The third day of the 2022 Chess Olympiad was action packed, both on the board, and around the boards.
On the chessboard, the big news was the 3-1 win by Italy over the 3rd seeded Norwegian team. Draws on the top 2 boards, and wins on the bottom 2 saw Italy keep a perfect record, and relegate Norway down to 30th on tie-break. Another big result was the win by Austria over Germany 2.5-1.5, resulting in another top 10 team (on seedings) drop down the table.
Both Australian teams played well against tough opposition. The open team narrowly lost 1.5-2.5 to Poland, with a win by Temur Kuybokarov the highlight. The Women's team did a little better, drawing 2-2 with Cuba, and now face the USA team in round 4.
The Oceania teams are starting to get on the scoreboard, with Nauru and Fiji scoring wins, while Palau and Guam drawing their matches. PNG went down 1-3 to Mozambique, with Tom McCoy scoring the first victory for the team.
There were a few dramas inside the tournament with one match being halted after a player collapsed at the board. He needed to be taken away for medical treatment, but in a display of good sportsmanship, his opponent agreed to a draw, rather than claim a win on time. Another match was delayed after one team refused to play under the appointed arbiter. This was eventually resolved, but speaking for myself, this was not a good thing.
1 comment:
If FIDE appoint arbiters with allegations hanging over them they have to expect complaints. Betting vetting of arbiters would be the answer, rather than criticizing the team.
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