Dresden Olympiad - Round 6
Following the fifth round was the first rest day, and the hot ticket as usual was the Bermuda party! The naughty shenanigans of this now traditional event are legendary; at the last Olympiad things got out of hand, and an infamous incident led to the sending home of an English player. Thankfully this time there are no reports of any similar occurrences, and any hangovers were nursed better during the rest day!
Back to the chess, and joint leaders Russia posted a 3-1 victory against the English team, which 'rested' Mickey Adams after 2 consecutive losses in previous rounds to Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. On top board Kramnik gradually squeezed the life out of Nigel Short until the Englishman blundered into checkmate, and on board 4 Jakovenko overcame the current British champion, Stuart Conquest.
The US team overpowered minnows Hong Kong 4-0 in the fifth round, but faced altogether tougher opposition in the form of Cuba in round six. A thrilling contest saw the US emerge triumphant by a score of 2.5-1.5 thanks to wins by Hikaru Nakamura and Yuri Shulman.
Other heavyweight clashes saw Ukraine and Germany grab a win each to draw 2-2, and a fascinating clash between local rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan ended with the defending champions Armenia emerging victorious by a score of 2.5-1.5 thanks to Vladimir Akopian beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov with the black pieces.
Another local derby match saw Finland surprisingly hold Norway to a 2-2 draw thanks in no small measure to Tomi Nyback (pictured) on top board who beat Magnus Carlsen. Other results among the main contenders were France 3 - Poland 1, India 2.5 - Bosnia & Herze 1.5, and in another derby match-up Romania surprisingly beat Bulgaria 2.5-1.5 despite Topalov winning for the Bulgarians on top board.
Armenia and Russia are the new joint leaders going into round 7, where they will meet in a crucial confrontation.
In the women's event, China maintained their 100% match record by beating Hungary 2.5-1.5 and now have a clear lead in the competition. Serbia also edged out hosts Germany 2.5-1.5 and Russia kept up the chase on China by beating Austria 3-1. The US team crushed Romania 4-0 and their reward is a shot at China in the next round.
