A Canadian Arbiter at the 2011 European Team Chess Championships

[Aris Marghetis]

Hi there, some of you might have read my article in the December CFC newsletter. Note that I had actually written too much, and it had to be abridged. So, here is the complete unabridged version of the article, which will be posted as replies to this header post.

All the best, Aris.

[Aris Marghetis]

November 2011
by Aris Marghetis
International Arbiter

November 1st - From Canada

My wife puts our crossover into gear.

She drives away, and I walk into the Ottawa airport, ready for a chesscation! Even though I am Canadian, I will be a Match Arbiter at the 2011 European Team Championships. First stop is the Air Canada counter, where I am informed there is a special charge for checking a second bag. I assume something reasonable. Not! $70 convinces me to carry one of my bags on the plane. Everyone is doing it, and the waiting area is packed with small pieces of luggage!

My eventual destination is the phenomenal Porto Carras Grand Resort in Northern Greece. I know the venue is very relaxing, and I try to start unwinding by watching the nearest big TV. Unfortunately, the main news story is that Greece has just decided on a referendum, ouch! Over the next few days, the Greek government will be turned upside down. However, we will fortunately be insulated at the chess tournament. All my worries will eventually melt away.

Looking around the waiting area, I actually recognize a few people, so I stroll around to strike up conversations. In chatting with them, we realize that this flight to Frankfurt is a huge hub connection for all of Europe. The only hitch is that it is relatively early, departing at 6pm. Therefore, I find it difficult to fall asleep, and get into the habit of watching free movies. I somehow cannot stop myself, watching 4 consecutive movies within 7.5 hours! However, I do not feel tired yet. When I look out the window, there is a comforting blinking red glow under the wings, and brilliantly clear stars everywhere the eye can see. About 90 minutes before we land, everyone is woken up for breakfast. Still not overjoyed about the $70 threat per extra bag, I get excited as I expect that we must now be in line for an awesome breakfast. Not! A single bland muffin. I feel bad for the people who were woken up for something most of us cannot bring ourselves to finish. But I must focus on finishing my fourth movie of the flight! We land at 630am Germany time, 5 hours ahead of Ottawa. Greece will be another hour ahead, and then when we lose an hour back in Canada due to Daylight Savings Time, the difference for the rest of the trip will be 7 hours.

I need to wear my jacket as we deplane onto massive busses that take us to the nearest terminal. Initial passport control is uneventful, but then I have to walk almost 30 minutes to get to my connecting gate. I was not kidding when I said this airport was huge! One of the unique sights in European airports like this one are Camel Smoking Zones, with the motto "smoke'n go". European attitudes about smoking are much more liberal than in Ottawa, for example. In Greece, one can smell cigarette smoke almost everywhere. I even witnessed people sneaking puffs in the restaurant! The funny thing though, is that after just a few hours in Greece, I barely noticed the cigarette smoke anymore, even though it was very pervasive. To some extent, indoor ventilation systems seem to do a decent job of cleaning the air. Back to the Frankfurt airport, which is very multilingual, my favorite sign was at the Japanese Noodlebar, just a classic "HOT FOOD COLD BEER"! I bumped into an Ottawa soccer acquaintance there, and as he was on an expense account, he sprung for breakfast. We were too wiped out from the flight to try either of the local recommendations, a type of German raw beef and of course German beer. I can attest that almost everyone was downing beer or vodka with breakfast, and we were still before 9am. I finally settle in at my connecting gate, and fatigue crushes me.

Still very tired when we board my connecting flight to Thessaloniki, I am glad that we are using a pedestrian tunnel ramp right onto the plane. Therefore, I pack my jacket away, stuff my bags in the overhead compartments, and start resting. However, my flight luck continues, and the rear plane of the door is fully opened until minutes before we depart, sending bone-chilling wind through the entire cabin! When the flight does get going though, Aegean Airlines puts Air Canada to shame. For a flight of just 2 hours, we receive great welcome candy, a beverage, lunch, and a fresh roll. Loving that Greek hospitality!

[Aris Marghetis]

This day is the official travel day for the tournament, and I think I recognize some players on the flight. We leave a cloudy dreary day in Frankfurt, and as we hit altitude, the daylight up there is of course just brilliant. We pass over mountain range after mountain range, many of them looking like black "seas" amongst the white cloud carpet below us. Approximately halfway into the flight, in other words, approximately near Sarajevo, capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the clouds start significantly dissipating. By the time we pass Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, I can see quite well the Adriatic Sea in the distance. The land mass then expands westward, and/or we veer a bit eastward, losing sight of the Adriatic, but then acquiring a path right over the gorgeous greenish Aegean. The Thessaloniki weather is slightly hazy, and comfortably cool upon landing. I finally feel the warmth of the Greek sunshine!

Exiting the airport, it is very easy to find the chess busses, as hosts are waiting for us with chess signs, and accurate detailed lists of who is arriving on each flight. The bus ride to our destination will be about 90 minutes, and I pass the time enjoyably chatting with the Croatian 2nd board, GM Ivan Saric.

Checking into the Hotel Sithonia, I am amazed at how great our room is! I am sharing it with two Greek arbiters, but the room is a suite with three beds, and one of the most incredible balconies I have ever stood on. The side of the hotel is slanted, so it feels like you are looking out of a penthouse. The immediate view includes lush vegetation framing four pools, and a soothing waterfall. Behind that is a harbour with stunning yachts, and then the land ramps up into graceful hillsides. To the left is spacious common hotel areas for guests, and less than a hundred yards to the right, is a beach right on the Aegean Sea.

After checking in, and getting a quick bite to eat at the hotel buffet, I walk over to the playing site, the Olympic Hall. It is a good 10 minute trek, but through pretty surroundings, including walking beside a very exclusive onsite golf course. When I get there, I pitch in with the setup. Most of the organizing staff is now in their third day of setup, and we still need all hands on deck to get done today. However, this team has a lot of experience setting up huge chess events, and we get everything done in plenty of time to make late supper back at the hotel buffet, and then back to the Olympic Hall for final preparations.

The official Captain's Meeting is at 10pm, and most country representatives are well on time. There are 38 Open teams and 28 Women teams. It is quite cool to hear each country's name being called, and their representative(s), often known chess personalities, coming up to receive their identification badges, sheets for submitting board lineups daily, and other relevant materials. The organizers and arbiters also receive their badges, each identifying their country, and mine says Greece rather Canada. I do not know if this was an oversight, or maybe it was more appropriate that all arbiters have the name of a European country? Regardless, over the next couple of weeks, whenever I speak in English, French, or Greek, everyone immediately figures out that I am actually North American! Whereas this evening is wonderfully interesting, I am more and more utterly exhausted, and must score catch-up sleep.

[Aris Marghetis]

I sleep in until 9am, which is normally unheard of for myself. However, I finally feel like I have caught up since the all-nighter flying across the Atlantic. In addition, the vast majority of chess people here keep relatively late schedules, so I feel very comfortable heading into the first round of the tournament.

The organizers and arbiters are expected onsite by 10am just for this first playing day, and the arbiters have their dedicated meeting at 11am. There are no surprises, but there is an emphasis on appreciating the respect due to the staggering collection of chess talent at this event, especially GM Korchnoi.

As Match Arbiter, I am assigned 2-3 matches per round. As an arbiter, I cannot fully immerse myself in observing any single game, but I do get a good sense for momentum swings. This applies not just between players, but also between teams, as strategies change dramatically based on the progress and results of other games in the match. For each match, I chose a feature game to pay slightly more attention to, and I hope to impart some genuine appreciation for what it was like to be there in person. People who know me, know that I am a mediocre player, so please forgive any unfounded analysis!

When I receive my matches for Round 1, I am honoured that they will include GM Shirov, GM Topalov, and especially GM Korchnoi. This chess legend arrives amongst the first of the hundreds of players and captains. He is quite hunched, and limps along with a cane, but his eyes are inordinately sharp!

Match 1.7 : Bulgaria vs. Switzerland
Despite GM Topalov playing on Board 1, I just had to pay more attention to Board 2, where GM Korchnoi had White vs. GM Cheparinov. Black started the game rather aggressively, and while White seemed solid, the holes started showing by the end of the opening. GM Korchnoi rarely takes a medium amount of time to move. He either responds immediately, even before writing down his opponent's move, or he thinks for many minutes before moving. When this game got to the point where Black victory seemed imminent, GM Korchnoi went into the tank. After a long time, his eyes suddenly brightened amazingly! The closing moves were played very quickly, as both players recognized the perpetual that GM Korchnoi had crafted. After the game, GM Korchnoi left behind his copy if the scoresheet. After he left, I collected it, and delivered it to the Swiss Captain Martin Leutwyler, a very nice multilingual gentleman.
[Round "1.7.2"]
[White "Korchnoi, Viktor"]
[Black "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Bg5 h6
9. Be3 exd5 10. cxd5 a6 11. a4 Nbd7 12. Ng3 h5 13. Be2 Nh7 14. O-O h4 15. Nh1
f5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. Nf2 f4 18. Bd2 Ne5 19. Kh1 Nf6 20. Bxf4 Nh5 21. Bd2 Ng3+
22. hxg3 hxg3 23. Nh3 Qh4 24. Bg5 Qh7 25. Qe1 Bxh3 26. Qxg3 Bf5+ 27. Qh2 Qg6
28. f4 Ng4 29. Bxg4 Bxg4 30. Rae1 Rf7 31. Qg3 Bd4 32. Bh4 Rh7 33. Qh2 Re8 34.
Rxe8+ Qxe8 35. g3 Qe3 36. Qg2 Bf6 37. Qe4 Rxh4+ 38. gxh4 Qh3+ 39. Kg1 Bd4+ 40.
Rf2 Qg3+ 41. Kh1 Bxf2 42. Qe8+ Kg7 43. Qe7+ Kg6 44. Qxd6+ Kh5 45. Qe5+ Kxh4 46.
Qe7+ Kh3 47. Qh7+ Qh4 48. Qd3+ Qg3 49. Qh7+ 1/2-1/2

Match 1.10 : Montenegro vs. Germany
There was so much attention being paid to GM Topalov and GM Korchnoi in match 1.7, and to GM Shirov in match 1.13, that I did not really get the chance to follow any of these games closely enough. However, I was quite moved by Montenegro Captain Dragan Popadic. This fine gentleman demonstrated at every opportunity his passion for the game, for his team, and in turn for his country. Most captains assist their players by providing beverages, such as various kinds of coffee shots, but Mr.Popadic was by far the most conscientious. Unfortunately tonight, his team was paired against Germany, who right from this first round, looked the part of the juggernaut that would eventually win the event. The whole German entourage was dressed in sharp matching embroidered shirts and jackets, and they drove the entire Montenegro team into time pressure on every single board, eventually winning the match 1-3.

Match 1.13 : Spain vs. Iceland
Even though Spain won 2.5-1.5, the game that everyone was talking about was the exciting upset on Board 2. Icelandic FM Gretarsson totally unleashed his knights into the camp of Spanish GM Shirov, driving Black into big time pressure, and in very tactical positions. For his part, GM Shirov was friendly and gracious both before and after the game, which spectators were still referring to days later. During the game, GM Shirov, like many other top GMs, often looks away from the board, visualizing it more effectively that way. Interestingly, his eyes are at a lower angle than, for example, Canadian GM Sambuev, whom I have observed in person a lot recently. The effect sometimes is when turning towards GM Shirov, it looks at first as if he is staring through you!
[Round "1.13.2"]
[White "Gretarsson, Hjorvar Steinn"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E39"]
[WhiteElo "2452"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Nf3 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. c6 d5 8. Bd2
d4 9. Nb5 bxc6 10. Nbxd4 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Qb6 12. e3 Rd8 13. c5 Nxc5 14. Bc4 e5
15. Bxf7+ Kxf7 16. Nxe5+ Kf8 17. Nc4 Qc7 18. Qb4 Rd5 19. O-O Rb8 20. Qa3 Kg8
21. Rac1 Nce4 22. f3 Rh5 23. f4 c5 24. Ne5 Qb7 25. Ndc6 Ra8 26. b4 Be6 27. bxc5
Bd5 28. Nd4 Qe7 29. Qa5 Qd8 30. Qxd8+ Rxd8 31. Rfd1 Rc8 32. g4 Rh3 33. Nf5 Kf8
34. g5 Bxa2 35. gxf6 gxf6 36. Nd7+ Kf7 37. Nd6+ Nxd6 38. Rxd6 Rg8+ 39. Kh1 Rxe3
40. Nxf6 Rb8 41. Ng4 Re4 42. Ne5+ Ke8 43. Nd7 1-0

At the end of this fantastic first day of actual play, I walk back to the hotel very late, slightly wary of some wild dogs who turn out to be incredibly friendly. As I walk through the lobby, I am delighted to hear the sound of plastic pieces and blitz clocks being smashed by GMs and IMs playing blitz and bughouse!

[Aris Marghetis]

I am now settling into a regular daily schedule, which is conveniently not that far off my habitual waking hours back home. I convince myself that this will make it easier to recover from the second hit of jet lag that awaits me on the return trip home. I set my daily alarm for 10am, as the hotel buffet breakfast closes up at 1030am. Then I shave and shower, and the shower here is the best hotel shower ever! The water stream is wildly wide and powerful, which wakes me up for good! Then I head over to the Olympic Hall, first to help out with some daily setup, and then to work on various tasks for which I need online connectivity. By 2pm, all arbiters are expected to start setting up their stations, for the start of the round at 3pm. After the round is over, almost all of the organizers and arbiters inhale a sumptuous supper. Finally, some of us get back to work, inputting the games from the evening that were not played on automatic DGT boards. This gets me back to the room well after midnight, but this is fine with my roommates. One of them often studies chess late into the night, and the other often stays out late at the casino and/or the disco. Therefore, we often all fall asleep between 3am and 5am, and wake up at similar times. This synchronization really helps our sleeping patterns, and we do a good job of planning who gets the bathroom and shower, when on the next day.

For Round 2, I am switched to a far easier assignment than Round 1, only two matches rather than three, and at the highest match numbers I will cover during the whole tournament. After this round, I am assigned to matches 11 and 12 for practically every round. It seems the reasoning is because those tables are near the center of the Open playing area, and given my multiple languages, I am deliberately placed amongst most of the non-Greek arbiters.

Match 2.14 : Iceland vs. Slovenia
I am delighted to realize that Board 1 features famous Slovenian GM Beliavsky, playing Black against GM Danielsen. GM Beliavsky was noticeably patient against a passive Stonewallish approach by White. GM Beliavsky patiently awaited little opportunities, and then pressed them relentlessly, eventually pushing GM Danielsen to lose on time. I found this quite surprising, as the DGT XL clocks that we were using are rather easy to use during time pressure.
[Round "2.14.1"]
[White "Danielsen, Henrik"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A12"]
[WhiteElo "2542"]
[BlackElo "2617"]
1. g3 d5 2. Nf3 c6 3. b3 Bg4 4. Bg2 Nd7 5. Bb2 e6 6. O-O Ngf6 7. c4 Bd6 8. d3
O-O 9. Qc2 e5 10. Nbd2 h6 11. h3 Be6 12. e4 d4 13. Nh4 Re8 14. a3 a5 15. Kh2
Bf8 16. Nhf3 Qc7 17. Ng1 Nc5 18. Ne2 Nh7 19. f4 f6 20. f5 Bf7 21. Bc1 b5 22.
Ng1 Rab8 23. Bf3 bxc4 24. bxc4 a4 25. Be2 Qa5 26. Bb2 Rb7 27. Ngf3 Reb8 28.
Rab1 Be7 29. Nh4 Nf8 30. Kg2 Qc7 31. Nhf3 Nfd7 32. g4 Nb3 33. h4 Ndc5 34. Rfd1
Nxd2 35. Nxd2 Rb6 0-1

Match 2.15 : Italy vs. Wales
To be honest, this was match was a tremendous mismatch! The Welsh team tonight included three players rated under 2200, which Italy dominated.

Back at the hotel, before falling asleep, I hear from my more partying roommate that one of the arbiters won a raffle at the casino tonight. 3000 Euros!

[Aris Marghetis]

By far my most memorable moment of the day involved Canadian chess aficionado Egidijus Zeromskis. In response to a post on the CFC Chat board, Egis asked me to pass his regards to Vaidas Sakalauskas of the Lithuania delegation. I had made a mental note of it, but so far, I had not yet been able to find Mr.Sakalauskas. However, as I was preparing my arbiter station for the third round, I happened to look up into the chest of a passing man, and I saw from his identity card that this was Vaidas! As we were both rushing a bit, rather than an introductory conversation, I almost immediately mentioned regards from Egis, and the effect was wonderful. In somewhat broken English, but very expressively, Vaidas thanked me deeply, explaining how Egis was a good friend from their younger days in the smallish town of Radviliskis. Egis, I can tell you from looking at Vaidas' eyes, he really misses hanging out with you!

Even for myself during this event, it felt awesome to be recognized by some of the famous players who had attended recent Canadian Open tournaments. There seems to be almost universal good memories on behalf of these players from their visits to Canada. And they love the idea of a Canadian Olympiad!

For Round 3, I am switched for the first and only time to the Women's side of the event. It seems to me that the women are noticeably more relaxed than men during the pregame seating check. However, during the game, the lighting in this part of the Olympic Hall is not as vertical as elsewhere. This becomes a factor during time checks the arbiters record every 30 minutes. With slanted lighting like this, the arbiters cast shadows across the boards!

Match 3.3 : Ukraine vs. Netherlands (Women)
This match was also a big mismatch, as the Ukrainian Women's team featured only full non-W titles. Ukraine's 1 GM and 3 IMs were rather higher rated.

Match 3.4 : Germany vs. Armenia (Women)
This match was much the closer of the two, perhaps partially because Armenian GM Danielian, the highest titled and highest rated player of the match, settled for a relatively quick draw. The remaining three boards went for much longer, eventually being barely settled by an Armenian win on Board 4.

After the matches, it seems to me that the women are noticeably more strained than most of the men are after a match, but this is just an anecdotal observation. These matches were also physically much closer to a main spectator aisle, and there was much more noise to manage than near the men.

[Aris Marghetis]

For Round 4, I am back to my regular matches 11 and 12. Before the round starts, as I am double-checking everything almost an hour before the arrival of any players, I am perplexed that a single white pawn is missing. I replace it from a stash of replacement pieces, and forget about it. However, about three hours later, during the actual round, I notice a tall player from another match walking around checking out games. He has his hands behind his back, and is continuously nervously twirling a small object in his hands. A single white pawn! I almost burst out laughing, and then something even funnier happens. Another arbiter is gesturing while talking to someone, even though he is only whispering, and he accidentally sacks a team captain! Thankfully, it is not serious, and no one makes any big noise. However, the weirdness of this round continues, with four very loud sound blasts coming over the sound system. Many players literally jump in their seats out of sheer surprise. By this round, the pairings are quite less lopsided, leading to much more time scrambling approaching move 40. In addition, I am now noticing more how some players often look directly into their opponent's eyes at key moments, like precisely when they are making a move. It distinctly reminds me of Texas Hold'Em poker players watching for micro-expressions when the flop cards hit the board!

Match 4.11 : Poland vs. Slovenia
I am very impressed that every single player in this match is a GM! My math-oriented mind cannot help itself, adding up all their ratings, to conclude that there are 20,934 rating points within 50 square feet! My choice for the feature game is the expected Board 1, between GM Wojtaszek and GM Beliavsky. This game has a more open beginning than the last time I observed GM Beliavsky, leading to much jockeying for minor piece placement. At some point though, I notice that the Polish GM seems to stranglehold the middlegame. However, GM Beliavsky concocts a simplifying shot that holds for a draw.
[Round "4.11.1"]
[White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2617"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. e4 e5 11. Rd1 exd4 12. Nxd4 Ne5 13. Bf1 c5 14. Nde2 c4 15.
Nf4 b5 16. Qd2 Ne8 17. Ncd5 Bg4 18. Be2 Bxe2 19. Qxe2 Nf6 20. Be3 Nxd5 21. Rxd5
Qc7 22. Rad1 Nd3 23. Nxd3 Bxh2+ 24. Kf1 cxd3 25. Qxd3 Be5 26. b4 Bf6 27. g3
Rfe8 28. Bc5 h6 29. Kg2 Rad8 30. Qf3 Be7 31. Qf4 Qxf4 32. gxf4 Rc8 33. e5 g6
34. Kf3 h5 35. f5 gxf5 36. Kf4 Rc6 37. Kxf5 Bxc5 38. bxc5 Rec8 39. Rg1+ Kf8 40.
Rh1 Rxc5 41. Rxh5 Rxd5 42. Rh8+ Ke7 43. Rxc8 f6 44. f4 fxe5 45. fxe5 Rd2 46. a4
1/2-1/2

Match 4.12 : Italy vs. Sweden
Italian Captain Arthur Kogan, a fun and engaging man, declares after this round that I am their "lucky arbiter". His team does very well to win this match. The results webpage does not do justice to the drama of this match, as Italy barely won it 2.5-1.5 by winning the last game to be played out, on Board 3.

[Aris Marghetis]

The organizers spend hours this morning trying to figure out what caused the four very loud sound blasts coming over the sound system during Round 4. Remarkably, it is discovered that it was due to spectators working smart phones in the vicinity, leading to much stronger public announcement warnings before each round. There are no further sound problems throughout the whole tournament, but 90 minutes into this round, Azerbaijan GM Gashimov suffers an epileptic incident in the smoking area, and all Azerbaijan-France games are quickly agreed to as draws. Fortunately, medical personnel are present to attend to GM Gashimov, whose condition is known. More good news is confirmed the next round, when he is back playing as usual. I was not involved with this match, but from where I was, the organizers did a very good job handling a potentially difficult incident, with minimal disruption to others.

Match 5.11 : Georgia vs. Iceland
I notice that Iceland Captain Helgi Olafsson is playing this round. When he does not play, he likes to pace around the playing hall, with much internal energy. And when he does play, he gets great results for his team, as he often plays Board 4, and is actually a GM himself. All of the games in this match were decisive, but the only win for Iceland was by Captain/GM Olafsson. The all-GM team from Georgia, captained by George Giorgadze, is just too strong.

Match 5.12 : Serbia vs. Slovenia
This match was much more competitive, with all of the players being GMs. Many spectators were very excited to watch the battle between "two legends" on Board 1, Serbian GM Ivanisevic against Slovenian GM Beliavsky. One cannot tell from the game score, but the they played the opening very quickly, with the queens leaving the board within the quarter-hour. The game simplified into a relatively brief classic isolated queen pawn skirmish, and eventually settled into combative open position play. It took almost 3 hours to reach their drawn result, and their many fans seemed to enjoy their game very much.
[Round "5.12.1"]
[White "Ivanisevic, Ivan"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2636"]
[BlackElo "2617"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 exd4 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 13. Nxd4 Qh4 14. Nf3 Qh5
15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Qf5 Qxf5 17. Bxf5 Nf6 18. Bc2 b6 19. Bb3 Bb7 20. Rd1 Rad8 21.
Be3 Be7 22. Bf4 Bxd5 23. Ne5 Kg8 24. Kf1 Rfe8 25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Nc6 Bc5 27. b4
Bf8 28. a3 a5 29. Be3 1/2-1/2

[Aris Marghetis]

This is the first round that doping control is being performed. I have some experience with CCES (Canadian Commission for Ethics in Sport) as a doping Chaperone in Canada, and the protocols being applied here seem similar, with a separate secure Doping Control Room and a Doping Control Toilet. On the subject of toilets at this resort, they are called Water Closets, and they really are like closets, as opposed to the stalls we are habituated to in Canada.

Match 6.11 : Croatia vs. Switzerland
My feature game is Board 2, pitting Swiss GM Korchnoi as White, against the young man I chatted with on the way from the airport to the site, Croatian GM Saric as Black. The opening consists of widespread piece placement, with GM Saric's bishop pair seemingly better, especially as he keeps pressing. GM Korchnoi seems more and more agitated with himself, with more and more expressive hand and head movements. He is also being annoyed by some flies, which adds to his hand motions. Incidentally, the flies in Greece at this time of year are definitely much slower than their Canadian counterparts, and thus much easier to swat! Back to the game, GM Korchnoi falls behind the exchange, rook for a knight, and Black's long-range mobility as their game opens up is just too much for White, ending with a harshly clear decision for Black. GM Korchnoi sits at his board watching his teammates for a long time after that.
[Round "6.11.2"]
[White "Korchnoi, Viktor"]
[Black "Saric, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2648"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Bg5 h6
9. Be3 exd5 10. cxd5 Nbd7 11. Ng3 h5 12. Be2 h4 13. Nf1 Nh7 14. Nd2 a6 15. a4
f5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. O-O Ne5 18. Kh1 Bd7 19. Nc4 Nxc4 20. Bxc4 Qb6 21. Ra2 Rae8
22. Qd3 f4 23. Bf2 h3 24. Rg1 hxg2+ 25. Rxg2 Bf5 26. Qd2 Kh8 27. Ra1 Qb4 28.
Be2 Bd4 29. Bd3 Be3 30. Qc2 Bxd3 31. Qxd3 Qd4 32. Qf1 Rg8 33. Rd1 Rxg2 34. Kxg2
Qe5 35. Kh1 Qh5 36. Bxe3 fxe3 37. Qg2 Ng5 38. Rf1 Rg8 39. Qe2 Nh3 40. Ne4 Qg6
41. Ng3 Nf2+ 42. Kg2 Qh6 43. Rxf2 exf2 44. Qe7 Rf8 45. Nf1 Qf4 46. Qe2 b5 47.
axb5 axb5 48. Qxf2 c4 49. Ng3 b4 50. Ne2 Qg5+ 51. Kf1 c3 52. bxc3 b3 53. Qb6
Qxd5 54. Nd4 Qc4+ 55. Kg2 Qxc3 56. Qxd6 Qd2+ 57. Kg1 Rg8+ 58. Kf1 Qg2+ 59. Ke1
Re8+ 0-1

Match 6.12 : Moldova vs. Denmark
My feature game for this match is a little different, in that it is Board 3, because both of the players are also their team's captain. Moldovan GM Dmitry Svetushkin is White against Danish GM Jacob Aagaard as Black. Before the match begins, I find the Danish team to be the happiest of the whole event, but after the match starts, it becomes apparent that GM Aagaard is in some physical difficulty. At one point, I notice him sitting uncomfortably on the ground against the wall, in obvious abdominal pain. He explains that he has been dealing with it for a while, and will just keep plugging away. His game is more wide open piece play on the queenside, with Black holding an extra pawn while White holds the bishop pair. The next time I look, the game has further simplified to the rather different imbalance of bishop pair against bishop and two pawns. Both players keep swinging at each other, eventually settling on a draw that was a lot of fun to track. It is apparent that both players respect each other, and they love the game, as they head off to the analysis room next door.
[Round "6.12.3"]
[White "Svetushkin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2621"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2
b4 9. Na4 Nbd7 10. c4 bxc3 11. Nxc3 Bb7 12. Be2 Be7 13. O-O O-O 14. Rfc1 Qb8
15. Rab1 Rc8 16. b4 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. b5 Rxc1+ 20. Qxc1 axb5
21. Bxb5 Bxa2 22. Nc6 Qd6 23. Nxe7+ Qxe7 24. Ra1 Ne5 25. Qb2 Nxf3+ 26. gxf3 Bd5
27. Rxa8+ Bxa8 28. Be2 Bb7 29. Qe5 f6 30. Qb8+ Kf7 31. Kg2 Qd7 32. h4 h5 33.
Kf2 Qd5 34. Qc7+ Kg8 35. Qc2 Qe5 36. f4 Qd5 37. Qg6 Qh1 38. Qe8+ Kh7 39. Qxh5+
Kg8 40. Qe8+ Kh7 41. Qh5+ Kg8 42. Qg4 Qh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Bg1 Bd5 45. h5 Kh8
46. Qg3 Qe4 47. Be3 Qb1+ 48. Kf2 Qb2 49. h6 gxh6 50. Qg6 Bc4 51. Qxh6+ Kg8 52.
Qg6+ Kh8 53. Qe8+ Kg7 54. Qd7+ Kg6 55. Bd2 Qb6+ 56. Be3 Qb2 57. f5+ exf5 58.
Qe8+ Kg7 1/2-1/2
I found this game to be a good example of a "good draw". The scoresheet indicates a draw, just like the scoresheet for dozens of games where players obviously pre-arranged a draw. This game however, featured both players having the right scrappy attitude, and even preferring to suffer through sharp physical pain, just in order to play a fine game of chess! I am not sure how we eliminate cheap draws in chess, but this game reminds me to keep in mind that most draws are actually quite legitimate, borne out of seesaw battles by both players resourcefully doing everything they can to try and win outright.

[Aris Marghetis]

For Round 7, I am temporarily switched back to the triple-match area of the playing room. Some of the teams are complaining that it is too cold and drafty here, but as a Canadian, I feel right at home! With two thirds of the tournament already in the books, I feel the very best that I have since arriving here. The captains today also seem very sharp, using draw offers very strategically. Some of these are deeply interesting, in that they are made in quite unbalanced positions. Sometimes, it is as if Player A is saying "take the draw now, because how can you be sure that you can evaluate such a complicated game for potential victory 30 moves from now?" Player B is put in the time-expensive position of weighing "the bird in the hand" (draw) vs. "two in the bush" (win).

Match 7.7 : Italy vs. Moldova
My feature game is Board 1, between GM Caruana and GM Bologan. It is an epic battle that appears to simplify to a drawn ending with many pieces still on the board. However, GM Caruana keeps squeezing GM Bologan, but the former has much less time approaching move 40 than does the latter. As they pass into the secondary time control, GM Caruana's passed pawn threatens to be decisive, but two-knights-and-pawns finally both promote to a draw.
[Round "7.7.1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O
Be7 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Bd2 Ke7 12. Ne1 Ne5 13. Be2 Rd8 14. a5 Bd7
15. f4 Neg4 16. Nc2 Rac8 17. h3 Nh6 18. b4 Bd6 19. g4 Ne8 20. Bf3 Bc6 21. Bxc6
Rxc6 22. Nd4 Rc4 23. a6 Rd7 24. axb7 Rxb7 25. b5 Bc7 26. Nc6+ Kf8 27. Nxa7 f5
28. g5 Nf7 29. Nc6 Nd8 30. Nd4 Bb6 31. Nce2 Nc7 32. Ba5 Bxa5 33. Rxa5 Nf7 34.
Raa1 e5 35. fxe5 Nxe5 36. Nf4 g6 37. Rab1 Rb6 38. Kf2 Nf7 39. Rdc1 Rxc1 40.
Rxc1 Ne8 41. Nd5 Rd6 42. b6 Nd8 43. Rd1 Nb7 44. Ne2 Kf7 45. h4 Rc6 46. Rc1 Rxc1
47. Nxc1 Ke6 48. Nf4+ Kd6 49. Ncd3 Kc6 50. Ne6 Kd6 51. Ndf4 Ke7 52. Ke2 Ned6
53. Nc7 Nc5 54. Ncd5+ Kf7 55. Kd2 Kg7 56. Kc3 h6 57. Kd4 Nb3+ 58. Ke5 Nf7+ 59.
Ke6 hxg5 60. hxg5 Nxg5+ 61. Ke7 Na5 62. Ne6+ Nxe6 63. Kxe6 Nb7 64. Ne7 Na5 65.
Nc8 Nb7 66. Nd6 Nc5+ 67. Kd5 Nd7 68. b7 Kf6 69. Nc4 g5 70. Ne5 Nb8 71. Nc6 Na6
72. Kc4 f4 73. Kb5 f3 74. Kxa6 f2 75. b8=Q f1=Q+ 76. Qb5 Qxb5+ 77. Kxb5 Kf5 78.
Nd4+ Ke5 1/2-1/2

Match 7.10 : Israel vs. Czech Republic
For match 4.11, I was impressed by the total ratings of all the players, but this match is the highest of all 20 of my matches. These eight GMs add up to a staggering 21,261 rating points within 50 square feet! My feature game is again Board 1, this one between GM Rodshtein and GM Navara. This game simplifies quite early to a drawish position, but then these two young men engage in Smyslovian trench warfare, even both promoting new queens. After over 50 moves, all the other games in this match had finished as draws, and these GMs were looking at king-queen-pawn vs. king-queen-pawn. However, GM Navara would not take no for an answer, and after a dramatic misstep by GM Rodshtein 20 moves later, the Czech Republic won the match by the smallest of margins. It is heartwarming to see not just the gleeful jubilation in the winning camp, but also the consoling camaraderie in the losing camp.
[Round "7.10.1"]
[White "Rodshtein, Maxim"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2724"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be2 Bf6 12. Be5 Bg4 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qd4
Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxe2 16. Kxe2 Rfc8 17. Rhc1 Ne6 18. Kd3 Kf8 19. b4 Ke7 20. Nb3
Kd6 21. f4 g6 22. g4 Re8 23. Rc3 Re7 24. Rac1 Rae8 25. Kd2 a6 26. Rd3 Rd7 27.
Nc5 Nxc5 28. Rxc5 Ke6 29. b5 axb5 30. Rxb5 h5 31. g5 Ra8 32. Rdb3 Ra6 33. Kd3
Kf5 34. h3 f6 35. gxf6 Kxf6 36. Kd4 Ra4+ 37. R5b4 Rxb4+ 38. Rxb4 g5 39. fxg5+
Kxg5 40. Kc5 Re7 41. h4+ Kf5 42. Rf4+ Ke5 43. Kb6 Rg7 44. Rd4 Rg4 45. Kc5 b6+
46. Kxb6 Rxd4 47. exd4+ Kxd4 48. a4 Ke3 49. a5 d4 50. a6 d3 51. a7 d2 52. a8=Q
d1=Q 53. Qe8+ Kf4 54. Qe7 Kg3 55. Qg5+ Kh3 56. Kb7 Qd7+ 57. Kb8 Qg4 58. Qf6
Qg3+ 59. Kb7 Qe3 60. Kb8 Kg4 61. Kc8 Qf4 62. Qe7 Kh3 63. Qe1 Qg4+ 64. Kb7 Qg3
65. Qh1+ Kg4 66. Qe4+ Qf4 67. Qe1 Kh3 68. Kc8 Qg4+ 69. Kb7 Qf3+ 70. Kc8 Kg2 71.
Qe7 Qa8+ 0-1

Match 7.13 : Denmark vs. Austria
For my feature game from this match, I am going back to the courageous Danish GM Aagaard, who seems to be in less pain today. On Board 3, he is White against Austrian GM Shengalia. Unfortunately, for White, he ends up in a queen+pawns endgame that should be lost, and Black eventually closes the deal. It is not really a great game, but having witnessed what Mr.Aagaard had to suffer through during this tournament, I really admire his true spirit for chess!
[Round "7.13.3"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Shengelia, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O Bg6 7. Nbd2 Nf5 8. Nb3
Nd7 9. a4 Be7 10. a5 O-O 11. c4 Rc8 12. Bd2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 c5 14. Rc1 Nxd4 15.
Bc3 b5 16. axb6 Nxb6 17. Ba6 Nxb3 18. Qxb3 Rb8 19. Qa2 Qd5 20. b3 Rfd8 21. Nd2
Bd3 22. Bc4 Nxc4 23. bxc4 Qb7 24. Rfd1 Bf5 25. Ba5 Rd7 26. Nf1 Rxd1 27. Rxd1
Be4 28. Nd2 Bc6 29. f3 h6 30. Rb1 Qc8 31. Rxb8 Qxb8 32. Bc3 Qb7 33. Kf2 Bd8 34.
Nb3 Bb6 35. Na5 Qd7 36. Nxc6 Qxc6 37. Qa6 h5 38. h4 Qd7 39. Kg3 Qd3 40. Ba5
Bxa5 41. Qxa5 Qxc4 42. Qd8+ Kh7 43. Qd7 Qd5 0-1