The Women's Olympic Team: Captain Michael Khodarkovsky, Kateryna Rohonyan, Anna Zatonskih, coach Gregory Kaidanov, Irina Krush, Rusudan Goletiani and Tatev Abrahamya. Photo FM Mike Klein
The rest day at the Dresden Olympiad (Nov.12-25) did the U.S. squads well as both teams came through with powerful round six victories. Check the action live at 9 AM EST. Back to round six: The men won 2.5-1.5 against Cuba, while the women scorched the Romanian women's team 4-0. Kateryna Rohonyan's 22-move sacrificial Sicilian was fun to watch, while Rusudan Goletiani once again took everything in sight in her Kan Sicilian, when her opponent had no good response to, "where's the mate?"
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Boards one and two took a bit longer- Zatonskih had a better endgame but her opponent made it much easier for her by allowing h5 and then blundering a few moves later. Irina Krush also had a great position after 20...Na4!, and she converted in style.
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IM Irina Krush, Michael Khodarkovsky and Rusudan Goletiani in an earlier round.
If their early loss to Israel raised any doubts about their form, with this round, the U.S. women have proved they are up for any team the pairings throw at them. Unfortunately, because the Olympiad is scored by match points this year, the sweep increases morale more than standings.
The men also marked their territory early on as Nakamura and Shulman's wins were the first games to finish. Kamsky drew and Onischuk lost when his team had already clinched the match point.
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