Olympiad: Photos that tell the tale
The Olympiad has ended, but our memories from the event are still alive. This Olympiad was all about the stories, friendships, and rivalries that unfolded with every match. For the fans, it was not just a competition, it was a photo album of cherished moments. Just like in previous Olympiads, we witnessed many exciting wins, heartbreaking losses, and boring draws. While the results might have been predictable, the players’ stories were completely unpredictable. Fans invested their hearts into this event, they cheered for their favorite players from their homes. All these feelings will echo in their hearts until the next Olympiad starts. Until then, let’s have a look at some memorable pictures from the last few days of the Olympiad. Photo: Stev Bonhage
1) The Unpredictable Odyssey
Alexei Shirov is a 52-year-old top Spanish grandmaster. He is known to bring fire over the chessboard. His playing style is unpredictable but attacking. One such example is his queen sacrifice in one of the games during the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020. He has won several international tournaments. Some of them are as follows:
Shirov's Achievements:
1. World Chess Champion U-16 in 1988
2. Winner of the Candidates tournament in 1998
3. Winner of Biel Chess Festival 1991
4. Shared winner of Torneo Magistral in 1997
5. Winner of Ter Apel Klooster in 1997
6. Winner of Amber chess tournament in 2000
7. Winner of Reykjavik in 2003
8. Winner of the Canadian Open Chess Championship in 2005
2) Sri Lanka's Rising Chess Star
Oshini, a remarkable young chess prodigy from Sri Lanka, has shown a phenomenal performance at the Olympiad. This twelve-year-old has scored 8.5 out of 9 points at the Olympiad! She is inspired by Judit Polgar and wants to become one of the top 10 chess players in the world. She learned chess in 2019 and started coaching in the same year. She not only wants to excel in chess but also wants to become a doctor! She has won several medals at school chess championships. However, two of her significant wins include:
1. Shared winner of the FIDE World Cadets Chess Championship U-12 in 2023
2. Winner of the FIDE Online Rapid World Cup Cadets & Youth U-10 in 2021
3) Cramling & Co.
It’s very rare to see a mother-daughter duo in the chess world. Pia Cramling and Anna Cramling have captivated the chess world with their inspiring performances at the 45th Chess Olympiad. They have been representing the Swedish team for several years now. Anna’s father Juan Manuel Bellón López is also a grandmaster and he is the coach of the Swedish Women’s team. Imagine having dinner-table conversations about different tactics and smashing it together overboard. Family goals!
4) Checkmating Stereotypes
This was the second time that the Cayman Islands Men’s team participated in the chess Olympiad. The team was mainly comprised of experienced players. 74-year-old Clifford Shaw was the most experienced player in the team and the most senior player in the Olympiad. He once beat former World Champion Vasily Smyslov in an exhibition match. 60-year-old CM Christopher Young is an active player in the country who won several local tournaments. 45-year-old M Shaun Tracey is the President of the Cayman Islands Chess Federation, winner of the National Rapid Chess Championship in 2022, and a lawyer at Campbell's. How often do you see the president of a chess federation playing for the team?
5) Hungary's Chess Maestro
When the Olympiad venue is Hungary, how could we not see Lajos Portisch? This 87-year-old legendary Hungarian grandmaster won the Hungarian Championship nine times and represented the country in 20 Olympiads! He is popularly known as Hungarian Botvinnik. He was awarded the title of Sportsman of the Nation in 2004. This year at the Olympiad, he was honored for all the work he has done for chess. Apart from chess, Portisch is very passionate about singing!
6) Fun-tastic moments
Here are some fun moments from the last few days of the Olympiad:
7) Chess love at its peak!
When you love chess so much that you literally ‘wear’ it:
8) Last but not least...
There will be more Olympiads with more players. More players mean more stories. More stories mean more fun. More fun means more unforgettable moments. While we wait for the next Olympiad, let’s follow the journeys of the talented players whose stories we covered in previous articles.
