ODT060704

=**Armenia win gold at Olympiad**=


 * Problem:** Black to play and win.

The 2006 chess Olympiad, was held in Turin, Italy in May. With over 1300 players from 146 national federations competing, it was a veritable festival of chess.

The Open gold medal was won convincingly by the 3rd-seeded Armenian team, headed by world number three and rising star, Levon Aronian. After taking the lead midway though the 13-round event, the Armenians looked increasingly sure bets to better their bronze medal of two years ago, with ten match wins, three draws and no losses – the only unbeaten team. Another rising force in world chess, the young Chinese team, secured silver with some big wins making up for four match losses. The USA took the bronze on tie-break from Israel in their best result in recent years. Top-seeded Russia surprisingly finished only 6th, the only time they (or the USSR) have finished lower than 2nd since entering the competition.

The New Zealand men's team, seeded 79th, finished a relatively disappointing 91st (coverage of the women's event next column). After a strong start, including a narrow 2½-1½ loss the USA, only one team member performed above expectation - 16 year old Puchen Wang of Auckland, scoring 6½/9 and earning the FIDE Master title.

Today's game from the 8th round was Wang's best result, a win with White over Costa Rican IM Alex Murillo. media type="custom" key="27069234" By transposition we have a position from a quiet variation of the Caro Kann. Black avoids castling kingside as the pawn structure favours a White attack there. Both sides play to restrict the other's queen's bishop development. Both sides have solved the queen's bishop problem, and now that of the kings. Since neither side is safe to castle, both remain in the centre. Some nice tactics by Black have taken the initiative. He hopes to prove the Black knight is stronger than the White bishop, which is hampered by it own pawns. White wisely keeps both bishops on. An instructive error. With the Black king hemmed in by the bishop on f6, the opening of a file on the queenside is worth far more to White than the a-pawn. Black should have exchanged bishops with 29 ... Bg5 which retains a slight advantage. Or 30 ... Rxc3 31 Rxa7 Rc8 32 Rha1 Rg6 32 Rxb7 and the passed b-pawn will decide. Blacks best defence was still 34 ... Bg5 exchanging to a rook ending a pawn down. But not 34 ... dxc4?? 35 Rd1 mating! Underestimating the strength of the White's 'bad' bishop has been Black's downfall. Even here 37 ... Bg5 gave better defensive chances. Wang's handling of the ending has been exemplary. If here 46 ... Ra8 then 47 Rxa4 Rg8 48 Ra7+ Kc6 49 dxe7 and White brings up the king to win. White now forces a new queen. Black will be mated before his pawn can queen.
 * 1. d4 d5**
 * 2. Nf3 Nf6**
 * 3. e3 c5**
 * 4. c3 cxd4**
 * 5. exd4 Nc6**
 * 6. Bd3 Qc7**
 * 7. h3 h6**
 * 8. Nbd2 g5**
 * 9. Nf1 g4**
 * 10. hxg4 Bxg4**
 * 11. Ne3 e6**
 * 12. Nxg4 Nxg4**
 * 13. Bg5 Rg8**
 * 14. Bh4 Bd6**
 * 15. Qc2 Rb8**
 * 16. a3 Kf8**
 * 17. Kf1 Na5**
 * 18. Qe2 Rc8**
 * 19. Re1 Nc4**
 * 20. Bxc4 Qxc4**
 * 21. Qxc4 Rxc4**
 * 22. Nd2 Rc6**
 * 23. f3 Bf4!**
 * 24. Ke2 Ne5!**
 * 25. Reg1 Bxd2**
 * 26. dxe5! Bf4**
 * 27. Bf6!? Rb6**
 * 28. b4 Ra6**
 * 29. g4 Rxa3?**
 * 30. Ra1 Rxa1**
 * 31. Rxa1 a6**
 * 32. b5 Ke8**
 * 33. bxa6 bxa6**
 * 34. c4!? Kd7?!**
 * 35. cxd5 Ra8**
 * 36. d6 a5**
 * 37. Ra4 Bg3?!**
 * 38. f4 Ra7**
 * 39. Bg7 Kc6**
 * 40. Bxh6 Kb5**
 * 41. Ra3 Bh4**
 * 42. g5 a4**
 * 43. Bf8 Kc6**
 * 44. Be7 Kd7**
 * 45. g6! Bxe7**
 * 46. g7 Bxd6**
 * 47. Rh3! a3**
 * 48. g8=Q a2**
 * 49. Qxf7+ Be7**
 * 50. Rd3+**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 ... Nf3+! winning the queen, since if 2 exf3 Rh2+ 3 Kc1 Qe2 forces mate.