KHANTY-MANSIYSK, Russia, CMC – International Master Jomo Pitterson pulled off a stunning upset but Jamaica narrowly missed out on shocking Norway in the opening round of the 39th World Chess Olympiad on Tuesday.
The experienced Pitterson beat International Master Frode Elsness on Board 2 to set up an intriguing contest but in the end, the 97th seeded Jamaica slipped to a 2-1/2 – 1-1/2 loss to the 23rd ranked Norwegian side.
In an enthralling encounter, Jamaica nearly made Norway pay for daring to enter the match without their top rated player, World number one Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
Led by Pitterson, Jamaica’s middle order set up the contest nicely, with Duane Rowe on Board 3 drawing with FIDE Master Frode Urkedal. International Master Torbjorn Hansen pulled Norway level when he beat Shane Matthews on Board 4, leaving the Board 1 encounter between FIDE Master Warren Elliott and Grandmaster Jon Hammer as the decider.
Sadly for Jamaica, Elliott squandered a draw, allowing Hammer to secure victory and hand Norway their come-from-behind triumph. Barbados, meanwhile, were not as fortunate as the Jamaicans as they crashed 3-1/2 – ½ to the 22nd ranked Slovakia, who took no chances by fielding their top line-up of four Grandmasters.
FIDE Master Delisle Warner was the only success, drawing a tense game on Board 3 against Grandmaster Jan Markos to help Barbados avoid the embarrassment of a 4-0 scoreline.
International Master Kevin Denny, International Master Terry Farley, and Martyn Del Castilho all lost to Grandmasters Sergei Movsesian, Lubomir Ftacnik and Tomas Petrik respectively. There was no further success for the Caribbean as Trinidad & Tobago went down 4-0 to Bosnia & Herzegovina with FIDE Master Ryan Harper, Marcus Joseph, FIDE Master Keron Cabralis and FIDE Master Frank Yee all losing their games. In the women’s category, Jamaica again led the English-speaking Caribbean, losing 3-1 to 40th seed Colombia, as FIDE Master Deborah Richards beat International Master Nadya Ortiz on Board 1 to secure the points.
Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago were both trounced 4-0 by Peru and Kazakhstan respectively.
