Monday, September 26, 2011

Week 5 Lineup/Preview

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

Philadelphia Inventors vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Sergey Erenburg (2679) - GM Larry Kaufman (2467)
FM Tom Bartell (2405) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2426)
IM Jay Bonin (2438) - WGM Sabina Foisor (2416)
NM William Fisher (2369) - NM Jared Defibaugh (2363)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

Board 1: GM Sergey Erenburg vs. GM Larry Kaufman. GM Erenburg had previously played for Baltimore until moving to Philadelphia this year so he has not played against Baltimore while GM Kaufman is (+2 =3 -2) against Philadelphia. This game is the biggest ratings mismatch (212 point difference) of the season for Baltimore. As the other boards are quite evenly matched according to ratings, Philadelphia will surely want GM Erenburg to push for a win on this board with the white pieces. Will GM Kaufman be able to fend off his former teammate? Vote in the polls on our sidebar with your predictions!

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. FM Tom Bartell. IM Enkhbat is (+3 =1 -1) against Philadelphia while FM Bartell is (+1 =3 -1) against Baltimore. In fact, these two played to a draw in 2009. This season, IM Enkhbat is (+1 =2 -1) and FM Bartell is (+1 =2). This is the only board where Baltimore has a rating advantage, but it is marginal, so this is a toss-up.

Board 3: IM Jay Bonin vs. WGM Sabina Foisor. IM Bonin is (+1 =2 -3) against Baltimore while WGM Foisor has not played against Philadelphia. IM Bonin is (+1 =2) this season and WGM Foisor is making her season debut. This game is another toss-up as both players are fairly close in rating.

Board 4: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. NM William Fisher. NM Defibaugh is (-1) against Philadelphia while NM Fisher, who is in his first USCL season, has not yet played against Baltimore. Both players are 3-0 this season and are 6th and 7th, respectively, in the USCL MVP Race - a fairly surprising matchup to see on a Board 4. Also, this game is probably the highest rated Board 4 matchup in USCL history!

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