Australia announces Dresden 2008 Chess Olympiad teams
GM Zong-Yuan Zhao and IM Irina Berezina lead the teams
Report by http://www.chessdom.com/
Official Olympiad website: http://www.dresden2008.org/
This week the Australian chess federation has announced the Dresden 2008 Chess Olympiad team. After the multiple financial difficulties the players list is known
Dresden Chess Olympiad, men
GM Zong-Yuan Zhao
IM David Smerdon
IM Stephen Solomon
GM Darryl Johansen
IM George Xie
Dresden Chess Olympiad, women
IM Irina Berezina
WIM Arianne Caoili
Giang Nguyen
WIM Laura Moylan
WIM Biljana Dekic
Other teams that have announced their lineup are Norway, Russia, Armenia, Serbia, Sweden, Georgia, Philippines, Germany, and Cuba.
For more information about the Australian team visit The Closet Grandmaster
Come on! When will the USCF announce the teams?
I believe USA’s picks are Akobian, Kamsky, Nakamura, Onischuk, & Shulman. Abrahamyan, Goletiani, Krush, Rohanyan, & Zatonskih are there too. Why Susan won’t play, God Only Knows. If she wants to be semi retired, fine, but the US Championship & Olympiad should be required.
Required by whom?
I came out of retirement to build an Olympiad program for 2004 which brought home 4 medals (2 Gold and 2 Silver) while the US Women’s Teams have never won a single medal in Olympiad history.
And the USCF insulted me and the members of the team after we came back with our medals instead of utilizing our success to build momentum for women’s chess in the U.S.
Why should I spend 2 years of my life training for this? I take the Olympiad very seriously. There is no training program. There is sound system to build winning teams.
I won 10 medals in 4 Olympiad (5 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze) which is more than any other U.S player including Bobby Fischer. I have played board 1 on every Olympiad facing top competition. I played every single game in every Olympiad without ever sitting out a round and I have never lost a game.
Instead of asking me and other top GMs to help build winning programs, Bill Goichberg and others proposed and created the Polgar rule to make sure I can never play again. They succeeded. End of story.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
Susan, if you were an olympic athlete, and a gold medal threat, would you boycott for the same reasons. Should Roger Federer or Kobe Bryant skip the Olympics?
What reason did they give?
‘Should Roger Federer or Kobe Bryant skip the Olympics?’
Of course they should. The Olympics are fundraising tournaments.
Come on! When will the USCF announce the teams?
What’s ‘the Polgar rule’?
To err is human, to forgive divine.
Maybe time heals my wounds
And I’m crying deep to myself
This feeling in my broken heart seems to die
I’ve been disappointed
Tell me will I find out
The reason I understand
But maybe I am a gullible fool
Who ignores each warning
I’m still trying to forgive and forget
These endless lies can’t go on – I’m still
Trying to forgive I regret
Mistrust will remain – I can’t forget these days
Save me, I need support
To be strong now, I don’t like this game
From now on, I know for sure that I am
Too weak to recover
Australia will be a top candidate for top 10 in both sections with so many players with titles. My heart goes to the Aussies.
Susan Polgar is right. That is why she is the Ambassador Of Chess. USCF is at a grave loss for not utilizing their potential in a progressive way.
How much more will this Goichberg continue to destroy the USCF? It’s a no no running a for profit CCA and the non-profit USCF at the same time. It’s time for new leadership. I call for Goichberg to resign.
There were three notable absentees from the Olympiad in 1974. World Champion Bobby Fischer refused to play for the USA because the organizers refused to allow him to play his games in a separate building, away from the public and the press. The Danish GM Bent Larsen did not play because (presumably) there was no real incentive for him – the Danish Chess Federation could not hope to find enough money to make it worth his while. Lastly, there is the question of the East German team. They didn’t play because they couldn’t win! This sounds like a ridiculous argument, but it is absolutely true. However, if everyone who couldn’t win didn’t take part there would be no point in the Olympic idea.
http://www.chesscommunity.com is cool!
‘How much more will this Goichberg continue to destroy the USCF?’
Until he loses the marketing team that gets the voters at his side.
‘I played every single game in every Olympiad without ever sitting out a round and I have never lost a game.’
You’re the best! Kisses to all! May your lives be happy and joyful! It is wonderful to be here!