Tromso Follies

I love chess olympiads.  The great players, the pageantry, the drama, and, most of all, the unrelenting weirdness of the lower boards.  What do I mean by that?  Well, because the event is open to all countries, a wildly eclectic mix of professional, amateur, and beginner level players all play one another and the results of these unlikely matchups are often fascinating.  

To demonstrate what I mean, I'll pick as obscure a pairing as could be imagined: Scotland vs. Zimbabwe, round four.

OK, I suppose it should be mentioned before we go any further that both Scotland and Zimbabwe sport quite respectable chess teams and especially in proportion to their general chess-playing population.  That said, both teams were already relegated to playing for pride by round four and it it's unlikely anyone in this universe or any other would have found it strange had International Master Mandizha Farai, Zimbabwe's first board, decided to play something solid against his Grandmaster opponent, Colin McNab.  Instead, however, Mandizha tries everything imaginable to provoke his veteran opponent into a wild tactical melee... 

A truly epic game.  However, if you'd prefer briefer oddities, here's a few of of the more memorable miniature mishaps so far...

P.S. -> For those having difficulty believing this last game actually occured, there's photographic evidence...