Israel beat the Netherlands in the final round to finish second while the U.S. led by the former Soviet prodigy Gata Kamsky routed superpower Ukraine — which beat Russia and Israel — to get the bronze. Ukraine fell to fourth. The rest of the top 10 were Russia, Azerbaijan, China, Hungary, Vietnam and Spain.
Vietnam is Asia’s new chess power. The continent’s former chess trail blazer, the Philippines, finished 46th. GM Buenaventura Villayamor fared badly on board 1, losing 4 and drawing 4, but the new Filipino star, teen whiz Wesley So won 4 and drew 6 on board 2. GM Jayson Gonzales won 3, lost 3 and drew 1 on board 3, while IM John Paul Gomez notched 5 wins, 1 loss and 5 draws for a not-so bad performance on board 4. The reserve player, GM Darwin Laylo, had a hard time in Dresden — 2 wins, 3 losses and 3 draws. According to the team’s non-playing captain, Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre, they didn’t get the breaks in the pairings, but he’s still satisfied with their performance. The team finished 44th in the last Olympiad two years ago.
In the women’s division Georgia won its final five matches to win the gold medal. Heavily favored China started 6-0 but finished with three ties and two losses. The U.S. team of ex-Soviet players upset top seed Russia and took third place.
The men’s board gold medals went to GM Peter Leko of Hungary on board 1; GM Vladimir Akopian of Armenia, board 2; GM Gabriel Sargissian of Armenia, board 3; GM Dragisa Blagojevic of Montenegro, board 4; and GM Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia, board 5 or the reserve player.
Game of the week. Ex-FIDE world champ Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, which finished 14th, was smokin’ hot in Dresden, racking up 6 wins and 1 draw before losing to Spain’s Alexei Shirov in the penultimate round.
Here is the Bulgarian Tal in a game annotated by IM Jack Peters.
GM Emanuel Berg (2623, Sweden)
GM Veselin Topalov (2791, Bulgaria)
38th Olympiad, Dresden 2008
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 a6 The Kan or Paulsen variation of the Sicilian Defense. 5 Bd3 Bc5 6 Nb3 Ba7 7 Nc3 Nc6 8 Qg4 Also good are 8 0-0 and 8 Bf4. Nf6 9 Qg3 Not 9 Qxg7? Rg8 10 Qh6 Bxf2+ 11 Kxf2?? Ng4+. d6 10 0-0 Ne5 11 Be2 0-0 12 Bf4 White has the edge against the world’s highest-rated player. Bb8 13 Rad1 Qe7 14 Be3 b5 15 f4 Nc4 16 Bxc4 bxc4 17 Nd2 Bb7 18 e5 Aggressive, but 18 Qh4, intending Rf1-f3-h3, gives Black more trouble. dxe5 19 fxe5 Nd5 20 Bg5? Tempting, but inadequate. Similarly, 20 Bh6? is rebuffed by 20…f6 21 Nxc4 Kh8 22 Bd2 Qc5+ 23 Ne3 Bxe5. White should settle for equality with 20 Bd4. Qc5+ 21 Kh1 f5! Expecting 22 Nxd5 Bxd5, when Black controls the center. 22 Nde4!? Imaginatively trying to maintain the initiative. fxe4 23 Nxe4 Rxf1+ 24 Rxf1 Qc7 25 Qg4?? Unsound. After 25 Nd6 Ba7! (to parry 26 Rf7? by 26…Rf8!) 26 Nf7!, the threat of 27 Nh6+ forces 26…Qxf7 27 Rxf7 Kxf7 28 Qf3+! Kg8 29 Qg4 Re8 30 Bf6 g6 31 Qxc4. The active Queen seems nearly as valuable as Black’s mass of pieces. Qxe5 At last, Black’s Bishops work. 26 Qh5 h6 27 Qf7+ White has nothing after 27 Ng3 Bc7! 28 Qf7+ Kh7. Winning the Queen by 29 Bxh6 Kxh6 30 Rf5 Qxf5 31 Nxf5+ exf5 costs far too much material. Kh7 28 Rf4 Black refutes 28 Bf4 Qxe4 29 Qxb7 by 29…Qe2! 30 Rg1 Nxf4 31 Qxa8 Nh3!, with an unstoppable attack. Nxf4 29 Nf6+ Qxf6 30 Bxf6 Again White has won the Queen. However, Topalov’s next punch is a knockout. Bxg2+ 31 Kg1 Ba7+, White Resigns.
Puzzler.
White — pawns on a2, c3, f3; Ba6, Ra7, Ne4, Kg3
Black — pawn on c6, Ke3
White to play and mate in four moves.
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