The fifth round of the FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities played host to more than a half-dozen upsets. At the team level, Poland 1 has been stopped dead in their tracks; indeed, in the wake of the disastrous crushing at the hands of Philippines 1, the second seed Poland – 2, has eclipsed their comrades as the Polish top team. Also failing to regain their momentum, on the other end of the spectrum, was India 4. The team captain K. Marimuthu, also stalled, ending his upset streak. Yet, as Russia begins to separate itself from the herd down the stretch, there are still hungry competitors on their tail.
Arguably, the most important upset of the fifth round belongs to the anchor player of Poland 2, Emilia Tryjanska (1425), who flagged WIM Anto Jennitha (2001) of India 1. If the Polish upset was dwarfed in importance, it was also second in quality to the beautiful draw between the captain of Ukraine 3, IM Igor Yarmonov (2391), and Van Quan Nguyen (1783) (pictured below), the leader of team Vietnam. Nguyen managed to trap Yarmonov in a perpetual check net, bringing home a crucial half-point against a far stronger team and preventing a 3-1 routing. In a similar set of circumstances, Ana Vuljanic (1581) of Team Croatia held on to a critical draw against expert Andras Paal (2060), contributing a decisive half-point into an overall win over Hungary. Because Paal opted not to gamble and settled for a draw by repetition in an inferior position, Vuljanic might have been robbed of an even bigger upset.
Romania 1 would have whitewashed India 3 if it had not been for a major upset on the fourth board, in which Vivek Watpade (1344) trapped the queen of Ciprian-Iulian Strete (1782) after the Romanian greedily snatched a poisoned pawn on move 21. Although Romania’s top squad was deprived of a full sweep in round five, Russia 2 would not be denied the same. In a critical upset, Polina Taranenko (1445) handily defeated Huseyin Sahin (1788) of Turkey 1.
Huseyin Sahin – Polina Taranenko
With a beautiful finishing move of 39…Nh1+!, Taranenko guaranteed checkmate on move 40.
This spectacular game, which guaranteed Russia’s 4-0 victory over Turkey, may be a candidate for a tournament brilliancy prize.
Perhaps, the greatest upset of the tournament was not, by any means, the most lopsided. In Round 5 Cuba’s status as the rising chess hegemon of South America was challenged by Ecuador. On board 1, IM Pedro Morales (2332) could not manage to earn the victory against Christopher Leonel Garzon Zapatanga (1697) (pictured below), despite a valiant positional exchange sacrifice in a deadlocked position. Cuba’s bad luck only got worse, as, on board 3, master-strength Raul Leonardo Lavigne Lopez (2229) suffered the tournament’s nastiest upset against Andres Nevarez Castro (1250), blowing an easily won position through poor time management.
Round five’s final upset might be the most aesthetically pleasing one. Although rated over 500 points lower than his opponent, Kyrgyzstan’s Toktobek Bolotov (1448) stayed neck-and-neck with expert Gavril Draghici Flutur (2072), of team Spain, throughout a 73 move game. Forcing the game into the deep waters of a queen ending, Bolotov managed to simplify into an equal position with king and three pawns vs king and three pawns and held his higher-rated opponent to a draw. Essentially, Bolotov’s personal achievement is responsible for converting a close match into a decisive victory for team Kyrgyzstan over Spaniard by a score of 3-1.
As we enter the final two rounds of play, the question which looms large over the tournament is whether or not anyone can prevent Russia from, once again, running away with a clear domination of a world championship. Win or lose, join Bear the Chess Husky, right here tomorrow, as we continue to keep a vigilant eye on The Upset Watch!
Standings after Round 5:
1. Russia 1 – 10
2. Poland 2 – 9
3. Germany – 8
4. Philippines 1 – 8
5. Israel – 8
6. Ukraine 1 – 8
7. Ukraine 3 – 8
8. Croatia – 8
9. Poland 1 – 7
10. Russia 2 – 7
11. Ecuador – 7
12. Romania 1 – 7
13. Chile – 7
14. India 1 – 7
15. Vietnam – 6
Text: Arena International Master Sean J. Manross & Bear the Chess Husky
Official website: dis.fide.com
