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.

USA Ties Russia-2 in Round 1

Team USA meeting on Zoom.

What a roller coaster! The first round of the Online Olympiad saw a bit of everything for Team USA: aggressive openings, inexplicable blunders, strong endgame technique and even a flag fall. No doubt Russia-2 expected both International Masters to score a point. While Yuri Meshkov took care of business on board 1, his colleague Alexey Pakhomov got lost in cyberspace and flagged after just 7 moves. The lower boards split too and the teams shared the match points. 

Round 1: #9 Russia-2 vs #39 USA == 2-2

1. IM Yuri Meshkov (2351) vs Michael == 1-0
2. Griffin vs IM Alexey Pakhomov (2315) == 1-0 (time)
3. Polina Taranenko (1445) vs Pranav == 0-1
4. Jessica vs Maksim Ermakov (1611) == 0-1

Board 3 Pranav Shankar had opportunities throughout his game, but technique brought home the point in the endgame. Well done!

Polina Taranenko vs Pranav Shankar (0-1)

Aside from the USA match, the first round followed form with the higher rated country winning 25 of the 30 matches. Lower rated India-4 and Vietnam scored impressive upsets against Venezuela and Romania-2, respectively, while three matches were drawn. In addition to #9 Russia-2, one other top 10 squad drew; #3 seed Philippines-1 could not defeat our neighbors from Canada.

Standings after Round 1:

• 2 MP = 27 teams including 11 of the top 13 rated
• 1 MP = Philippines-1, Russia-2, Canada, USA and two others
• 0 MP = the remaining 27 teams

As reward for splitting the match with the #9 seed, Team USA was paired against the #3 seed Philippines-1 in round 2. Indeed, Canada and USA swapped their opponents. Game time is Sunday at 6:00 AM PST. Follow the action on Chess24.

Meet Team USA

Pranav and Griffin battle at the 2018
World Junior for Players with Disabilities.
Credit: Dora L. Martinez

This article does not introduce the usual suspects named Fabiano, Wesley and Hikaru. While those gentlemen play a mean game of chess, they are not special enough to qualify for this team. The six members of Team USA competing at the FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities drive wheelchairs, wear limb supports, endure surgeries and therapies, perceive the world from one eye, struggle with social interactions and still thrive amidst a laundry list of unique circumstances.

Without further ado, please meet Team USA:

1. NM Michael Aigner from California, 2207 USCF, 2006 FIDE
2. Griffin McConnell (age 16) from Colorado, 2051 USCF, 1823 FIDE 
3. Pranav Shankar (age 13) from New Jersey, 1914 USCF, 1499 FIDE
4. Jessica Lauser from Missouri, 1804 USCF, unrated FIDE
5. Oskar Zoffer (age 11) from Massachusetts, 1680 USCF, unrated FIDE
6. Nguyen Tran (age 8) from Louisiana, 1132 USCF, unrated FIDE

Team captain is NM Lior Lapid from Colorado, 2302 USCF, 2124 FIDE.

Jessica Lauser won the US Blind
Championship the last three years!
Credit: Mike Dudley of Maine Chess

While the top four boards have an average USCF rating of 1994, the tournament uses an average FIDE rating of 1582 by assigning unrated players as 1000. This leaves the Americans seeded 39th out of 61 teams. Winning a medal seems unlikely given the fierce competition, but this young team aspires to surprise opponents and improve on its initial ranking. 

Stay tuned for updates. The first round begins on Saturday at 6:00 AM Pacific time. All games should be broadcast on Chess24. Go U-S-A!