Chess Olympiad 2022: USA come to winning ways with a triumph over Isreal, women's team loses against Peru

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Mamallapuram, Aug 2: The top-seed USA got back to the winning ways after defeating Israel in the fifth round here on Tuesday (August 2) in the 44th Chess Olympiad. The US side was stunned by Uzbekistan in round four and conceded a draw on day four.

In the end, it was a narrow 2.5-1. 5 victory, thanks to a determined Leinier Dominguez Perez, after Wesley So and Levon Aronian had relatively quick draws and Fabiano Caruana's best efforts came to naught.

On board, three Ilia Smirin and So quickly drew after Smirin in the Spanish game chose the most drawish continuation against the solid Berlin defense offered by the young naturalized American and Aronian soon followed when unable to get anything from the opening after Tamir Nabaty essayed the solid Petroff Defence.

The top board encounter between Avital Boruchovsky and Caruana was again one of those games where the leader of the USA team was happily giving up materials for an initiative but unlike yesterday's disaster, the material was soon won back but then with the result being a draw forced through perpetual check.

With the score tied 1.5-1.5, it was down to Dominguez Perez against Maxim Rodshtein and once again the former Cuban superstar did not disappoint, his determined and accurate play ultimately bringing home the win.

Second loss for US women

It was the second defeat for the 9th seeded USA women's team in just five rounds, Irina Krush losing quickly and it being just a matter of time for Clarissa Yip to also lose.

Tatev Abrahamyan and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova had been under pressure in their games and the former especially pushed hard to win to draw the match in the end they were lucky to draw while Tokhirjonova's win was not able to change the final result of a 1.5-2.5 loss to Peru On board two, Krush on the black side of the Sicilian initiated complications right out of the opening without competing for her development and Anna Chumpitaz was well up to the task, calmly refuting the attack and with a series of counterblows delivered a mating attack to put Peru in the lead.

Yip also took the fight early to her opponent but could not find a knock-out blow against Paula Elizabeth Paredes Bustamante whose King remained relatively safe in the center and in the meantime managed to capture White's entire queenside.

This huge pawn material advantage eventually proved decisive.

The USA was 0-2 down with only a drawn match possible Amazingly Abrahamyan who was in serious trouble was allowed by Kate Azumi Bravo Mallaco to take a draw by perpetual check, but this was also the result which meant that Peru had won the match and which made Tokhirjonava's impressive turnaround fighting win against the experienced and much higher ranked Deysi Cori irrelevant.

(FIDE/AICF)