The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Ukraine, China

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 31, 2004

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Sport - Chess

Ukraine, China — a cut above the rest

By Our Special Correspondent

MALLORCA, OCT. 30. As a holiday destination in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Mallorca offers the right ambiance for the tired brains looking to recharge their batteries.

Sights straight out of picture post cards, the absence of the hustle and bustle usually associated with the urban lifestyle and of course, the serenity of the place discouraging people even from raising their decibel level, all combined to make it a perfect venue for the Chess Olympiad.

In such peaceful surroundings, some of the finest chess brains had no time to relax. For a fortnight, they battled it out for a fortnight for pride and prize. Eventually, the gallant men from Ukraine and the genial ladies from China completed their golden campaign in a truly champion-like manner.

Relentless

Ukraine, seeded two, won the first three rounds with perfect scores and never let go of the lead.

Russia, which took over the custody of the men's gold in 1992 after the disintegration of 18-time champion Soviet Union, was tipped to be the overwhelming favourite but did not lead even once. So firm was Ukraine's grip on the top spot.

To remain at the top from start to finish takes some doing. For Ukraine, the man who made possible was the redoubtable Vassily Ivanchuk.

He showed what it means to lead from the front. Like he had done through the last decade in Olympiad appearances, the enigmatic genius played on the top board.

Ivanchuk played the first 12 rounds, won six times including the first four, and contributed nine points to the team's winning tally.

His notable victims included Russian spearhead Alexander Morozevich and Azerbaijan's young sensation Teimour Radjabov. Ruslan Ponomariov, the man who defeated Ivanchuk to claim the 2001 World championship title, lost twice but his lack of form was more than made up by Sergey Karjakin.

The youngest Grandmaster in the world won six and drew once in seven outings to make an incredible contribution as the second reserve.

Andrei Volokitin, who impressed one and all with this meticulous opening preparation, Alexander Moiseenko and Pavel Eljanov were the other partners in Ukraine's prosperity.

Ruthless

China was equally ruthless in the women's section. Once China gripped the lead after the fourth round, it never loosened its grip.

China's domination could be gauged from the fact that it enjoyed a huge six point-lead over four teams after the ninth round. In other words, from that stage, China could afford the luxury to lose the remaining five rounds by 1-2 and still retain the gold. The title was never decided so early in the 14-round competition.

In fact, it was the combined might of Xie Jun, Xu Yuhua, Zhao Xue and Huang Qian in the first nine rounds that settled the race for the gold. It was as though each player was competing with the other in search for outright victories.

Former World champion Xie Jun got into action in the third round and won four rounds on the trot, while World Cup champion Yu Xuhua struck five times in seven appearances. Zhao Xue, a former World junior champion and reserve player Huang Qian won six of their first seven games. After setting the pace by winning 21 out of 27 games, besides five draws, China could afford to slow down in the home stretch.

Now it is time for Ukraine and China to relax after a fortnight of hard work. But Russia can be expected to remain restless till its pride is salvaged.

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