Gorilla Fart #10 – Round 10 Review of the Budapest Olympiad

Report by – Mehul Gohil aka ‘Gorilla’

Team Kenya is in trouble. The loss to Nicaragua has put them in freefall in the rankings. Currently they are at position 139. That is borderline disaster. And they face a monumental task in the final round as they have been paired against Jamaica, which on paper appears to be a stronger team than Nicaragua.

The stakes in the final round which starts earlier today at 12noon Kenya time are huge. At this point, being ranked a lowly 139, Team Kenya is looking to effect damage control.

A win will most likely place them within the 120s, making it the usual Team Kenya performance but not a disaster. A draw will sort of keep status quo and a finish in the 130s. A loss will unfortunately, despite all the fighting chess and heart this team has shown, lead to this campaign being one of Kenya’s worst ever Olympiad performances. Chess and The Olympiad can be harsh mistresses.

With more countries than ever participating in this Olympiad, and a clear rise in chess skills and levels globally, the traffic jam on the match points are the biggest I have seen for an Olympiad. The swings in position placement are the wildest.

Team review

For the final round, I thought Team Kenya would trot out their best four (as is traditional in the final round). But I note CM Mutuge has been benched for the final round. Our Board 2 has been a weakness and has been included. But on closer inspection I can understand the decision by the coach CM Magana.

Jamaica Boards 1 and 2 are 2200 plus. To be practical and sort of cold blooded, we are looking at 0-2 here and thus our Boards 1 & 2 have been sacrificed. On Board 3, CM McLigeyo takes on the 2094 rated FM Raheem. This FM is perhaps the weakest point in the Jamaica team. E.g he lost to CM Eichab of Namibia (a chap who I played all the way back in Rd 3 of the All Africa Games in 2011 and against whom I registered my first ever international win). So, to be cold blooded again, this is a win for CM McLigeyo.

Board 4 is where it gets tricky. On paper the 2051 rated FM Shaw should be something CM Likoko can handle and dismantle. But this particular Jamaican FM has been overperforming and CM Likoko will have to be most careful in dealing with him.

Cliff hanger

From a spectator point of view and a Team Kenya fan, this final round is a must watch cliff hanger. It doesn’t get any more dramatic. The odds are against Team Kenya. They have have no option but to go in and fight for a win, at worst a draw.

Let’s not think about what a loss will mean. I don’t think this particular team deserves a ranking that puts it amongst the worst Team Kenya Olympiad performances. But that is the drama of it now. And it kicks off at 12 noon Kenya time.

Best of luck to our team.

Ms Tshepiso Lopang, President of Africa Chess Confederation with Team Kenya from left Ian Mutuge, Elvis Likoko, Mathew Kanegeni & CM Ben Magana at the start of round 4. Gorilla Fart #10 — Ms Tshepiso Lopang, President of Africa Chess Confederation with Team Kenya from left Ian Mutuge, Elvis Likoko, Matthew Kanegeni & CM Ben Magana at the start of round 4.

Game Corner

About Mehul Gohil

Mehul Gohil is a three-time Kenya National Chess Champion (2014, 2019, and 2022). He has won several major events in the country, including the 66th Nairobi Chess Club Championship.