The 2016 Chess Olympiad (the blunders)

Unless you have been living in a cave then you will know
that America won the 2016 Chess Olympiad held in Baku.

(Baku is in one them countries I cannot spell - sounds like ‘has a bad banjo’ )

Are we going to look at all the games from the top players.
No, of course not, because I, the Vulture of Hindsight am
going to pick out the blunders and feast upon them...read on.

I love the Chess Olympiads. My only regret is never playing in one.
I could have, but years of legal wrangling kept me from taking part.

When I left England for Scotland the two Federations argued over
who I should represent. It was taken to court and is still going on.
It’s a kind of ‘Tug of Love’ in reverse. Neither of them want me.

I’ll will humbly add that I have at some time or other made the
same type of blunder I am going to show you in my own games.

OK on with the show.

Sarunas Sulskis (Lithuania ) - Dragisa Blagojevic (Montenegro) 2016


Black is currently in check 51...Kg8 keeps the game going.
Black played 51...Kh6 (the active King syndrome) 52.Qh1+


52...Kg6. 53. Qh6 checkmate.

Red Hot Pawn has 100’s of examples of mates such as this one...

Great Scott - ebonyismydog RHP 2016

...from this year makes an amusing tale.

Next we see the same idea but White saw it just in time.

Mosenya Ndawana (Botswana ) - Abdul Kader Rayes (Syria) 2016

Now we see a double blunder from team mates playing in the same match.
A very curious situation arises . I’d love to know what really happened here.

Tito Kahn (Jersey) - Salim Aliyan Al Mashikhi (Oman) 2016


White here agreed a draw. when 73. h6 just wins.

Jersey were already 2-0 up so White may have taken the draw
to clinch the match. White could have lost on time here but....

Meanwhile on the next table this was taking place.

Hamid Musallem Hardan (Oman) - Garry Forbes (Jersey)

The next two are like 60’s tunes bringing back very fond memories.
I have saved lost OTB games by using the very same theme as here.

Attallah Tamra (Palestine) - Philip Diing Gai Diing (South Sudan) 2016

White to play.

White played 70.Kf4 Rxh2! (the best move keeping the White win was 70.Kg4.)


71.Rxh2 is stalemate. The game end in a draw.

Moulaye Brahim Hemam (Mauritania) - Rex Oberholzer (Namibia) 2016

White to play.


Yes, you see it. 92 Qg5+ wins the Rook. White missed it.

We are not finished with this game. 8 moves later.

We continue this tour of I international Blunders with:

Zoltan Almasi (Hungary) - Robert Kreisl (Austria)

Watch White walk down the stairs to win this one.

White sees a mating a pattern. A good mating pattern. It’s the type
of mating pattern that wins brilliancy prizes and makes one immortal.

Blinded by thoughts of the organisers stopping the clocks so everyone
can pause to give him three cheers and a rapturous round of applause.
His sense of danger calmed by visions of the World Champion, Magnus
Carlsen, walking across the sacred playing arena to shake his very hand.
Beautiful female chess players throwing themselves at his feet in worship.
He carries out his idea. This pearl of unsurpassed wisdom. His Masterpiece.

Alas it has a dream shattering hole in it that you can drive a bus through.

Roy Jean Noel Phillips (Mauritius) - Daniel King-wai Lam (Hong Kong)

(That is the Hong Kong lad’s real name. A Danny King fan?)

But we are not finished with Roy Jean Noel Phillips. He is my new hero.
A piece down, does he resign. No not never. He fought on and on and on.

Well that was fun. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did putting it together.

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 170165