The final tally of the round: Philippines scored 3 out of the possible 4, with 2 wins and 2 draws. GMs Oliver Barbosa and Mark Paragua delivered the two wins:
| Bo. | Iceland | 1-3 | Philippines |
| 1 | GM Stefansson, Hannes (2515) | ½-½ | GM So, Wesley (2652) |
| 2 | GM Danielsen, Henrik (2511) | 0-1 | GM Barbosa, Oliver (2554) |
| 3 | GM Thorhallsson, Throstur (2426) | ½-½ | GM Torre, Eugene (2469) |
| 4 | IM Arngrimsson, Dagur (2375) | 0-1 | GM Paragua, Mark (2508) |
Check out the games in the following pages to replay them:
- Hannes Stefansson vs. Wesley So [Chess Olympiad] [2012]
- Oliver Barbosa vs. Henrik Danielsen [Chess Olympiad] [2012]
- Throstur Thorhallsson vs. Eugene Torre [Chess Olympiad] [2012]
- Mark Paragua vs. Dagur Arngrimsson [Chess Olympiad] [2012]
You can download the PGN (zip): Philippines vs. Iceland - Round 5 - Istanbul 2012 Chess Olympiad.
After 5 rounds of grueling mental battle, Team Philippines (Open) ranked 11th, with 4 wins and 1 loss.
The tournament goes for recess on Sunday, September 2, 2012, and then on Monday, Team Philippines will be facing another formidable team -- Bulgaria, which is lead by a former World Champion, Veselin Topalov.
Wesley So and Veselin Topalov already went against each other in the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, where Wesley held him to a draw.
Check out that stirring game from two years ago: Veselin Topalov vs. Wesley So [Chess Olympiad] [2010]
Bulgaria is seeded no. 10 at the start of the tournament, and currently ranked 14th coming to the 6th round.
Moreover, here's the composition of Team Bulgaria:
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pts. | |
| 1 | GM | Topalov, Veselin | 2752 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | |
| 2 | GM | Georgiev, Kiril | 2682 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | |
| 3 | GM | Cheparinov, Ivan | 2681 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 3.0 | |
| 4 | GM | Delchev, Alexander | 2596 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 2.5 | |
| 5 | GM | Nikolov, Momchil | 2563 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 2.5 |
As you can see, aside from Topalov, there two other players with ELO ratings higher than our best, Wesley So (2652). But don't let ratings speak for themselves. Upsets do happen.
Philippines Team -- Women Category
The Philippine team Women category is ranked 13th place after round 5 in Istanbul 2012 World Chess Olympiad. They’re facing the 14th seed France in Round 6.
Philippine woodpushers although underrated,are asian powerhouse,...always performed their very best!go...go..go...team philippines...hunting for team medal is impossible..just keep ur composure guys, keep winning, together here at home, lets make it possible...
ReplyDeleteWe have to admit, madami pang bigas na kakainin si Wesley. Pero mapasaan pa at aabutan din sa rating yang si Topalov. Malay mo, matalo pa sya bukas ni Wesley?
ReplyDeleteGo Team Philippines!