Field evens with Russian win and Azerbaijan loss

By Tony Rich

BURSA, TURKEY -- After a strong start in the first two rounds, round three proved far more difficult for the American team.

This round saw the end of perfect scores, as The U.S. team was beaten soundly by Russia, and, in a mild upset, Azerbaijan lost to India. In another upset, Egypt topped Greece, a team that must have had high hopes after their Herculean defeat of Russia in round two. The loss by Azerbaijan helped keep the field even. By match points, the U.S. team stays tied for the top, with a score of 2-1.

The U.S. team seemed to falter in the opening on boards three and four, as Yuri Shulman and Varuzhan Akobian struggled early. Although round three brought forth another 3-1 score, the U.S. was on the wrong end this time.

Armenia won easily (3.5-0.5) against host Turkey, and Armenia's top player, Levon Aronian, was the only player who was unable to score the full point. Israel was able to squeak by Brazil by virtue of top board and current World Cup Champion Boris Gelfand's win. 

The tournament is still wide open, as each team has lost at least one match, and the fight for medals continues.

From left: Yury Shulman, Robert Hess, John Donaldson, Ray Robson, Hikaru Nakamura, Varuzhan Akobian and Alexander Onischuk.

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Submitted by mwilmering on Fri., 1/8/2010 - 10:08 am