Week 8 Review

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts 2-2
GM Niclas Huschenbeth (2582) - GM Alex Stripunsky (2673) 0-1 View Game
NM Kevin Wang (2366) - GM Boris Gulko (2590) 1-0 View Game
NM Jared Defibaugh (2357) - IM Albert Kapengut (2367) 0-1 View Game
FM Ralph Zimmer (2304) - Praveen Balakrishnan (2097) 1-0 View Game

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers and the New Jersey Knockouts drew the match with wins by black on all boards! Both teams dropped 1 rank in the standings to 4th and 5th place, respectively, as both Philadelphia and New York won to stay in 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the East, and Manhattan also won to move into 3rd place on tiebreaker over Baltimore and New Jersey.

Board 1: GM Huschenbeth played an unusual Caro-Kann with 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Qe2 d4 4. Nd1. The game continued with black having a slight edge but nothing concrete until after 27... Rf8:

White erred with 28. Rc2? instead of Rc5. The game continued 28. .. f5 29. exf5 Nxf5 30. Rac1 e4 31. dxe4 Ne3 (Now we see that 28. Rc2 loses a tempo) 32. Rc5 Ne5! 33. Ke2 (33. Rxe5 Ng4+ 34. Ke1 Nxe5) Nxf3. Play went on with white down a knight for two pawns, but GM Stripunsky clearly had a won position.

Board 2: The game began as a Semi-slav Defense and then more resembled a French Winawer, Advanced variation. GM Gulko, as white, chose to go for an interesting sacrifice in the following position:

GM Gulko struck with 20. Nxg7!? Kxg7 21. Bh6+ (The immediate 21. Rd3 might be an improvement) Kg8 22. Rd3 Qc4 23. Rh3. However, NM Kevin Wang managed to defend his king and emerged with 2 knights for a rook and pawn. As the queens had been exchanged, NM Wang took advantage of the knights to create a dangerous passed c-pawn. GM Gulko sacrificed a rook for a knight and the c-pawn, but this just let to an ending where he was down a full knight, so he resigned.

Board 3: An English Opening: Bremen, Smyslov system saw white slowly push his queenside pawns looking for an advantageous break in the position.

It seems NM Defibaugh tried to be too aggressive with the move 20. c4? and found himself worse when IM Kapengut opened the position to his advantage instead with 20... axb4 21. Rad1 dxc4 22. Qxc4 e3!. The game actually continued with equal material for awhile but it was clear black was better as he had a pair of connected passed pawns. Eventually IM Kapengut won while up a knight for a double-pawn.

Board 4: This game started as a Modern Defense where Balakrishnan chose to fianchetto his own King's bishop as well. As a result, black enjoyed a space advantage in the early middlegame but white then built-up a kingside attack. After 28... fxg4, white missed a chance to grab the advantage:

Sacrificing the queen with 29. Bxg7! Qxh5 30. Bxf8 leaves white with a rook and 2 knights vs. a queen and pawn. White also has control of the open d-file and a solid position that black will find difficult to exploit. The game actually continued with 29. Nd5 Rf5 30. Qe8 Rxe5 31. Ne7 Bc4 32. Ne3 Qc5 33. Rd7 Rf6 34. Ra4 Bf7 35. Qd8 Qb5 36. Rb4 Qe2 37. N7f5 and FM Zimmer has managed to diffuse white's attack and begins his own attack eventually taking the full point with an extra promoted queen. White actually has a forced mate in 13 from this position:

Week 8 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts
GM Niclas Huschenbeth (2582) - GM Alex Stripunsky (2673)
NM Kevin Wang (2366) - GM Boris Gulko (2590)
NM Jared Defibaugh (2357) - IM Albert Kapengut (2367)
FM Ralph Zimmer (2304) - Praveen Balakrishnan (2097)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The 3rd-place Baltimore Kingfishers will battle the 4th-place New Jersey Knockouts. Both teams have the same 4.0-3.0 record, but Baltimore has 0.5 more game points for the lead in the first tiebreaker. In previous matches, New Jersey has scored 4.5 match points to Baltimore's 3.5 match points. Their last match occured in Week 2, 2011, which Baltimore won with a 2.5-1.5 score. Only two players (GM Gulko and NM Defibaugh) in that match are also playing in this match.

Board 1: GM Niclas Huschenbeth vs. GM Alex Stripunsky. GM Niclas Huschenbeth, in his first year in the USCL, has only played one game so far. It was against GM Ben Finegold (STL) on Board 1 in Week 2 and he lost with the black pieces. This time, he will have the white pieces against another well-known American player, GM Alex Stripunsky. GM Stripunsky, a 7-year USCL veteran, is (+2 =2 -1) this season and (=4 -2) against Baltimore. He played last week, a loss with white on Board 1 against SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS).

Board 2: GM Boris Gulko vs. NM Kevin Wang. GM Boris Gulko, in his 5th USCL season, is (+1 =1) on the season and also (+1 =1) against Baltimore. He last played in Week 4, a win with black against FM Kassa Korley (CAR) on Board 2. He will be matched by NM Kevin Wang, who has played just one game in his first USCL season. It was a loss with black against IM Levan Bregadze (STL) on Board 3 in Week 2.

Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. IM Albert Kapengut. In his 3rd USCL season, NM Jared Defibaugh has a (+3 -2) record this season and is (+1 -1) in his career against New Jersey. He won with white last week against NM Justus Williams (NY) on Board 3. His opponent is IM Albert Kapengut, a 4-year USCL veteran with a (+1 =1 -1) score this season and a (+2) record against Baltimore. He last played in Week 6, a loss with black on Board 3 against IM Levan Bregadze (STL).

Board 4: Praveen Balakrishnan vs. FM Ralph Zimmer. In his 1st USCL season, Praveen Balakrishnan is (+1 -2) with his last game happening in Week 6, a loss with white against Matthew Larson (STL). He will be challenged by 7-year USCL veteran FM Ralph Zimmer, who is (+2 =1 -1) on the season and (-2) against New Jersey. FM Zimmer played last week in a loss with black against NM Alexander Katz (NY) on Board 4.

Catch the games live on ICC!

Week 2 Lineup/Preview

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts
GM Larry Kaufman (2467) - GM Boris Gulko (2587)
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2426) - IM Dean Ippolito (2554)
NM Jared Defibaugh (2363) - FM Arthur Shen (2291)
NM Ian Schoch (2296) - Christopher Wu (2151)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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Board 1: GM Larry Kaufman vs. GM Boris Gulko. New Jersey really seems to have GM Kaufman's number as he is (-3) against them while GM Gulko's only game (+1) against Baltimore was with GM Kaufman. Having a 120-point rating disadvantage, GM Kaufman will have a tough time turning that dubious record around against GM Gulko, who is one of the best performers (in terms of win percentage and performance rating) in USCL history.

Board 2: IM Dean Ippolito vs. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat. IM Ippolito is (+3 =1) against Baltimore and IM Enkhbat is (+2 =2 -2) against New Jersey. These two players have actually squared off three times (See 1 2 3) already with 2 wins for IM Ippolito and a draw between them. IM Enkhbat did manage to draw against GM Fedorowicz last week. With the black pieces again this week and facing another large rating disadvantage (128 points), IM Enkhbat will look to hold on again.

Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. FM Arthur Shen. NM Defibaugh is (-1) against New Jersey while NM Shen is playing for the first time against Baltimore. NM Defibaugh notched the only victory for Baltimore last week while FM Shen, the only returning player from New Jersey's Week 1 lineup, drew his game. This time, with a slight rating edge and the white pieces again, NM Defibaugh has a great opportunity to make a strong start this season.

Board 4: Christopher Wu vs. NM Ian Schoch. Christopher Wu is playing his first USCL game while NM Schoch scored 2.0/3 overall last year. NM Schoch has a significant 145-rating advantage, so he will be counted on to press for victory with the black pieces.

Week 10 Results/Review

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 1-3
GM Joel Benjamin (2614) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2646) 0-1
IM Mackenzie Molner (2548) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2425) 0-1
IM Albert Kapengut (2372) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2279) 1-0
Sean Finn (2123) - NM Adithya Balasubramanian (2255) 0-1

Knowing that just one draw in the match would clinch a playoff berth creates a strange kind of tension. You know it is just so close, yet it is not guaranteed. Inevitably, you wonder "What if the incredible happens? What if we lose 0-4?" I knew that it's happened before - Carolina defeated Tennessee 4-0 (thanks to a win on time in a dead lost position) to edge Philadelphia on game points for the final playoff spot in 2006. Perhaps it was best that most of the players didn't know about that incident!

The match didn't start out very well for Baltimore. You just know it's not going good when your pieces are forced back to the starting rank as in the above position from Board 3. FM Zimmer played on, looking for any complications, but IM Kapengut allowed nothing and even trapped black's queen to seal the game.

The match looked even worse when Board 4 reached the above position. NM Balasubramanian was losing the exchange with 27. Qe3 Nxe1 28. Qxe1 (28. Bxf8?? Qg2#) Kxg7 and would have to fight hard to even draw.

Meanwhile, GM Benjamin was trying hard to drum up an attack on GM Erenburg's King as seen in the following position:

Perhaps 21...g5 was best, but it would have allowed white to expose the black king after 22. Nxh6+ Bxh6 23. Bxg5 (23... Bxg5 24. Qxg5+ Qg6 25. Rxe5 Nxe5 26. Qxe5 =/+). GM Erenburg chose to defend his king (and offer a queen-trade) with 21... Ng6. The game continued 22. Qg4 Qc6 23. Qe2 Rd5 24. Rf1 Nf6 25. Re3 Rad8 26. Qf3 Qd7 27. Bxh6 gxh6 28. Qf4?? Nxf4. With that dropped queen, Baltimore finally clinched the playoff spot and was then playing for a chance at the 3rd seed. Also, GM Erenburg had clinched at least 2nd in the MVP race. GM Becerra would take a draw Wednesday to win the UCSL MVP for the 3rd time.

IM Mackenzie Molner fought hard to keep the game complicated, culminating with 24... Nxf2 in the above position. However, IM Enkhbat calmly diffused those complications with 25. Qxf2 Ng4 26. Qf4 Qxf4 27. gxf4 Bxc3 28. Ra2 Ne3 29. Rd3 Nxg2 30. Kxg2 and came out with a nice plus in the advanced c-pawn. He used that advantage to convert into a winning king and pawn endgame that brought about a resignation on move 47.

After IM Enkhbat's game finished, we saw that Boston-New York was going to be drawn, so NM Balasubramanian needed to at least draw his game for Baltimore to take the 3rd seed from New York. The game had become about even (around move 50) despite white going down that exchange earlier. Then, black made a final inaccuracy with 52... Rd8? that would give white the advantage:

NM Balasubramanian played 53. d7! e3 (53... Rxd7 54. Qa8+ Kh7 55. Nf8+ Kg7 56. Nxd7 Qxd7 57. Qxe4 +/=) 54. fxe3 Rf8 55. Nxf8! Qxa2 56. d8=Q Qb1+ 57. Kf2 Qf5+ 58. Ke2 and Finn resigned seeing as there was no compelling reason to continue playing.

So Baltimore clinched the playoff spot and passed New York for the 3rd seed. That sets up a Baltimore-Boston match in the Quarterfinals with Boston having draw odds but Baltimore having color-choice.

Week 10 Lineup/Preview

Monday, 7:45 PM EDT
Time Control 90 min. with 30 sec. increment

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Joel Benjamin (2614) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2646)
IM Mackenzie Molner (2548) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2425)
IM Albert Kapengut (2372) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2279)
Sean Finn (2123) - NM Adithya Balasubramanian (2255)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The final match of the regular season is upon us! The Baltimore Kingfishers face the New Jersey Knockouts in an elimination match for the final playoff spot. The catch is that Baltimore has a special kind of draw odds: 1 draw on any board means New Jersey is eliminated, but Baltimore could keep playing to have a shot at 3rd place in the Eastern Division. Thus, the New Jersey players will have to go all out for wins from the beginning, which should make for a very entertaining match!

Board 1: GM Joel Benjamin vs. GM Sergey Erenburg. GM Benjamin is (+4 =2 -1) on the season and (+2 =2 -2) against Baltimore. GM Erenburg is (+3 =4) on the season and (+2 -1) against New Jersey with each of those games played against GM Benjamin. Both players are tied for 3rd in the USCL MVP race with 15.0 points (GM Erenburg holds the 2nd tie-breaker, Overall Team Record). GM Erenburg would win the league MVP with a win (20.0 points), a GM Becerra loss, and a non-win by GM Nakamura. GM Benjamin could tie for first with 19.0 points but would not be able to pass GM Becerra on the first tie-breaker (Total games played). With all the possible individual and team achievements on the line, this should be the Game of the Night!

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. IM Mackenzie Molner. IM Enkhbat is (+1 =1 -2) on the season and (+1 =2 -2) against New Jersey. IM Molner is (+1 =1 -2) on the season and (+3 =1 -1) against Baltimore. The must-win situation fits well with IM Molner's well-known aggressive style. Will the white pieces be enough for IM Enkhbat to counter the 123-point rating difference? After all, Baltimore is 3rd best (tied with Arizona at 11.0/18) in the league with the white pieces and New Jersey is last in the league with the black pieces (6.0/18).

Board 3: IM Albert Kapengut vs. FM Ralph Zimmer. IM Kapengut is (+1 =3 -1) on the season and (+1) against Baltimore. FM Zimmer is (+1 =2 -1) and (-1) against New Jersey. Here is another rating advantage for New Jersey in this matchup; this time it is 93 points and the white pieces. However, FM Zimmer has been able to draw his last two games against higher-rated opposition (145 and 192 point differences), so he has proven to be up to the task. The question is how will IM Kapengut needing to play for a win affect the gameplay?

Board 4: NM Adithya Balasubramanian vs. Sean Finn. NM Balasubramanian is (+1 =3) on the season and this will be his first time playing New Jersey. Sean Finn is (-2) on the season and (+1) against Baltimore. This time, Baltimore has a sizable 132-point rating advantage and the white pieces. Also taking into account the previously mentioned color-specific scoring statistics for these teams, this board might be the toughest of all for New Jersey to try to win. Try they will, and that'll be a win for the audience on Monday night!

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.

Here's How to Publish a Chess Game.

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).

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

Here's How to Publish a Chess Game.

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 Results

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 2-2
GM Joel Benjamin (2644) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) 0-1
IM Dean Ippolito (2500) - FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2446) 1-0
NM Mackenzie Molner (2397) - FM Ray Kaufman (2348) 1-0
NM Victor Shen (2265) - Aaron Kahn (2259) 0-1

Benjamin-Erenburg after 30. ... Ke7

After enticing Benjamin's queen to the back rank, Sergey blocks in the white queen, planning to push his queenside pawns. After some maneuvering and eventually letting the white queen out, black's b-pawn could not be stopped. Sergey has improved to 2-0 against GM Benjamin. How many people can say that?


Enkhbat-Ippolito after 45. ... Rf7

Enkhbat had just over 4 minutes while Ippolito was just above 1 minute. Meaning to play 46. Ra8, Enkhbat mouseslipped 46. Ra7. Apparently not noticing that the slip had occurred, he was still trying to play Ra8, which was then set as the premove, so when Ippolito played Kxf3, it caused Enkhbat to make another move 47. Ra8. If not for the double mouseslip, he might have been able to notice that 47. Kc6 was still winning. (For example: 47. Kc6 Kg2 48. d6 Kxh2 49. Rxc7 Rf8 50. d7 Kg1 51. Rc8 h2 52. Rxf8 h1=Q+ 53. Kb6 {not 53. Kc7 Qh2+ when black can find a perpetual})


Molner-Ray Kaufman after 25. ... Ne3

In rematch of Week 1, Mackenzie Molner seems to have Ray's number as again it was the first game of the night to finish. Test your wits by figuring out how Molner finished the game.

Kahn-Shen after 40. c5

In severe time trouble, Shen plays 40. ... Rc3+? (dxc5 may have put up more resistance in light of the trick 41. Ne5+ Kg7 42. dxc5 Bxc5+ 43. Kd2? Be3+!). Aaron eventually won a piece and the game after stopping black's pawns.

With only the draw and Philadelphia's defeat of Boston, the Baltimore Kingfishers fall to 6th place. They are 1.5 match points behind Boston in the race for the last playoff spot.

Week 6 Lineup

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

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Joel Benjamin (2644) - GM Sergey Erenburg (2592)
IM Dean Ippolito (2500) - FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2446)
NM Mackenzie Molner (2397) - FM Ray Kaufman (2348)
NM Victor Shen (2265) - Aaron Kahn (2259)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Week 1 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts 1-3
GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) - GM Joel Benjamin (2651) 1-0
IM Larry Kaufman (2392) - IM Dean Ippolito (2426) 0-1
FM Ray Kaufman (2327) - NM Mackenzie Molner (2325) 0-1
FM Ralph Zimmer (2261) - NM Victor Shen (2246) 0-1

Sergey continued his Summer success by fending off GM Benjamin's attack, but his teammates did not fare so well. It was a tough loss for the Kingfishers this week, and the lopsided score was compounded by the fact that Larry did not notice IM Ippolito's draw offer until it was too late.

This was not the way Baltimore would have liked to start Season 4 of the US Chess League, but they should not despair too much, as in their only other season that began with a loss, they came back to make the playoffs and win the League Championship.

Will Baltimore be able to rebound from a first week loss? Continue to watch the US Chess League to find out!

The next match will begin Wednesday, Sept. 3rd at 7:15 PM EDT, when Baltimore faces the Philadelphia Inventors.

Week 1 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New Jersey Knockouts
GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) - GM Joel Benjamin (2651)
IM Larry Kaufman (2392) - IM Dean Ippolito (2426)
FM Ray Kaufman (2327) - NM Mackenzie Molner (2325)
FM Ralph Zimmer (2261) - NM Victor Shen (2246)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.