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Israel Surprising, China Sputtering With Two Rounds Remaining

Dresden, 23/11/2008

Teams beginning to look at standings more closely



Team Israel dispatched defending champion Armenia yesterday, 2.5-1.5 to take sole possession of the lead in the open division with 16 points. Armenia still remains in hunt, tied with Ukraine for second place. China and England are only a point out of the medals, as is Serbia, whose women are also performing well. The task doesn't get easier today, as Israel, the number eight seed, faces Ukraine, the second seed. If they could win or even manage a draw, a medal would be virtually assured. Meanwhile, a host of teams at 13 points are in a "must win out" situation, including Russia, host Germany (who have been brutalized in the schedule), Bulgaria, Netherlands, Slovakia, USA, Poland, Spain and Slovenia.
 
In the women's section, nothing seems able to stop China's free-fall. After beginning 6-0 and holding clear first place, they have tied the USA, tied Ukraine, and then disastrously lost to Serbia yesterday. What looked like a sure thing for the Yifan-led squad will now be a struggle. They are on the outside looking in, sitting in a tie for fourth with Georgia and Armenia. Ukraine, Poland and Serbia all lead with 15 points, while bubble teams at 13 include USA, Russia, Hungary and Uzbekistan.
 
So in the game of "if the Olympiad ended today," Russia would not medal, Ukraine would medal twice, and the top four combined placements would be Ukraine, Armenia, China and Serbia, although China would actually not medal either since they currently sit in fourth place in both the open and women's divisions.

FM Mike Klein