Final Round : Malaysia vs Guatemala 2-2

update : Malaysia end in 96 place, 23 place below our initial seeding ( 73). Our neighbouring country performance is - Thailand ( 100), Singapore (62), Indonesia (52),Vietnam (9!),Philipines (46).

Malaysia draw against Guatemala in the final round (R11) of the 2008 Dresden Olympiad. All team including Malaysia is playing all out to improve their final standing in this tournament. However we failed to beat Guatemala who is 32 place below us in the initial seeding.

Malaysia is the 73th seed where as Guatemala - the 105th seed. So far the final standing has not been produced yet but i think Malaysia will place 100+ - which probably the worst placing ever in our history of Olympiad.

Board 1

IM Mashafizul (2438) vs IM aurez Florez (2358)
Dresden Olympiad ( 11) 25.11.2008

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 The Guimard Variation . Black block the c5 pawn so the traditional break with c5 usually will not be played. Black now will break white centre pawn with f6. 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd7 6.c3 f6 7.Bb5 fxe5 8.dxe5 a6 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.0–0 Be7 11.Qa4 Nc512.Qd4 0–0 13.b4 Nd7 14.Nb3 Nb6 15.Na5Bd7 16.Qg4 Qe8 17.Be3 Na4 18.Rac1 c5 19.a3 c4 20.Rc2 c5 21.Nb7 cxb4 22.axb4 Qb8 23.Na5 Nxc3 A critical position position has arose. 24.Nc6 Bxc6 25.Qxe6+ Kh8 26.Qxe7 Nb5 27.Bc5 Re8 28.Qg5 Re6 29.Qf5 Rg6
White passed pawn on e file look stronger then black two connected passed pawn ( c and ). 30.Ng5 30.Re1 supporting white passed pawn is probably better30... c3 31. Rd1?! 31.e6! passed pawn must be push ! 31... Qe8 32. Re2 Kg8 33.f4 Rd8 34. e6 ! at last Mas used his powerfull passed pawn 34...h6 35.Qf7+ Kh8 36.Qxe8+ Rxe8 37.Nf7+ Kg8 38.f5 Rf6 39.Ne5 Bb7 40.g4 h5 41.Nd7 d4 42.Nxf6+ gxf6 43.g5 c2 44.Rxc2 fxg5 45.Rf2 Bc8 46.Re1 d3 47.f6 1-0 Mashafizul win !

Board 2

FM Lorenzana Wilson Estuardo (2202) vs FM Lim Yee Weng (2396) Dresden Olympiad (11), 25.11.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 Yee Weng played his long time favourite- The Sicilian Dragon 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 a6

A rather off beat variation but Dragon practicer has been creative lately and the idea of a6-b5 which are tought to be too slow in the past has emerged back with many new ideas. 8.Bc4 b5 9.Bb3 Bb7 10.Qd2 Nbd7 11.0–0–0 h5 12.h4 Rc8 13.Kb1 Ne5 14.Nde2 Qc7 15.Bd4 Nc4 16.Bxc4 Qxc4 17.b3 Qc6 18.Nd5 e5 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Bc3 Be7 21.Bb4 Ra8 22.Qc3 Qb6 23.Ba5 Qa7 24.Qd3 Qc5 25.Qc3 Qa7 26.Qd2 Kf8 27.Nc3 Kg7 28.Qe2 Rac8 29.Rd3 b4 30.Nd5 Bxd5 31.Rxd5 Qb7 32.Qd2 Rc3 33.a3 Rhc8 34.Rc1
34...Bxh4 ? 35.Bxb4 R8c6 36.Rxd6 36.Bxd6 is probably better 36...Bg3 37.Qd5 Bf4??Black should play 37...Qb5 to try to exchange white powerfull queen and hope for the best in the ending.

A blunder by black. He forget thay f7 is under serious attack 38.Rd7 Qxd7 39.Qxd7 Bxc1 40.Kxc1 Rxc2+ 41.Kd1 Rc1+ 42.Ke2 R8c2+ 43.Bd2 Rg1 44.Kd3 Ra2 45.Qe7 Rd1 46.Qxe5+ f6 47.Qc7+ Kf8 48.Qc3 Ke7 49.Ke3 Rdxd2 50.Qxd2 Rxd2 51.Kxd2 Kd6 52.b4 g5 53.a4 g4 54.fxg4 hxg4 55.g3 1-0 Yee Weng resign in hopeless endings

Board 3
FM Mok Tze Meng(2308) vs Quinones Centeno Carlos (2127)
Dresden Olympiad (11), 25.11.2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2 A drawish line in a drawish variation 5...Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Bg5 Qxe2+ 8.Bxe2 Be7 9.Nc3 h6 10.Bh4 c6 11.0–0–0 0–0 12.Rhe1 Re8 13.h3 Nbd7 14.Nd4 Nf8 15.Bf3 Bd7 16.g4 d5 17.Re2 Ng6 18.Bg3 Bc5 19.Nb3 Rxe2 20.Nxe2 Bf8 21.c4 Re8 22.Nc3 dxc4 23.dxc4 Bc8 24.a3 Ne5 25.Be2 Ned7 26.Kc2 Nc5 27.Nxc5 Bxc5 28.b4 Be7 29.Bf3 Be6 30.c5 Rc8 31.Bd6 Kf8 32.Bg2 Ke8 33.f4 Bxd6 34.Rxd6 g6 35.a4 Ke7 36.a5 Ne8 37.Rd2 a6 38.Bf3 Nc7 39.Ne4 Nb5

A balance position. Material is equal. Both have strong knight. Black weak square d6 is covered by black knight on b5. White should exchange the knight by playing Be2 and later Bxb5 then his knight will occupy d6 which can be challange by black bishop. However 40.Be2 is will be answer by 40...f5!

40.Nd6 Nxd6 41.Rxd6 Rd8 42.Rxd8 Kxd8 43.h4 Bc4 44.Kc3 Bf1 45.Kd4 Ke7 46.g5 hxg5 47.fxg5 Bh3 48.Ke5 Bd7 49.Be2 Bc8 50.h5 gxh5 51.Bxh5 Bh3 52.Be2 Bd7 53.Bc4 Bh3 a dead drawn position . White king can't penetrate black position tru d6 and f6. Black only need to move his bishop back and forth.

54.Bb3 Bd7 55.Bc2 Be8 56.Bh7 Bd7 57.Bg8 Bh3 58.Bh7 Bd7 59.Bg8 Bh3 60.Kf4 Bc8 61.Bh7 Bd7 62.Bb1 [62.Ke5 Be6] 62...Be6 63.Ke5 Bc8 64.Kf4 Bd7 65.Ba2 Bc8 66.Kg3 Bd7 67.Kh4 Kf8 68.Kg3 Ke7 69.Kf4 Bc8 70.Ke5 Bh3 71.Bxf7 ?? Why ? Is Mok missing black defense with Bb5 ? 71...Kxf7 72.Kd6 Bf1 73.Kc7 Bb5 74.Kxb7 Kg6 75.Kb6 Kxg5 0-1 Mok Resign

Board 4

Galvez Dastin (2178) vs Edward Lee

Dresden Olympiad (11), 25.11.2008

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 The Famous King Indian Classical line which was reply with the 9.b4 The Bayonet variation. Karpov, Kramnik and Van Wely has used this weapon with such a great effect that even Kasparov stop to play KID ! 9...Nh5 10.Re1 f5 11.Ng5 Nf6 12.f3 c6 13.b5 c5 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 Ne8 16.Nd5 f4 17.g3 Nc7 18.Nxc7 Qxc7 19.Bf1 Rad8 20.a4 g5 21.Bh3 h5 22.Ra3 c4 probably better is to prepare to occupy the c file with22...Rc8 followed by cxb4 and c5 later 23.Rd3 Rg6 24.Bb2 Bf6 25.Bf5 Rg7 26.gxf4 gxf4+ 27.Kh1 Kh8 28.Bh3 Nc8 29.Bc3 Rdg8 30.e7? Black miss judged the position. He decide to give his e pawn for black important d6 pawn 30... Bh4 31.Rf1 Qxe7 32.Bxc8 Qg5 !! White missed this very strong in between move. White probably expect the natural reply 32...Rxc8 33. Rxd6 and white have clear advantage.
33.Bh3 Bf2 34.Bg4 Bd4 35.Bxd4 cxd4 36.h3 hxg4 37.fxg4 Qh4 38.Rg1 Rc8 39.Qb3 Rgc7 40.Qb4 Qh7 41.Re1 Qg6 42.Qa5 b6 43.Qa6 d5!! 0-1 Edward win

Overall Results

Malaysia Guatemala

2-2