There wasn't much suspense over the gold medal in the final round. Two and a half points clear going into the round they obviously came to an agreement with Hungary to halve the match as all the games were over very quickly (something well within the rules and history, I'm not keen on it).
This left the minor medals to be decided. China were in second place going into the round half a point clear of Russia. China secured second place with a 2.5-1.5 win over the Netherlands. Bu Xiangzhi drew against Ivan Sokolov, Zhang Pengxiang lost to Sergey Tiviakov in the final game to finish. Wang Yue beat Loek Van Wely and Ni Hua beat Friso Nijboer.
Wang Yue (2598) - Van Wely,L (2655) [E20]
37th Olympiad Turin ITA (13), 04.06.2006
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3 Ne4 6.Qd3 d5 7.Bg2 Qa5 8.Bd2 [8.0-0 Bxc3 9.cxd5 exd5 10.bxc3 c4 11.Qc2 Qxc3 12.Qxc3 Nxc3 13.Bb2 Na4 14.Ba3 Nc6 15.e4 dxe4 16.Nd2 Be6 17.Nxe4 0-0-0 18.Nd6+ Rxd6 19.Bxd6 Nxd4 20.Rfd1 Nc3 21.Rd2 Rd8 22.Bf4 Nce2+ 23.Kf1 c3 24.Rxe2 Bc4 25.Bh3+ f5 26.Bxf5+ Nxf5 27.Ke1 Nd4 0-1 Jagodzinski,A (2181)-Smailovic,O/Bethune FRA 2002/The Week in Chess 426] 8...0-0 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Qxe4 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Black has given a pawn up for play. 11...Rd8 12.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 13.Qc3 Qxc3+ 14.bxc3 Kf8 15.Nd2 Rd7 16.0-0-0 Rc7 17.Nb3 Ke7 [17...Rxc4 18.Rd8+ Ke7 19.Rg8 g6 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.Bxb7] 18.c5 White uses his extra pawn to cramp black. 18...Bd7 19.Rd4 Bc6 20.Bxc6 Nxc6 21.Rh4 h6 22.Rd1 Rac8 23.Ra4 a6 24.Kb2 Rd8 25.Rxd8 Kxd8 26.h4 h5 27.g4 hxg4 28.Rxg4 g6 29.h5 gxh5 30.Rh4 Ke7 31.Rxh5 Rc8 32.Kc2 Rg8 33.f3 Rg1 34.Nd4 Ra1 35.Nxc6+ bxc6 36.Kb3 Rb1+ 37.Ka3 Re1 38.Re5 f6 39.Re3 e5 40.Kb4 Ke6 41.c4 f5 42.f4 e4 43.Ka5 Kd7 44.Kxa6 White sneaks a pawn off and probably is in the long term winning. 44...Ra1 45.Ra3 Kc7 46.Ka5 Re1 47.e3 Re2 48.Kb4 Kb7 49.Rb3 Ka7 [49...Rxa2 50.Kc3+ Kc7 51.Kd4 Rd2+ 52.Ke5 Rd3 53.Rb4 Rxe3 54.Kxf5 Re1] 50.a3 Ka6 51.Ka4 Ka7 52.Ka5 Re1 53.a4
After this little manoever white is definitely winning. 53...Re2 54.Rb6 Rxe3 55.Rxc6 Rc3 56.Rf6 e3 57.Rf7+ Kb8 58.Kb4 Rc1 59.Re7 Rb1+ 60.Ka5 Rb3 61.c6 Kc8 62.Ka6 Rb4 63.a5 Rxc4 64.Rxe3 Rxf4 65.Kb5 Rf1 66.Re8+ Kc7 67.Re7+ Kb8 68.a6 Rb1+ 69.Kc5 Rc1+ 70.Kd6 Rd1+ 71.Ke6 Re1+ 72.Kd7 Rd1+ 73.Ke8 Rb1 74.Rb7+ Rxb7 75.axb7 1-0
Russia's ill starred campaign ended with them falling out of the medal positions with a complete fiasco against Israel. Outrating their opponents on every board they contrived to lose 3-1 with boards three and four being the heros for Israel, outrated by 100 and 130 rating points they scored 2/2. Peter Svidler held a draw against Boris Gelfand with black and Emil Sutovsky held Alexander Grischuk. Meanwhile Victor Mikhalevski defeated Evgeny Bareev on bottom board and finally Boris Avrukh beat Alexander Grischuk.
From the look of the two losses the Russian team were ordered to play for wins at all costs.
Morozevich,A (2730) - Avrukh,B (2633) [B66]
37th Olympiad Turin ITA (13), 04.06.2006
[Crowther,Mark]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.0-0-0 d5 [9...Qa5 10.Bc4 Bb7 11.Rhe1 Nd7 12.f4 Qb4 13.Qe2 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.fxg5 Be7 16.a3 Qa5 17.Bg3 Qxg5+ 18.Kb1 Ne5 19.Bb3 0-0 20.Qf1 Rad8 21.Bf4 Qf6 22.Re3 Kg7 23.Ne2 Rh8 24.Rg3+ Kf8 25.Bxe5 Qxe5 26.Rf3 Rh7 27.Nf4 Kg8 28.Rg3+ Rg7 29.Rxg7+ Kxg7 30.Qf3 Rf8 31.Qg4+ Kh8 32.Rf1 Qxe4 33.Qh5 Kh7 34.Qa5 Bd8 35.Qh5 Qf5 36.Qd1 d5 37.Nxd5 Qe5 38.Nf4 Bf6 39.Nd3 Qg5 40.Qf3 Bg7 41.Qe4+ Kh8 42.Bc4 Qe7 43.Qe3 Qd6 44.Rf4 Bc8 45.g4 f6 46.h3 e5 47.Rf1 1/2-1/2 Sarbok,T (2285)-Bu Xiangzhi (2565)/Reykjavik ISL 2000] 10.e5 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 Nd7 13.h4 g4 14.Qe2 Rg8 15.Qd3 Rb8 16.Qh7 Rg7 17.Qh8 Very risky but the alternative doesn't give many winning chances either. [17.Qxh6 Qa5 18.Qf4 Bb4] 17...Qa5 18.Rd3 d4 19.Rxd4 Rxb2! Not winning but a necessary sacrifice to open up white's king. 20.Kd2 [20.Kxb2 Rh7 21.Qg8 (21.Qxf8+ Kxf8 is probabaly better for black.) 21...Rg7 with a draw!] 20...Nb6
21.Bd3? [21.Rd8+ Kxd8 22.Qxf8+ Kc7 23.Qxg7 loses (23.Qd6+ Kb7 24.Qe7+) 23...Nd5; 21.Kd3!? Looks crazy but maybe its just necessary to break the pin on the knight. 21...Nd5 22.Ne4] 21...Nd5 Black is already winning. 22.Rc4 Bb7? Things are back level. [22...Rb4!] 23.Re1 [23.Bf4!?] 23...Rb4 24.Ree4 c5 25.a3 Rxc4 26.Rxc4 Nb6 27.Rf4? Should lose out of hand. [27.Bf4!] 27...Nd5? Back level again! [27...Bd5! 28.Qxh6 c4 29.Be4 Na4] 28.Rc4 Nb6 29.Rf4 c4 [29...Bd5] 30.Rxc4 Nxc4+ 31.Bxc4 Be4 32.Qxh6? [32.Bxa6] 32...Rh7 33.Qe3 Bh6 34.Bf4 Bxf4 35.Qxf4 Bg6 36.g3 Rh5 37.Qxg4 Rxe5 38.Qd4 Rc5 39.f4 Ke7 40.g4 Rc6 41.Bd3 Bxd3 42.cxd3 Rc7 43.g5 [43.Qb4+ Qxb4 44.axb4 Rb7 45.g5 Rxb4 46.Ke3 a5 47.h5 a4] 43...Qxa3 44.Qf6+ [44.Ne2] 44...Ke8 45.Qh8+ Kd7 46.Ne2 Qb4+ 47.Ke3 Rc2 48.Qh5? Finally the losing move. [48.Kf3] 48...Qd2+ 49.Kd4 Ke7 50.Qf3 Qxe2 51.Qb7+ Kf8 0-1
Mikhalevski,V (2566) - Bareev,E (2701) [D17]
37th Olympiad Turin ITA (13), 04.06.2006
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.Qd2 g6 [8...Bg6 9.Qf4 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 Nd5 11.Bg3 h5 12.f3 N7b6 13.Ne5 Bh7 14.a5 Nb4 15.Rc1 Nd7 16.e4 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 f6 18.Bf4 Rd8 19.Be3 Bg8 20.Be2 Bb3 21.Kf2 e6 22.a6 b6 23.Nb1 e5 24.dxe5 fxe5 25.Nd2 Bc2 26.Nc4 Bd6 27.Nxd6+ Rxd6 28.Ra1 Kf7 29.h4 Bd3 30.Ra4 c5 31.Rc1 Bxe2 32.Kxe2 Rhd8 33.Ra3 R8d7 34.g3 Rg6 35.Bg5 Rgd6 36.Be3 Rg6 37.Bg5 Rgd6 38.Be3 Rg6 1/2-1/2 Cramling,P (2520)-Hamelink,D (2198)/Birmingham ENG 2006/The Week in Chess 600] 9.f3 e5 10.e4 exd4 11.Ne2 Be6 12.Nxd4 Bxc4 13.Bxc4 Ne5 14.Be2 0-0-0 15.Qc3 Bg7 16.Be3 Neg4?! Black has equalised but there is evidence of trying a little too hard to win with this move. 17.fxg4 Nxe4 18.Qc4 Rhe8 19.0-0-0?! Black is now better. [19.Ra3] 19...Qe5 20.Rd3
20...Qc5? Completely bonkers. [20...Nc5 and black is playing for a win.] 21.Nc2! Effectively game over. 21...Qe5 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.Qb3 Nd2 24.Bxd2 Qxe2 25.Bg5 Rd3 26.Qb4 Qxg2 [26...Qe6 Doesn't really help but the text loses the house.] 27.Re1 b6 28.Re8+ Kb7 29.Qe7+ Ka6 30.Nb4+ 1-0
Normally this excellent result would have given Israel a well deserved Bronze medal but an almost as crazy results occurred in the match USA - Norway where the US triumphed 3.5-0.5 and squeeked the bronze medal on tie-break.
Magnus Carlsen had a terrific Olympiad and he comfortably held Gata Kamsky with black but wins for Alexander Onischuk over Simen Agdestein, Hikaru Nakamura over Leif Erlend Johannessen and Varuzhan Akobian over A Lie Kjetil took the Americans to an unlikely medal.
After winning as the Soviet Union and Russia all the Olympiads between 1952 and 2002 apart from 1976 (which they boycotted) and 1978 (which they lost out to Hungary) the Russian team have now failed to capture two Olympiads in a row. They were clearly strongest team but lost an unprecedented four matches including a disastrous 3-1 route in the final round against the Ukraine that put them out of the medals for the first time since the war. Mind you it could be said that India had an even worse time of it. Second seeds they finished in 30th place. The completely deserved winners were Armenia. They were third seeds but with two heavy hitters in Levon Aronian and Vladimir Akopian (who had an especially good Olympiad) in addition to the over achieving Gabriel Sargissian they were always going to be formidable. They'd been bronze medal winners in the last two events (from 9th seeds in 2002 and 4th in 2004) and proved themselves to be keen competitors. This time they had a rising star in Levon Aronian on top board who is currently three in the world and still improving.
In second place were 12th seeds China. They were clearly the benificiaries of other teams failings. They lack the stars but were a fighting side whose consistant results left them with the silver in the end by a point which is actually quite a lot.
The USA were defeated in the penultimate round by Israel but their reward was Norway who they defeated 3.5-0.5 (the half came from one of the stars of the whole Olympiad Magnus Carlsen) to get their revenge on Israel by pipping them for Bronze on tie-break. Israel themselves couldn't have had much hope at the start of the round as they faced Russia, but they won clearly 3-1 and must be bitterly disappointed to have been caught.
4th seeds Ukraine (without Ruslan Ponomariov but still strong) and 5th Seeds France finished 8th and 7th respectively which considering the travails of the top seeds may be seen as an opportunity missed.
The Olympiad is such a big and sprawling event that individual performances can be lost. There were however four very significant performances over 2800. Vladimir Kramnik returned to chess for the first time in 2006 after treatment for his illness (some sort of crippling arthritic complaint). He did so with the top rating performance in the Olympiad 6.5/9 at 2847. This is good news for chess as the treatment seems to have reversed at least 18 month of decline for him just in time for Dortmund and his title match against Topalov. Wang Yue scored 10/12 (2837) and over 1/3rd of the points China accumulated on their way to their silver medal. Etienne Bacrot has struggled recently but his 6/8 for France at 2833 will be welcome for him. Finally all eyes were on Magnus Carlsen in his second Olympiad on top board for Norway (just checked this couldn't believe he was top board last time also!). His 6/8 as a fifteen year old at 2820 simply confirms his quality. Ironically Sergey Karjakin who is only a few months older than Carlsen and there is a strong suspicion that they'll be rivals at the top of the game for years had the fifth best performance at 2798.