After the rest day, Serbia resumes the Olympiad against Kazakhstan in the Open and Cuba in the Women’s section. Round seven starts today, September 23, at noon in Serbia (CEST), or 3pm in Samarkand. Both Serbian teams have nine match points and are aiming for a fifth match win. Official schedule
The line-ups and colours are confirmed. The men field the same four players as against Sweden, while Jovana Srdanović returns to the women’s team and Elif Mehmed rests. All pairings and broadcast links are below. Individual Lichess boards have not yet been posted at the time of checking on September 23.
Open: Serbia - Kazakhstan, match 9
Kazakhstan went into the break with a 3½:½ win over Colombia, winning on the top three boards. Like Serbia, it has nine match points. Serbia comes off a 2:2 draw with Sweden. Round-six results
Board pairings (colours are given for the Serbian players; numbers in brackets are tournament ratings):
- Alexey Sarana (2666), White - Denis Makhnev (2568).
- Aleksandar Inđić (2598), Black - Sauat Nurgaliyev (2493).
- Alexandr Predke (2598), White - Daniyal Sapenov (2510).
- Velimir Ivić (2601), Black - Aldiyar Ansat (2495).
Bojan Maksimović rests. Kazakhstan leaves Zhandos Agmanov out of its four-player selection. Official line-ups and colours
Serbia has the higher rating on all four boards, but the opposition has reasons for confidence. Makhnev, Nurgaliyev and Sapenov each scored 4/5 over the first six rounds, supplying the three wins against Colombia. Makhnev and Ansat are grandmasters, Nurgaliyev and Sapenov international masters, and Anuar Ismagambetov captains the team. Kazakhstan started as the 35th seed, Serbia as the 15th. Kazakhstan’s squad and scores
Inđić and Ivić’s games with Black will be particularly interesting. Serbia has a rating edge on those boards too, but converting it into a match win will require patience.
Follow Serbia - Kazakhstan: Open, matches 1–12
Women: Serbia - Cuba, match 10
Cuba also has nine match points, having beaten Montenegro 2½:1½ in round six. Yerisbel Miranda Llanes and Roxangel Obregon Garcia supplied the wins. Serbia resumes after drawing with Türkiye and has an opportunity to return to winning ways. Round-six results
Board pairings:
- Teodora Injac (2406), White - Yerisbel Miranda Llanes (2251).
- Alina Bivol (2345), Black - Yaniela Forgas Moreno (2249).
- Jovana Srdanović (2298), White - Ineymig Hernandez Gil (2157).
- Sofia Pogorelskih (2244), Black - Roxangel Obregon Garcia (2160).
Elif Mehmed rests, while Cuba plays without its registered first board, Maritza Arribas Robaina. Official line-ups and colours
Serbia’s women also have a rating advantage on every board. However, Jovana faces an opponent who reached the break with 5/6: Hernandez Gil has scored the most points in Cuba’s squad. Obregon Garcia has 2½/3, so board four promises no easy points either. Miranda Llanes and Forgas Moreno are woman grandmasters, Hernandez Gil and Obregon Garcia woman international masters. Aramis Alvarez Pedraza captains Cuba, the 27th seed; Serbia was seeded 14th. Cuba’s squad and scores
Follow Serbia - Cuba: Women, matches 1–25
Rest-day extra: Sarana and Ivić still playing
A day off at the Olympiad did not mean a day without chess. Alexey Sarana and Velimir Ivić played online blitz in Titled Tuesday on September 22. The final, eleventh-round game list includes Sarana - Mateusz Bartel and Timur Kocharin - Ivić. Today they are back in the Serbian line-up together. Game records
Alireza Firouzja won the event with 10/11. For some players, a break from long Olympiad games left room for a little more blitz. Titled Tuesday organizer’s report
Five rounds to shape the final standings
Both Serbian teams have four wins, one draw and one loss. The men reached the break with 15/24 board points, the women with 17/24. A fifth win today would put either team back on course ahead of the last four rounds.
Find all results and eight games from the previous round in our round-six report, and catch up with the favourites and our replay picks in the rest-day special.