Olympiad Round 10: Holding Serve

Both U.S. Olympiad teams held serve in Round 10, with the Open team defeating Turkey and the Women’s team defeating Indonesia – both with scores of 3-1. This leaves the Open team in 5th place and the Women’s team in 7th prior to the final Round.

In the Open Section, key victories were scored by GM Fabiano Caruana (against GM Mustafa Yilmaz) on Board 1 and GM Lenier Dominguez (against GM Vahap Sanal) on Board 3.

Caruana exhibited his typical strong preparation, taking his opponent by surprise with a rare 14th move in a Najdorf Sicilian:

This game, Caruana’s second win in a row, continues a much-needed rebound after poor play earlier in the tournament. That he sustains this momentum tomorrow will be critical for the team as a whole.

Dominguez’s opponent seemed less familiar with the intricacies of the Marshall Gambit and was close to lost after the opening phase. After being granted one sole chance, he was unable to make use of it:

GM Wesley So’s game was a solid draw, while GM Shankland helpfully saved yet another lost position. All in all, a convincing victory.

The Women’s section followed a similar script. Convincing wins by GM Irina Krush (against IM Medina Aulia) on Board 2 and IM Carissa Yip (against Fariha Mariroh) on Board 3 were supported by a solid draw by WGM Tatev Abrahamyan on Board 4, and a game-saving swindle by WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova on Board 1.

Krush’s game was short but exciting, decided in the end by the U.S. player’s superior tactical awareness:

Meanwhile, Yip did not give her opponent any chances in a truly professional victory:

Currently, Armenia and Uzbekistan jointly lead the Open, while India 1 leads the Women’s section. On Tuesday, both teams will face India 1, needing wins to potentially medal. As usual, the last round decides everything, and if the two teams play at their best, there is no reason to think that this will not happen.