Russia, the United States (US) and Azerbaijan dominated their respective top division groups in the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad on the chess24.com server to advance to the playoff stage of the international event.
Russia topped Top Division C by blowing away all opposing teams while Azerbaijan and US clinched Top Divisions B and D respectively on tiebreaks.
The runners-up to these three national teams also earned tickets to the play-off stage. Thus, Bulgaria (C), Hungary (B) and Greece (D) also advanced.
Top Division A matches were still ongoing as of this writing, with China and India leading the way.
With three rounds to go, China leads India by one match point and Germany by three match points.
Only the top two finishers in each division qualify to the next stage.
Ding, L (2791)-Maghsoodloo, P (2676) [A34]
chess.com (3.1) 2020
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 e6 6.Bc4 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.d4 cxd4 9.exd4 0-0 10.Re1 a6 11.Bb3 Bf6 12.Ne4 Be7 13.Qd3 Ndb4 14.Qd2 b5 15.a3 Na5 16.Bd1 Nc4 17.Qc3 Nd5 18.Qd3 Ra7 19.Bc2 g6 20.h4 Rc7 21.h5 Re8 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.Nfg5 f5 24.Qg3 Bf8 25.Nc5 e5 26.Nf3 e4 27.b3 exf3 28.Qxg6+ Rg7 29.Rxe8 Rxg6 30.Rxd8 Nd6 31.g3 Kf7 32.Bd2 Be7 33.Rxc8 Nxc8 34.Bxf5 Rc6 35.Be4 Ncb6 36.Bxf3 Bf6 37.Rc1 Bxd4 38.Nxa6 Rf6 39.Kg2 Rd6 40.Nb4 Ne7 41.Bf4 Rd7 42.Rc7 Bb2 43.Rxd7 Nxd7 44.a4 bxa4 45.bxa4 Nc5 46.a5 Bc3 47.a6 Nc8 48.Bb7 1-0
Mamedyarov, S (2764)-Giri, A (2764) [B22]
chess.com (1.1) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 d6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb3 dxe5 9.d5 Na5 10.Nc3 Nxb3 11.Qxb3 e6 12.Nxe5 exd5 13.Be3 Bd6 14.Qb5+ Kf8 15.f4 Be6 16.0-0 Kg8 17.Rad1 h5 18.Kh1 h4 19.h3 Rh5 20.Qe2 Rf5 21.Nf3 Nc4 22.Bc1 Bxf4 23.b3 Nd6 24.Bxf4 Rxf4 25.Nxd5 Bxd5 26.Rxd5 Qf6 27.Re5 Nf5 28.Kh2 Nd4 29.Qe3 g6 30.Re4 Nxf3+ 31.Rxf3 Rxf3 32.Qxf3 Qxf3 33.gxf3 Rd8 34.Rxh4 Rd2+ 35.Kg3 Rxa2 36.Rd4 Rb2 37.b4 Kg7 38.h4 Kf6 39.f4 Kf5 40.Rd5+ Ke6 41.Re5+ Kd6 42.b5 f6 43.Re8 Rxb5 44.Rg8 Ke6 45.Rxg6 Kf7 46.Rg4 a5 47.Kf3 a4 48.Rg1 a3 49.Ra1 Rb3+ 50.Ke4 b5 0-1
Nepomniachtchi, I (2784)-Amin, B (2686) [C84]
chess.com (7.1) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 d6 7.c3 0-0 8.Re1 Re8 9.Nbd2 Bf8 10.Nf1 b5 11.Bb3 Na5 12.Bc2 c5 13.d4 exd4 14.cxd4 Bg4 15.d5 Bxf3 16.gxf3 g6 17.b3 Bg7 18.Rb1 Rc8 19.Ng3 b4 20.Bd3 Qb6 21.Be3 Qb7 22.Qe2 Ra8 23.f4 Qc8 24.f5 Nd7 25.f4 Bc3 26.Rf1 c4 27.bxc4 Nc5 28.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 29.Kh1 Rac8 30.fxg6 fxg6 31.f5 Qd4 32.fxg6 hxg6 33.Qg4 Qg7 34.e5 Bxe5 35.Bxg6 Bxg3 36.Rf7 Qh6 37.Qxg3 Re3 38.Qg2 Nxc4 39.Rh7 Qxh7 40.Bxh7+ Kxh7 41.Rg1 1-0
So, Wesley (2770)-Vocaturo, D (2617) [B04]
chess.com (3.1) 2020
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Ng5 e6 8.Qf3 Qe7 9.Ne4 dxe5 10.Bg5 Qb4+ 11.c3 Qa5 12.Bf6 0-0 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Qf6+ Kg8 15.Qxe5 Qxe5 16.dxe5 N8d7 17.f4 a5 18.Nbd2 a4 19.Bc2 Nd5 20.g3 b5 21.Kf2 Bb7 22.Rhe1 Ra6 23.Rad1 f6 24.exf6 e5 25.fxe5 Nxe5 26.Nc5 Ng4+ 27.Kg1 Nde3 28.Nxa6 Nxc2 29.Re6 Bc8 30.Rc6 Bb7 31.Rxc7 Bxa6 32.Ne4 Bc8 33.h3 Nge3 34.Rd2 Bxh3 35.Ng5 Rxf6 36.Rd8+ Rf8 37.Rxf8+ Kxf8 38.Nxh3 Nc4 39.Rxh7 Nxb2 40.Nf4 b4 41.cxb4 Nxb4 42.Rb7 N2d3 43.a3 Nxf4 44.Rxb4 Ne2+ 45.Kg2 Nc3 46.Rc4 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qa3! Black’s futile options are: 1…Rf6 2.Bxd6#; 1…Ke6 2.Qxd6#; 1…Bb4, Rxa3 2.Bc3#; 1…Bb6+/c7/d8, Rb4 2.Bd4#./PN
