46th Olympiad: USA Perfect After Round 4

Team USA suffered its first defeated in the Open today, losing 1½–2½ to Germany when GM Frederik Svane defeated GM Hans Niemann on Board 3 and GM Wesley So was unable to crack GM Matthias Bluebaum's fortress on Board 2.

In the Women's event, USA also conceded its first point of the event but managed to hold onto a 2–2 tie against Uzbekistan when IM Alice Lee defeated former teammate IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova on Board 2 to neutralize IM Carissa Yip's loss against WGM Afruza Khamdamova on the top board.

Today's report covers rounds three and four, featuring excellent and instructive analysis from FM Andy Lee. Tuesday's report will focus on rounds five and six with analysis by IM Jason Liang.

Open

Wesley So (L) and Fabiano Caruana before Round 3. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Team USA won 2½–1½ against Denmark on Friday to improve to a 6/6 score. Wins by GMs Wesley So and Hans Niemann on the middle boards, along with a draw by GM Fabiano Caruana on the top board, clinched the match despite GM Awonder Liang’s second consecutive loss.

In Round 4, Team USA had a tough pairing against Ukraine in a repeat of the fourth round of the 2024 Olympiad. In Budapest, Ukraine scored the upset with a 2½–1½ victory after losses to USA in 2008 and 2016.

Hans Niemann (center) discusses match strategy with Caruana and So before the Round 4 match against Ukraine. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

In Samarkand, USA won in dominant fashion 3½–½. On Board 3, Niemann drew a relatively tame game as White while Aronian looked to be in trouble against GM Roman Dehtiarov on Board 4 and Caruana was still mostly level against GM Vasyl Ivanchuk on the top board.

Wesley So with captain John Donaldson before Round 4. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

So’s win as Black against GM Anton Korobov, however, showed just how dangerous he can be on either side of an open game, setting the tone for the match.

Aronian then displayed his characteristic resilience and creativity, first by creating drawing chances then, after giving up his queen, by playing for a win!

The top board was the final game to finish and, after an errant check shortly after the time control, Ivanchuk was suddenly in trouble, too.

Caruana survived a sound piece sac from Vasyl Ivanchuk to win on Board 1. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

In Round 3, England and Croatia became the first top-20 teams to concede a match point. Lithuania held England to a tie thanks to GM Paulius Pultinevicius’s win over GM Gawain Maroroa Jones on Board 2, while FM Dmitrii Gubin provided Moldova with the equalizer against GM Marin Mosiocic after GMs Jegor Lashkin and Ivan Schitco held serve against higher-rated foes on the top boards.

semion-sapocinic-watches-moldovan-teammates-c-rafal-oleksiewicz

Semion Sapocinic watches his Moldovan teammates. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

In Round 4, Uzbekistan – Turkiye and Germany – Poland were the tensest matches between top teams. Each match finished 2½–1½ with three draws. Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Yakubboev and Germany’s GM Alexander Donchenko clinched their team’s respective matches.

Svane Donchenko — Left: Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Yakubboev helped his team survive a tough test on Saturday. Right: Rasmus Svane and Alexander Donchenko led Germany to victory to set up a key showdown against the U.S. in Round 5. (Photos courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

While Yakubboev was winning out of the opening, GM Jakub Kosakowski still had drawing chances at the start of the second time control.

Uzbekistan and India remain the teams to beat. GM Javokhir Sindarov has retained his great form from the FIDE World Cup and Candidates, demonstrating his mature-beyond-his-years style once more:

Uzbekistan's duo of Nodirbek Abdusattorov (L) and Javokhir Sindarov is as dangerous as any pair of players in the world. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

Despite GM Arjun Erigaisi's loss in Round 1, India has also displayed excellent form. Yesterday, Arjun also appeared to be returning to form as he castled his way to victory.

Arjun Erigaisi (L) showed strong form in his win against Spain's Maxim Chigaev on Saturday. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Only eight teams remained with 8/8 scores entering Round 5, and at most four will remain after today’s games. The top pairings are: Hungary – Uzbekistan, Germany – USA, India – Netherlands, and China – Armenia.

Women’s

Team USA improved to 8/8 after consecutive 3½–½ wins over Cuba and Spain.

From left: Carissa Yip, Alice Lee, and Tatev Abrahamyan have each won every game they've played through Round 4. (Photos courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz (Yip, Abrahamyan) and FIDE/Andrei Anosov (Lee)).

From left: Carissa Yip, Alice Lee, and Tatev Abrahamyan have each won every game they've played through Round 4. (Photos courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz (Yip, Abrahamyan) and FIDE/Andrei Anosov (Lee)).

IMs Carissa Yip and Alice Lee won in very different ways in Round 3. After over-extending early, Yip's opponent lost a pawn and found herself on the defensive from there, while Lee's opponent took a much more prophylactic approach.

Against Spain, Yip again used sharp concrete play to win material and set the tone for the match.

IM Tatev Abrahamyan won a much more positional game, putting on a clinic.

On Board 1, Iran's Mobina Alinasab scored a key win against France. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Iran and Argentina scored upset wins against top-10 opponents in Round 3. Iran won over France 3–1 thanks to wins from WGM Mobina Alinasab and WIM Melika Mohammadi on the top boards and draws against much higher-rated opposition on the bottom boards.

The 2023 World Junior Girls' champion, Candela Francisco Guecamburu held a draw on the top board as her three teammates each notched victories to upset a strong Ukrainian team. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

Argentina upset Ukraine 3½–½ thanks to WGM Candela Francisco Guecamburu holding GM Anna Ushenina to a draw and her three teammates each defeating higher-rated opponents.

The second-seeded Georgian team conceded a second tie on Saturday, this time a four-draw performance against Austria. The other top-three teams — India and Kazakhstan — continued to roll.

Alua Nurman is a dangerous player for Kazakhstan on Board 2 behind Bibisara Assaubayeva. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Even with her back against the wall in Round 3, IM Alua Nurman showed great resolve on Board 2 to help clinch the match:

Against a strong Mongolian team that held Indian GMs Humpy Koneru and Vaishali Rameshbabu to draws on the top two boards, IM Savitha Shri came in clutch on Board 4:

India's Savitha Shri checks in with captain Mishra Swayams before Round 4. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz)

Ten teams remain with 8/8 entering Sunday, and at most five will remain unblemished. The pairings are: USA – Uzbekistan, India – Poland, Kazakhstan – Germany, Bulgaria – China, and Azerbaijan – Serbia.