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14/09/2021 FIDE Online (Rapidplay) Olympiad 2021, Semi-Finals 14th September, 2021
Coverage of this Olympiad on the YCA website was initially based in part on the flimsy basis that one of the England team was Yorkshire-born and currently Yorkshire-resident. However, England dropped out at the “group” stage (see first report), so covering the subsequent knock-out stage is largely in the interests of completeness. The quarter-finals went much as expected. (See previous report.)
In the semi-finals, Russia v China was the first encounter to be played. Russia beat China fairly comfortably in both matches. China’s monosyllabic team, Ding, Yu, Hu, Ju, Wang or Xu, Ning, sounds somewhat reminiscent of the Trumpton fire brigade, Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb. (The two Pugh’s were twins; it’s not a typo.).
In the following encounter, India v USA, India, headed by Vishwanathan Anand, routed the USA in the first match 5-1, with the USA scoring zero from their three games with White. However, in the second match the USA won 4-2, this time scoring 2˝ out of three with White, meaning there had to be a third match. That reached 3˝-1˝ in favour of the USA, leaving board 3, Humpy Koneru v Irina Krush the last to finish, and although they drew in their first two games, the American lady player Irina Krush finally lived up to her name and won, making it 4˝-1˝ to the USA.
The final is the between Russia and the USA. On paper Russia “should” win.
Semi-final match details were as follows:
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