28th Chess Olympiad
# 28th Chess Olympiad

The 28th Chess Olympiad (Greek: Η 28η Σκακιστική Ολυμπιάδα, I 28i Skakistikí Olympiáda), organized by FIDE and comprising an open and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 12 and November 30, 1988, in Thessaloniki, Greece.

After the successful 26th Olympiad in Thessaloniki in 1984, FIDE had agreed to hold every other Olympiad (the ones in Olympic years) in the home country of the Olympic movement - provided the Greek Chess Federation and government could provide the necessary funding. This was only the case once, in 1986; after that the Olympiad went back to a new host city every two years.

Israel was back, having been effectively banned from the previous Olympiad in Dubai, as were the countries that had stayed away in sympathy: The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Also reappearing in the Olympic arena—after a 16-year absence—was East Germany, who celebrated their return by beating their West German rivals 3–1.

The Soviet Union dominated as usual. With world champions Kasparov (reigning) and Karpov (former) on the top boards, they won by no less than six points. A strong English team took their third consecutive silver medals, while the returning Dutch team took the bronze.

## Open event

There were 107 teams from 106 different nations playing in a 14-round Swiss system tournament. Chile had also been signed up, but never arrived.

In the event of a draw, the tie-break was decided first by using the Buchholz system, then by match points.

    Open event #CountryPlayersAverage ratingPointsBuchholz 1 Soviet UnionKasparov, Karpov, Yusupov, Beliavsky, Ehlvest, Ivanchuk269440½ 2 EnglandShort, Speelman, Nunn, Chandler, Mestel, Watson263534½457.0 3 NetherlandsVan der Wiel, Sosonko, Van der Sterren, Piket, Kuijf, Douven251334½455.0
    #CountryAverage ratingPointsBuchholzMP 4 United States258034459.0 5 Hungary260434456.5 6 Yugoslavia257433½ 7 Philippines243533449.5 8 China244133447.0 9 Cuba252033439.5 10 Argentina248633434.5 11 Israel248133432.5 12 Sweden253832½458.0 13 Czechoslovakia251832½446.0 14 Italy242032½423.0 15 Iceland255032449.5 16 Denmark247532449.0 17 East Germany250832444.5 18 West Germany254032435.5 19 India246632393.5 20 Switzerland248031½423.0 21 Poland246031½419.017 22 Spain247931½419.013 23 Brazil240631½416.0 24 Bulgaria252031449.0 25 Romania247631441.0 26 Indonesia245331431.5 27 Greece244931419.0 28 Austria241531411.0 29 Guatemala225131325.0 30 Scotland238330½431.0 31 France247330½429.5 32 Finland242030½421.0 33 Albania236430½415.0 34 Belgium238830½412.0 35 Colombia240630431.5 36 Peru246030428.0 37 Canada243930411.0 38 New Zealand232130405.0 39 Paraguay235430365.5 40 Australia241429½412.0 41 Venezuela226129½376.0 42 Thailand228029½368.5 43 Norway245029418.5 44 Mexico239829413.0 45 Dominican Republic234829412.0 46 Wales229029411.0 47 Singapore228029410.5 48 Egypt225029401.5 49 Uruguay228429394.5 50 Ireland226028½403.0 51 Syria227828½391.5 52 Turkey230528403.0 53 Luxembourg222128373.0 54 Portugal238127½410.0 55 Greece "B"228827½407.0 56 Pakistan234527½403.5 57 Faroe Islands227027½395.0 58 Malaysia221127½393.0 59 Puerto Rico223927½391.0 60 Morocco220127½390.0 61 Angola220027½381.0 62 Costa Rica224027½380.5 63 Bangladesh229327½377.5 64 Bolivia223027½371.0 65 Jamaica223127375.5 66 Algeria220027372.5 67 Japan220326½390.0 68 United Arab Emirates220926½383.0 69 Barbados220626½377.5 70 Nigeria220126½368.5 71 Libya220126½361.0 72 Zimbabwe220426½344.0 73 El Salvador222826383.5 74 Cyprus220326371.0 75 Qatar223326354.5 76 Malta220026347.5 77 Jordan221025½376.0 78 Lebanon223425½369.5 79 Honduras220025½364.0 80 Suriname220025½279.5 81 Zambia220125356.0 82 Senegal220125334.0 83 Botswana220025322.0 84 Hong Kong222624½382.0 85 Bahrain220124½372.0 86 Andorra221024½371.5 87 North Yemen220124½360.0 88 Palestine220624½359.5 89 Netherlands Antilles220124½350.0 90 Mauritania220324½305.5 91 Haiti220424350.0 92 Panama220024317.0 93 Liechtenstein220024295.0 94 Monaco220024293.5 95 Uganda220323½372.5 96 San Marino220123½365.0 97 Mali220323½288.5 98 Guernsey and Jersey222023327.5 99 Sudan220323315.5 100 British Virgin Islands220023295.5 101 Kenya220322½346.0 102 United States Virgin Islands220022½293.0 103 Bermuda220121 104 Bahamas220118 105 Mauritius220116 106 Fiji220114 107 Seychelles220010

### Individual medals

* Performance rating: Garry Kasparov 2877
* Board 1: Garry Kasparov 8½ / 10 = 85.0%
* Board 2: Anatoly Karpov 8 / 10 = 80.0%
* Board 3: Carlos Antonio Reyes Nájera 7½ / 10 = 75.0%
* Board 4: Suchart Chaivichit 8 / 9 = 88.9%
* 1st reserve: Ennio Arlandi and Eduardo Vásquez 5½ / 7 = 78.6%
* 2nd reserve: Tahmidur Rahman and Jorge Gómez Baillo 6 / 7 = 85.7%

### Best combination

The 'Best combination' prize went to Carsten Høi (Denmark) - Boris Gulko (USA) from round 4.

## Women's event

56 teams from 55 different nations took part. In the event of a draw, the tie-break was decided first by using the Buchholz system, then by match points.

The Soviet Union had won 10 of the previous 11 Olympiads, but this time they were bested by a Hungarian teenage team featuring 19-year-old Mádl as well as all three Polgár sisters: Zsuzsa (also 19), Zsófia (14), and Judit (12). The biggest star of the women's event was 12-year-old prodigy Judit, who scored 12½ points in 13 games and won her board as well as the overall performance rating.

    #CountryPlayersAverage ratingPoints 1 HungaryZsuzsa Polgár, J. Polgár, Mádl, Zsófia Polgár240033 2 Soviet UnionChiburdanidze, Akhmilovskaya, Levitina, Litinskaya245532½ 3 YugoslaviaMarić, Marković, Maksimović, Bašagić230028
    #CountryAverage ratingPointsBuchholz 4 China209527 5 Bulgaria227524344.5 6 Romania226724344.0 7 Greece220724343.0 8 Cuba217024336.5 9 United States227823½342.5 10 Netherlands220323½319.5 11 Poland228223349.5 12 England230023322.5 13 France216023317.0 14 India212823316.0 15 West Germany227722½333.5 16 Argentina213022½315.5 17 Spain220022½312.5 18 Israel222822½311.5 19 Denmark212322½303.5 20 Brazil207322½302.5 21 Switzerland211522309.0 22 Philippines220522259.5 23 Czechoslovakia224221½343.0 24 Sweden224021½329.5 25 Greece "B"201321½297.0 26 Canada212521½296.0 27 Colombia208821½295.0 28 Dominican Republic200221½294.5 29 Ireland201221½291.0 30 Finland200021½286.0 31 Mexico200321½283.0 32 New Zealand200521½271.0 33 Austria208821313.5 34 Australia202321309.0 35 Belgium200821296.5 36 Indonesia203521285.0 37 Italy201021276.0 38 Uruguay200321253.0 39 Venezuela201320½302.0 40 Norway202520½286.0 41 Wales207520½277.5 42 Bangladesh200020½267.5 43 Portugal200020275.5 44 Turkey200020262.0 45 Scotland201219½ 46 Malaysia201819280.5 47 Jamaica200219238.0 48 Puerto Rico200319236.0 49 Nigeria200217234.0 50 Lebanon200017229.5 51 Barbados200016½ 52 Zimbabwe200014½ 53 Netherlands Antilles200014 54 Malta200012½ 55 Seychelles20008 56 United States Virgin Islands20002½

### Individual medals

* Performance rating: Judit Polgár 2694
* Board 1: Pia Cramling 12½ / 14 = 89.3%
* Board 2: Judit Polgár 12½ / 13 = 96.2%
* Board 3: Peng Zhaoqin (10½/14) and Maria Horvath (9/12) = 75.0%
* Reserve: Yesmin Begum 6½ / 8 = 81.3%
