Quarterfinals Photos

All photos taken by Masako Uesugi.

Quarterfinals Results

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 3-1
GM Joel Benjamin (2641) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) 1-0
IM Dean Ippolito (2535) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) 0.5-0.5
SM Mackenzie Molner (2446) - FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) 0.5-0.5
Sean Finn (2114) - WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg (2265) 1-0

And the Baltimore Kingfishers' 2009 season ends.

Quarterfinals Preview: NJ-BAL

Board 1: GM Joel Benjamin (2641, NJ) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616, BAL)
These two GMs faced off twice last year, with GM Erenburg going 2-0, in Weeks 1 and 6 (See viewer below), including the 5th place Game of the Year when GM Erenburg played as Black. Baltimore may need another masterpiece from GM Erenburg if they are going to overcome New Jersey's draw odds (and their donut-loving deities) in the match.

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430, BAL) - IM Dean Ippolito (2535, NJ)
These two IMs have also faced each other twice in the USCL: Week 3 of 2007 and Week 6 of 2008. Though they were close games, IM Ippolito scored wins with the nice 46. Rxf7+ shot (viewer game 3) and after IM Enkhbat missed winning opportunities with the mouseslip 46. Ra7 & accidental premove 47. Ra8 (viewer game 4). However, this game will be IM Enkhbat's 7th white (in 8 games) and he is undefeated as white this year. Clearly, this game will hinge on white's 46th move.

Board 3: SM Mackenzie Molner (2446, NJ) - FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354, BAL)
It does not appear that these two have played each other - USCL or otherwise. They both have even scores this year in the USCL, and they both defeated New York's NM Matthew Herman just before his 33rd move. However, SM Molner has a rating advantage and white, so FM Uesugi must look to avoid the famed Big Mac Attack.

Board 4: WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg (2265, BAL) - Sean Finn (2114, NJ)
These two have not played each other either. This is the only board on which Baltimore has a rating advantage, so WIM Battsetseg will be looking to score a victory here, but Finn is no slouch as he defeated the higher-rated WGM Jennifer Shahade (2301) in Week 9. Look for an exciting tactical finish here.

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World Senior Chess Championship Ends

GM Larry Kaufman finished the 19th World Senior Chess Championship tied for 3rd place with 8.0/11 (+7 =2 -2). GM Miso Cebalo (CRO) and GM Janis Kolvans (LAT) finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, with 8.5/11.

Check out GM Larry Kaufman's tournament reports on the USCF's Chess Life Online:

• A Defending Champ on Arriving in Italy
  
• Kaufman on the Early Rounds of the World Senior
  
• All-American Battle Set for Round Eight of the World Senior
  
• Kaufman on the World Senior's Final Stretch
  
• GM Larry Kaufman's Final Word on the World Senior
  

Quarterfinals Match

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

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Joel Benjamin (2641) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616)
IM Dean Ippolito (2535) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430)
SM Mackenzie Molner (2446) - FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354)
Sean Finn (2114) - WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg (2265)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.
New Jersey has Draw Odds (i.e. They advance on a 2-2 draw).

Analysis: FM Bereolos vs. FM Zimmer

Analysis by FM Ralph Zimmer:

This was a difficult game to prepare against UNTIL I found FM Peter Bereolos’ very accommodating website! There, I was able to find plenty of games and analysis by my opponent which allowed me to determine which lines I may wish to challenge him in and which I should probably stay away from. To my dismay, there were many lines I felt I had to avoid as my opponent’s knowledge seemed overly extensive in those areas.

To my delight, I found only two games where my opponent encountered a Dutch defense and in both he favored gambit variations (g4) and made mention of other gambits against the Dutch without specifying in detail. In the two games I found, black did not play f5 in the first move.

Therefore, I could not know what gambit I would be confronted with after 1..f5. So, I studied them all! And the Staunton Gambit was one of them. :

1. d4 f5 I should add I haven’t played this move in decades.
2. e4 (Played rather quickly to my surprise. I thought my first move would catch my opponent by surprise. Whether it did or not, he reacted quickly. I was happy to see this gambit as I play it myself with White on occasion).
2….fxe4
3. Nc3 Nf6
4. f3?!...[The ?! are assessments given by at least one GM in his analysis of this variation. I concur and like 4. Bg5 much more.]
4…d5
5. fxe4 dxe4
6. Bg5 Bf5
7. Bc4 Nc6
8. Nge2 Qd7!? [This was played in Zurakhov-Kortchnoi, Minsk 1952) and is an alternative to the move 8…e6 played in Liardet-Malaniuk, Geneva 1997, where play continued 9. 0-0 Na5! 10. Bf6 Qf6 11. Bb3 Bd6 12. Ng3 Nb3 13. axb3 Qh4 and black is clearly better.]
9. d5 [Perhaps this move is premature as it ends up giving Black good play against the Bishop. In Zurakhov-Kortchnoi, mentioned above, play continued 9. 0-0 e6 10. d5 ed5 11. Nd5 0-0-0 12. Nf6 Qd1 13. Rad1 Bc5 14. Kh1 Rd1 15. Rd1 gf6 16. Bf6 Rf8 17. Rf1 Bg6]
9…Ne5
10. Bb5 c6
11. dxc6 Nxc6
12. 0-0 0-0-0
13. Ng3 Qc7! [From this point on, Black has the initiative and begins to be incrementally better]
14. Qe1 Bg6
15. Kh1 [This is indicative of the problems white already faces. The King must remove itself from the g1-a7 diagonal, but in so doing the White King is facing the Black rook on the opposite end of the file….]
15…Nd4 [15…h5!? With the idea of h4 and h3 is also highly considerable.]
16. Ba4 Qa5!
17. Bd2 [A concession which makes black’s life much easier, but white’s alternatives are unenviable.]
17…e5!
18. Bb3 Qb6
19. Bg5 [ In addition to the time lost with White’s white squared bishop, White’s black squared bishop makes a second trip to g5.]
19…Bb4 [Completing Black’s development favorably]
20. Bxf6 gxf6
21. Ngxe4 [White will almost always get the sacrificed pawn back in the Staunton Gambit – Black’s task is to make sure this happens under unfavorable circumstances, as is the case here]
21…f5!
22. Nd2! [White’s best shot to stir things up].
22….Nb3 [Netting White’s last bishop and securing the bishop pair.]
23. axb3 Rhe8!? [ Not a simple choice to make as I realized I would have to give up the Bishop pair after this move. However, I finally decided that my remaining bishop would still be stronger than White’s knight in an open position. The alternative I considered was 23…e4 but it did not appeal to me as much].
24. Nc4 Qc5
25. Na4 [ As expected ].
25…Qxc4
26. bxc4 [26. c3!? May have been a better shot here in an effort to complicate and initiate an attack on Black’s King on the queenside in exchange for sacrificing the b3 pawn].
26… Bxe1
27. Rfxe1 f4 [27…Rd2 was also seriously in contention here].
28. Nc3 Kb8
29. Ra5?! E4!
30. Nd5 e3
31. Nxf4 Bxc2
32. Rd5 Rc8
33. Rd4 Bb3
34. Rd3 Rxc4
35. g3 Bc2
36. Rdxe3 Rxe3
37. Rxe3 [ It is interesting to view this position. At first glace, both sides have three pawns and their respective kings on the side with the most pawns to queen. However, the difference is the power of black’s bishop over White’s knight as contemplated many moves ago. Black’s ‘weak’ h pawn is protected by the long range bishop while White’s ‘weak’ b-pawn is much more difficult for white to protect.
37…a5! [And the race is on – the problem is only black is advancing].
38. Re2 a4
39. Kg1 b5!
40. Nd5 Be4
41. Ne3 Rc1+ [In the last 5 moves or so, White has made little progress and black’s pawns have advanced decisively. The rest of the moves need no further comment].
42. Kf2 b4 43. Rd2 a3 44. bxa3 bxa3 45. Ra2 Rc3 46. Nc4 Rxc4 47. Rxa3 Bc2 48. Ke3 Kc7 49. Ra7+ Kd6 50. Ra5 Ke6 51. Rb5 Kf6 52 .Ra5 Bf5 53. Rb5 Kg5 54. h3 Kf6 55. Rb6+ Be6 56. Kf3 Ke5 57. Rb5+ Bd5+ 58. Kf2 Rc2+ 59. Kf1 Ke4 60. Ra5 Bc4+ 61. Kg1 Bd3 62. g4 Kf3 63. Ra3 Rd2 64. g5 Kg3 65. Ra1 Kxh3 66. Re1 Kg4 67. Re5 Bf5 68. Re7 Kxg5 69. Rg7+ Kf4 70. Rf7 h5 71. Rf8 h4 72. Rf7 h3 73. Rf8 Kg3 74. Kf1 Rd1+ 75. Ke2 Bg4+ 76. Ke3 h2 White resigns 0-1

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Week 10 Results

Tennessee Tempo vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 1.5-2.5
IM Ron Burnett (2380) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) 0.5-0.5
FM Todd Andrews (2360) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) 0.5-0.5
FM Peter Bereolos (2329) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2282) 0-1
David Justice (2087) - Jared Defibaugh (2155) 0.5-0.5

With the victory over Tennessee, Baltimore clinches 4th place and the final playoff spot in the East!

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Week 10 Lineup

Wednesday, 8:00 PM EDT
Time Control 75 min. with 30 sec. increment

Tennessee Tempo vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
IM Ron Burnett (2380) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616)
FM Todd Andrews (2360) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430)
FM Peter Bereolos (2329) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2282)
David Justice (2087) - Jared Defibaugh (2155)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Playoff Scenarios

For the 3rd time in five seasons, the Baltimore Kingfishers have left their chances of a playoff berth up to the last match of the regular season. In both 2006 and 2007, they tragically went from possibly taking the final Eastern Division Playoff Spot to finishing last in the division.

This time, Baltimore faces the Tennessee Tempo while the Philadelphia Inventors, trailing by 0.5 match points, face the Carolina Cobras and the Queens Pioneers, trailing by 1 match point, play the New Jersey Knockouts. With a match victory, Baltimore can clinch the playoff berth without worrying about how Philadelphia and Queens do in their matches. However, if Baltimore does not win, then check the USCL Standings and Tie-breaks, and you will see that in the first tie-breaker, Philadelphia and Queens are 1.5 and 2.0 game points behind Baltimore, respectively.

For the third tie-breaker (opponents' average rating), Philadelphia can pass Baltimore if Carolina fields a lineup with a rating average of 22.5 points higher than Tennessee will field, which is likely if Carolina and Tennessee have similar lineups as they did last week. Baltimore (2400.575) would edge Philadelphia (2398.375) if there are no more lineup changes. Queens would not need the third tie-breaker if the Pioneers tie for the final playoff spot.

For the fourth tie-breaker, Philadelphia defeated Baltimore 1.5-0.5 in head-to-head results, and again, Queens would not need the fourth tie-breaker if the Pioneers tie for the final playoff spot.

Got all that? Now, for the difficult to predict, but possibly crucial second tie-breaker: Strength of Schedule (SOS), which is the sum of opponents' records against other teams. This means that all the matches of the final week, except Dallas vs. San Francisco, could affect this playoff race (Queens did play SF, but Queens cannot be caught in SOS by either Baltimore or Philadelphia). Philadelphia's SOS is (34.0-34.0) while Baltimore's SOS is (32.5-35.5), and they both play teams with (2.0-7.0) records against other teams, so there is only a 1.5 point gap in SOS. Queens has an SOS of (32.5-35.5), but the Pioneers play New Jersey with a (8.0-1.0) record against other teams; thus giving Queens insurmountable leads of 4.5 and 6 points over Philadelphia and Baltimore in SOS.

If Baltimore draws, then Philadelphia would take the final playoff spot IF:

• Philadelphia wins 4-0
  
• Philadelphia wins 3.5-0.5 and at least three of these do NOT happen:
  
  • Arizona wins
    
  • Chicago loses
    
  • New Jersey loses
    
  • New York wins
    
  • Exactly TWO of the above four teams draw
    Note: If exactly THREE of the above listed team draws and the fourth team performs as listed above, then Philadelphia and Baltimore have the same SOS; see the aforementioned third and fourth tie-breaks.
    

If Baltimore loses, then:

• Queens gets the final playoff spot if:
  
  • Queens wins while scoring at least 2.0 game points more than Baltimore scores and Philadelphia draws or loses
    
• Philadelphia gets the final playoff spot if:
  
  • Philadelphia wins
    
  • Philadelphia draws, Queens draws or loses, and:
    
    • Baltimore loses 0-4
      
    • Baltimore loses 0.5-3.5 and at least three of these do NOT happen:
      
      • Arizona wins
        
      • Chicago loses
        
      • New Jersey loses
        
      • New York wins
        
      • Exactly TWO of the above four teams draw
        Note: If exactly THREE of the above listed team draws and the fourth team performs as listed above, then Philadelphia and Baltimore have the same SOS; see the aforementioned third and fourth tie-breaks.
        

If any of the above scenarios do not occur, then Baltimore takes the final playoff spot.

Now that the scenarios are clear (I hope), let's get on with the games!

Updated 3rd tie-breaker @ 12:50 AM, Monday, Nov. 2nd.

Week 9 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New York Knights 1-3
GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) - GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (2666) 0.5-0.5
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) - GM Pascal Charbonneau (2560) 0-1
WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor (2390) - NM Matt Herman (2275) 0-1
Jared Defibaugh (2155) - NM Yaacov Norowitz (2354) 0.5-0.5

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World Senior Chess Championship

Defending World Senior Co-Champion GM Larry Kaufman reports in Chess Life Online on his harried arrival in Condino, Italy for the 19th World Senior Chess Championship. Good luck to GM Larry Kaufman and may his tournament go more smoothly than his trip there!

Week 9 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New York Knights
GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) - GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (2666)
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) - GM Pascal Charbonneau (2560)
WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor (2390) - NM Matt Herman (2275)
Jared Defibaugh (2155) - NM Yaacov Norowitz (2354)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Week 8 Results

Philadelphia Inventors vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 2-2
IM Bryan Smith (2528) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) 0.5-0.5
FM Tom Bartell (2411) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) 0.5-0.5
IM Richard Costigan (2288) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2282) 0-1
WGM Jennifer Shahade (2301) - Jared Defibaugh (2155) 1-0

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Week 8 Lineup

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

Philadelphia Inventors vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
IM Bryan Smith (2528) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616)
FM Tom Bartell (2411) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430)
IM Richard Costigan (2288) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2282)
WGM Jennifer Shahade (2301) - Jared Defibaugh (2155)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Week 7 Photos

All photos taken by Masako Uesugi.

Week 7 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts 0.5-3.5
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) - GM Joel Benjamin (2641) 0.5-0.5
GM Larry Kaufman (2444) - GM Boris Gulko (2609) 0-1
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - IM Albert Kapengut (2379) 0-1
Jared Defibaugh (2155) - Anna Matlin (2003) 0-1

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Week 7: Baltimore vs. New Jersey

This week the Kingfishers face the New Jersey Knockouts who have been having fantastic season so far. We need a win to put us back in third place. A draw would keep us tied with New York who are now a half point ahead of us in the standings after their draw against Philly last Monday. We were able to hold them off after last week's exciting battle in which it was hard to tell which way the match was going to go all the way to the end. Leonid Kritz had lost early, Shinsaku Uesugi won soon after and Sergey Erenburg fought on for a while in a seemingly equal position. Meanwhile, I was trying to work a nice queen side advantage against Yaacov Norowitz who out rated me by more than 200 points. Unfortunately I succumbed in time pressure in what had suddenly become a very complicated position. Fortunately, Sergey somehow pulled out a win to save the match.

Talk about tough fights! New Jersey will certainly be looking to recover from their loss last week and are using their double GM lineup against us this week. This week will be even tougher, although even a loss this week would keep us in fourth place in the East. Meanwhile, Queens could catch up to us, but they would have to topple Boston.

Board 1: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) BAL vs. GM Joel Benjamin (2641) NJ

Originally this was going to be a very exciting rematch from last year between GMs Erenburg and Benjamin, however, Sergey was unable to play this week due to his heavy work load. Instead, IM Enkhbat will take the reins on board one and we have high hopes. Recently his performances have been quite impressive winning both the UMBC Championships and more recently the MD Open. Enkhbat is a very solid player and will have white so I give him a good shot for at least a draw despite the large rating gap.

Board 2: GM Boris Gulko (2609) NJ vs. GM Larry Kaufman (2444) BAL

Another exciting GM vs. GM match here. Again the Knockouts have the advantage as Gulko has been a force to be reckoned with. Larry will have his work cut out for him, but he has been performing well this year so I would not be surprised if Gulko's USCL winning streak is ended once and for all.

Board 3: FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) BAL vs. IM Albert Kapengut (2379) NJ

This is the only game in this match that is actually close on paper. Both players have been doing well so far. Uesugi has been critical to our success so far this year and his result this week will be no different. Seeing as New Jersey has nice advantages on boards one and two, it seems that we cannot afford anything less than a draw on board three. No pressure Shin! You can do it!

Board 4: Anna Matlin (2003) NJ vs. Jared Defibaugh (2155) BAL

Board four is a clear advantage for Baltimore. Jared is a pretty aggressive player so I expect he should come out on top of any complications. At least I hope he will because this is where New Jersey has been the weakest and without a good result on this board it will be very difficult to beat them.


So far this week there have been two upsets and I don't think they will end there. I think we have a good shot at pulling out a draw against New Jersey. Who knows, maybe Queens will upset Boston and Chicago pull out a similar upset against Tennessee. Seattle vs. Miami is certainly crucial for the standings in the West. I actually think Miami is going to push hard for the win and I think they will be successful. Wouldn't it be nice if San Francisco takes out Arizona? Although that is not a really uneven match, it is important for the Mechanics to get an upset here and move one step closer to the championship match against Baltimore.

Good luck to everyone! Should be a night full of interesting fights!

Week 7 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) - GM Joel Benjamin (2641)
GM Larry Kaufman (2444) - GM Boris Gulko (2609)
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - IM Albert Kapengut (2379)
Jared Defibaugh (2155) - Anna Matlin (2003)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Week 6 Photos

All photos taken by Masako Uesugi.

Week 6 Results

New York Knights vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 2-2
GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (2666) - GM Leonid Kritz (2654) 1-0
GM Pascal Charbonneau (2560) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) 0-1
NM Matt Herman (2275) - FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) 0-1
NM Yaacov Norowitz (2354) - Ian Harris (2172) 1-0

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Week 6 Lineup

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

New York Knights vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (2666) - GM Leonid Kritz (2654)
GM Pascal Charbonneau (2560) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2616)
NM Matt Herman (2275) - FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354)
NM Yaacov Norowitz (2354) - Ian Harris (2172)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

U.S. Women's Championship

Starting this weekend is the U.S. Women's Chess Championship. The field includes two of our own Kingfishers, WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor and WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg! We wish both of them good luck at this prestigious tournament!

Check out Chess Life Online's coverage and the official schedule. Live coverage will be provided by Internet Chess Club, Monroi, and the official site.

Week 5 Review

Board 1: GM Leonid Kritz vs. GM Larry Christiansen
The game began with a Modern Defense and white appeared to carry a slight edge into the middle game.



In the above position, GM Kritz could have played 34. Nxg6! Nxg6 35. Bxf6 Qc6 (35... Rxf6 Rd7+) 36. Bb2 with a good edge. Instead, the game continued with 34. Bb4 Bh4 35. Qxh4 Ne6 36. Qg4 Nf4 37. Rd8 Qc7 38. Qc8 Qe5 39. Rd7 Ne2+ 40. Kf1 Ng3+ 41. Ke1 Qa1+ 42. Rd1 Qf6 when they reached this position:



and disaster struck with 43. Bc5? (43. Qc5 would have kept the game about even) to which GM Christiansen quickly responded with 43... Qc3+ 44. Rd2 e3! and white resigned in view of 45. fxe3 Rf1# or 45. Bxe3 Qxc8.

Board 2: SM Denys Shmelov vs. GM Sergey Erenburg
This game was a Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-slav where white played an early 7. e4. White has just played 13. 0-0-0 in the following position:



Here Black could have played 13... Nd7! 14. Be5 (14. Qxe8+ Qxe8 15. Bxd6 Qxe2 16. Rhe1 Qxc4+ 17. Kb1 Nf6 -+; 14. Qd4 Bxf4+ 15. Qxf4 Rxe2 -+) 14... Nxe5 Nxe5 Qf6 16. f4 Bf5 17. Qd4 Bc7 with a moderate edge as white's f-pawn will fall. GM Erenburg played 13... Nd3+ still with an advantage and managed to convert it into a win when SM Shmelov resigned after 55 moves.

Board 3: FM Shinsaku Uesugi vs. SM Marc Esserman
This game began with a Reti Opening with play directed toward the open c-file early on. Esserman would then take white's center pawns with a knight while Uesugi created the passed a-pawn with a bishop.



In order to play for a win, Black probably should have kept the bishop with 49... d5+ 50. Kd3 Bc5 (and not 49... Bf2 50. Kb5 Bxg3 51. Nc6 Bxf4 52. Ba5+ Kc8 53. Nd8 Kb8 54. Bc7+ Ka8 Nxf7 and probably a draw due to black's cornered king). Instead, the bishop trade 49... Bxc3 50. Kxc3 allowed white to use the a-pawn as a distraction to collect a couple of black's pawns, assuring the draw.

Board 4: NM Ilya Krasik vs. Ian Harris
This was probably the most anticipated match-up (At least there are more votes in our Board 4 poll than the rest) due to Ian's intentionally ironic prediction. Clearly, Caissa loves to facilitate irony in the US Chess League.

Now, the game was a Dutch Defense that soon came to the following position:



Ian played 9... h5? missing that Krasik could and did respond with 10. g4! Ian tried to hold starting with 10... Qh7, but Krasik kept black's pieces tied down and eventually took the full point.

This was a disappointing loss for the Kingfishers as they had a chance to take 2nd place in the East, but now they may fall to 4th place by the end of Wednesday night's matches. However, with only divisional match-ups left in the schedule, the Kingfishers will still have control over whether they make the playoffs.

Week 5 Photos

All photos taken by Masako Uesugi.

Week 5 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz 1.5-2.5
GM Leonid Kritz (2654) - GM Larry Christiansen (2662) 0-1
GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) - SM Denys Shmelov (2474) 1-0
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - SM Marc Esserman (2461) 0.5-0.5
Ian Harris (2172) - NM Ilya Krasik (2252) 0-1

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Download the PGN file.

Baltimore vs. Boston

So last week was insanely busy and I didn't have time to preview the Arizona match. This week is still crazy but I have a little more time. This week we face Boston who is half a point ahead of us in the Eastern Division. A win here could be crucial to eventually securing our spot at the top of the table. A loss, would give New York or Queens a chance to catch up to us. Therefore, for the first time, we are breaking out our Kritz and Erenburg double GM lineup.

Board 1: GM Kritz 2654 (BAL) vs. GM Christiansen 2662 (BOS)

Not really sure what to say here. Both are really strong grandmasters, with Christiansen having perhaps a slight advantage in the experience category while Kritz has white. I expect quite a fight but it is hard to tell who will come out on top.

Board 2: SM Shmelov 2474 (BOS) vs. GM Erenburg 2616 (BAL)

Having Sergey relegated to board two is pretty scary... especially when you consider how well he did on board one last year. I don't think anyone can argue that Baltimore is the clear favorite on this board. I expect Shemlov will work hard to come through for his team but I don't believe he will be successful.

Board 3: FM Uesugi 2354 (BAL) vs. SM Esserman 2461 (BOS)

Shin has his hands full this week with Esserman. Advantage to Boston. However, Shin has been doing well for Baltimore so far and this will be his first white. A solid performance here should neutralize Boston's only real advantage and clinch the match in favor of Baltimore.

Board 4: NM Krasik 2252 (BOS) vs. Ian Harris 2172 (BAL)

No need for predictions here. What else could happen but a victory for Baltimore?


With victories likely for Baltimore on 2 + 4, it looks like Boston is going down... to chinatown. Tune in Monday 7:15 to witness the carnage first hand...

Week 5 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Leonid Kritz (2654) - GM Larry Christiansen (2662)
GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) - SM Denys Shmelov (2474)
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - SM Marc Esserman (2461)
Ian Harris (2172) - NM Ilya Krasik (2252)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Week 4 Review

What a match the Kingfishers had against Arizona on Monday night!

First, we switched from our usual "Absolutely Quiet Floor" to the Library's Entrance. As the match started at 9PM EDT, we anticipated that any game that went 60+ moves would go past midnight - the Library's closing time - so we used the closest empty tables to the Library Atrium, which is open 24-hours but was nearly full while setting up for the match. The players did have to deal with slightly more noise than usual, but the players seemed mostly unfazed by it. However, the high traffic area did attract more spectators, most of whom (sadly) assumed we were UMBC's (renowned, but apparently mysterious) Chess Team despite the fact that none of this week's players is currently a UMBC student.

Now, as the match began, the players clearly made adjustments for the shorter (60/30) time control as they moved quickly through their openings, especially FM Shinsaku Uesugi, who had specifically prepared much of the Sveshnikov line he played on Board 4. He appeared quite calm and strolled about observing the other three games until about 24. Nb6. He had the worse position until NM Leo Martinez played 37. h4? instead of h3!



The move h4 allows the possibility of 37. ... f2 38. Rgf1? Rxh4+! 39. gxh4 Qe4+ 40. Kh2 Be5+ 41. Kh3 Qf3#. Martinez instead gave up the rook on g1 with 38. Qg4 and Shinsaku went on to convert his advantage for the only win of the match.

IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat's game on board 1 against IM Levon Altounian never seemed to deviate far from even. He tried to fight for an advantage with 16. Nd5.



However, the ensuing trade-offs ended in a three-fold repetition position in which both players had KR+4P's.

Both teams played an alternate this week, so for these players, you may only see them play again once more or not at all for the rest of the 2009 Season. For Arizona, IM Mark Ginsburg played GM Larry Kaufman on Board 2. The opening phase appeared slightly better for white, but Larry managed to win white's f-pawn. He tried hard to convert this advantage, but he go into a Rook and Pawns endgame that gave chances to both sides. The following position was reached:



White could have tried 55. Rg5 Rg8 56. Kf7 Rxg7+ 57. Rxg7 when endgame tablebases assure me that black can draw starting with b5! (only move), but of course, players have not yet memorized 6-piece tablebases, so the result may have gone either way as both players would have been very low on time.

Finally, on Board 3, Baltimore Alternate IM Ray Kaufman faced FM Robby Adamson. Ray has recently had some great tournament results: tied 1st in the Okie Chess Festival's Masters Invitational and the St. John's Masters where he defeated both GM Rohde and GM DeFirmian and drew GM Yudasin, so he was hoping to continue his hot streak into a good USCL performance. Now, in the game, Ray came out to attack by opening up black's king with 22. Rxf6. However, FM Adamson defended well and even had several chances to gain a decisive advantage including in this position:



Black had the exchange-winning 35. ... Kg8! 36. Rg4 fxg4 37. Bxg6 Rd1+ 38. Kh2 Bd6 getting the queen back.

With both players in time trouble, they eventually traded into a Bishop and Pawns endgame that Adamson pressed, as Arizona had lost board 4, until move 119.

Before the trade of rooks on move 44, the Library was announced to be closing at midnight with the lights turned off on us a few times. Actually, all the games were still going at the time. Luckily, these distractions did not prove distrastrous for our players as they came out with the match win 2.5-1.5. Although, we're still looking forward to returning to our "Absolutely Quiet Floor."

Week 4 Photos

Photos from Week 4 taken by Masako Uesugi:

Week 4 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Arizona Scorpions 2.5-1.5
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) - IM Levon Altounian (2538) 0.5-0.5
GM Larry Kaufman (2444) - IM Mark Ginsburg (2427) 0.5-0.5
IM Ray Kaufman (2297) - FM Robby Adamson (2354) 0.5-0.5
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - NM Leo Martinez (2230) 1-0

Here's How to Publish a Chess Game.

UMBC Championship

The UMBC Championship (20 moves/1 hr + SD/1 hr), held this weekend, saw a 5-way (!) tie for first place with IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat, WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor, FM Shinsaku Uesugi, NM Adithya Balasubramanian, and Christopher Ventura all scoring 4.0/5. Only WGM Foisor did it by scoring 4 wins, but IM Enkhbat held the best tie-breakers to take the tournament victory. NM Adithya Balasubramanian had the 2nd best tie-breakers, so he took the title of UMBC Student Chess Champion.

The field also included Kingfishers members Ian Harris (3.5/5), WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg (3.0/5), and Jared Defibaugh (2.5/5).

Thanks to the Maryland Chess Association, especially TDs Wilbert Brown and Sathish Nath, for helping to run the tournament. Check out the crosstable here.

Also, check out these photos by Masako Uesugi!

Week 4 Lineup

Monday, 9:00 PM EDT
Time Control 60 min. with 30 sec. increment

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Arizona Scorpions
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2430) - IM Levon Altounian (2538)
GM Larry Kaufman (2444) - IM Mark Ginsburg (2427)
IM Ray Kaufman (2297) - FM Robby Adamson (2354)
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - NM Leo Martinez (2230)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Week 3 Photos

Visit our Full Gallery.

Week 3 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Philadelphia Inventors 1.5-2.5
GM Leonid Kritz (2654) - GM Sergey Kudrin (2602) 1-0
GM Larry Kaufman (2444) - IM Alex Lenderman (2638) 0-1
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - FM Tom Bartell (2411) 0.5-0.5
WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg (2265) - Kavinayan Sivakumar (2048) 0-1

Here's How to Publish a Chess Game.