2014 Week 9 Preview

Boston Blitz vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
IM Steven Zierk (2543) - GM Akshayraj Kore (2543)
FM Denys Shmelov (2473) - IM Levan Bregadze (2530)
NM Chris Williams (2310) - FM Alex Barnett (2330)
NM Ilya Krasik (2264) - NM Andrew Zheng (2208)

Wednesday, 7:30 PM EDT
Time Control: 75 min. with 30 sec. increment

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Boston Blitz battle the Baltimore Kingfishers in the final interdivisional week of the season. Boston (2.5-5.5) is in 5th place in the Eastern Division while Baltimore (3.0-5.0) is in 5th place in the Southern Division. Baltimore is only a half-match-point (and 1.5 game points) behind Atlanta for the 3rd playoff spot in the Southern Division. Boston's playoff chances, however, rely on the Eastern Division winning a 4th playoff spot and being ahead of Philadelphia, who is 2.0 match points ahead of Boston, in tie-breaks. Currently, Boston leads the all-time series against Baltimore with a 8.0-6.0 match score. The last match they played occurred in Week 10, 2013 when Boston won by a 3-1 score. Two Boston players (IM Steven Zierk and FM Denys Shmelov) from that match return to play this week.

Board 1: IM Steven Zierk vs. GM Akshayraj Kore. IM Steven Zierk has a (+2 =1 -1) record with a 2667 performance rating in his 4th USCL season and 3rd season with Boston. He won his only career game against Baltimore. He won last week on Board 1 with the black pieces against IM David Vigorito of the New England Nor'easters. He will be challenged by GM Akshayraj Kore, who is (+1 -1) with a 2545 performance rating in his first season. GM Akshayraj Kore last played in Week 5 when he lost with the white pieces on Board 1 against GM Robert Hungaski of the Manhattan Applesauce.

Board 2: IM Levan Bregadze vs. FM Denys Shmelov. IM Levan Bregadze has scored (+3 -2) with a 2629 performance rating in his third USCL season and 2nd season with Baltimore. He drew his only career game against Boston. He last played in Week 6 when he lost with the black pieces on Board 2 against GM Le Quang Liem of the St. Louis Arch Bishops. His opponent, FM Denys Shmelov, is (+2 =3 -1) with a 2502 performance rating in his 7th season with Boston. He has a (+2 =3 -1) career record against Baltimore. FM Denys Shmelov drew last week with the white pieces on Board 2 against SM Mika Brattain of the New England Nor'easters.

Board 3: NM Chris Williams vs. FM Alex Barnett. NM Chris Williams returned to the Boston roster this season after a 6-year break from the USCL. He is (+2 -4) with a 2218 performance rating in his 2nd season for Boston. He lost last week with the black pieces on Board 3 against FM Steven Winer of the New England Nor'easters. He is matched against FM Alex Barnett, who will be making his USCL debut. FM Alex Barnett is known for his exciting, aggressive style of play as well as his unique commentary in his previous role as a USCL Game of the Week judge.

Board 4: NM Andrew Zheng vs. NM Ilya Krasik. NM Andrew Zheng last played in Week 6 when he won the black pieces against Jacob Wilkins of the St. Louis Arch Bishops. He is (+3 =1 -1) with a 2286 performance rating in his 2nd USCL season. Coincidentally, that is the exact same performance rating he had last season when his only game was a draw with the white pieces against this week's opponent, NM Ilya Krasik. Scoring (+2 =1 -4) in his 10th USCL season with Boston, NM Ilya Krasik has a 2138 performance rating. He won last week with the white pieces on Board 4 against NM Greg Kaden of the New England Nor'easters. He has a (+4 =2 -4) record against Baltimore in his career.

Catch the games live on ICC and let us know your predictions in the 5 polls linked below/shown to the right!
Board 1 Result? | Board 2 Result? | Board 3 Result? | Board 4 Result? | Match Result?

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Reposted at: Chess.com blogs

Week 10 Review

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz 1-3
GM Niclas Huschenbeth (2610) - IM Steven Zierk (2543) 0-1 View Game
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2492) - SM Denys Shmelov (2465) 0-1 View Game
NM Jared Defibaugh (2297) - NM Vadim Martirosov (2349) 0-1 View Game
Jeffrey Chang (2116) - NM Daniil Mosiyenko (2181) 1-0 View Game

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers lost 1-3 to the Boston Blitz in the final week of the regular season. Baltimore finishes 4th in the Northeast Division with a (3.5-6.5) match record while Boston places 3rd with a (4.5-5.5) record. In other divisional news, the New England Nor'easters and Connecticut Dreadnoughts drew their match, so New England (7.0-3.0, 1st) will get draw odds while Connecticut (6.5-3.5, 2nd) gets color choice in their Quarterfinals showdown.

Board 1: GM Niclas Huschenbeth vs. IM Steven Zierk. The top board showcased a Sveshnikov Sicilian Defense: Chelyabinsk variation. White offered the h-pawn which black accepted and a trade of rooks from diagonally-opposite corners ensued. GM Niclas Huschenbeth played the surprising resource 18. Ne3 as the novelty. Then, queens were traded and white was left with an extra knight for two pawns. Although the queens were off, it was a very interesting game with black creating a 5-pawn-wall from the kingside to the center after move 31 and clearly aiming to march the h-pawn to promotion. Meanwhile, white tried to nurse a long-term advantage with his queenside pawns. It seems white should have been better until the dual-mistakes 33. a3? and 34. axb4? which cost white his bishop to stop the black h-pawn. IM Steven Zierk pounced on the opportunity and easily converted the ending up only an exchange. White resigned after move 50.

Board 2: SM Denys Shmelov vs. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat. The second board featured a Slav Defense: Chebanenko variation. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat played the novelty 10... Nhf6 whereas 10... Bg6 had been played twice before resulting in draws (Note: Two of the stem games coincidentally feature former Dallas players, GM Valentin Iotov and IM Puchen Wang). Black tried to open up the queenside to play with 12... b6 but this plan seemed to backfire as SM Denys Shmelov chased away the black queen and exploited the c-file with his rooks. From that point onward, white was clearly better though black tried to drum up an attack on the kingside. However, NM Shmelov's control of the board was too great and black resigned on move 41.

Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. NM Vadim Martirosov. The third board saw NM Jared Defibaugh's King's Gambit answered with the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit by NM Vadim Martirosov. The move 4. Bc4 is very rarely played for such an early move, so NM Defibaugh was probably trying to avoid theory in this game. He later played the novelty 7. Bb5+. White returned the counter-gambit pawn on d4 and the queens were traded. The two players castled on opposite sides but play was focused in the center with black trying to bolster his passed e-pawn. White missed a surprising chance on move 23 to get compensation by allowing the e-pawn to promote while taking a rook with check (!) though black would have to give up a knight as well. Two pawns for the exchange and the result would have still been unclear. Soon after, it was black who missed a clear win on move 25, but all was not lost as white was still in a bind due to black's pawn on e2. NM Martirosov did not miss another chance and converted to a won ending with an extra bishop. White resigned after 42 moves.

Board 4: NM Daniil Mosiyenko vs. Jeffrey Chang. The fourth board began with another sharp Sicilian Defense, but this time, it was the Classical Main Line of the Najdorf variation. These two young players zipped through theory nearly until Jeffrey Chang played the novelty 18... Nf6. Note that one of the stem games was played by GM Niclas Huschenbeth, who was playing on Board 1 in this match. I have to seriously wonder if Jeffrey knew this game while playing as he first sank into deep thought when NM Daniil Mosiyenko varied from that game on move 18 and both endings had similar ideas. I am only aware that Jeffrey is being coached by GM Larry Kaufman, not GM Huschenbeth! Despite being down a pawn out of this opening line, black seemed to have a solid position with plenty of control. When it came down to a pawn race, black's kingside pawns were much faster than white's queenside pawns. It also helped that black ended up with a bishop vs. knight in the ending. There was a bailout to a drawn rook and bishop vs. rook and pawn ending that white missed, but practically, that ending would still be difficult to hold. Thus, Jeffrey Chang won his USCL debut in 61 moves.

Finally, in Baltimore's Team MVP standings, Jeffrey Chang tied FM Ralph Zimmer for the lead with 3.5 MVP points though FM Zimmer wins the title (on most games played tie-break) for the second year in a row. Thanks to everyone for playing, watching the games, reading articles, and voting in polls. We look forward to a great season next year!

Reposted at: Chess.com blogs

Week 10 Lineup

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Niclas Huschenbeth (2610) - IM Steven Zierk (2543)
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2492) - SM Denys Shmelov (2465)
NM Jared Defibaugh (2297) - NM Vadim Martirosov (2349)
Jeffrey Chang (2116) - NM Daniil Mosiyenko (2181)

Tuesday, 7:30 PM EDT
Time Control: 75 min. with 30 sec. increment

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers (3.5-5.5, 4th place) and the Boston Blitz (3.5-5.5, 3rd) square-off to determine 3rd place in the Northeast Division. Boston leads Baltimore 16-15 in total game points this season for the first tie-break. Neither team can make the playoffs, so it will be the last game of the year for both teams. Boston leads the all-times series against Baltimore with a 7-6 match score. These two teams last played in Week 5, 2013 when all boards were drawn. Three players (IM Tegshsuren Enkbat, SM Denys Shmelov, and NM Vadim Martirosov) from that last match return to play in this match as well.

Board 1: GM Niclas Huschenbeth vs. IM Steven Zierk. GM Niclas Huschenbeth is (+1 =1 -1) in his 2nd USCL season and has not played against Boston previously. He drew last week with the white pieces against GM Mikheil Kekelidze of the Connecticut Dreadnoughts on Board 1. He is matched up with IM Steven Zierk, who is (+1 -1) in his 3rd USCL season but has not played against Baltimore in his career. He won last week with the white pieces against GM Alexander Ivanov of the New England Nor'easters on Board 1.

Board 2: SM Denys Shmelov vs. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat. SM Denys Shmelov is (+2 =5 -1) in his 6th season and has a (+1 =3 -1) record against Baltimore. The only match he has not played this year was Week 7 when Boston played the San Francisco Mechanics. He won last week with the black pieces against FM Charles Riordan of the New England Nor'easters on Board 2. He is rematched with IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat, who has a (+1 =3 -2) record in his 9th season and has scored (+2 =3 -3) against Boston in his career. IM Enkhbat last played in Week 8 when he drew with the white pieces against FM Steven Winer of the New England Nor'easters on Board 2. SM Shmelov and IM Enkhbat played against one another in a drawn game from Week 5, 2013.

Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. NM Vadim Martirosov. NM Jared Defibaugh is (+2 =3 -3) in his 4th season and has a (+2) score against Boston. The only match he did not play this year was Week 5 when Baltimore played against the Boston Blitz. He lost last week with the white pieces against FM Leif Pressman of the Connecticut Dreadnoughts on Board 3. He will battle NM Vadim Martirosov, who is (+2 =2 -1) in his 7th USCL season and has a (=6 -1) record against Baltimore. He won in Week 8 with the black pieces against IM Jay Bonin of the Connecticut Dreadnoughts on Board 3. NM Defibaugh and NM Martirosov also played against one another with the same colors in Week 10, 2012 when NM Defibaugh won.

Board 4: NM Daniil Mosiyenko vs. Jeffrey Chang. NM Daniil Mosiyenko is making his season debut for the Boston Blitz. He played 3 games in 2011 with a (+1 =1 -1) record for Boston. Opposite him will be Jeffrey Chang, who is making his USCL debut for the Baltimore Kingfishers. As of the October USCF Rating list, he is the 22nd ranked 15-year-old in the country.

Catch the games live on chess.com and let us know your predictions in the 5 polls to the right!

Reposted at: Chess.com blogs

Week 5 Review

Boston Blitz vs. Baltimore Kingfishers 2-2
IM Marc Esserman (2569) - IM Levan Bregadze (2469) 0.5-0.5 View Game
SM Denys Shmelov (2465) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2492) 0.5-0.5 View Game
NM Vadim Martirosov (2349) - GM Larry Kaufman (2401) 0.5-0.5 View Game
NM Ilya Krasik (2286) - NM Andrew Zheng (2159) 0.5-0.5 View Game

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers ended the match against the Boston Blitz in a deadlocked tied match. All four games ended in draws, but that doesn't mean there weren't ups and downs along the way! The other Northeast Division match between New England and Connecticut was also drawn, so the relative standings have not changed in the Northeast Division. Baltimore remains 2 match points behind the Connecticut Dreadnoughts for the 2nd divisional playoff spot. Baltimore will play the Philadelphia Inventors next Tuesday.

Board 1: IM Marc Esserman vs. IM Levan Bregadze. The top board featured a Classical Pirc Defense. IM Esserman started the game with 22 minutes less than IM Bregadze due to lateness. They actually followed a game played in the Austrian Staatsliga (State League) in 1995 that ended as a draw in the position after black's 16th move. However, our two USCL players played out the following rook, bishop, and pawns ending where only white had winning chances with an extra pawn. After 42 moves, the players agreed to a draw as black had neutralized white's pawn advantage. IM Bregadze seemed comfortable throughout the game as he ended with over 60 minutes on the clock to IM Esserman's 5 minutes and change.

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. SM Denys Shmelov. The second board began with a Slav Defense. IM Enkhbat played the novelty 12. h3. This was the last game of the match (also the night) to finish as IM Enkhbat kept pressing to try to come up with a victory. However, SM Shmelov was able to defend well and the two agreed to a draw in a rook and 2 pawns ending.

Board 3: NM Vadim Martirosov vs. GM Larry Kaufman. The third board started as a Catalan but quickly transposed into a Bogo-Indian Defense. NM Martirosov played the novelty with 11. cxd5. NM Martirosov missed a chance to win with 30. b4 which simply wins black's knight. Instead, the move he played allowed the position to stay equal and the game soon ended in an agreed draw when it was clear the game would liquidate into an opposite-color bishop ending with an equal amount of pawns.

Board 4: NM Andrew Zheng vs. NM Ilya Krasik. The fourth board showcased an Hyper-Accelerated Dragon Sicilian. NM Zheng actually played 2 novelties: 10. 0-0 and 11. Qe1. The move 10. exd5 has been played at least 9 times before, but with less than stellar results for white (+1 =2 -6) but the move 11. exd5 has had good results for white (+2 =2) previously. Later on, white went down an exchange and it looked like just a matter of time before NM Krasik won. However, NM Zheng kept playing and eventually won back the exchange on move 40. The players found themselves in a same-colored bishop ending with black having an extra pawn. In fact, NM Zheng even gave up another pawn with 45. h4 to disconnect black's kingside pawns. White eventually was allowed to take both h-pawns and the game was agreed drawn with equal material on the board.

Reposted at: Chess.com blogs

Week 5 Lineup

Boston Blitz vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
IM Marc Esserman (2569) - IM Levan Bregadze (2469)
SM Denys Shmelov (2465) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2492)
NM Vadim Martirosov (2349) - GM Larry Kaufman (2401)
NM Ilya Krasik (2286) - NM Andrew Zheng (2159)

Wednesday, 7:30 PM EDT
Time Control 75 min. with 30 sec. increment

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers (0.5-3.5, 4th) battle the Boston Blitz (2.0-2.0, 3rd) this Wednesday in the USCL's Week 5. Both teams are looking to catch up to the New England Nor'easters (3.5-0.5, 1st) and the Connecticut Dreadnoughts (2.5-1.5, 2nd) for the two playoff spots in the Northeast Division. Boston leads the all-time series against Baltimore with a 6.5-5.5 match score. However, the last time these two teams played each other, Baltimore put themselves into the playoffs by knocking out Boston in Week 10, 2012 by a 2.5-1.5 score. Four players (SM Denys Shmelov, GM Larry Kaufman, NM Vadim Martirosov, NM Ilya Krasik) from that previous match return to play in this upcoming match as well.

Board 1: IM Marc Esserman vs. IM Levan Bregadze. IM Marc Esserman, playing in his 6th USCL season, is (+1 -1) on the season and has scored (+2 =1) in his career against Baltimore. He lost last week with the black pieces against GM Yuniesky Quesada of the Miami Sharks on Board 1. His opponent, IM Levan Bregadze, is (+1 =1 -1) in his 2nd USCL season. IM Bregadze last played in Week 3, which was a draw with the black pieces against GM Zviad Izoria of the Manhattan Applesauce on Board 1.

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. SM Denys Shmelov. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat is (+1 -2) in his 9th USCL season and has scored (+2 =2 -3) against Boston. He won in Week 3 with white against IM Dmitry Schneider of the Manhattan Applesauce on Board 2. He will face SM Denys Shmelov, who is (=3 -1) in his 6th USCL season and has scored (+1 =2 -1) against Baltimore. He lost last week with the black pieces against FM Eric Rodriguez of the Miami Sharks on Board 3.

Board 3: NM Vadim Martirosov vs. GM Larry Kaufman. NM Vadim Martirosov has a (+1 -1) record in his 7th USCL season and is (=5 -1) against Baltimore in his career. He last played in Week 2, a loss with the white pieces against FM Leif Pressman of the Connecticut Dreadnoughts. He will play GM Larry Kaufman, who lost his only game of the season last week with the white pieces against FM Jeffery Xiong of the Dallas Destiny on Board 2. GM Kaufman is playing in his 9th USCL season and has a (=2 -6) record against Boston.

Board 4: NM Andrew Zheng vs. NM Ilya Krasik. NM Andrew Zheng is making his USCL debut in this match. According the the USCF's Sept. 2013 rating lists, NM Zheng is the #7 ranked 11-year-old in the country. Welcoming him to the league will be a 9-year-veteran of the USCL, NM Ilya Krasik. NM Krasik drew his only game this year in Week 1 with the white pieces against NM Andrew Liu of the New England Nor'easters on Board 4. He is (+4 =1 -4) in his career against Baltimore.

Catch the games live on chess.com and let us know your predictions in the polls to the right!

Reposted at: Chess.com blogs

Week 10 Review

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz 2.5-1.5
GM Giorgi Margvelashvili (2593) - SM Denys Shmelov (2502) 0.5-0.5 View Game
GM Larry Kaufman (2445) - FM Kazim Gulamali (2419) 0-1 View Game
NM Jared Defibaugh (2357) - NM Vadim Martirosov (2345) 1-0 View Game
FM Ralph Zimmer (2304) - NM Ilya Krasik (2261) 1-0 View Game

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers clinched the 4th spot in the Eastern Division and a playoff spot with a win over the Boston Blitz. Baltimore finished the season with a 5.5-4.5 record, tied with New York though they took 3rd place on the first tiebreaker.

Board 1: The game began with a Queen's Gambit: Slav with white playing 4. Qb3 with a later fianchetto on the kingside. White's pair of bishops allowed him to win a pawn in the middle game. As boards 2 and 3 concluded, the match was tied 1-1 with board 4 looking unclear, so GM Margvelashvili had to press for the win. Then suddenly, FM Zimmer won his game and it became clear that Baltimore just needed a draw to win the match and secure a playoff spot, so GM Margvelashvili offered the clinching draw. He certainly could have played on to try to win in the final position:

Board 2: FM Gulamali won the Game of the Week and it is analyzed by GM Alex Yermolinsky on ICC. This very exciting game started as a French Defense: Steinitz, Bradford Attack. White castled queenside and aimed his pieces at black's kingside. FM Gulamali even sacrificed a knight to prevent a queen trade and open up the kingside. It looked like GM Kaufman should be able to hold the position, but he blundered with 26... Bg7:

FM Gulamali found a spectacular mate with 27. g6 Qf6 28. Rh8+! Bxh8 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Bb4+ Nd6 31. Bxd6+ Ke8 32. Qg8+ and blacked resigned before 32... Qf8 33. Qf8#.

Board 3: A Scotch Gambit transposed into a tame Two Knights Defense/Philidor Defense. NM Martirosov decided to allow his pawns to be doubled on the e-file and soon white won control of the open d-file. White managed to get his queen and rook lined up on the 7th rank and black had to look for a perpetual against the white king to try to survive. The perpetual just wasn't there as seen in the game when NM Defibaugh won, but there was a very interesting attempt not played after 36. Kh4:

If black tried 36... Rf4+, NM Defibaugh noted that 37. g4! wins with 37... Qf2+ 38. Kh5 Qxh2+ 39. Kg6 Rf6+ 40. Qxf6 gxf6 41. Ra8#. White had to avoid the mistake 37. gxf4? Qf2+ 38. Kg4 (38. Kh3? and Kh5? are actually forced mates for black! i.e. 38. Kh5 Qxf3+ 39. Kg6 Qxe4+ [not 39... Qg4+ 40. Qg5! with Ra8# coming] 40. Kh5 Qf3+ 41. Kg6 [41. Kh4 Qxf4+ 42. Kh5 Qf3+ 43. Kh4 g5+ and black will win the queen and rook] Qd3+ 42. Kh5 Qh3+ 43. Qh4 [43. Kg6 Qf5#] Qf5+ 44. Qg5 hxg5 and now black has h7 for the king) Qg2+ with a perpetual check.

Board 4: In what started as a Benoni, the game transposed into Queen's Gambit Declined and Queen's Indian lines. The game became very interesting when FM Zimmer sacrificed his two queenside pawns and a rook for a bishop and white's g-pawn to open up NM Krasik's king. Black's attack took a little while to develop and white missed some chances to defend better. For example, white could have played 27. Be4 with the idea of returning the exchange on d5 and 34. h3 instead of giving up the exchange with 34. Re4. Thus, black's adventurous play was rewarded and FM Zimmer ended the game with a picturesque queen sacrifice for mate with 43... Qd1+:

Week 10 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Giorgi Margvelashvili (2593) - SM Denys Shmelov (2502)
GM Larry Kaufman (2445) - FM Kazim Gulamali (2419)
NM Jared Defibaugh (2357) - NM Vadim Martirosov (2345)
FM Ralph Zimmer (2304) - NM Ilya Krasik (2261)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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The Baltimore Kingfishers (4.5-3.5, 6th place) battle the Boston Blitz (4.0-5.0, 7th place) in the final week of the USCL regular season. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot, but even with a match victory here, they will need help from the other matches going a favorable way. Baltimore could finish as high as 3rd place while Boston could move into the 4th spot in the Eastern Division. Now, Boston leads the all-time series with 6.5 match points to Baltimore's 4.5 match points. They last played in Week 9, 2011 when Boston won 3-1. Four players (GM Kaufman, FM Zimmer, NM Martirosov, and NM Krasik) in that match return to play this time.

Board 1: GM Giorgi Margvelashvili vs. SM Denys Shmelov. GM Giorgi Margvelashvili, is (+2 =2) in his 2nd USCL season. He has not played against Boston previously. He won with white on Board 1 against GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) in Week 7. He will be facing SM Denys Shmelov, who is (=2) in his 5th USCL season and (+1 =1 -1) against Baltimore. He drew last week as black against IM Jonathan Yedida (NE) on Board 2.

Board 2: FM Kazim Gulamali vs. GM Larry Kaufman. FM Kazim Gulamali is (+4 -3) in his 1st USCL season. He won last week as white against FM Braden Bournival (NE) on Board 2. His challenger, GM Larry Kaufman is (+1 =2 -1) in his 8th USCL season and (=2 -5) against Boston. He won in Week 7 as black against FM Michael Bodek (NY) on Board 2.

Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. NM Vadim Martirosov. NM Jared Defibaugh is (+3 -3) in his 3rd USCL season and (+1) against Boston. He lost in Week 8 as white against IM Albert Kapengut (NJ) on Board 3. His opponent, NM Vadim Martirosov is (+2 =1) in his 6th USCL season and (=5) against Baltimore. He drew with black against NM Christopher Wu (NJ) on Board 3 in Week 7.

Board 4: NM Ilya Krasik vs. FM Ralph Zimmer. NM Ilya Krasik is (+3 -1) in his 8th USCL season and (+4 =1 -3) against Baltimore. He won with white against NM Andrew Ryba (MAN) on Board 4 in Week 8. He will have a somewhat familiar opponent in FM Ralph Zimmer, whom NM Krasik won against in Week 8, 2008. FM Ralph Zimmer is (+3 =1 -1) in his 7th USCL season and (=3 -1) against Boston. He won in Week 8 with black against Praveen Balakrishnan (NJ) on Board 4.

Will either team make the playoffs? Everything will be decided this week so follow the action live on chess.com or as relayed on ICC!

Week 9 Lineup/Preview

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

Boston Blitz vs. Baltimore Kingfishers
SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2604) - GM Larry Kaufman (2467)
IM Jan van de Mortel (2499) - IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2426)
NM Vadim Martirosov (2329) - FM Ralph Zimmer (2280)
NM Ilya Krasik (2264) - NM Ian Schoch (2296)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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Board 1: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun vs. GM Larry Kaufman. SM Sammour-Hasbun is (+4 -1) on the season and (+2 -1) against Baltimore. GM Kaufman is (=3 -3) on the season and (=2 -4) against Boston. SM Sammour-Hasbun has a large rating advantage and the white pieces so it will be all GM Kaufman can do to try to at least hold a draw.

Board 2: IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat vs. IM Jan van de Mortel. IM Enkhbat is (+2 =3 -3) on the season and (+2 =1 -3) against Boston. IM van de Mortel is (=3) on the season and has not played Baltimore. IM van de Mortel has a rating edge but IM Enkhbat has the white pieces so this match-up seems about even.

Board 3: NM Vadim Martirosov vs. FM Ralph Zimmer. NM Martirosov is (+2 =1 -2) on the season and (=4) against Baltimore. FM Zimmer is (=1) on the season and (=2 -1) against Boston. These two played to a draw during last year's Quarterfinals. NM Martirosov has a slight rating advantage and the white pieces.

Board 4: NM Ian Schoch vs. NM Ilya Krasik. NM Schoch is (+3 -1) on the season and (+1) against Boston. NM Krasik is (+1 -4) on the season and (+3 =1 -3) against Baltimore. This time, NM Schoch has the only rating edge for Baltimore, albeit a slight one, and the white pieces.

Both teams are fighting for a playoff berth with Boston currently holding the 4th and last spot in the Eastern Division. Baltimore, which is 1 match point behind, can tie Boston (and be ahead on the first tie-break) with a win this week. Also, either the New England Nor'easters or Carolina Cobras could take control of that coveted final playoff spot if Baltimore wins.

A drawn match would still keep some faint playoff hopes alive for Baltimore, but it would depend on having at most one team of Manhattan, Boston, New England, and Carolina passing 4.5 match points for the season and Baltimore being able to pass those teams in game points. Of course, Baltimore would like to avoid such a dire scenario.

Finally, a match loss would eliminate Baltimore from playoff contention.

Week 4 Lineup/Preview

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Larry Kaufman (2467) - FM David Griego (2494)
IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (2426) - NM Vadim Martirosov (2329)
NM Jared Defibaugh (2363) - NM Ilya Krasik (2264)
NM Ian Schoch (2296) - Christopher Gu (2283)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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Board 1: GM Larry Kaufman vs. FM David Griego. GM Kaufman is (=1 -4) against Boston. FM Griego is new to the USCL this year and only has one game (-1) under his belt. This is the only board where Boston has a rating advantage, but it's only 27 points and GM Kaufman has the white pieces, so it is a wash.

Board 2: NM Vadim Martirosov vs. IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat. NM Martirosov is (=3) against Baltimore while IM Enkhbat is (+2 -3) against Boston. IM Enkhbat has a 97 point rating edge. With the black pieces, he will look to play solidly and then strike outwardly if the opportunity presents itself.

Board 3: NM Jared Defibaugh vs. NM Ilya Krasik. NM Defibaugh has not yet played Boston and NM Krasik is (+3 =1 -2) against Baltimore. NM Defibaugh has both a 99 point rating advantage and the white pieces. It is the best statistical advantage of the match especially noting NM Krasik's record against Baltimore with the black pieces is (=1 -2) as opposed to (+3) with white, so NM Defibaugh should be pressing here.

Board 4: NM Christopher Gu vs. NM Ian Schoch. NM Gu is another Boston Blitz player who is new to the league this year. He has played just one game so far - a draw with the black pieces. NM Schoch has not played against Boston. These players are very closely matched in rating, but despite that fact, do not expect a draw as I anticipate both players aiming for victory.

Week 9 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz 1.5-2.5
GM Sergey Erenburg (2646) - GM Larry Christiansen (2665) 0.5-0.5
IM Sasha Kaplan (2482) - SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2603) 0-1
FM Ralph Zimmer (2279) - SM Denys Shmelov (2471) 0.5-0.5
NM Adithya Balasubramanian (2255) - Grant Xu (2061) 0.5-0.5

Boston beat Baltimore 2.5-1.5 to clinch 2nd place in the Eastern Division. Meanwhile, Baltimore stays in 4th place. Also, thanks to Philadelphia's defeat of Manhattan, Baltimore only needs 1 drawn game against New Jersey to clinch the final Eastern Division playoff spot. However, New Jersey can pass Baltimore with a 4-0 win, so they will have to play all out in the final regular season match.

Week 9 Lineup/Preview

Monday, 7:15 PM EDT
Time Control 90 min. with 30 sec. increment
(Note: On Board 3, FM Zimmer will have 101 minutes to SM Shmelov's 79 minutes due to a late lineup change)

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Sergey Erenburg (2646) - GM Larry Christiansen (2665)
IM Sasha Kaplan (2482) - SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2603)
FM Ralph Zimmer (2279) - SM Denys Shmelov (2471)
NM Adithya Balasubramanian (2255) - Grant Xu (2061)

Note: Players in italic have the white pieces.

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In a tightened Eastern Division playoff race, the Baltimore Kingfishers face the Boston Blitz. Both teams are looking to secure playoff berths this week. Boston has a playoff berth by at least drawing the match or if Manhattan does not win its match. Baltimore gets a playoff berth if it can keep a 1 match-point and 4.5 game-point lead on Manhattan and New Jersey. Furthermore, Boston, Baltimore, and New York are each striving for 2nd place, which gives draw odds (or color choice) in at least the first round of the playoffs. Also, Boston still has an outside shot of catching New England for 1st place in the Eastern Division. Therefore, both teams have plenty on the line for which to play!

Board 1: GM Sergey Erenburg vs. GM Larry Christiansen. GM Erenburg is (+2) against Boston and (+3 =3) on the season while GM Christiansen is (+1 =1 -2) against Baltimore and (+3 =3 -1) on the season. Both players have a chance to be the USCL MVP, with GM Erenburg in 4th place (15.0 points) and GM Christiansen in 8th place (10.0 points). GM Erenburg took 2nd in Week 7's Game of the Week contest and GM Christiansen won Game of the Week in both Weeks 6 and 8. Though the team result will be most important, I am sure both these individuals want to score the full point with that special flair. Make sure you catch this game live!

Board 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun vs. IM Sasha Kaplan. SM Sammour-Hasbun is (+1 -1) against Baltimore and (-1) this season while IM Kaplan is making his USCL debut. SM Sammour-Hasbun had a brilliant rookie season in 2007, but his USCL performance rating has dropped markedly in the years since then. However, he is still a very dangerous player who has shown many flashes of brilliance as seen by his 3.5 Game of the Week awards including 2007 Game of the Year. This is definitely a tough spot to make one's USCL debut as IM Kaplan will be a 121-rating point underdog with the black pieces. This year's President's Cup (College Chess Final Four) program lists IM Kaplan's chess accomplishments as: 2007 Israel Junior Champion, Under 20; 2008 Army Champion; 2nd Place, Herzeliya International Round Robin Tournament. Anticipate a solid opening and then a sharp late-middlegame.

Board 3: FM Ralph Zimmer vs. SM Denys Shmelov. FM Zimmer is (-1) against Boston and (+1 =1 -1) on the season while SM Shmelov is (+1 -1) against Baltimore and (=1 -3) on the season. FM Zimmer has played once each on Boards 2, 3, and 4 while SM Shmelov has played twice each on Boards 2 and 3. SM Shmelov is a 192-point rating favorite. However, SM Shmelov has the black pieces and starts with a time disadvantage (101 to 79 - the 22-minute difference is approximately one-fourth of the original 90 minute starting time) as he is a late lineup replacement for IM Marc Esserman. Expect this game to deviate from theory early with some original play afterward.

Board 4: Grant Xu vs. NM Adithya Balasubramanian. Grant Xu has only played one USCL game, a win. NM Balasubramanian is (+1 =2) this season. Coincidentally, both players got the win against Philadelphia. However, NM Balasubramanian did it on Board 3, and he is a 194-point rating favorite. Baltimore will probably need to win here to counter its rating disadvantages on Boards 2 and 3, so look for NM Balasubramanian to mix it up in the middle game.

Week 5 Review

Board 1: GM Leonid Kritz vs. GM Larry Christiansen
The game began with a Modern Defense and white appeared to carry a slight edge into the middle game.



In the above position, GM Kritz could have played 34. Nxg6! Nxg6 35. Bxf6 Qc6 (35... Rxf6 Rd7+) 36. Bb2 with a good edge. Instead, the game continued with 34. Bb4 Bh4 35. Qxh4 Ne6 36. Qg4 Nf4 37. Rd8 Qc7 38. Qc8 Qe5 39. Rd7 Ne2+ 40. Kf1 Ng3+ 41. Ke1 Qa1+ 42. Rd1 Qf6 when they reached this position:



and disaster struck with 43. Bc5? (43. Qc5 would have kept the game about even) to which GM Christiansen quickly responded with 43... Qc3+ 44. Rd2 e3! and white resigned in view of 45. fxe3 Rf1# or 45. Bxe3 Qxc8.

Board 2: SM Denys Shmelov vs. GM Sergey Erenburg
This game was a Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-slav where white played an early 7. e4. White has just played 13. 0-0-0 in the following position:



Here Black could have played 13... Nd7! 14. Be5 (14. Qxe8+ Qxe8 15. Bxd6 Qxe2 16. Rhe1 Qxc4+ 17. Kb1 Nf6 -+; 14. Qd4 Bxf4+ 15. Qxf4 Rxe2 -+) 14... Nxe5 Nxe5 Qf6 16. f4 Bf5 17. Qd4 Bc7 with a moderate edge as white's f-pawn will fall. GM Erenburg played 13... Nd3+ still with an advantage and managed to convert it into a win when SM Shmelov resigned after 55 moves.

Board 3: FM Shinsaku Uesugi vs. SM Marc Esserman
This game began with a Reti Opening with play directed toward the open c-file early on. Esserman would then take white's center pawns with a knight while Uesugi created the passed a-pawn with a bishop.



In order to play for a win, Black probably should have kept the bishop with 49... d5+ 50. Kd3 Bc5 (and not 49... Bf2 50. Kb5 Bxg3 51. Nc6 Bxf4 52. Ba5+ Kc8 53. Nd8 Kb8 54. Bc7+ Ka8 Nxf7 and probably a draw due to black's cornered king). Instead, the bishop trade 49... Bxc3 50. Kxc3 allowed white to use the a-pawn as a distraction to collect a couple of black's pawns, assuring the draw.

Board 4: NM Ilya Krasik vs. Ian Harris
This was probably the most anticipated match-up (At least there are more votes in our Board 4 poll than the rest) due to Ian's intentionally ironic prediction. Clearly, Caissa loves to facilitate irony in the US Chess League.

Now, the game was a Dutch Defense that soon came to the following position:



Ian played 9... h5? missing that Krasik could and did respond with 10. g4! Ian tried to hold starting with 10... Qh7, but Krasik kept black's pieces tied down and eventually took the full point.

This was a disappointing loss for the Kingfishers as they had a chance to take 2nd place in the East, but now they may fall to 4th place by the end of Wednesday night's matches. However, with only divisional match-ups left in the schedule, the Kingfishers will still have control over whether they make the playoffs.

Week 5 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz 1.5-2.5
GM Leonid Kritz (2654) - GM Larry Christiansen (2662) 0-1
GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) - SM Denys Shmelov (2474) 1-0
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - SM Marc Esserman (2461) 0.5-0.5
Ian Harris (2172) - NM Ilya Krasik (2252) 0-1

Here's How to Publish a Chess Game.

Download the PGN file.

Baltimore vs. Boston

So last week was insanely busy and I didn't have time to preview the Arizona match. This week is still crazy but I have a little more time. This week we face Boston who is half a point ahead of us in the Eastern Division. A win here could be crucial to eventually securing our spot at the top of the table. A loss, would give New York or Queens a chance to catch up to us. Therefore, for the first time, we are breaking out our Kritz and Erenburg double GM lineup.

Board 1: GM Kritz 2654 (BAL) vs. GM Christiansen 2662 (BOS)

Not really sure what to say here. Both are really strong grandmasters, with Christiansen having perhaps a slight advantage in the experience category while Kritz has white. I expect quite a fight but it is hard to tell who will come out on top.

Board 2: SM Shmelov 2474 (BOS) vs. GM Erenburg 2616 (BAL)

Having Sergey relegated to board two is pretty scary... especially when you consider how well he did on board one last year. I don't think anyone can argue that Baltimore is the clear favorite on this board. I expect Shemlov will work hard to come through for his team but I don't believe he will be successful.

Board 3: FM Uesugi 2354 (BAL) vs. SM Esserman 2461 (BOS)

Shin has his hands full this week with Esserman. Advantage to Boston. However, Shin has been doing well for Baltimore so far and this will be his first white. A solid performance here should neutralize Boston's only real advantage and clinch the match in favor of Baltimore.

Board 4: NM Krasik 2252 (BOS) vs. Ian Harris 2172 (BAL)

No need for predictions here. What else could happen but a victory for Baltimore?


With victories likely for Baltimore on 2 + 4, it looks like Boston is going down... to chinatown. Tune in Monday 7:15 to witness the carnage first hand...

Week 5 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Leonid Kritz (2654) - GM Larry Christiansen (2662)
GM Sergey Erenburg (2616) - SM Denys Shmelov (2474)
FM Shinsaku Uesugi (2354) - SM Marc Esserman (2461)
Ian Harris (2172) - NM Ilya Krasik (2252)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.

Labor Day Weekend Tournaments

GM Larry Kaufman (5.0/6) finished clear 2nd, behind GM Larry Christiansen (5.5/6) of the Boston Blitz, in the U.S. Senior Open!  Since GM Christiansen is not yet 60, GM Kaufman wins a return to the World Senior Championship in Arco, Italy (Nov. 4th-15th), where he'll have a chance to defend his status as World (Co-)Champion.

More locally, several Kingfishers played in the Maryland Action, Quick, and Blitz Championships, hosted by the Maryland Chess Association.

IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat won the Quick Tournament (G/15) with 6.0/7, ahead of of FM Shinsaku Uesugi (5.0/7), Jared Defibaugh (5.0/7), and WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg (4.5/7).

Jared Defibaugh won the Blitz Tournament (G/5) with a fantastic 9.0/10!  FM Shinsaku Uesugi placed 4th with 6.0/10.  Defibaugh's blitz prowess could be handy in a Championship Tie-break except that Ian Harris already predicted a tie-break won't be necessary!

Finally, FM Ralph Zimmer won the Action Tournament (G/30) with 6.0/7, losing only to Jared Defibaugh (4.5/7), but defeating top seed GM Sergey Erenburg (2nd place with 5.5/7)!  IM Tegshsuren Enkhbat and Ian Harris finished tied for 3rd place with 5.0/7.

We'll see tomorrow if the weekend action warmed up our players for the upcoming match against the Queens Pioneers!

Week 8 Analysis

First, congratulations to GM Sergey Erenburg for winning Game of the Week (GOTW), which carries a prize of $100. View the full article.

This week's analysis has been uploaded:

Notes: Analysis done with the aid of the Chess Tiger engine.
An 'A' denotes the move has an annotation.
A '▼' denotes variations.
Here's How to Publish a Chess Game

Week 8 Results

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz 1-3
GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) - SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2576) 1-0
IM Larry Kaufman (2424) - SM Denys Shmelov (2446) 0-1
FM Ray Kaufman (2348) - NM Marc Esserman (2307) 0-1
FM Ralph Zimmer (2328) - NM Ilya Krasik (2144) 0-1

Sadly, the Kingfishers have been officially eliminated from reaching the playoffs. It's been a tough season so far, but there are still two weeks left for the team to try to end on a high note.

There is one bright spot to keep an eye on: Sergey's win this week took 1 point off IM Alex Lenderman's lead in the MVP race. Stay tuned to see if Sergey can catch him!

Week 8 Lineup

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

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. Boston Blitz
GM Sergey Erenburg (2592) - SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2576)
IM Larry Kaufman (2424) - SM Denys Shmelov (2446)
FM Ray Kaufman (2348) - NM Marc Esserman (2307)
FM Ralph Zimmer (2328) - NM Ilya Krasik (2144)

Note: Players in bold have the white pieces.