46th Chess Olympiad · Samarkand 2026 · Open section
Ireland Open at the 2026 Chess Olympiad
Ireland's Open team have had a mixed first six rounds: two wins, two draws and two defeats. They sit 86th from a starting rank of 66, with Tom O'Gorman leading the individual scoring on 4½/6.
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Squad
Player scores through Round 6
| Player | Rating | G | W | D | L | Score | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom O'Gorman IM | 2380 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4½ | 75% |
| Tarun Kanyamarala IM | 2417 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 60% |
| Kavin Venkatesan FM | 2304 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2½ | 50% |
| Adam Collins FM | 2340 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 40% |
| Alexander Baburin GM | 2344 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1½ | 50% |
Round 1
Ireland 4–0 Saint Lucia
Four boards, four wins. Ireland opened with a 4-0 sweep of Saint Lucia.
| Board | Ireland | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarun Kanyamarala White · 2417 |
Kaieem Elizee 1862 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 2 | Tom O'Gorman Black · 2380 |
Justin James 1905 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 3 | Adam Collins White · 2340 |
Sixtus Gabriel 1865 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 4 | Kavin Venkatesan Black · 2304 |
Arvin Nicholas 1710 |
Win | 0-1 |
Board 1 Tarun Kanyamarala vs Kaieem Elizee Win
Tarun Kanyamarala already had some pressure, but Kaieem Elizee's 20...Qc6 turned it into a clear advantage. Nb7 was the tougher defence.
View in the Ireland Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 2 Tom O'Gorman vs Justin James Win
Justin James was under pressure before 21.Nxe4; that move made the position much harder and Tom O'Gorman took over. Ne2 was the tougher defence.
View in the Ireland Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 3 Adam Collins vs Sixtus Gabriel Win
Sixtus Gabriel was under pressure before 15...c6; that move made the position much harder and Adam Collins took over. Nfd7 was the tougher defence.
View in the Ireland Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 4 Kavin Venkatesan vs Arvin Nicholas Win
The position was still playable until Arvin Nicholas played 19.Qc2. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Kavin Venkatesan. c4 was the tougher defence.
View in the Ireland Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Round 2
Ireland 0–4 Poland
Nothing came back from this one. Poland beat Ireland 4-0.
| Board | Ireland | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarun Kanyamarala White · 2417 |
Jan-Krzysztof Duda 2743 |
Loss | 0-1 |
| 2 | Tom O'Gorman Black · 2380 |
Szymon Gumularz 2608 |
Loss | 1-0 |
| 3 | Adam Collins White · 2340 |
Jan Malek 2587 |
Loss | 0-1 |
| 4 | Kavin Venkatesan Black · 2304 |
Jakub Kosakowski 2520 |
Loss | 1-0 |
Board 1 Tarun Kanyamarala vs Jan-Krzysztof Duda Loss
Tarun Kanyamarala's 34.Rxc7 with 43 seconds left was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Jan-Krzysztof Duda had a clear advantage. Kf2 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Tom O'Gorman vs Szymon Gumularz Loss
Tom O'Gorman gave Szymon Gumularz the opening with 28...Rac8. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. a6 was the tougher defence.
Board 3 Adam Collins vs Jan Malek Loss
The decisive shift came when Adam Collins played 29.Rc2. Jan Malek took control and did not give it back. Ra1 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Kavin Venkatesan vs Jakub Kosakowski Loss
Kavin Venkatesan gave Jakub Kosakowski the opening with 24...Qg5. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. Qg4 was the tougher defence.
Round 3
Ireland 4–0 Malawi
A clean sweep for Ireland: all four boards won against Malawi.
| Board | Ireland | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarun Kanyamarala Black · 2417 |
Joseph Mwale 2287 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 2 | Tom O'Gorman White · 2380 |
Chiletso Chipanga 2085 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Alexander Baburin Black · 2344 |
George Mwale 2062 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 4 | Kavin Venkatesan White · 2304 |
Joseph Xavier Nyambalo 2014 |
Win | 1-0 |
Board 1 Tarun Kanyamarala vs Joseph Mwale Win
Joseph Mwale's 30.Rd1 was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Tarun Kanyamarala had a clear advantage. Nd3 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Tom O'Gorman vs Chiletso Chipanga Win
The position was still playable until Chiletso Chipanga played 23...f6. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Tom O'Gorman. Bxc4 was the tougher defence.
Board 3 Alexander Baburin vs George Mwale Win
George Mwale's 35.Qa3 was the point the game moved firmly towards Alexander Baburin. From there the advantage held. Kg2 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Kavin Venkatesan vs Joseph Xavier Nyambalo Win
The position was still playable until Joseph Xavier Nyambalo played 29...Rf8. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Kavin Venkatesan. Rc8 was the tougher defence.
Round 4
Ireland 2–2 Denmark
No decisive games here. All four boards were drawn.
| Board | Ireland | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarun Kanyamarala White · 2417 |
Jonas Buhl Bjerre 2615 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Tom O'Gorman Black · 2380 |
Mads Andersen 2549 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 3 | Alexander Baburin White · 2344 |
Bjorn Moller Ochsner 2478 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 4 | Adam Collins Black · 2340 |
Filip Boe Olsen 2453 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
Board 1 Tarun Kanyamarala vs Jonas Buhl Bjerre Draw
Very little separated Tarun Kanyamarala and Jonas Buhl Bjerre. The position stayed within reach for both players and the point was shared.
Board 2 Tom O'Gorman vs Mads Andersen Draw
Mads Andersen had the better of it, but 89.Nh4 with 58 seconds left let Tom O'Gorman off the hook. The advantage disappeared and the game came back to level. Qg6+ was the better way to keep the pressure on. That half-point mattered: the match finished 2-2.
Board 3 Alexander Baburin vs Bjorn Moller Ochsner Draw
This was the quiet board. Alexander Baburin and Bjorn Moller Ochsner never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 4 Adam Collins vs Filip Boe Olsen Draw
Filip Boe Olsen needed an escape and got one when Adam Collins played 51...Kc4. The advantage vanished, and the draw was there from that point. Rc8 was the better way to keep the pressure on.
Round 5
Ireland 1½–2½ Brazil
Ireland lost 2.5-1.5 to Brazil. Tom O'Gorman won, but defeats for Adam Collins and Kavin Venkatesan turned the match.
| Board | Ireland | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarun Kanyamarala Black · 2417 |
Luis Paulo Supi 2582 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Tom O'Gorman White · 2380 |
Andre Diamant 2504 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Adam Collins Black · 2340 |
Diego Rafael Di Berardino 2471 |
Loss | 1-0 |
| 4 | Kavin Venkatesan White · 2304 |
Roberto Junio Brito Molina 2390 |
Loss | 0-1 |
Board 1 Tarun Kanyamarala vs Luis Paulo Supi Draw
This was the quiet board. Tarun Kanyamarala and Luis Paulo Supi never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 2 Tom O'Gorman vs Andre Diamant Win
The position was still playable until Andre Diamant played 20...Nb7 with 4:12 left. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Tom O'Gorman. Bxe5 was the tougher defence. A 124-point rating upset.
Board 3 Adam Collins vs Diego Rafael Di Berardino Loss
Diego Rafael Di Berardino built the win without one obvious collapse from Adam Collins. The advantage came in smaller steps and held to the finish.
Board 4 Kavin Venkatesan vs Roberto Junio Brito Molina Loss
Roberto Junio Brito Molina built the win without one obvious collapse from Kavin Venkatesan. The advantage came in smaller steps and held to the finish.
Round 6
Ireland 2–2 Jamaica
Tom O'Gorman won and Alexander Baburin lost, while Adam Collins and Kavin Venkatesan drew. Ireland and Jamaica split the match 2-2.
| Board | Ireland | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom O'Gorman White · 2380 |
Joshua Christie 2216 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 2 | Alexander Baburin Black · 2344 |
Shreyas Smith 2272 |
Loss | 1-0 |
| 3 | Adam Collins White · 2340 |
Jaden Shaw 2100 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 4 | Kavin Venkatesan Black · 2304 |
Akeem Brown 2072 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
Board 1 Tom O'Gorman vs Joshua Christie Win
Joshua Christie's 27...dxe4 was the point the game moved firmly towards Tom O'Gorman. From there the advantage held. Nh7 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Alexander Baburin vs Shreyas Smith Loss
Shreyas Smith already had some pressure, but Alexander Baburin's 15...a6 turned it into a clear advantage. h6 was the tougher defence. A 72-point rating upset.
Board 3 Adam Collins vs Jaden Shaw Draw
Not every draw hides a missed win. Adam Collins and Jaden Shaw stayed close throughout, and neither built a sustained advantage.
Board 4 Kavin Venkatesan vs Akeem Brown Draw
This was the quiet board. Kavin Venkatesan and Akeem Brown never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Sources and method. Match scores, pairings, ratings and standings are taken from Chess-Results. Game commentary is based on the supplied Olympiad PGNs and their embedded engine evaluations. Engine labels are used as evidence for the identified turning points; they are not presented as comments made by the players.