Week 3 Lineup/Preview

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Carolina Cobras
GM Larry Kaufman (2452) - IM Jonathan Schroer (2437)
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2425) - FM Ron Simpson (2330)
WGM Sabina Foisor (2367) - NM Carlito Agner (2251)
IM Ray Kaufman (2433) - NM Craig Jones (2286)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Kingfishers bring a very balanced lineup for Week 3 against the Carolina Cobras. IM Ray Kaufman is making his seasonal debut on Board 4. Yes, that's right - a 2433 rated player on Board 4 - that must be a USCL record!

Board 1: GM Larry Kaufman vs. IM Jonathan Schroer. GM L. Kaufman is (+2 =1 -1) against Carolina, and IM Schroer is (+1 =3) against Baltimore. Also, these two played once previously in Week 2, 2007, a draw in an Open Catalan. Now, with the Cobras heavily outrated on Boards 2-4, don't expect such a peaceful conclusion to this game as IM Schroer probably needs to play for a win.

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. FM Ron Simpson. These two have not played each other, though IM Enkhbat is (+2 =2 -2) against Carolina, and FM Simpson is (-1) against Baltimore. Both players are coming off (-2) starts in the league, so each will be hungry for a win, especially IM Enkhbat, as he holds a 95-point rating advantage. Expect slow-building, but exciting conclusion on this board.

Board 3: WGM Sabina Foisor vs. NM Carlito Agner. These two players are relatively new to the USCL, so neither has played against the other team. WGM Foisor, in 2 games, has yet to score in the USCL. With a 116-point rating advantage, she'll be looking to change that here against NM Agner, who is making his season debut for Carolina. Look for a complicated, unbalanced middle game with a decisive conclusion.

Board 4: IM Ray Kaufman vs. NM Craig Jones. IM R. Kaufman is (-1) against Carolina, and NM Jones is (+1 =2 -1) against Baltimore. IM R. Kaufman has been getting significantly stronger in recent years by playing tournaments in Europe. He'll be looking to change his relatively poor USCL record thus far. Theoretically, what better place to start than with a 147-point rating advantage on Board 4? His opponent, NM Jones, has been a solid veteran of the USCL, and he will not make it easy for Ray to achieve his aims. Expect this to be the match's most entertaining game throughout.