15^th IBCA Olympiad for the Blind and Visually Disabled, 2017, Ohrid Macedonia

The 15^th IBCA Olympiad took place from June 18^th (arrival) till June 29^th , 2017 at the Metropol Lake Resort Hotel in Ohrid, Macedonia.

The tournament was organized by  the National Union of the Blind of the Republic of Macedonia and the International Braille Chess Association.

The surrounding is nice.  The resort consists of three hotels: Metropol Hotel with the tournament hall and IBCA office, Bellevue and Tourist. The hotels are connected to each other and they are situated only a few meters from the Lake Ohrid. There were, however, too many steps without marking or handles, but the blind and visually impaired chess players managed walking along quite well with the help of the guides and volunteers. The water of the lake is crystal clear so those who liked swimming could enjoy the beautiful lake.The weather was hot, but the tournament hall and all the rooms have air-condition. The food in the restaurant was freshly made and delicious, especially the desserts and cakes.The staff of the hotel was extremely helpful and friendly and helped whenever they were needed.

27 teams participated in this Olympiad. The tournament was  played in 9 round Swiss format. Most teams consisted of 4 players and a reserve. The duration of the play was 2 hours for 40 moves and 1 hour after that to complete the game. One game was played each day and the day after the 5^th round there was a rest day on which there was an excursion to Sveti Naum. Two boats were needed to carry all the chess players and their guides and they were rewarded by a pleasant journey taking about 2 hours to reach the destination. Sveti Naum is a historic place dating back to the 9th century when it was a monastery. Today it attracts many tourists. The buildings of the monastery were erected in the 19th century.

Russia won gold with 8 wins and 1 loss. Ukraine got silver, and Poland got the bronze medal.

The following teams deserve a special mention regarding their starting rank:
India 7^th place (starting rank 19^th , Azerbaijan 8^th place (starting rank 24th).