Day 3 of the Chess Olympiad saw a number of strong teams come together. Australia faced Ukraine in a match that saw Ivanchuk and (super) Ponomariov turn out. After a tough match Ukraine won 2.5-1.5, although GM Bobby Cheng scored a memorable win over Ivanchuk. At the very top most of the favoured teams on, although Italy beating The Netherlands 3-1 was definitely an upset.
PNG scored their first win of the tournament, beating Guernsey 2.5-1.5. Stuart Fancy and Tom McCoy won on boards 1 and 2, while Terry Stuart scored his first Olympiad draw, having his higher rated opponent under pressure for most of the game. Guam and Fiji also won their round 3 matches, Palau drew and Vanuatu lost against a tough Tunisia.
The other exciting incident (apart from the PNG win) involved Magnus Carlsen almost being defaulted after deciding to ride to the venue. Due to heavy rain, and an unfamiliarity with the venue, he missed the start time and only made it to the board after the round had started, but before the default time. After this, he may reconsider his travel plans.
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