Tromso 2014: Preview and preparations

The 2014 Chess Olympiad will be held in Tromso, Norway from August 2-14. There are two parallel competitions with identical conditions, for both the Open tournament and the Women tournament. Each event is an eleven round Swiss in which the participating competitors are teams comprised of four players each and one reserve. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves for plus 30 minutes until the end of the game, with 30 seconds additional time per move, starting from move one. There will be rest days on August 6 and August 13. Rankings will be determined by match points, and then be determined according to the tie-breaking system (see Paragraph G in the Handbook). It is worth noting that norms achieved in the Olympiad are worth double.

Schedule

Men's teams

A few things stand out upon a quick perusal of the lineups. Not all the teams are bringing their strongest players, no doubt for a variety of reasons, whether political, financial, or other. In the Open section, China was expected to have one of the very strongest lineups possible, considering they have five players rated over 2700, but only two are listed. Russia is the strongest in average rating, with a massive 2777 average, which is 55 Elo higher than the no.2 Ukraine. France comes in at third with a 2718 average rating, in no small part due to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's stupendous rise to 2766, as well as Romain Edouard who is hovering around 2700 now. In fourth is Armenia led by Levon Aronian, then the US with Nakamura and Kamsky, and the last team with an average over 2700 is Hungary, including Leko, Almasi, Rapport and Judit Polgar. With Hou Yifan only 15 Elo away from her rating on the next list, this event may easily be the make or break for the highest rated female on the planet, a title that Judit has owned for over 25 straight years.

Click for complete list of 177 nations

Click for a detailed list of the team compositions

*Please note that the board numbers are incorrect

Women's teams

In the Women's teams, China is the big no.1 especially with Hou Yifan playing on top board, but China brought in all their heaviest hitters, with Zhao Xue and Ju Wenjun. The big question on everyone's mind, especially after the giant controversy around the Russian Women's team is... who is playing. If you had any doubts, shed them now. Russia's highest rated player on the women's team is Kateryna Lagno (2540), followed by Alexandra Kosteniuk, Nataliya Pogonina, and Valentina Gunina, though bear in mind their ratings are subject to some changes afer the recent European Championships. Ukraine brings in their own reinforcements with both Muzychuk sisters playing now, followed by former world champion Anna Ushenina.

Click for complete list of 139 nations

Click for a detailed list of the team compositions

*Please note that the board numbers are incorrect

Opening preparations

The preparations have been non-stop in Tromso, and the organizers have been posting non-stop material on their Twitter channels and social networks, showing a very modern outlook on these essential tools. Here is a video they will be sharing in the Opening Ceremony:

This video will feature in the opening ceremony, and includes the participation of many top players with
a very upbeat tone. The music is by "Violet Road" - a popular local band.

The massive playing hall where the thousands of competitors will play

The organizers were not content to simply make sure it was all working,
they hired local artist Chris Reddy as the official 2014 Chess Olympiad
artist. In the picture above, he explains, "Chess World. Oil on canvas.
Getting ready to stretch the beast..." (@Reddymades)

The artwork is placed around the hall. If you look at the chairs lined up against the wall
in the rear, you get a better idea as to how big the space is. (@Reddymades)

The playing hall is finally taking shape

Merchandising such as coffee mugs decorated with Chris Reddy's artwork (@Reddymades)

Banner with COT14-ambassador Sigurd Rushfeldt, a famous Norwegian footballer, who was
a big star for local team Tromso IL and the Norway national team. He is also a solid chessplayer.

A chessboard of flowers ready to bloom in black and white for the opening

The Church City Mission in Tromsø (Kirkens Bymisjon) has made this cool chess-themed wall

Photos and video from official Tromso Olympiad Facebook and Instagram pages