FIDE Online Olympiad: Russian Team Wins Group C
Quarterfinals will be held on August 28.
The final 7th-9th Top Division matches of the FIDE Online Olympiad were played on Chess.com on August 23.
In the seventh round, the Russian team beat Egypt 5-1. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Vladislav Artemiev, Kateryna Lagno, Alexey Sarana, and Margarita Potapova won, Alexandra Kosteniuk lost.
In the key match in the pool, the Russians defeated Armenia by a narrow margin. Alexey Sarana took the decisive point, while Ian Nepomniachtchi, Daniil Dubov, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Valentina Gunina, and Polina Shuvalova made draws.
The final round saw the Romania - Russia encounter. The Russians won 4.5-1.5. Vladislav Artemiev, Andrey Esipenko, and Polina Shuvalova defeated their rivals; Alexander Grischuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Aleksandra Goryachkina drew their games.
The Russian team scored 18 match points out of 18 to take the first place. Bulgaria is second with 13 points, while Armenia is third with 12 points.
Team Russia directly qualified for the quarterfinals, which will be held on August 28. Its rival will be determined on August 27 in the play-off preliminary round, in which the runner-ups and third places of each pool will play.
They play-off consists of two matches (time control: 15+5). In case of a draw, the tie is broken with an Armageddon game. A drawing of lots is done automatically by Chess.com to determine in which of the four categories the Armageddon game is to be played. The captain of each team shall nominate one player, from the respective category. Once one player for each team has been nominated, there is a drawing of lots to determine which player can choose whether they play white or black. The time limit for the Armageddon game is 5 minutes for white, and 4 minutes for black, with no increment. If the player with the white pieces wins the game, his/her team wins the duel. If the player with the black pieces wins or draws the game, his/her team wins the duel.
Tournament page
Tournament on Chess-Results
Official website
Photos by Eteri Kublashvili
