English Chess Forum

and indeed we have rested the player we needed most against Russia again, albeit for a much more positive reason than in 2008.

A certain symmetry to the event: we started against Norway B and finish against Russia B, each team being below strength on account of the forthcoming world championship. A chance to get a close up look at Russia's younger stars, at any event. Our main hope though would seem to be that they just lost their last two matches whereas our players have presumably processed and forgotten the Norway B experience some time ago.

Gawain has won medals for England before, I think - is that right?

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:11 am

and indeed we have rested the player we needed most against Russia again, albeit for a much more positive reason than in 2008.

England's top-performing player (by a distance) is rested so that he can win (or have a chance of winning?) a board medal?

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:41 am

Gawain has won medals for England before, I think - is that right?

2019 World Team Championship he took the silver board medal

Key matches today with the first names hopefully doing Gawain a favour:

GM Dragnev, Valentin 2548 Austria - Denmark GM Bjerre, Jonas Buhl 2569 board 2 with Bjerre white
GM Salgado Lopez, Ivan 2609 Spain - Netherlands GM Van Foreest, Jorden 2701 board 3
GM Lagarde, Maxime 2647 France - Azerbaijan GM Mamedov, Rauf 2673 board 3

Board list

Angus French wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:10 am

Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:11 am

and indeed we have rested the player we needed most against Russia again, albeit for a much more positive reason than in 2008.

England's top-performing player (by a distance) is rested so that he can win (or have a chance of winning?) a board medal?

yes, but I don't mind that. At least not on this occasion. It has been an underwhelming event overall by recent standards however you look at it, and an individual medal is at least a real achievement for someone to take away. Certainly Gawain hardly "owes" the team anything. He has earned us three matchpoints already by winning games which have enabled the team to save or win matches. He might even have won as many games as the rest combined (I haven't counted but it must be close).

Gawain has won 4, the others have won one each

ah well, that can be today's challenge for the others - can someone make it 5!?

At the top: of the four contenders, perhaps only the Azeris come as no surprise.
Iincredible to see France challenging for their first medal ever, and it might be gold - even though it is easy to see how this has suddenly come about.

But maybe even more incredible: Armenia (sans Aronian) and Ukraine (sans karjakin and Ivanchuk) - Korobov somehow seems less impressive as board one. Both also still in the hunt for gold. Hard to imagine such depth...

Trying to drum up some fun here. Come on then - out of the four contenders, is there any that anyone of us would really like to see win the event? (You don't have to say Armenia).

I'm indifferent really but I suppose I would choose Armenia since they don't have Aronian and because their seeding - at 11 - is the lowest of the four. I'd also like to see Firouzja win to go above 2800 and reach number 2 in the live rating list - so maybe that's a wish to see France do well?!... I assume Spain - with a resurgent Shirov - are out of the running because, if they win and the top 4 all draw, their tie-break score won't be good enough.

Bad day at the office for Sargissian

Trying not to sound alarmist at this early stage, but I hope for their sakes that the men's team has been properly expressing sympathy to the women when they have lost 4-0 ...

Adam Bremner's advantage has slipped from plus fives and sixes to plus two and a bit (after Black's 23rd). Meanwhile Lee Davis seemed to be doing pretty well against Hovhannisyan, given Black's ranked 487 points above him, but appears to have just dropped a pawn (White's 28th).

still hard to call France v Azerbaijan

Howell can now equalise with 30...Qa1. Not an obvious spot though.