Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Carolina Cobras
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2450) - IM Kassa Korley (2486)
GM Larry Kaufman (2405) - NM Ilker Bozkurt (2383)
NM Jared Defibaugh (2325) - NM Kevin Mo (2334)
NM Andrew Zheng (2208) - FM Robin Cunningham (2268)
Wednesday, 7:20 PM EDT
Time Control: 75 min. with 30 sec. increment
Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.
The Baltimore Kingfishers and the Carolina Cobras square-off in a USCL Southern Division match. Both teams have played in all 10 seasons of the US Chess League. Both teams also come into this match with the same 0.0-1.0 season record with 1.5/4.0 games points. The all-time series between these two teams is tied up at 4.5-4.5 with Baltimore holding the slimmest possible margin in game points at 18.5-17.5. These two teams last played in Week 7, 2011, a match that ended in a draw. Three Baltimore players (IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat, GM Larry Kaufman, and NM Jared Defibaugh) and 1 Carolina player (IM Kassa Korley) from that match return to play in this match.
Board 1: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. IM Kassa Korley. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat will begin his 10th season, having played a team record 67 career games for Baltimore. His record last year was (+1 =3 -3) for a 2339 performance rating. He has also scored (+3 =2 -3) in his career against Carolina. His opponent, IM Kassa Korley, is playing his 3rd season for the Carolina Cobras. IM Kassa Korley won last week on Board 1 with the white pieces against SM Deepak Aaron of the Atlanta Kings for a 2846 performance rating. He did not play in the USCL last year. He has a (+1) record against Baltimore. Also, note these two players met on Board 2 in Week 7, 2011 with a then-FM Kassa Korley winning with the white pieces.
Board 2: NM Ilker Bozkurt vs. GM Larry Kaufman. NM Ilker Bozkurt is participating in his first USCL season. He drew FM Kazim Gulamali of the Atlanta Kings on Board 3 with the white pieces for a 2397 performance rating. He will face GM Larry Kaufman, who is another Baltimore player starting his 10th USCL season. GM Larry Kaufman has 54 career games played with Baltimore and a (+3 =2 -1) record against Carolina. He had a tough season last year with a (=1 -3) record and a 2156 performance rating.
Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. NM Kevin Mo. NM Jared Defibaugh, a 5 season veteran with 29 career games played for Baltimore, drew last week on Board 3 with the black pieces against WGM Anna Sharevich of the St. Louis Arch Bishops. That starts him off with a 2367 performance rating this season. He has scored (+1 =1) against Carolina in his career. He will battle NM Kevin Mo, who is playing his 2nd season for Carolina. NM Kevin Mo lost last week on Board 4 with the black pieces against NM Richard Francisco of the Atlanta Kings for a 1982 performance rating. Last year, he had a (-4) record with a 2083 performance rating, so he is still looking to score his first point in the USCL.
Board 4: FM Robin Cunningham vs. NM Andrew Zheng. FM Robin Cunningham will debut in his 2nd season for the Carolina Cobras. He recorded a (+1 =5 -1) season last year for a 2308 performance rating. On the other side of the board will be NM Andrew Zheng, playing in his 2nd year with only 2 career games played. NM Andrew Zheng won last week on Board 4 with the white pieces against Jacob Wilkins of the St. Louis Arch Bishops. He begins the season with a 2309 performance rating.
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Board 1 Result? | Board 2 Result? | Board 3 Result? | Board 4 Result? | Match Result?
Update: Added career records against opposing team when available.
Reposted at: Chess.com blogs
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