USA Team
18 th ICCF Olympiad
Final Round

Start Date: 10.December.2012

2012-2014

All Player Profiles

BoardID#NameRatingProfile
1 511269 GM Ham, Stephen E. 2584 Profile
2511009 GM Bokar, Dr. Jason 2580 Profile
3 510571 GM Fleetwood, Daniel M. 2575 Profile
4 511282 GM Duliba, Dr. Edward P. 2532 Profile
5 511105 SIM Holzmueller, Keith 2514 Profile
6 514295 SIM Siefring, Dr. Carl L. 2499 Profile
Captain 510509 IA J. Franklin Campbell Profile
Team
Score

32 - 40

18th Olympiad Final Crosstable
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Playing Rules
FIDE Laws of Chess
Preliminary Round Crosstable

Live Display of USA Games

Note: the actual game display is the ICCF server game page in a frame. Only users who are logged in as a team member can see the games in progress (others will see an error message). After 10 games have finished on a board the public will be able to see the finished games on that board. Note: all boards have finished over 10 games, so all finished games are now available for public viewing. The list of games on the live display page shows a red asterisk (*) in front of each finished game.


ICCF_OLY18 (Counter started 19 November 2012)

News Updates

GM Edward Duliba, 17th ICCF-U.S.  Champion
GM Edward Duliba with
his 15th USCCC Trophy

5.March.2015: GM Dr. Edward Duliba Wins 17th USCCC (USA CC Championship)

Congratulations to our teammate GM Dr. Edward Duliba on winning his second consecutive USA CC Championship played by postal chess! The final result was just registered in the official crosstable.

His fist championship (after several near-misses in previous competitions) was the 15th USCCC finished nearly a decade ago in 2006 (see Report). You can see him with his 15th USCCC trophy at the right.

GM Duliba won his second championship in the 17th USCCC by a full point ahead of Andrew Gach and David V. White (see crosstable). It's likely we'll never see another USA Championship decided by postal chess but only time will tell. GM Duliba was one of the few players to go undefeated and finished with 7 wins and 7 draws.

You can view the history of USA Championships on the ICCF-US Crosstable Archive page.

24.January.2015: USA Team Finishes Playing Schedult with 32 - 40 (44.4%)

After playing 72 games on six boards (12 games per board) the USA team has finished play. This was a very rugid correspondence chess event for the world championship (the ICCF 18th CC Olympiad Final), organized by ICCF (the International Correspondence Chess Federation). The USA qualified for this event by finishing in second place in the ICCF Olympiad 18 Preliminaries section 3, scoring 28 points out of 48 games (58%), just one point behind the winner Sweden, who also qualified to the Final. Congratulations to the entire USA team, listed above, for their dedication and skillful play in this most difficult event of the finest correspondence chess players in the world.

With only 11 total games remaining in this event the winner is still very much in doubt. The leaders are (with score and remaining games):

            CountryScoreRem
Slovenia
39.5
2
Germany
38.5
4
Russia
38.5
1
Spain
37.5
2
Italy
36.0
3
Duliba 1/2 Nickel
Duliba 1/2 Nickel after 61... Ra7

24.January.2015: GM Edward Duliba finishes final game

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has finished his playing schedule with a draw vs. GM Arno Nickel of Germany. His final score is 4-8.
The result:
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA) ½ GM Arno Nickel (GER)
View the game

The USA team's final score is 32 - 40. There are 11 unfinished games in the whole event.

Wunderlich 1/2 Holzmueller 60. Bg2
Wunderlich 1/2 Holzmueller after 61. Rxg8

25.December.2014: SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA) finishes with draw vs. Germany

All 78 sgames have finished play on Board 5 with USA's SIM Keith Holzmueller drawing with black vs. his German opponent GM Dr. Hans-Dieter Wunderlich. SIM Holzmueller finished with an even 6-6 score.

The result:
Board 5: GM Dr. Hans-Dieter Wunderlich (GER) 1/2 SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 31½ - 39½ with 1 remaining game.

Slovenia (39.5 points, 2 remaining games) and Germany (38 points, 5 remaining) and both +9 and are fighting it out of the championship title, while Russia (38.5, 1 remaining) still has a mathematical chance to tie for first. It should be an exciting finish.

23.November.2014: Board 6 Finishes Play

All games have now completed play on Board 6 in this event. Boards 3 and 5 each have only one remaining game. There are 16 games still in play over all six boards. There has been no change in the status of the top three teams as listed below.

Duliba 1/2 Bescós Anzano
Roubaud 1 Duliba after 63. Kg2

5.November.2014: GM Duliba finishes game with France

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has ended his game with France. His current score is 3½-7½ and he has one remaining game with GM Arno Nickel of Germany.
The result:
Board 4: David Roubaud (FRA) 1 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 31 - 39. The USA only has 2 remaining games. There are 18 unfinished games in the whole event.

Efremov 1 Duliba 60. Bg2
Korže 1 Elyakim after 80. Qe1+

The overall tournament has taken an amazing turn of events. Slovenia, formerly battling for 3rd place with Italy and Spain, has suddenly won five straight games (!) to jump to the top of the tournament table. Their first decisive game ended in a loss in December 2013. All ten decisive games since then have been wins. Amazing. They scored four of their wins in October. Only five of the 13 teams competing currently have plus scores. The top scores are:

Germany +9 (6 remaining games)
Slovenia +9 (2)
Russia +7 (2)

One of the interesting recent wins by Slovenia was Dr. Danilo GM Korže (SLO) 1 GM Daniel Elyakim (ISR), a problem-like endgame. The final moves of the game showed a good understanding of the position. See the final position to the right.

Efremov 1 Duliba 60. Bg2
Efremov 1 Duliba after 60. Bg2

15.September.2014: Russia closes gap with Germany for title

Russia claimed a much-needed full point in one of their three remaining games to inch closer to tournament-leading Germany when GM Efremov was able to defeat USA board 4 GM Duliba. This gives Russia +7 (2 remaining games) to Germany's +8 (7). So it appears that first place is between Russia and Germany with a 3-way race for third among Slovenia +4 (7), Italy +3 (10) and Spain +3 (12).

The result:
Board 4: GM Aleksandr Gennadievich Efremov (RUS) 1 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 31 - 38 with 3 remaining games.

Duliba 1/2 Bescós Anzano
Duliba 1/2 Bescós Anzano after 69. e6

7.September.2014: GM Duliba finishes game with Spain

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has ended his game with Spain as a draw. His current score is 3½-5½.
The result:
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA) ½ Manuel Jesús Bescós Anzano (ESP)
View the game

The USA team score is now 31 - 37. The USA only has 4 remaining games. There are 35 unfinished games in the whole event.

Germany still leads with +8 (7 games remaining)
Russia is in 2nd place with +6 (4).
All Germany-Russia games have finished, 6 draws.
USA has 2 remaining games with Germany and 1 game with Russia.

Duliba 0 Šivic
Duliba 0 Šivic after 50... Ra2

2.September.2014: USA Board 4 GM Duliba drops a game to Slovenia

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has finished his game with Slovenia. His current score is 3-5.
The result:
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA) 0 GM Jernej Šivic (SLO)
View the game

The USA team score is now 30½ - 36½.

Holzmueller 1 Bjuhr
Holtzmueller 1 Bjuhr after 60.Qe6

12.August.2014: USA Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller Wins!

USA Bd 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller just scored his first win and the second team win for the USA. Congratulations on this big win which improves the team record to 30½ - 35½.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA) 1 SIM Arne Bjuhr (SWE)
View the game

In the meanwhile Germany has edged into the lead with +7. The current standings (# games remaining)

1. Germany +7 (10)
2. Russia +6 (5)
3-4. Italy +3 (12)
3-4. Spain +3 (8)

5. Slovenia +2 (11)
6-7. France +1 (5)
6-7. Luxembourg +0 (6)
Remain teams minus scores

Manso Gil 1 Holtzmueller
Manso Gil 1 Holtzmueller after 74.Bxe2

13.July.2014: USA Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller suffers first loss

After a tremendous effort to save the game USA Bd 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller finally conceded the point to his White opponent SIM Ángel-Jerónimo Manso Gil of Spain after 74 moves.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Ángel-Jerónimo Manso Gil (ESP) 1 SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA)
View the game

This moves Spain into a medal position. The current standings (# games remaining)

1. Germany +6 (11)
1-2. Russia +6 (7)
3-4. Italy +3 (13)
3-4. Spain +3 (10)

5. Slovenia +2 (11)
6-7. France +1 (8)
6-7. Luxembourg +1 (7)
Remain teams minus scores

5.July.2014: ICCF-US Team Wins Olympiad 20 Preliminaries - Section 03

Received from Corky Schakel, Team Captain and ICCF-U.S. Secretary:

By winning Olympiad 20 Prelim, Section 3 the ICCF-US team of Jon Ostriker, Carl Siefring, Ken Reinhart, Dan Perry, Tom Biedermann, and Tony Kain qualified an ICCF-US team for the Olympiad 20 Finals.  The team is +13 with no individual losses and one game remaining, expecting to keep the no loss record in tact.

Jon Ostriker has one game remaining, and will finish first on Bd. 1.  Dan Perry scored a jaw-dropping +5 in an eight game event on Bd. 4, a GM norm.  Tony Kain’s +3 shared first on Bd. 6.  All individuals will finish at least third in the nine player sections.  This was tough competition, four teams in the section with a higher average rating.  Congratulations to all team members!

Event Crosstable: http://iccf-webchess.com/event?id=32202

IA Ian M. Pheby
IA Ian M. Pheby

3.July.2014: New Tournament Director for the ICCF Olympiad 18 Final

ICCF Title Tournament Commissioner Gian-Maria Tani has announced that OLY18 Final TD Carlos Flores Gutiérrez is unable to continue his work as TD due to health problems. The new OLY18F TD is IA Ian M. Pheby. Thanks to Carlos for his outstanding work as TD in this and other high level events. And welcome to our new TD with thanks for taking on this responsibility.

For a profile of Ian Pheby see http://jfcampbell.us/nfl/2011pheby.htm.

Ham 1/2 Lecroq
Ham 1/2 Lecroq after 62. Kh3

20.June.2014: USA Board 1 GM Stephen Ham finishes final game

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has now finished his playing schedule by drawing with GM Michel Lecroq (2604) of France. His final undefeated score is 6-6.
The result:
Board 1: GM Stephen E. Ham (USA) 1/2 GM Michel Lecroq (FRA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 29½ - 34½ with 8 games remaining.

The battle for first place continues between Russia at +6 (7 games remaining) and Germany with +5 (12 games remaining).

The USA has eight games remaining:
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward Duliba (5 games)
Board 5: SIM Keith Holzmueller (3 games)

17.June.2014: Modification in display of games

For an unknown reason the display of ICCF games in a web page frame (the technique previously used on this web site to display games) will no longer function. Perhaps this is a feature to enhance security on the ICCF web sites. Therefore, this display has been modified. Instead of the list of games on the left (in a frame) and the game page on the right (in another frame), now when you go to the display of games only the list of games will be visible. When you click on a link to view a specific game that game page will be displayed on a separate web page, or if your browser is set up to use tabs the game page will be displayed in a separate tab. Each time you click on a new game you will have to manually open the separate browser page/tab to see the newly selected game.

Live Display of USA Games

Bokar 1/2 Kokkila
Bokar 1/2 Kokkila after 52.Kb3

17.June.2014: Board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar Draws Final Game

USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has finished his final game, a draw with white versus his Finish opponent. His final score is 6-6.
The result:
Board 2: GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA) 1/2 GM Tero Kokkila (FIN)
View the game

The USA team score is now 29 - 34.

Berend 1/2 Duliba
Berend 1/2 Duliba after 42. f3

12.June.2014: USA Board 4 GM Duliba draws with black

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has finished his seventh game, a draw with black against Fred Berend of Luxembourg. His current score is 3-4.
The result:
Board 4: Fred Berend (LUX) 1/2 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 28½ - 33½. There is no change in the standings of the leading teams.

Lafarga Santorromán 1/2 Ham
Lafarga Santorromán 1/2 Ham after 55... h4

9.June.2014: USA Board 1 GM Stephen Ham finishes 11th game

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham only has a single game remaining after drawing with GM David Lafarga Santorromán (2659) of Spain with black. His updated score is 5½-5½.
The result:
Board 1: GM David Lafarga Santorromán (ESP) 1/2 GM Stephen E. Ham (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 28 - 33 with 11 games remaining.

Russia continues to lead with +6 (7 games remaining).

Germany is a serious contender with +5 (12 games remaining).

Trailing at +3 is Italy (15 remaining) and at +2 Slovenia (11) and Spain (16).

Siefring 1/2 Martí Pericot
Siefring 1/2 Martí Pericot after 56. Rb4

5.May.2014: USA Board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring Finishes Playing Schedule

USA board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring has finished his last game of the tournament, a draw with white against SIM Juan Manuel Martí Pericot of Spain (2498). His final score is 4½-7½, though this is misleading. He took over from SIM Michael Proof when he needed to withdraw from the event and inherited several bad positions. Thanks to Dr. Siefring for helping the team and stepping into this difficult situation.
The result:
Board 6: IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA) 1/2 SIM Juan Manuel Martí Pericot (ESP)
View the game

The USA team score is now 27½ - 32½. Russia continues to lead with +6 with Germany at +4 and Italy and +3.

Glazman 1 Duliba
Glazman 1 Duliba after 80. f5

28.April.2014: New Result on Board 4

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has registered his first loss of the tournament in his game with black against GM Moshe Glazman of Israel (2569). His updated score is 2½-3½.
The result:
Board 4: GM Moshe Glazman (ISR) 1 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 27 - 32. Russia continues to lead with +6 but Germany has inched closer at +4.

14.April.2014: USA Board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar Finishes Two More Games

Bokar 1/2 Petrolo
Bokar 1/2 Petrolo after 38... Rd3
Neagu 1/2 Bokar
Neagu 1/2 Bokar after 39. Bxd4

USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has drawn two games with SIM Mauro Petrolo of Italy and SIM Liviu Neagu of Romania. His updated score is 5½-5½ with one remaining game vs. Finland.
The results:
Board 2: GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA) 1/2 SIM Mauro Petrolo (ITA)
View the game
Board 2: SIM Liviu Neagu (ROU) 1/2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 27 - 31. Russia still leads with +6 with Italy and Germany at +3 and Luxembourg and Spain at +2. 80% (375/468) of all games have now finished. USA still has 14 remaining games.

27.March.2014: USA Board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham Finishes 9th Game
28.March.2014: USA Board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham Finishes 10th Game

Ham 1/2 Weber
Ham 1/2 Weber after 51. hxg5+
Šemrl 1/2 Ham
Šemrl 1/2 Ham after 47... Kf5

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has drawn his games with white vs. GM Jean-Marie Weber of Luxembourg and with black vs. GM Marjan Šemrl of Slovenia. His updated score is 5-5.
The results:
Board 1: GM Stephen E. Ham (USA) 1/2 GM Jean-Marie Weber (LUX)
View the game
Board 1: GM Marjan Šemrl (SLO) 1/2 GM Stephen E. Ham (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 26 - 30. Russia now leads with +6 with Italy in second with +4 and Germany at +3. 77% (362/468) of all games have now finished.

Hefka 1/2 Ham
Hefka 1/2 Ham after 48... Bd5

11.March.2014: USA Board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham Finishes 8th Game

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has drawn his game with black against GM Vladimír Hefka of Slovakia. His updated score is 4-4.
The result:
Board 1: GM Vladimír Hefka (SVK) 1/2 GM Stephen E. Ham (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 25 - 29.

Holzmueller 1/2 Mertens
Holzmueller 1/2 Mertens after 47. Rxb4

9.March.2014: USA Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller Draws Game

USA board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller has drawn his game against Luxembourg. His updated score on Board 5 is 4½-4½.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA) 1/2 IM Marc Mertens (LUX)
View the game

The USA team score is now 24½ - 28½. Russia leads with +5 with Italy in second with +3.

20.February.2014: USA Scores Two More Draws

Ham 1/2 Persson
Ham 1/2 Persson after 52. Rxg6
Fleetwood 1/2 Jaulneau
Fleetwood 1/2 Jaulneau after 48... Ra7

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has drawn with white vs. his Swedish opponent GM Conny Persson. GM Ham now has a score of 3½-3½.

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has drawn with white vs. his French opponent SIM Christophe Jaulneau and has now finished his playing schedule with a score of 5½-6½.

The results:
Board 1: GM Stephen E. Ham (USA) 1/2 GM Conny Persson (SWE)
View the game
Board 3: GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA) 1/2 SIM Christophe Jaulneau (FRA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 24 - 28.

Siefring 0 Boškovic
Siefring 0 Boškovic after 46... Kf6

18.February.2014: USA Board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring Finishes Another

USA board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring has resigned with white vs. IM Dr. Borko Boškovic of Slovenia.
The result:
Board 6: IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA) 0 IM Dr. Borko Boškovic (SLO)
View the game

The USA team score is now 23 - 27. 72% of the games in this event are now finished (338/468) with the USA finished with 64% (50/78).

Holzmueller 1/2 Duliba
Holzmueller 1/2 Elyakim after 58... Be6

27.January.2014: Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller scores eighth result

USA board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller finished his 8th game, a draw with white vs. his Israeli opponent.That makes his score 4-4.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA) 1/2 GM Daniel Elyakim (ISR)
View the game

The USA team score is now 23 - 26.

Russia still leads with +5 (score of 29½-24½, 18 games remaining) while Italy (26.5-23.5) and Luxembourg (28.5-25.5) are tied for second at +3. USA is -3 with 23 games remaining.

Borštnik 1/2 Fleetwood
Borštnik 1/2 Fleetwood after 40. Qc1

17.January.2014: USA Board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood scores draw

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has drawn with black vs. GM Aleš Borštnik of Slovenia.
The result:
Board 3: GM Aleš Borštnik (SLO) 1/2 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 22½ - 25½.

Voiculescu 1/2 Duliba
Voiculescu 1/2 Duliba after 32... Rc5

12.January.2014: Board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba gets fifth result

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba finished his 5th game, a draw with black vs. his Romanian opponent. That makes his score 2½-2½.
The result:
Board 4: GM Costel Voiculescu (ROU) 1/2 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 22 - 25.

Russia still leads with +5 (score of 29½-24½, 18 games remaining) while Italy has moved into second at +3 (25-22 with 25 games remaining). USA is -3 with 25 games remaining.

Söderberg 1/2 Siefring
Söderberg 1/2 Siefring after 42. dxe5

11.January.2014: USA Board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring secures draw

USA board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring has drawn with black vs. SIM Per Söderberg of Sweden. As a replacement player for the USA, IM Dr. Siefring took over a very difficult position and battled back to secure the half point for the team.
The result:
Board 6: SIM Per Söderberg (SWE) 1/2 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 21½ - 24½.

9.January.2014: Another two results for the team

Fleetwood 1/2 Rydholm
Fleetwood 1/2 Rydholm after 44. Ra6
Duliba 1/2 Kolesar
Duliba 1/2 Kolesar after 36... Kf8

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has drawn with white vs. his Swedish opponent GM Lennart Rydholm. GM Fleetwood now has a score of 4½-5½.

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has drawn with white vs. his Slovakian opponent SIM Marek Kolesar and now has an even score of 2-2.

The results:
Board 3: GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA) 1/2 GM Lennart Rydholm (SWE)
View the game
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA) 1/2 SIM Marek Kolesar (SVK)
View the game

The USA team score is now 21 - 24.

4.January.2014: Two more team results

Bokar 1/2 Kribben
Bokar 1/2 Kribben after 33. Rd7
Linna 1/2 Ham
Linna 1/2 Ham after 40. Qf4

USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has drawn with white vs. his German opponent GM Dr. Matthias Kribben. GM Bokar now has an even score at 4½-4½.

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has drawn with black vs. his Finish opponent GM Asko Linna and now has an even score of 3-3.

The results:
Board 2: GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA) 1/2 GM Dr. Matthias Kribben (GER)
View the game
Board 1: GM Asko Linna (FIN) 1/2 GM Stephen E. Ham (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 20 - 23.

31.December.2013: Board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has finished 2 more games

Fleetwood 0 Daubenfeld
Fleetwood 0 Daubenfeld after 52... Ke5
Voss 1/2 Fleetwood
Voss 1/2 Fleetwood after 54. Ke2

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has lost with white vs. SIM Nico Daubenfeld of Luxembourg and drawn with black vs. GM Maximilian Voss of Germany. GM Fleetwood now has a score at 4-5.
The results:
Board 3: GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA) 0 SIM Nico Daubenfeld (LUX)
View the game
Board 3: GM Maximilian Voss (GER) 1/2 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 19 - 22.

Russia continues to lead with +5 with Germany in second with +2. USA has finished 57% of our games.

Kolcak 1 Fleetwood
Kolcak 1 Fleetwood after 48. Nf7

26.December.2013: Another result for Board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has lost with black vs. GM Ing. Marek Kolcák of Slovakia. GM Fleetwood now has an even score at 3½-3½.
The result:
Board 3: GM Ing. Marek Kolcák (SVK) 1/2 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 18½ - 20½.

Russia continues to lead with +5 while Germany has moved into second place with +2. Luxembourg, Slovakia, Italy, Sweden and Finland follow closely with +1.

Siefring 1/2 Moll
Siefring 1/2 Moll after 52. Kg1

12.December.2013: Board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring Draws vs. Germany

USA board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring has drawn his German GM opponent.
The result:
Board 6: IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA) 1/2 GM Reinhard Moll (GER)
View the game

The USA team score is now 18½ - 19½.

Velilla Velasco 1/2 Fleetwood
Velilla Velasco 1/2 Fleetwood after 46. Rf3

10.December.2013: Sixth result for Board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood has drawn with black vs. GM Francisco de Asís Velilla Velasco of Spain.
The result:
Board 3: GM Francisco de Asís Velilla Velasco (ESP) 1/2 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 18 - 19.

275 games have now finished in this event (275/468 = 59%). Russia continues to lead with +5, giving them a 4 point lead over the field.

Duliba 1/2 Österman
Duliba 1/2 Österman after 44. Rg6+

19.November.2013: Board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba Finishes Third Game

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has finished another game, a draw with his Finish opponent.
The result:
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA) 1/2 GM Georg Österman (FIN)
View the game

The USA team score is now 17½ - 18½.

Matei 1/2 Siefring
Matei 1/2 Siefring after 43. Bd1

17.November.2013: Board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring Draws vs. Romania

USA board 6 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring has drawn with black vs. SIM Cornel Matei of Romania.
The result:
Board 6: SIM Cornel Matei (ROU) 1/2 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 17 - 18.

254 games have now finished in this event (254/468 = 54%). Israel still leads with 54 finished games (75%) but Russia has finished a number of games and has the second most finished games (48 = 67%) while the USE has finished 35 gmaes (49%).

Russia has streaked out to a big lead at +5. Four teams are tied with +1 (Luxembourg, Sweden, Slovenia and Germany). USA is at -1.

Holzmueller 1/2 Epure
Holzmueller 1/2 Epure after 29... Ne7

10.November.2013: Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller Finishes Seventh Game

USA board 5 Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller has finished another game, a draw with his Romanian opponent.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA) 1/2 IM Cristian-Ion Epure (ROU)
View the game

The USA team score is now 16½ - 17½.

Ham 1/2 Serban
Ham 1/2 Serban after 33... Ke7

25.October.2013: Board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham Gets Fifth Result

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has finished his fifth game, a draw with white with his Romanian opponent.
The result:
Board 1: GM Stephen E. Ham (USA) 1/2 GM Florin Serban (ROU)
View the game

The USA team score is now 16 - 17.

Duliba 1/2 Dosi
Duliba 1/2 Dosi after 31.Rh6+

24.October.2013: Board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba First Result with White

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has finished his second game, a draw with white with his Italian opponent.
The result:
Board 4: GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA) 1/2 SIM Alberto Dosi (ITA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 15½ - 16½.

Hedlund 1/2 Bokar
Hedlund 1/2 Bokar after 28... Bf7

22.October.2013: Board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar Draws

USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has finished his eighth game, a draw with black with his Swedish opponent.
The result:
Board 2: GM Tony Hedlund (SWE) 1/2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 15 - 16.

USA has now finished 43% of our games (31/72). Israel leads in finished games with 72% (52/72) followed by Russia (62.5%) and Luxembourg (57%). Spain has the most remaining games (47), having finished 35% of their games.

Fleetwood 1/2 Nekhaev
Fleetwood 1/2 Nekhaev after 47.Qe3+

18.October.2013: Board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood Draws

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood Draws has finished his fourth game, a draw with white with his Russian opponent.
The result:
Board 3: GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA) 1/2 SIM Andrey Ivanovich Nekhaev (RUS)
View the game

The USA team score is now 14½ - 15½.

Russia has increased their leading score to +3 by winning against Romania.
The result:
Board 2: SIM Liviu Neagu(ROM) 0 GM Vladimir Sergeevich Turkov(RUS)
View the game

Fleetwood 1/2 Gusan
Fleetwood 1/2 Gusan after 33... Rf2

17.October.2013: Board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood Draws

USA board 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood Draws has finished his third game, a draw with white with his Romanian opponent.
The result:
Board 3: GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (USA) 1/2 SIM Boris Gusan (ROM)
View the game

The USA team score is now 14 - 15.

13.October.2013: Three more team results, two draws and a loss

The USA team just got three new results on three different boards. The loss was on Board 6 where our substitute player Dr. Carl Siefring took over an already-lost position and deternined this was the appropriate time to resign the game.
The results:
Board 2: GM Norbert Stull (LUX) 1/2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA) - View the game
Board 5: SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA) 1/2 Xavier Pichelin (FRA) - View the game
Board 6: SIM Jean Banet (FRA) 1 IM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA) - View the game

Russia now leads with +2, Sweden and Slovenia are in second with +1, USA and Finland are -1, and Israel is -2. The remaining seven teams are on an even score. The USA team score is now 13½ - 14½.

Stull 1/2 Bokar
Stull 1/2 Bokar after 36.Rf1
Holzmueller 1/2 Pichelin
Holzmueller 1/2 Pichelin after 30. Ka1
Banet 1 Siefring
Banet 1 Siefring after 68. Rc7
Pezzica 1/2 Holzmueller
Pezzica 1/2 Holzmueller after 30... cxb5

11.October.2013: Result on for Board 5

USA board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller has finished his fifth game, a draw with black with his Italian opponent.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Giuseppe Pezzica (ITA) 1/2 SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 12½ - 12½.

Nilsson 1/2 Duliba
Nilsson 1/2 Duliba after 33... Kg7

2.October.2013: First result in for Board 4

USA board 4 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba has finished his first game, a draw with black with his Swedish opponent.
The result:
Board 4: IM Sebastian Nilsson (SWE) 1/2 GM Dr. Edward P. Duliba (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 12 - 12.

There's been another decisive result:

Baord 3: GM Yoav Dothan (ISR) 1 SIM Christophe Jaulneau (FRA)
View the game

Ham 1/2 Voll
Ham 1/2 Voll after 35... Rxb2

30.September.2013: Stephen Ham draws Russian Opponent

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has finished his game against Russia.
The result:
Board 1: GM Stephen E. Ham (USA) 1/2 GM Aleksey Borisovich Voll (RUS)
View the game

The USA team score is now 11½ - 11½.

Siefring 1/2 Mannermaa
Siefring 1/2 Mannermaa after 35... Ra5

19.September.2013: Carl Siefring gets first result

New USA board 6 SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring has finished his first game, a draw with his Finish opponent.
The result:
Board 6: SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (USA) 1/2 SIM Dr. Jari Mannermaa (FIN)
View the game

The USA team score is now 11 - 11.

Dr. Carl L. Siefring

18.September.2013: Profile for board 6 SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring added

Our profile page has a new player profile for our replacement board 6SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring.

See Siefring profile.

 


16.September.2013: SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring games on USA Board 6 have been restarted by TD

Tournament Director Carlos Flores has restarted the games on board 6 for our replacement player SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring (2499). The crosstable shows Carl as the USA player, the clocks on all seven unfinished games are moving for the player on-move, and the games show Carl as the USA player. The listings on the Live Display of USA Games show Carl as the USA player and Michael Proof as the USA player in the five finished games. The title and rating shown on the crosstables are as they were when this event started last year (IM title instead of the current SIM and rating 20 points lower).

15.September.2013: SIM Dr. Carl L. Siefring named replacement on USA Board 6

Dr. Carl L. Siefring (2499) has agreed to take over the seven remaining games on Board 6. The games will resume shortly, after the Tournament Director makes the proper modifications to the server records and starts the clocks. In the near future the information on this web site will also be updated and a profile will be added to the team profile page.

Ham 1/2 Granski
Ham 1/2 Granski after 28... Kf8

15.September.2013: USA Board 1 Steven Ham finishes third game

USA board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham has finished his third game.
The result:
Board 1: GM Stephen E. Ham (USA) 1/2 SIM Michael Granski (ISR)
View the game

The USA team score is now 10½ - 10½.

Helbich 1/2 Holzmueller
Helbich 1/2 Holzmueller after 31.f3

13.September.2013: USA Board 5 Scores a Draw

USA board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller has finished his third game, a draw with the black pieces. This marks the 20th finished game for USA (out of 72).
The result:
Board 5: SIM Dr. Ján Helbich (SVK) 1/2 SIM Keith Holzmueller (USA)
View the game

The USA team score is now 10 - 10. 181 of 468 games in this event have now finished (38.7%), 177 draws and 4 decisive games. Russia continues to lead with +2, Sweden has +1, and Israel is -3. The USA has one win and one loss.

Bokar 1/2 Cruzado Dueñas
Bokar 1/2 Cruzado Dueñas after 38.Rxd5

31.August.2013: Another Team USA result

USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has finished his sixth game.
The result:
Board 2: GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA) 1/2 GM Carlos Cruzado Dueñas (ESP)
View the game

The USA team score is now 9½ - 9½.

30.August.2013: USA Board 6 SIM Michael C. Proof Withdraws

Personal issues involved with getting a new job and moving his residence have led to the withdrawal of USA team member SIM Michael C. Proof. The tournament director for the ICCF Olympiad 18 Final International Arbiter Carlos Flores Gutiérrez has granted Michael Proof an "accepted withdrawal" and given the team sufficient time to name a replacement player. When a decision is made it will be announced here.

Michael leaves with five games of twelve finished and a record of 2-3. The replacement player will resume the remaining seven games from the current positions and time. The TD stopped the USA player's clock in these games and will start them when the replacement player is ready to continue the games. There is no time trouble in any of the games.

Bd.5 Holzmueller(USA)1/2 Borzenko (RUS)
Holzmueller(USA) 1/2 Borzenko (RUS) after 21... Nxg3+

29.August.2013: Bd. 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller draws with Russia

The USA Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller (2514) has drawn with his 2520 Russian opponent.
The result:
Board 5: SIM Holzmueller(USA) 1/2 SIM Borzenko (RUS) .
View the game

USA now stands at 9-9.

Russia leads with +2, Sweden moves into second place at +1, Israel trails with -3, and all the other teams have 50% scores. 169 out of 468 (36%) games in this event have now finished. There have been 1 decisive game on board 3, 2 decisive games on board 4 and 1 decisive game on board 6 for 4 total decisive games (2.4% of completed games).

Zakharov 1 Proof
Zakharov 1 Proof after 50.Qg8

20.August.2013: Team USA absorbs first loss

The first place Russian team has handed the USA its first loss.
The result:
Board 6: SIM Viktor Zakharov(RUS) 1 SIM Michael Proof(USA).
View the game

The USA team now has an even score. Russia has jumped out to a 2-point lead over the field. Israel is -2 while everyone else is at 50%.

Bd.5 Laine(FIN) 1/2 Holzmueller(USA)
Laine(FIN) 1/2 Holzmueller(USA) after 29.exd5

17.August.2013: Bd. 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller draws with black

The USA Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller (2514) has scored his second result by drawing vs. IM Panu Laine (2479) of Finland.
The result:
Board 5: Laine(FIN) 1/2 Holzmueller(USA).
View the game

USA now stands at 8½-7½.

Meanwhile, there were half a dozen other draws in this event.

Bd.2 Bokar(USA) 1/2 Brunšek(SLO)
Bokar(USA) 1/2 Brunšek(SLO) after 24... Rd8
14.August.2013: Another result for GM Dr. Jason Bokar

The USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has just finished another game
The result:
Board 2: GM Dr. Jason Bokar(USA) 1/2 GM Iztok Brunšek(SLO)
View the game

USA now stands at 8-7.

There have also been other results in this event, four draws.
The totals are 131 draws and two decisive games.

Note: now that all finished games may be viewed by the
public, links are added for each result reported here.
Just click on the "View the game" link below the reported game result.

10.August.2013: GM Dr. Jason Bokar Draws Two Games with Black

Bd.2 GM Serradimigni (FRA) 1/2 GM Bokar (USA)
GM Serradimigni (FRA) 1/2 GM Bokar (USA) after 23.h4
     
Bd.2 GM Turkov (RUS) 1/2 GM Bokar (USA)
GM Turkov (RUS) 1/2 GM Bokar (USA) after 25.Kf2

The USA board 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar has just finished two games, both draws with Black.
The results:
Board 2: GM Robert Serradimigni (FRA) 1/2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA)
View the game
Board 2: GM Vladimir Sergeevich Turkov (RUS) 1/2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar (USA)
View the game

USA now stands at 7½ - 6½.

Total tournament results so far: 126 draws, 2 decisive games.
All boards have now finished at least ten games, allowing all viewers to examine the finished games.
The USA and Slovenia have finished the fewest games at 18 while Israel is the clear leader in finished games with 31.

1.August.2013: Team scores two more draws

Bd.1 GM Riccio (ITA) 1/2 GM Ham
GM Riccio (ITA) 1/2 GM Ham (USA) after 36... Qc5
     
Bd.6 SIM Klauner (LUX) 1/2 SIM Proof (USA)
SIM Klauner (LUX) 1/2 SIM Proof (USA) after 36.Qd8+

The USA players on Board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham (2584) and Board 6 SIM Michael C. Proof (2487) have scored two more draws for the USA team giving us a current score of 6½ - 5½.
The results:
Board 1: GM Eros Riccio (ITA) 1/2 GM Stephen E. Ham (USA)
View the game
Board 6: SIM Thed Klauner (LUX) 1/2 SIM Michael C. Proof (USA)
View the game

USA now stands at 6½ - 5½.

Total tournament results so far: 117 draws, 2 decisive games.
All boards except one have finished at least ten games, allowing all viewers to examine the finished games. On board 4 one more finished game will reach the ten required. 25% of all games have now finished. Five teams have finished 30% of their games (USA has finished 15.4%).

9.July.2013: 96 games finished in Olympiad 18 Final

In the last month 27 more games have finished in this event. We're still sitting at 2 decisive games, now with 94 draws. Russia and USA have the only wins, but Russia has finished 20 games while USA has finished 10 games. There are a total of 372 games remaining unfinished over the six boards. 6 games have finished on board 4 while 26 games have finished on board 5.

Bd.1 Hertel(GER) 1/2 Ham(USA)
Hertel(GER) 1/2 Ham(USA) after 39.Kc3
10.June.2013: Bd. 1 GM Stephen E. Ham gets our first result on Board 1

The USA Board 1 GM Stephen E. Ham (2584) has scored his first result by drawing vs.GM Peter Hertel (2654) of Germany.
The result:
Board 1: Hertel(GER) 1/2 Ham(USA).
View the game

USA now stands at 5½-4½.

In this event 69 games have now finished, all but two results are draws:
Bd. 1: 6 draws
Bd. 2: 10 draws
Bd. 3: 11 draws, 1 decisive
Bd. 4: 4 draws, 1 decisive
Bd. 5: 21 draws
Bd. 6: 15 draws

With at least ten games finished on boards 2, 3, 5 and 6, all the finished games on those four boards are now available for the public to view.

Bd.5 Korže(SLO) 1/2 Holzmueller(USA)
Korže(SLO) 1/2 Holzmueller(USA) after 34.Qh8+

20.May.2013: Bd. 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller gets first result, a draw with black

The USA Board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller (2514) has scored his first result by drawing vs. GM Dr. Danilo Korže (2503) of Slovenia..
The result:
Board 5: Korže(SLO) 1/2 Holzmueller(USA).
View the game

USA now stands at 5-4 tied with Russia in first place with 55%.

With 46 games finished only 2 of the 13 teams have a decisive result so far.

Fleetwood 1 Dothan
Fleetwood 1 Dothan after 31. Rh1

15.May.2013: Bd. 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood Wins!

Congratulations to GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (2575), who has scored the first USA win by defeating GM Yoav Dothan (2603) of Israel in 31 moves on board 3.
The result:
Board 3: Fleetwood (USA) 1 Dothan (ISR).
View the game

Out of 44 completed games in the event this is only the second decisive result. The standings show USA leading in percentage with 56% just ahead of Russia at 55%. All other teams are at 50% except Israel with two losses and 43% (and leading the competition in finished games at 15). USA has finished 8 games out of 72.

On all six boards there must be 10 games finished before people can view all the finished games. At this time both boards 5 & 6 have reached this threshold so finished games on those two boards can now be viewed.
Bd 5   Bd 6

11.May.2013: Two more draws for team, Russia gets first win of event

Since the last report below USA has had two results::
Board 3: Siikaluoma(FIN) 1/2 Fleetwood(USA)
View the game
Board 6: Proof(USA) 1/2 Poli(ITA)
View the game

The final positions are shown below.

The first and only decisive result so far (out of 39 finished games):
   Board 4: Glazman(ISR) 0 Efremov(RUS)
   View the game

Siikaluoma - Fleetwood
Siikaluoma(FIN) 1/2 Fleetwood(USA) after 35....h3
   
Proof - Poli
Proof(USA) 1/2 Poli(ITA) after 37....Qxe4

17.April.2013: 29 games finished in Olympiad 18 Final

After over four months of official play (many games started before the official start date of 10 December 2012) there are 29 finished games, all draws. The total number of games being contested is 468 with 13 teams and six boards per team. All teams have at least one finished game and are tied with a 50% score. The leader in points is Israel with 4.5 points. Russia is second with 3.5 points with Germany, Slovakia and France with 3 points. USA is in the middle of the pack with five draws. When will the first team score a full point and jump out to the lead?

Bokar-Veselý
Bokar-Veselý after 25.Qxg6+ draw

26.February.2013: Bd. 2 GM Dr. Jason Bokar gets second result with perpetual check

GM Dr. Jason Bokar (2580) has registered his second result on board 2, drawing as white against GM Pavol Veselý (2579) of Slovakia with an interesting perpetual check..
The result:
Board 2: Bokar(USA) 1/2 Veselý (SVK).
View the game

The OLY18 Finals crosstable now shows 13 games finished, all draws.

The USA team has finished five games so far.

Cesetti-Fleetwood
Cesetti-Fleetwood after 33.Qa8+ draw

25.February.2013: Bd. 3 GM Daniel M. Fleetwood draws as black

GM Daniel M. Fleetwood (2575) has registered his first result on board 3, a draw as black against GM Claudio Cesetti (2588) of Italy.
The result:
Board 3: Cesetti(ITA) 1/2 Fleetwood (USA).
View the game

The OLY18 Finals crosstable now shows 12 games finished, all draws.

The USA team has finished four games so far.

Yefremov - Bokar
Yefremov-Bokar after 15....Nh3+ draw

21.February.2013: Bd. 2 GM Jason Bokar draws as black

GM Jason Bokar (2580) has his first result, an exciting draw as black with his Israeli opponent SIM Yaakov Yefremov (2558)
The result:
Board 2: Yefremov(ISR) 1/2 Bokar(USA).
View the game

The OLY18 Finals crosstable now shows ten games finished, all draws.

Proof vs. Pasko
Proof-Pasko after 40.Ra5 draw

19.February.2013: Bd. 6: SIM Michael Proof finishes second game

SIM Michael Proof (2487) has now finished his second game, a draw with white vs. SIM Peter Pasko (2505) of Slovakia..
The result:
Board 6: Proof(USA) 1/2 Pasko(SVK).
View the game

Eight games have now finished in the OLY18 Finals with eight draws. Israel leads the way with four finished games.

Bd. 6: Elent vs. Proof
Elent-Proof after 26.Qf6 draw

12.February.2013: Bd. 6: SIM Michael Proof gets first result for team

The first team result is in on Board 6 with a draw in an exciting game. SIM Michael C. Proof (2487) drew with black vs. SIM Michael Elent (2444) of Israel. The result:
Board 6: Elent(ISR) 1/2 Proof(USA).
View the game

Six games have now finished in the OLY18 Finals, all draws so far.

SIM Keith Holzmueller

15.December.2012: Profile for board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller added

Our profile page has a new player profile for our board 5 SIM Keith Holzmueller. See Holzmueller profile.


10.December.2012: USA Olympiad Team success puts Team Captain on "wall of celebrities"

When Shirley Decker of Mert's Specialty Meats in Okemos, Michigan learned that the Team Captain of the USA team in the 17th Olympiad had been on the cover of Chess Life magazine [January 2008] with the USA team for advancing to the final of the event she recognized the significance of a USA team having international success and requested a copy of the cover to put on the establishment's wall of celebrity customers. It's nice to be considered a celebrity. Think of the reaction if the USA team wins the Gold Medal in the 18th Olympiad! Here is my photo along with Shirley and the display of celebrity customers. A photo was also added to my Profile. - Franklin

Wall of 'Celebrities' at Merts Meats
(for a larger size photo click here)


6.December.2012: Swedish player substitution on board 6

In the event ICCF Olympiad 18 Final board 6, the player Bagger (Nylander), Eric has been replaced with Söderberg, Per. [Sweden]


19.November.2012: Message received by Team Captains

Dear chessfriends,

the Final of the 18th CC Olympiad has been inserted on ICCF web-server and you and your players should have already received the pairings and the information about the tournament.

Accordingly the announcement of the tournament, “the top three teams will qualify for the Final of the next web-server Olympiad”.

I wish you and all players to enjoy the tournament in the spirit of “Amici Sumus”.

(signed) Gian-Maria Tani
ICCF Title Tournament Commissioner


13.October.2012: OLY 18 Finals Team Announced

The ICCF-US Olympiad 18 Final lineup is a joy to announce, with four GMs, and two SIMs who earned their way to the Final by winning their Prelim sections. This is a strong team for ICCF’s most prestigious team event! Franklin Campbell has agreed to act as Team Captain. Thanks to all for representing ICCF-US. Good luck and go get ‘em! Corky Schakel, USA National Federation Rep

GM Steve Ham
GM Jason Bokar
GM Dan Fleetwood
GM Ed Duliba
SIM Keith Holzmueller
SIM Michael Proof

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