3/18/2022 – Twelve years ago, Ukraine grabbed its second gold medal in the open section of a Chess Olympiad. The winning team, led by an inspired Vasyl Ivanchuk, fought neck and neck with Russia throughout the event. In a tense final round, Ukraine, which was leading Russia by a match point, happily agreed to draw his encounter against Israel to secure overall victory soon after Ivan Salgado stunned Peter Svidler on board 3 of the Spain vs Russia match.

10/10/2010 – A few days ago we published some very nice portraits of Olympiad participants. They were all taken from the official web site, where they appeared without captions. So we asked chess fans to help us identify the players. The results are now in and we can present you with the names and some biographical information of all of the players. And: the prize winners have been informed.

10/5/2010 – Want to know who the largest performers were? Which team won the most games, not to be confused with the most matches? How about the teams that did well, but won the fewest games? Curious about who the biggest Elo winners were? If any of these questions are gnawing at you, then read on as we give you the lowdown on the Olympiad’s stats, with table after table to sate your curiosity.

10/3/2010 – It had all the hallmarks of a nail-biter, and we were not disappointed. Ukraine held Israel at bay while waiting to see how Russia did against Spain. All looked good when Kramnik surprised Shirov in the opening and proceeded to outplay him, but the Spaniards struck back with a surprise win by Salgado over Svidler. This sealed their fate, and hands were shaken. Final report and wrap-up.

10/1/2010 – It was a round that pretty much illustrated the Olympiad: the Russian women swept Bulgaria for the gold, Ukraine clobbered France to maintain their lead going into the last round, and the top-rated players stumbled (again), while Ivanchuk and Shirov played masterpieces to the delight of chess fans. In the round ten report, we bring diagrams and pics galore. GM Karsten Müller comments.

9/30/2010 – The Azerbaijani team had climbed back into contention after their surprise loss to Vietnam, and now faced Ukraine, the leaders. Mamedyarov outplayed Ivanchuk in a Benoni with some briliant shots, but Ukraine's bottom boards rallied. Russia 1 beat Armenia thanks to Svidler, and France beat Georgia to tie for second. As to the women, the Russians nearly lost. Round nine report.

9/29/2010 – In numbers, it was the biggest match of the Olympiad. Russia 1 had just beaten their younger compatriots Russia 2, while Ukraine was in sole lead and had magic Ivanchuk on 6/6. The Ukrainian finally ceded a draw, and it was young Karjakin who overtook the leaderboard with a 3040 performance, seven more than Ivanchuk, after beating Eljanov. Detailed analysis in the round eight report.

9/28/2010 – The world number one, who comments on his loss against Jobava, has been having a tough tournament, and lost again, this time against Adams after a very odd opening choice. On the other hand, Ivanchuk and Georgian GM Pantsulaia have had a perfect five in five start. Georgia, Armenia, and Ukraine lead the men, while the Russian women are in sole lead. Round six report with stats and analysis.

9/28/2010 – After a slip-up in the third round, Ukraine had duly won all their next encounters, and met Georgia in an exciting clash. Jobava went all out for the win, but was unable to break Ivanchuk, who reigns alone atop Mount Olympiad with 6/6. Armenia was defeated by Azerbaijan, while the Russian women crushed Hungary 4-0. After Carlsen, it was another 2800's turn to slip unexpectedly.

9/28/2010 – Usually, everybody pays attention only to the Presidential elections, but the FIDE Congress is not solely about elections. Currently, the 81st FIDE Congress is underway in Khanty-Mansiysk, and will last until October 2nd. Olena Boytsun, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, has been faithfully attending the meetings and has sent us this comprehensive report.

9/26/2010 – With so many games, and so many players, there has been plenty of tragedy and brilliance to go around. In order to celebrate the brightest moments of players of all strengths, we have selected sixteen positions for you to test your skills. All are accessible, and should give your neurons a good workout until the next round of action. Try our mid-tournament tactical quiz.

9/26/2010 – It was a difficult day for the top two Russian men's teams (of their five), as Hungary beat Russia 1, playing without Kramnik, by 2.5-1.5 while Armenia defeated Russia 2 by the same score. The Georgian men crushed the Vietnamese team by 3.5-0.5, and of the top three are the heaviest scorers. In the women's section, Russia 1 overcame China in a tough match. Round five report.

9/24/2010 – In the fourth round, Georgian Jobava was the hero of the day as he help his team beat Norway resoundingly with a dramatic win over Magnus Carlsen, after deviating from normal theory on move six. Russia 1 defeated the US 3-1, and Russia 2 also beat India. In a key match Hungary overcame China after Judit Polgar once more proved the star of her team. Round four report.

9/23/2010 – The third round can be considered the eye of the hurricane as it was the last one before the top teams all start colliding. Ukraine who had led until now, was held to a draw by Croatia, while Bosnian Ivan Sokolov beat his second 2700 player in three rounds, helping draw against Poland. The game of the round though was by Gata Kamsky who won in emphatic fashion. Round three report.

9/23/2010 – The second round continued with disparate pairings, but this time, instead of the oddball upset, top teams stumbled against opponents they were expected to beat. Who would have thought Bulgaria with Topalov would go down to Croatia, much less Azerbaijan, with Mamedyarov and Radjabov, to Vietnam? They no doubt dearly miss Gashimov now. Round two report with videos and games.

9/22/2010 – After the expected hustle-bustle of the opening day, the first round went underway with the strong paired against the weak. What this usually means is crushing scores on the one hand, and shock surprises on the other, and we were not disappointed. However, some players were able to shine, leaving a mouthwatering tournament ahead. Here is the report with games, results, and videos.

9/22/2010 – The start of the Olympiad from the arrival, to the check-ins, not to mention the spectacular opening ceremony, are items that could certainly be described in words, but where pictures speak volumes more. In the following pictorial, with generous contributions from a variety of sources, we share the story on the start of the mammoth event all in pictures.

9/21/2010 – The numbers astonish and stagger: 143 nations, 1294 competitors, including no fewer than 254 grandmasters, 65 WGMs, 159 IMs, and 90 WIMs. There is no question that for the next two weeks, Khanty-Mansiysk will be the absolute Mecca of chess. The start was not without its issues, but the teams are there and the spectacular opening ceremony has taken place. Preview and video.