Wednesday 3 August 2016

One month to the Olympiad

Only a month to go the the 2016 Chess Olympiad, and as usual, there is the last minute organisation/panic for teams.
As my services are no longer required by FIDE, I am back with the PNG team, although this time as team captain. Part of the duties is sorting out accommodation, visas (an ever moving feast), and simply making sure everyone turns up. For those interested the team for 2016 is the same as 2014, with Stuart Fancy, Rupert Jones, Helmut Marko, Craig Skehan, and Nigel Marko ready to challenge the world.
Two years ago the team scored 16.5 game points (6 match points), which is about the norm for the team. This year I hope the team does better, but often it depends upon the pairings (our best scores often happen with easier last round pairings). A few of the team have also been getting some last minute practice, including Helmut and Nigel Marko who both had good results in the Waikato Open.
Once the Olympiad starts I hope to bring regular coverage from the 'back of the hall'. While the whole event is pretty hectic, a slightly lighter workload for me should translate into more comprehensive coverage.

3 comments:

Ganesh P said...

Who is the favourite? China? Russia? USA?
Can't be India as Anand never plays.

Anonymous said...

What do you think of the Khanty 2020 bid? Again no opposition so it'll be there, but in comparison to others it looks scanty and down-sized.

Anonymous said...

New Laws of Chess, again?
https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/9786-draft-of-fide-laws-of-chess.html
What loopholes are being fixed (or created) this time?