39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 (8)
Ukraine hold Russia to maintain the lead
IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 1st October 2010
Ukraine maintained their one point lead with a win against Russia. Malcolm Pein also looks at the result of the FIDE elections.
Kramnik against Ivanchuk. Photo © Albran. | http://www.chess.co.uk/twic
Another farcical FIDE election ended with the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov being elected for a further four-year term after defeating the challenger Anatoly Karpov. The count was 95-55 to Ilyumzhinov, but there were prolonged protests from the Karpov camp in an acrimonious meeting during which Garry Kasparov was particularly vocal.
Ilyumzhinov appears to have used the favourite tactic of his predecessor, the late Florencio Campomanes. 'Campo's proxies', often from tiny countries with very few players, always ensured he won the votes he needed to. This time there were no less than 56 proxies which would suggest that only 94 delegates were present. There were even two delegates from Peru, both claiming to be the rightful voter. The one supporting Karpov had the right documentation but I gather, he was not the one who voted.
So FIDE has re-elected a man with an abysmal record, who claims aliens came to Earth and brought us all chess and what's more, he has travelled in their spaceship. It's clear that after 15 years in charge Ilyuzmhinov has organised an inbuilt majority and the game's body is thus institutionally unfit for purpose. The fact that Karpov received only one more vote than Bessel Kok in 2006 is particularly depressing.
At the Olympiad, Ukraine held off the challenge of Russia in the eighth round and retain a one point lead. Vassily Ivanchuk drew with Vladimir Krmanik.
Leaders
1 Ukraine 14/16
2-7 Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Armenia, France 13;
8-11 China, USA, Cuba, Israel 12;
24 England 11/16; 100 Scotland 7/16; 101 Wales 7/16. Three rounds remain.
Another huge upset as the former world one, now ranked two, allows a tactical shot in what was a complex but approximately level position.
M Bluvshtein - V Topalov
Canada - Bulgaria
King's Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.h3 Na6 7.Bg5 c6 8.Be2 e5 9.d5 h6 10.Be3 Nh5 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.Qd2 Nf4 13.0-0 f5 14.Bxf4 exf4 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Rad1 Rb8 17.Nd4 Bd7 18.Bf3 Qb6 19.Nb3 Be5 20.Ne4 Rbd8 21.Qe2 c5 22.Rd2 Rfe8 23.Rfd1 Bf5?
Veselin Topalov
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Mark Bluvshtein
Position after 23...Bf5?
24.Nxd6! Bxd6 25.Rxd6 Rxe2
(25...Rxd6 26.Qxe8+)
26.Rxd8+ Kf7 27.Bxe2 Ke7 28.Bg4 Bxg4 29.hxg4 Qxd8 30.Rxd8 Kxd8 31.Kf1 Ke7 32.Ke2 Kd6 33.a3 Nb8 34.Kf3 Ke5
(34...g5 35.Ke4 and Kf5-g6 etc)
35.Nxc5 g5 36.Nb3 Nd7 37.Ke2 Kd6 38.f3 Ne5 39.Na5 Kc5 40.b4+ Kd4 41.c5 Kd5 42.Kd2 1-0
The decisive game in the France vs Spain match.
LD Alsina - S Feller
Spain - France
Ruy Lopez Berlin
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.dxe5 Nxb5 7.a4 Nbd4 8.Nxd4 d5 9.Nc3 Be7 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Be3 0-0 12.a5 Bf5 13.Na4 f6 14.f4 Qe8 15.Qd2 Qg6 16.c3 fxe5 17.fxe5 Rad8 18.Bxa7 d4! 19.cxd4 Bg5 20.Qe1 Bd3 21.Rxf8+ Rxf8 22.Bc5 Be4 23.Qg3 Be3+! 24.Kh1
(24.Qxe3 Qxg2#)
24...Rf2 25.Qxg6 hxg6 26.d5
(26.Rg1 Bxg2+ 27.Rxg2 Rf1+ 28.Rg1 Rxg1#)
26...Rxg2! 0-1
