Week 1 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts 1-3
GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) - GM Joel Benjamin (2651) 1-0
IM Larry Kaufman (2392) - IM Dean Ippolito (2426) 0-1
FM Ray Kaufman (2327) - NM Mackenzie Molner (2325) 0-1
FM Ralph Zimmer (2261) - NM Victor Shen (2246) 0-1

Sergey continued his Summer success by fending off GM Benjamin's attack, but his teammates did not fare so well. It was a tough loss for the Kingfishers this week, and the lopsided score was compounded by the fact that Larry did not notice IM Ippolito's draw offer until it was too late.

This was not the way Baltimore would have liked to start Season 4 of the US Chess League, but they should not despair too much, as in their only other season that began with a loss, they came back to make the playoffs and win the League Championship.

Will Baltimore be able to rebound from a first week loss? Continue to watch the US Chess League to find out!

The next match will begin Wednesday, Sept. 3rd at 7:15 PM EDT, when Baltimore faces the Philadelphia Inventors.

Week 1 Lineup

Wednesday, 7:15 PM EDT
Time Control 90 min. with 30 sec. increment

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts
GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) - GM Joel Benjamin (2651)
IM Larry Kaufman (2392) - IM Dean Ippolito (2426)
FM Ray Kaufman (2327) - NM Mackenzie Molner (2325)
FM Ralph Zimmer (2261) - NM Victor Shen (2246)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Welcome!

Welcome all to the debut of Baltimore Kingfishers Blog! My name is Brian Chan and I act as the Tournament Director/Computer Technician for the team.

The Baltimore Kingfishers, under the management of WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg, have been competing in the US Chess League since the league began 3 years ago. Baltimore actually won the League Championship in the inaugural season, but has suffered losses in the final regular season matches of the past two seasons to miss the playoffs both years. I know this year's players are looking forward to a much better outcome!

Speaking of the players, let's take a look at the Baltimore Kingfishers Roster: (Oct. 2007 Rating) [Current Rating]

1. GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) [2646]
   
2. GM Pawel Blehm (2580) [2551]
   
3. FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2399) [2424]
   
4. IM Larry Kaufman (2392) [2445]
   
5. FM Ray Kaufman (2327) [2343]
   
6. FM Ralph Zimmer (2261) [2329]
   
7. Aaron Kahn (2259) [2294]
   
8. Jared Defibaugh (2048) [2143]
   

Alternates:

1. Scott Low (2078) [2176]
   
2. Ian Harris (2051) [2125]
   

As you can see, almost all the players have increased in rating since the October list with newcomers Jared Defibaugh and Scott Low gaining nearly 100 points each. The other two new members of the team, Aaron Kahn and Ian Harris, have shown marked improvement as well. Also, top player GM Sergey Erenburg has had quite the Summer: sharing first place in the Cleveland Open (with GM Mitkov) and the Atlantic Open (with GM Stripunsky), and taking clear first in the NJ Futurity International and New England Masters tournaments!

These signs point to an enjoyable 2008 season for the Baltimore Kingfishers!