Ukraine's win over Poland perhaps seals the gold barring a total collapse from Ivanchuk and company. Sergey Karjakin has turned out to be the "quiet killer" as a reserve registering 6½-½ for a 2929 performance rating. Karjakin rocked Bartocsz Socko with a rook sacrifice 29.Rf8xf3! shattering the king's position and leading to a copious loss of material. Krasenkow's win wasn't enough to save Poland who had crept back into contention.

What may be the last chance for Russia's gold medal chances, the defending champions lost for the third timet Georgia. Alexander Grishuk was blasted off the board by Baadur Jobava. In the following position, black is trying to break through on white's weakened kingside until the Georgian launched the missile 23.Ng7! (diagram) The point being… after 23…Rxg7 24.Bxh7! with a winning attack.

In Jobova-Grischuk, white smashed black's king postion with the stunning 23.Nf5-g7! After 23…Rxg7 white threw fuel on the fire with 24.Bxh7! when after 24…f5 25.Qh5 Bh4 26.Bf5+ black resigned.

Armenia-USA traded wins on boards #2 and #4 drawing on the other two boards. In Shabalov-Aronian, black essayed the Marshall Gambit and went on a sacking rampage shattering the king's position. He then chase the white monarch across the board to the queenside in a mating pursuit. After that attempt failed. Aronian ran his kingside passed pawns up the clear path and score the win. Kaidanov balanced the scored when Lputian blundered a piece in a hail of complications.

India-Israel promised to be an interesting match. Gelfand-Anand was drawn after a short stream of tactical play. Sasikiran-Sutovsky was an interesting endgame battle which ended in a theoretical rook ending draw. Avrukh-Harikrishna was another sharp battle that featured the Israeli getting two steamrolling e- and d-pawns  for an exchange. These pawns eventually immobilized both of black's rooks and black's return of the exchange could not avert the loss. Ganguly-Roiz ended in a perpetual check when the Israeli had six seconds left on his clock.

African-Caribbean scores

Aruba 3½-½ Seychelles; Angola 2-2 Bolivia; Barbados 3½-½ San Marino; Bermuda 2-2 Namibia; Japan 3-1 Botswana;  Cuba 4-0 Slovenia; Jamaica 2-2 Jersey;  Monaco 2½-1½ Kenya; Nepal 3-1 Libya; Afghanistan 2½-1½ Mauritius; Mongolia 3-1 Morocco; Iraq 4-0 Nigeria; Macao 2½-1½ British Virgin Islands; Guernsey 2½-1½ Rwanda;   Finland  3½-½ South Africa; Hong Kong 2½-1½ Trinidad & Tobago;  Tunisia 3-1 Guatamala; Uganda 2-2 Cyprus; Netherlands Antilles 3½-½ U.S. Virgin Islands

Report by Dr. Daaim Shabazz, The Chess Drum