It always seems that whenever there is a big chess event going on in the world, I find myself out and about with limited (or no) internet access or time to sit down and follow it as well as I would like. This has been the case throughout the entire length of the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø. I have managed to check up on the standings and look at commentary, but I was unable to follow some of the more prestigious games, such as Magnus Carlsen’s games or the live streaming of the FIDE presidential election. Congratulations to Russia and China for taking home the gold, as if we expected anything else from this competition.
Final Tromsø Standings (Top 10)
| Rank | Team | (W / L / D) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China (CHN) | 8 / 3 / 0 | 19 / 422.5 / 31.5 |
| 2 | Hungary (HUN) | 7 / 3 / 1 | 17 / 372.0 / 29.0 |
| 3 | India (IND) | 7 / 3 / 1 | 17 / 371.5 / 30.5 |
| 4 | Russia (RUS) | 7 / 3 / 1 | 17 / 352.0 / 28.5 |
| 5 | Azerbaijan (AZE) | 7 / 3 / 1 | 17 / 345.0 / 28.0 |
| 6 | Ukraine (UKR) | 6 / 4 / 1 | 16 / 377.5 / 29.0 |
| 7 | Cuba (CUB) | 7 / 2 / 2 | 16 / 361.0 / 29.5 |
| 8 | Armenia (ARM) | 6 / 4 / 1 | 16 / 350.5 / 28.5 |
| 9 | Israel (ISR) | 7 / 2 / 2 | 16 / 348.0 / 28.0 |
| 10 | Spain (ESP) | 7 / 2 / 2 | 16 / 334.0 / 28.0 |
Now, the most celebrated international chess event of the year is over and as the teams begin returning to their home countries, those of us who have the privilege of growing up in the database generation have thousands of new games to replay and analyze courtesy of some of the greatest chess talent in the world! Obviously, I was cheering for Team USA, and they managed an impressive finish in XX position, but it was not enough to secure a top spot in the competition. However, they did have some fantastic games.
Team USA Games Archives
Of course, no Olympiad would be complete without games from the World Champions! Magnus Carlsen struggled a bit at times throughout the tournament and even suffered a devastating loss, but managed to regain his form rather quickly.
Tromsø 2014 – Magnus Carlsen Games
Tromsø 2014 Games – Hou Yifan
And last, but definitely not least: the FIDE presidential results. Sometimes I wonder if I was the only person surprised to see Kirsan Iluyminov re-elected as FIDE president, but it happened by a margin of 110-61. It seems to me that each year, despite increasing public outcry against him, his vote tally continues to climb. Perhaps someone should remind him that extraterrestrials are not allowed to vote or maybe someone whose last name starts with a letter other than K should run against him.
Until next time…