Monday, September 17, 2012

Week 3 Lineup

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

Connecticut Dreadnoughts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Robert Hess (2719) - GM Giorgi Margvelashvili (2593)
GM Mikheil Kekelidze (2628) - GM Larry Kaufman (2445)
NM Ian Harris (2342) - NM Jared Defibaugh (2357)
NM Joshua Colas (2376) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2304)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

First vs. Last in the Eastern Division: The Baltimore Kingfishers look to climb up the standings against the highly-rated Connecticut Dreadnoughts.

Board 1: GM Robert Hess vs. GM Giorgi Margvelashvili. GM Hess is (+1 =1) this year in the USCL. He is the highest rated player in the USCL this season (according to August 2012 ratings), leading the newly formed Connecticut Dreadnoughts team to a clear first place standing in the Eastern Division after two weeks. His opponent, GM Margvelashvili, is playing his first USCL game of the season. He is a student at UMBC and has played with the Baltimore Kingfishers since last season. He is still looking for his first USCL win as he went (=3 -1) last season.

Board 2: GM Larry Kaufman vs. GM Mikheil Kekelidze. GM Kaufman was on the wrong side (-1) of a marathon game last week, and now, he is back to face one of the strongest Board 2's in the league, GM Kekelidze. Connecticut's Board 2 is (+1 -1) on the season.

Board 3: NM Ian Harris vs. NM Jared Defibaugh. NM Harris is (+1) this USCL season. He is also the manager of the Connecticut Dreadnoughts and a former Baltimore Kingfisher circa 2008-09. His opponent, NM Defibaugh, was also on that 2009 Baltimore Kingfisher team, so this game is a battle between former teammates. He is (-1) this season.

Board 4: FM Ralph Zimmer vs. NM Joshua Colas. FM Zimmer scored a victory (+1) in the first week, which is currently Baltimore's only win. He plays against the young NM Colas, who is (-1) on the season.

Catch all the games on chess.com, Wednesday night! Also, let us know what you expect for the outcomes by voting in the polls to the right.

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