USA in the Hunt Halfway Through 3rd FIDE Olympiad for People with Disabilities

The 3^rd FIDE Olympiad for People with Disabilities crossed the halfway mark today. After four rounds, Cuba leads with a perfect 8/8 team score (wins are worth two points, draws one, and losses zero). Poland and Czechia each trail the leader by a single match point with 7/8 scores.

Team USA is currently tied for 10^th with a 5/8 score. It's been a delight to follow this team so far. Every round has produced close, entertaining games replete with both tactical moments and tough strategic decisions. FM Sullivan McConnell, in particular, seems incapable of playing a boring game, and the resulting complications are a delight to try to keep up with.

Sullivan McConnell has consistently produced can't-miss chess in Samarkand. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Mark Livshitz)

But team events aren't decided on the top board. Jordan Timm is 3/3 so far as the reserve, with Pranav Shankar holding a draw in his only appearance so far.

Team USA in action against Poland in Round 3. From left: Sullivan McConnell, Griffin McConnell, Celine Atassi, and Jordan Timm. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Mark Livshitz)

After defeating Zambia 4–0 in Round 1, the Americans were tested by a strong Uzbek team. A loss on Board 2 put USA on thin ice, but WCM Celine Atassi’s ferocious attack eventually flummoxed her opponent to equal the match with a win on Board 3.

While this event is larger than ever in terms of participating nations, it is also stronger. In past years, if a team didn’t win a match, the next pairing might be a bit lower-rated. This year, USA had to face the 2023 champions, Poland (which was held to a tie by Mongolia in Round 1) in Round 3.

Poland’s team features three IMs on the top boards, giving its team a slight rating advantage on Board 1 over Sullivan McConnell and a several hundred point advantage on Boards 2 and 3. If the Americans were to have a chance, it would likely have to do with Boards 1 and 4.

Jordan Timm, whose official jacket is pictured here in Round 3, is 3/3 so far for Team USA. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Mark Livshitz)

Indeed, Timm’s win on Board 4 will be the subject of this Wednesday’s Game of the Week in The Key newsletter. And, for most of the game, it looked like Board 1 was going USA’s way. But the experienced IM slowly chipped away at Black’s advantage and pounced the second Black got complacent.

Griffin McConnell managed to hold IM Pawel Piekielny to a relatively tame draw on Board 2. For most of the game, it looked like Atassi was going to do the same to another IM on Board 3, which would clinch a very satisfying tie. Unfortunately, Atassi came up just one move short at a key moment, which shouldn’t distract from her excellent play:

After the 2½–1½ loss, the team rebounded nicely with a 2½–1½ victory over Türkiye. While USA was the ratings favorite in this round, there’s no such thing as an easy victory in modern chess. Take the younger McConnell’s game from Board 1 as an example. His opponent was booked up, reaching a position thought to be quite equal. From there, McConnell had to put serious work into the resulting imbalanced position to force an error.

Tomorrow, USA faces a dangerous Argentina team. Sitting on a 6/8 score, Argentina’s only match loss is to a strong Israeli team and, most recently, La Albiceleste took down the same Mongolia team that tied Poland in Round 1.

The top pairing sets Cuba against Poland as Israel tries to break into the top three in its match against Czechia. With three rounds to go, there’s a lot of chess yet and a podium finish is by no means out of reach for the Americans.

Live games are broadcast on Chess.com and Lichess with play resuming tomorrow at 5 a.m. CDT (3 p.m. local time).