The U.S. alternate, GM Ray Robson, has played well this Olympiad with a score of 4/5.
By Alex Marler
The U.S. team drew the German team in round 6, which dropped them to 12th place overall. A draw with the Germans is a solid result, but the U.S. desperately needed a win to have a chance at finishing well. In round 7 the U.S. will take on the host team, Turkey, in what should be an easy match as the U.S. outrates them on every board!
Naiditsch vs Nakamura
In a need-to-win situation what opening should you play against a leading opening theoretician? The a6 modern, or at least that was GM Hikaru Nakamura’s answer. The a6 modern is quite a risky defense at the top level because black allows white to build an impressive pawn center and setup any piece configuration that he pleases. This game is no exception; Naiditsch gets a slight advantage from the opening. Nakamura eventually equalizes as many pieces become traded and the game simplifies into an equal endgame.
Kamsky vs Khenkin
GM Gata Kamsky was unable to break Khenkin’s Caro-Kann defense, so a draw was the proper result.
Akobian vs Fridman
This game was probably the most interesting of the buncn. Fridman made an interesting decision to play the Tarrasch defense against Akobian, even though Akobian has been a long time specialist in that defense. The game quickly becomes complicated as both sides play aggressively. While Akobian begins pressing on the queenside, Fridman counters in the center by establishing his knight on e4. Fridman equalizes the position fairly easily and after a few more complications the game peters out to a drawn rook-and-pawn endgame.
The women’s team handily defeated the Canadians with 3.5 -0.5. IM Anna Zatonskih, IM Irina Krush, WGM Sabina Foisor all won their games, so with the match clinched IM Rusudan Goletiani only a needed to draw. This win gave the team a big jump on the rankings by moving them to 18th place. They face Belgium in round 7, which should be a clear result considering that the U.S. is at least 300 points higher rated on every board.