35th Chess Olympiad explained

The 35th Chess Olympiad (Slovenian: 35. Šahovska olimpijada), organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open^[1] and women's tournament, took place between October 25 and November 11, 2002, in Bled, Slovenia. There were 135 teams in the open event and 90 in the women's event.

Both tournament sections were officiated by international arbiter Geurt Gijssen (Netherlands). Teams were paired across the 14 rounds of competition according to the Swiss system. The open division was played over four boards per round, whilst the women's was played over three. In the event of a draw, the tie-break was decided by 1. The Buchholz system; and 2. Match points.

The time control for each game permitted each player 90 minutes for all their moves, with an additional 30 seconds increment for each player after each move, beginning with the first.

In addition to the overall medal winners, the teams were divided into seeding groups, with the top finishers in each group receiving special prizes.

Open event

The open division was contested by 135 teams representing 130 nations. Slovenia, as hosts, fielded three teams, whilst the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA), the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA), and the International Committee of Silent Chess (ICSC) each provided one squad. Sudan were signed up but never arrived.

Both reigning world champions, Vladimir Kramnik (classical) and Viswanathan Anand (FIDE), were absent from the tournament. Meanwhile, the Russian team with two ex-champions, Kasparov and Khalifman, won their sixth consecutive title. Hungary and Armenia took silver and bronze, respectively.

Open event! # !! Country !! Players !! Average
rating !! Points !! Buchholz

1		Kasparov, Grischuk, Khalifman, Morozevich, Svidler, Rublevsky	2734	38½
2			2674	37½
3			2620	35
4			2590	34
5			2633	33½	456.5
6			2648	33½	454.5
7			2640	33½	450.5
8			2561	33	445.0
9			2660	33	439.5
10			2548	33	436.0

	Country	Average rating	Points	Buchholz	MP
11		2543	33	430.5
12		2561	33	427.5
13		2600	32½	451.0
14		2665	32½	459.5
15		2576	32½	447.5
16		2626	32½	446.5
17		2570	32½	442.0
18		2578	32½	438.5
19		2567	32½	433.5
20		2566	32½	431.0
21		2548	32	435.0
22		2498	32	422.0
23		2558	31½	445.0
24		2610	31½	441.5
25		2540	31½	433.5
26		2554	31½	425.5
27		2545	31½	421.5
28		2590	31	448.5
29		2561	31	441.0
30		2575	31	436.0
31		2543	31	431.0
32		2583	31	430.0
33		2492	31	423.5
34		2453	31	414.5
35		2561	31	411.0
36		2458	31	408.0
37		2576	30½	433.0
38		2470	30½	426.0	17
39		2502	30½	426.0	14
40		2591	30½	425.0
41		2620	30½	422.0
42		2540	30½	416.5
43		2530	30½	414.5
44		2425	30½	414.0
45		2442	30½	411.0
46		2516	30	428.5
47		2513	30	415.0
48		2511	30	412.5
49		2491	30	412.0
50		2425	30	409.5
51		2420	30	399.5
52		2452	29½	408.5
53		2482	29½	407.0
54		2403	29½	402.0
55		2367	29½	399.0
56		2310	29½	394.5
57		2459	29½	389.5
58		2421	29½	337.0
59		2430	29	406.5
60		2419	29	394.0	14
61		2429	29	394.0	11
62	"B"	2351	29	390.0
63		2534	28½	421.5
64		2391	28½	411.5
65		2373	28½	401.0
66		2405	28½	397.0
67		2386	28½	396.0
68		2273	28½	394.5
69		2402	28	418.5
70		2380	28	394.0
71		2339	28	390.5
72		2404	28	387.5
73		2411	28	384.0
74		2282	28	383.0
75		2224	27½	390.0	15
76		2348	27½	390.0	13
77		2325	27½	389.5
78		2304	27½	383.0
79		2399	27½	373.5
80	"C"	2416	27	399.5
81		2280	27	393.0
82		2303	27	390.5
83		2336	27	385.0
84		2372	27	381.0
85		2309	27	380.5
86	ICSC	2371	27	376.5
87		2296	27	368.0
88		2335	27	366.5
89		2247	26½	387.0
90		2227	26½	372.0
91		2067	26½	350.0
92		2289	26	386.0
93		2304	26	383.0
94		2290	26	382.0
95	IPCA	2336	26	381.5
96		2148	26	357.0
97		2125	26	326.5
98		2210	25½	361.0
99		2065	25½	350.0
100		2323	25	382.0
101		2213	25	368.5
102		2049	25	367.5
103		2303	25	366.0
104		2227	25	357.0
105		2054	25	347.5
106		2184	25	345.0
107		2122	25	344.0
108		2220	24½	364.0
109		2037	24½	351.5
110		2089	24½	326.5
111		2146	24	368.0
112		2034	24	346.5
113		2203	24	345.5
114		2230	23½	361.5
115		2069	23½	360.5
116		2136	23½	351.5
117		2086	23½	332.5
118		2225	23	354.5
119		2014	23	347.5
120		2059	23	340.5	13
121		2043	23	340.5	11
122		2017	23	317.0
123		2054	23	300.0
124		2000	23	278.0
125		2000	22½	327.5
126		2000	22½	323.5
127		2024	22½	275.5
128		2005	22
129		2000	21½	302.0
130		2044	21½	287.5
131		2179	21½	282.5
133		2007	17½
133		2048	17
134		2000	15½
135		2000	11½

Individual medals

• Performance rating: Garry Kasparov 2933
• Board 1: Robert Gwaze 9 / 9 = 100.0%
• Board 2: Jean-Philippe Gentilleau 7 / 9 = 77.8%
• Board 3: Cerdas Barus 8½ / 10 = 85.0%
• Board 4: Maher Ayyad 8 / 10 = 80.0%
• 1st reserve: Jassim Saleh 6½ / 7 = 92.9%
• 2nd reserve: Sam Collins 7½ / 8 = 93.8%

Gwaze is one of two players to have recorded the "highest" perfect score at an Olympiad with 9 points in 9 games (the other was Alexander Alekhine in 1930).

Women's event

The women's division was contested by 90 teams representing 85 nations. Slovenia, as hosts, fielded three teams, whilst the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA), the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA), and the International Committee of Silent Chess (ICSC) each provided one squad. Afghanistan and Tunisia were signed up but never arrived.

China were only narrow favourites on rating this time but still won their third consecutive title, led by reigning world champion Zhu Chen and future champion Xu Yuhua. Russia and Poland took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

	Country	Players	Average rating	Points	Buchholz
1		Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, Wang Pin, Zhao Xue	2485	29½
2			2462	29
3			2388	28
4			2481	27½
5			2363	25½	343.0
6			2424	25½	334.5
7			2403	25½	334.0
8			2269	25½	317.0
9			2381	25	349.0
10			2316	25	341.0

	Country	Average rating	Points	Buchholz	MP
11		2412	24½	348.5
12		2357	24½	346.5
13		2283	24½	309.5
14		2404	24	347.5
15		2345	24	335.0
16		2382	24	334.0
17		2310	24	332.5
18		2364	24	318.5
19		2325	23½	338.5
20		2353	23½	317.5
21		2176	23½	307.0
22		2214	23½	297.5
23		2302	23	335.0
24		2396	23	328.5
25		2233	23	322.0
26		2218	23	309.0
27		2273	23	302.0
28		2172	23	301.0
29		2239	22½	328.0
30		2304	22½	313.5
31		2264	22½	312.0
32		2344	22½	311.0	15
33		2248	22½	311.0	14
34		2202	22½	309.5
35		2191	22½	301.5
36		2213	22	310.5
37		2195	22	301.0
38		2245	22	296.5
39		2147	21½	310.5
40		2270	21½	298.5
41		2100	21½	291.5
42		2171	21	304.0
43		2207	21	303.5
44		2098	21	296.0
45	"C"	2122	21	297.0
46		2032	21	293.5
47		2091	21	290.0
48		2052	21	286.5
49		2108	21	285.5	16
50		2112	21	285.5	14
51		2080	21	283.0
52		2155	20½	305.0
53		2185	20½	289.5	14
54	"B"	2169	20½	289.5	13
55		2079	20½	287.5
56		2092	20½	282.5
57		1986	20	301.5
58		2132	20	300.5
59		2127	20	293.0
60		2046	20	291.0
61		2023	20	280.5
62		1995	20	276.5
63		1800	20	272.0
64		2174	19½	293.5
65		1800	19½	271.5
66		2016	19	282.5
67		1981	19	277.0
68		1873	19	234.0
69		1800	18½	285.0
70		1903	18½	263.0
71		2055	18	271.5
72		1932	18	270.0
73	IPCA	2165	18	267.0
74		1800	18	260.5
75		1901	18	253.5
76		2047	18	246.5
77		1800	18	242.5
78		1800	18	240.0
79		1899	17½	269.0
80	ICSC	1800	17½	258.5
81		1800	17½	242.0
82		2019	17	249.5
83		1800	17	225.5
84		1881	16½
85		1963	15½
86		1873	15
87		1956	14	233.0
88		1800	14	231.5
89		1800	13
90		1800	8

Individual medals

• Performance rating: Zhao Xue 2707
• Board 1: Hoàng Thanh Trang 8½ / 11 = 77.3%
• Board 2: Svetlana Prudnikova and Leili Pärnpuu 9½ / 13 = 73.1%
• Board 3: Monika Soćko 10½ / 13 = 80.8%
• Reserve: Zhao Xue and Tatiana Kosintseva 11 / 12 = 91.7%

Overall title

The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy is awarded to the nation that has the best average rank in the open and women's divisions. Where two or more teams are tied, they are ordered by best single finish in either division and then by total number of points scored.

The trophy, named after the former women's world champion (1961–78), was created by FIDE in 1997.

	Team	Open division	Women's division	Average
1		1	2	1½
2		5	1	3
3		2	5	3½

Further reading

• Book: Wilkinson, Ian . Magnificence In Bled - The 35th. Chess Olympiad . Lmh Publishers . 2004 . 976-8184-92-2.

External links

• 35th Chess Olympiad: Bled 2002 OlimpBase
• 35th Chess Olympiad Bled 2002 at Chess Federation of Slovenia
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100416085711/http://www.thechessdrum.net/Olympiad2002/

Notes and References

1. Although commonly referred to as the men's division, this section is open to both male and female players.