9/14/2024 – Round 3 of the Chess Olympiad saw drama unfold both on and off the board, as Magnus Carlsen almost did not make it on time to the venue. As for surprising results, particularly shocking were the victories by Italy and Lithuania, who beat the Netherlands and Germany respectively. In both cases, the top representatives of the favourite teams - Anish Giri and Vincent Keymer - were defeated by much lower-rated opponents. A total of 16 teams are now sharing the lead with 6/6 match points. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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Carlsen barely makes it to the venue
Find below videos from the venue by Arne Kaehler and expert video analysis by GM Daniel King
Former world champion Magnus Carlsen made an entrance like no other, arriving just 4 minutes before defaulting his game. Carlsen, who arrived at the venue by bike due to traffic issues that prevented his teammates from picking him up at his hotel, quickly settled in and showed his class. Playing with the black pieces against Colombia's Roberto García, Carlsen secured a comfortable victory. Norway, buoyed by Carlsen's win, went on to defeat Colombia with a dominant 3½-½ score, keeping them in the hunt for a top spot.
In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.
The round itself saw unexpected results on 7 out of the top 20 boards. These surprises left 16 teams tied for first place with 6/6 match points each. Some of the higher-seeded teams that suffered unexpected losses include the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Romania. Meanwhile, other top teams like England, Iran, and Türkiye were held to draws by lower-rated opponents, shaking up the standings and opening the door for other nations to make a strong push for the title.
The two most significant upsets came from Italy and Lithuania, who both took down formidable opponents in the Netherlands and Germany. The underdogs not only won their matches but did so with stunning victories on the top board. Italy's Lorenzo Lodici delivered a remarkable win by defeating the Dutch star Anish Giri. Similarly, Titas Stremavicius of Lithuania shocked Germany by overcoming their top player, Vincent Keymer.
Lorenzo Lodici | Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz
Italy v. Netherlands
Lithuania's Valery Kazakouski beat Germany's Alexander Donchenko with white on board 3 | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Lithuania v. Germany
In addition to these major upsets, other surprising results came from Montenegro's win over France and Sweden's win over Romania. Both matches were close, with 2½-1½ scores, and only one decisive result dictating the fate of the matches. Nikita Petrov of Montenegro secured the crucial point against France's Marc'Andria Maurizzi, while Erik Blomqvist of Sweden grabbed the key win against Romania's Kirill Shevchenko.
Lower-rated teams that managed to hold stronger opponents to draws also deserve recognition. Denmark successfully split points with England, a higher-rated team, while Georgia managed the same against Iran. Slovakia also pulled off a commendable performance, earning a draw against Türkiye. These draws, while not as dramatic as outright victories, surely impacted the standings.
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
Filip Boe Olsen signed one of four draws for the Danish team on Friday - he drew Gawain Jones on board 4 | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Despite these surprises, the 4 highest-rated teams remain at the top with perfect 6/6 match points. The United States, India, China and Uzbekistan have so far avoided any slip-ups. The Indian team has been particularly impressive, standing out as the only squad to have accumulated an incredible 11½/12 score on individual boards. Arjun Erigaisi has been in scintillating form, with a perfect 3/3 score so far, including a remarkable victory on Friday that continues to boost his team's momentum.
Looking ahead to Saturday, the competition is set to intensify as these top teams face challenging matchups. The United States will be tested by Ukraine, which features seasoned grandmasters Ruslan Ponomariov and Anton Korobov on boards 3 and 4. India will face Serbia, whose top boards include Russian-born grandmasters Alexandr Predke and Alexey Sarana. China is set to take on Armenia, a team including four solid 2600-players. Uzbekistan, the reigning Olympiad champion, will face Vietnam, led by the ever-dangerous Le Quang Liem.
With these matchups on the horizon, round 4 is shaping up to be another thrilling day of chess in Budapest.
Fabiano Caruana beat Bulgaria's Ivan Cheparinov and reclaimed the second spot in the live ratings list | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
Tactical shots
Arjun, playing white on board 3 for the formidable Indian team, checkmated Peter Prohaszka of Hungary 2 in style.
32.Qxh6+ gxh6 33.Rxh6+ (note that the black rook on f6 is pinned) Qh7 34.Rxh7#
Dommaraju Gukesh also scored a win for India in round 3 | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Facing Austria, the top Hungarian squad signed draws on the first three boards, but a win by Benjamin Gledura over Felix Blohberger granted the locals a third consecutive victory.
24.Nxh6+ was the start of a good-looking mating attack - there followed 24...Kg7 25.Rxf7+ Kxh6 26.Qh3+ Kg5 27.Qe3+ Kh5 28.Rh7+ Kg4
In this video course, kings will play a role of strong and active pieces. We will explore how Kings can be helpful in defence and prophylaxis, or even in attack!
And 29.h3# is game over.
Hungary facing Austria with Peter Leko on board 1 | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.
Carlos Alberto ColodroCarlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
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