Dresden chess olympiad, Round 7

I did say that it would be a tough battle playing against the Egyptians and it turned out true. The luck of the Malaysian team finally ran out and they scored their first duck's egg. In the process, Lim Yee Weng lost his perfect score of six draws in a row. I guess they must be feeling pretty tired after the exertions of the six earlier rounds. I'm feeling sad for them and I hope they are also feeling sad for themselves. But there's no point in regreting and feeling demoralised. What is there to do now except to continue playing and giving their best? Meanwhile, here are the results of the top 10 tables. China and India are still there among the top but Vietnam and Australia have sneaked in from behind.

Armenia 2½-1½ Russia
Germany 2½-1½ Romania
China 2-2 Ukraine
India 1½-2½ France
Israel 3-1 Spain
USA 2½-1½ Hungary
England 2-2 Azerbaijan
Greece 2-2 Belarus
Vietnam 2½-1½ Netherlands
Bulgaria 4-0 Australia

And the following are the results of the Asian teams:

Poland 3-1 Mongolia
Bangladesh 2-2 Norway
New Zealand 2½-1½ Bosnia & Herzegovina
Iraq 1½-2½ Germany Two
Belgium ½-3½ Philippines
Uzbekistan 3-1 Argentina
Kazakhstan 3-1 Iran
Lebanon ½-3½ Estonia
Egypt 4-0 Malaysia
UAE 3-1 Monaco
Indonesia 3-1 Dominican Republic
Ecuador 3-1 Syria
Japan 1-3 Ireland
Turkmenistan 3½-½ Algeria
Guatemala 2-2 Singapore
Netherlands 2-2 Antilles Pakistan
Macau 0-4 Canada
Sri Lanka 1-3 Tajikistan
Thailand ½-3½ Paraguay
Kyrgyzstan 4-0 ICSC
Jordan 3-1 Jamaica
Andorra 1-3 Palestine
El Salvador 2½-1½ Yemen
Afghanistan 3½-½ Aruba
Hongkong 2-2 Jersey
Mauritius 2-2 South Korea
Fiji 2½-1½ Uganda
Nepal 4-0 Bermuda
Papua New Guinea 0-4 Barbados
Qatar 2½-1½ IPCA
Chinese Taipei 2½-1½ Seychelles

Our representatives in Dresden, Round Seven: (left to right) Mas Hafizulhelmi, Lim Yee Weng, Mok Tze Meng and Edward Lee

At Table 32, here is how the Eqyptian team had scored against the Malaysian team:

GM Adly Ahmed 2586 - IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 2439 1 - 0
GM Amin Bassem 2560 - FM Lim Yee-Weng 2396 1 - 0
IM Ezat Mohamed 2425 - FM Mok Tze-Meng 2308 1 - 0
FM Abdel Razik Khaled 2406 - Edward Lee Kim Han 1 - 0

So for the next round, Malaysia is pushed almost to the bottom of the tables. To be exact, Table 72, where the team will be meeting IPCA. There's only one table that separates them from the back of the wall. Who - or what - is the IPCA? It's the acronym of the International Physically Disabled Chess Association. The IPCA team comprises players who are physically disabled. But being physically disabled does not mean that they are mentally challenged. It's to the contrary. In Dresden, the IPCA team includes four international masters among them with ratings ranging from 2345 to 2434. Two of them are Russians and the other two Ukrainians. Their fifth player is a Finn. They've played against good teams like Croatia (four GMs), Sweden (four GMs), Slovakia (three GMs, one IM) and Qatar (one GM, two IMs) so they are not exactly push-overs too. Expect a close fight. Everything depends on our boys' frame of mind tonight. I'm wishing them an extra dose of good luck!