We finally got over the hump.  After the trips and falls in the first half of the Olympiad, Team Bahamas secured enough game points to win their round 6 match against Palau.  It began with a draw after two hours of play by Chappell.  Elton finished next with a solid win on board two.  Then came Valentine who fended off Palau's top board player with the deciding point, giving The Bahamas a 2.5-1.5 match win.

Next up is Guam in round 7.  Our boys are getting hot!

We were SO close to that elusive first match win, and we let it slip away.  Elton and Kendrick did their jobs with a draw and win respectively.  Carver too started off in top form, smashing away at his opponent, when in the process of mopping up the scattered remains, he walked his king right into a knight fork that lost a rook and all chances of winning.  Meanwhile, Valentine fought tooth-and-nail to reach an even endgame position when he took his eye off of the clock and allowed time to expire.

It's a good thing that tomorrow is a day off for the players to regroup.  Play resumes on Friday with Team Bahamas going for a full point against Palau.

The Bahamas is no longer scoreless in the World Chess Olympiad, after drawing against Fiji with a 2-2 score.  Chappell earned a full point to start things off, followed by Carver's draw.  After Valentine's board one loss and everything on the line, Elton fought through a difficult position against a near-2000 rated Candidate Master and signed off on a well-deserved draw.  The team is building momentum!  Tomorrow, we face off against the African country of Togo.

The board pairings for The Bahamas' match against Fiji are:

Board 1 - Valentine Cox - CM Calvin Prasad
Board 2 - Elton Joseph - CM Manoj Pumar
Board 3 - Carver Moncur - Taione Sikivou
Board 4 - Chappell Whyms - Jasvindar Singh

The games can be viewed live starting at 8:00 am ET at https://chess24.com/en/olympiad2014/live.

All games at the Olympiad are broadcast live via https://chess24.com/en/olympiad2014/games/pairings.  Simply click on the game that you want to view and the board will be displayed.  Real-time computer analysis is also shown throughout the screen.

For those who want to watch The Bahamas live, the playing schedule is:

August 2: Round 1, 9:00 am ET
August 3: Round 2, 8:00 am ET
August 4: Round 3, 8:00 am ET
August 5: Round 4, 8:00 am ET
August 6: Round 5, 8:00 am ET
August 7: Day off
August 8: Round 6, 8:00 am ET
August 9: Round 7, 8:00 am ET
August 10: Round 8, 8:00 am ET
August 11: Round 9, 8:00 am ET
August 12: Round 10, 8:00 am ET
August 13: Day off
August 14: Round 11, 5:00 am ET

Well, it didn't work out quite that way I had dreamed up.  It turns out that The Bahamas was outgunned by Bermuda after all.  Valentine Cox rested in this round, leaving Elton Joseph (board 1), Kendrick Knowles (board 2), Carver Moncur (board 3), and Chappell Whyms (board 4) in the lineup.  Carver was the first to finish, and his win looked to be the start of something good.  Unfortunately, the three remaining Bermudians were just too tough to handle.  After four long hours of struggle each, Elton, Kendrick, and Chappell all had to settle for zero points for their efforts.  It was another learning moment for Team Bahamas.

Round 4 will see The Bahamas paired against a solid Fiji team that includes three Candidate Masters with an average rating is about 1950.

I almost forgot to mention that I spotted World Champion Magnus Carlsen at breakfast this morning.  We're staying at the same hotel apparently.  I never do stuff like this but he was, like, right there, and when would I ever get the chance again...lol (see paparazzi photo below).

After losing its round two match against Libya, The Bahamas will now face Bermuda.  Their players are very beatable.  Their top player is rated at 1948; their lowest is at 1534.  Stay tuned for the official board lineups for round three.

The Bahamas took a small bite out of Libya, earning 1.5 points from the 4 games.  OK, one of the points was a forfeit win when Kendrick's opponent did not show, but it's a point.  Carver, meanwhile, worked his game and was able to secure a draw against Libya's 2166-rated board three.  According to Valentine Cox, the veteran Olympiad player, this is the earliest that The Bahamas has ever scored even half a point in an Olympiad.  That is incredible news and shows, with good coaching, what potential we have in the sport of chess.

I should have pointed out earlier that the default lineup for The Bahamas is:

Board 1: Valentine Cox
Board 2: Elton Joseph
Board 3: Kendrick Knowles
Board 4: Carver Moncur
Reserve: Chappell Whyms

Elton has elected to sit out round 2, so Kendrick will move up to board 2, Carver to board 3, and Chappell will slot in on board 4.

Libya's four players are all FMs with an average rating of about 2200.