accessing the Tornelo website or screen sharing on Zoom. Technical difficulties meant a delay of more than an hour. Finally, each participant faced a random opponent from another country. While officially meaningless, Team USA gained momentum with a perfect 5-0 result, including several upsets!
Alas, the first round pairings offer a stark reminder of challenge that lies ahead. The Russians are coming! Ranked in the bottom half, the Americans drew Russia-2, powered by a veteran pair of International Masters. Wish us luck!
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| IM Yuri Meshkov plays board 1. He's a former IBCA (Braille Chess) World Champion and a regular at the Chess Olympiad. Credit: IBCA |
Round 1: #9 Russia-2 vs #39 USA
- IM Yuri Meshkov (2351) vs Michael
- Griffin vs IM Alexey Pakhomov (2315)
- Polina Taranenko (1445) vs Pranav
- Jessica vs Maksim Ermakov (1611)
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