39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 (11)
An end to Armenia's fine run
IM Malcolm Pein - Thursday 7th October 2010
Armenia finished out of the medals for the first time since 2000. Malcolm Pein looks back at their years of astonishing over-performance.
Aronian playing Kramnik. Photo © | http://www.europe-echecs.com
Armenia drew 2-2 in the last round of the Chess Olympiad and finished in seventh place on tie break. They finished out of the medals for the first time since 2000, an astonishing performance for such a small nation who merit the title of a recent BBC World Service documentary on their chess prowess entitled: 'Armenia, the cleverest nation on Earth'.
Armenian number one Levon Aronian's knight sacrifice is declined thrice, 24.Qg6! forces Black to take and effectively fall on his sword.
L Aronian - Zhao Zong-Yuan
Armenia vs Australia
Catalan Opening
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.d4 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bf4 a5 11.Nc3 Na6 12.Ne5 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Nd5 14.Rad1 c6 15.Bc1 Nab4 16.e4 Nb6 17.Qe2 Nd7 18.Nf3 Re8 19.h4 Qb6 20.Ng5 h6 21.Rh1!!
Zhao Zong-Yuan
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Levon Aronian
Position after 21.Rh1!!
21...Bf8
(21...hxg5 22.hxg5 g6 23.Qf3!! Kg7 24.Rh7+ Kxh7 25.Qxf7+ Kh8 26.Rh1# or (21...hxg5 22.hxg5 g6 23.Qf3!! f5 24.gxf6 Bxf6 25.Rh6 Re7 26.Rxg6+ Bg7 27.Bh6 Nf8 28.Rxg7+ Rxg7 29.Bxg7 Kxg7 30.e5)
22.e5 f5
(22...hxg5 23.hxg5 g6 24.Ne4 Bg7 25.Nf6+ Nxf6 26.gxf6)
23.Qh5 Re7
(23...hxg5 24.hxg5 g6 25.Qh7#)
24.Qg6! hxg5 25.hxg5 c5 26.Nb5 Qc6+ 27.f3 cxd4 28.Qh7+
1-0
Zhao Zong-Yuan
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Levon Aronian
Final position after 28.Qh7+
Armenia have generally got the better of their bitter rivals Azerbaijan but lost at Khanty Mansiysk. How did Gadir Guseinov force the win.
Arman Pashikian
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Gadir Guseinov
White to play and win.
Answer to puzzle: 28.R5e4! 1-0 Guseinov - Pashikian Azerbaijan vs Armenia
