Daaim Shabazz
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Chess Crackers (September/October 2010)
There are a number of exciting games at the 2010 Chess Olympiad. One of the problems with so many games is that there are often masterpieces or tactical flourishes going unnoticed. Jamaica’s Shane Matthews is known as “The Magician” in his home island and the seven-time national champion showed that…
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2010 Chess Olympiad: Round #5
Top Boards (Open) Armenia 2½-1½ Russia 2 Vietnam ½-3½ Georgia Hungary 2½-1½ Russia 1 Poland 2-2 Netherlands Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-3 Ukraine Azerbaijan 2½-1½ Sweden Czech Republic 4-0 Mexico China 2-2 Slovakia Italy 2-2 Cuba USA 3-1 Argentina Round #5 Analysis: Now at the first rest day the field is…
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Justus Williams makes Master at 12!
U.S. National Master Justus Williams After making strides in the past year to make National Master, Justus Williams has accomplished this feat smashing the age record for African-American master for almost three years! The 12-year old Bronx native has had a spectacular year winning the National K6 Championship and traveling…
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2010 Chess Olympiad: Round #4
Top Boards (Open) Russia 2 3-1 India Hungary 2½-1½ China Armenia 2½-1½ Russia 3 Netherlands 3-1 Spain Russia 1 3-1 USA Explosive day in Khanty Mansiysk today. With top teams jockeying for position before the rest day, there were some questions that needed to be answered. Will Russia 2 continue…
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Awarding of Olympiad Medals
Women’s Grandmaster Yana Melnikova wrote an essay titled, “Carlsen, Topalov? Kramnik?” It dealt with the awarding of Olympiad medals. She endorses the awarding of medals on total performance rating (TPR) and admits that it limits the pool primarily to the top players such as Carlsen, Topalov and Kramnik. This is…
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2010 Chess Olympiad: Round #3
Top Boards (Open) Croatia 2-2 Ukraine Poland 2-2 Bosnia &Herzegovina Mexico 1½-2½ Georgia Peru ½-3½ Russia 2 USA 3-1 Chile Round #3 Analysis: Things are heating up as we enter a pivotal round. In Dresden, top teams started facing each other in round four and this tournament is no exception.…
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2010 Chess Olympiad: Round #2
Top Boards (Open) Ukraine 4-0 Scotland Russia 2 3½-½ Venezuela Mongolia ½-3½ USA Israel 2-2 Indonesia Albania 0-4 Poland Round #2 of 2010 Chess Olympiad in session.Photo by ugra-chess.com Round #2 Analysis: The round brings a bit more parity, but there favorites are still expected to win. However, there were…
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2010 Chess Olympiad: Round #1
Top Boards (Open) Russia 1 3½-½ Ireland Iraq 0-4 Ukraine China 3½-½ Kyrgyzstan IBCA 0-4 Russia 2 Hungary 4-0 Jordan Pregame Analysis: In the days of old it was not uncommon to have matches that were so lopsided, that the exercise seemed pointless. What is also interesting in the first…
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2010 Olympiad: Let the Games Begin!!
The 39th Chess Olympiad officially opened this evening in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia in the Siberian region. The main site carried a videocast and featured what appeared to be a grand opening ceremony with elegant pageantry and splendid choreography. The ceremony was held in a hockey rink and the stands appeared to…
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Adeyemi chats with Drum on Olympiad
Lekan Adeyemi was sitting in the Dubai International Airport when he received a Skype message from The Chess Drum’s Daaim Shabazz. At the time (21:30hrs in Dubai), the Nigerian team was residing in the airport during a 24-hour layover heading for Khanty-Mansiysk. However, his spirits were upbeat. “No problem. The…
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