USCL "Game of the Year" Top 20

Arun Sharma has posted a detailed article discussing all 20 competitors for the US Chess League's "Game of the Year" honors. The top game wins $1,000 (with additional prizes for 2nd-5th place finishers), so this is quite a significant "brilliancy prize." My favorite games on the list were Martinez-Zilberstein, Christiansen-Wolff, Bonin-Molner (annotated here), Molner-Arnold (annotated here), and Molner-Kaufman (annotated here).

Boston vs. Dallas in USCL Championship Final

Dallas beat Miami on Monday night and Boston beat New York last week to set up the widely predicted Boston Blitz vs. Dallas Destiny US Chess League Championship final on Wednesday, November 28, at 8:00 p.m. on ICC. Dallas will have White on Boards 1 and 3. Lineups will be posted soon at the USCL website.

Season Ends for NJ Knockouts with Loss to NY

Bonin - Molner, USCL 2007
White to play.

In Round 10 of US Chess League action, the New Jersey Knockouts fell to the New York Knights, putting an end to their season. New York will take the final playoff spot and New Jersey will have to wait until next year. As usual, I have annotated the games online.

Wins by Irina Krush and Jay Bonin on Boards 2 and 3 put New York in the driver's seat early, and despite Joel Benjamin's win on Board 1 there was not much realistic hope of a tied match, though Evan Ju played until the 50 move rule to test his opponent as much as possible in a drawn position. The game of the night was definitely Bonin's stunning victory over Mackenzie Molner with some flashy attacking play (see diagram above).

I guess we will have to root for New York to go all the way...

Other coverage of the final round of the season can be found online:

• New Jersey Knockouts Blog
• United States Chess League website
• FM Robby Adamson for USCF

Though they did not make the playoffs, New Jersey made a good showing for their first season in the league, which predicts good things for the future, especially considering that many of their lower boards are very young.

You can play through the games from the entire season, now concluded, with annotations at our website:

• Round 1, Tie with Queens Pioneers, 2-2
  
• Round 2, Tie with Tennessee Tempo, 2-2
  
• Round 3, Tie with Baltimore Kingfishers, 2-2
  
• Round 4, Loss to Queens Pioneers, 1.5-2.5
  
• Round 5, Win over New York Knights, 2.5-1.5


• Round 6, Win over Carolina Cobras, 2.5-1.5


• Round 7, Loss to Philadelphia Inventors, 1.5-2.5


• Round 8, Tie with Boston Blitz, 2-2


• Round 9, Tie with Baltimore Kingfishers, 2-2


• Round 10, Loss to New York Knights, 1.5-2.5

Knockouts Keep Playoff Hopes Alive by Drawing Kingfishers

In Round 9 of US Chess League action, the New Jersey Knockouts drew the Baltimore Kingfishers for the second time this season to keep their playoff hopes alive. New Jersey plays rival New York next week in a match that will decide which of those teams makes the playoffs.

When New Jersey played Baltimore in Round 3, they were only able to draw due to a lucky break that turned a possible loss into a win for Dean Ippolito. This time it was Baltimore that got lucky, scoring wins in two games that seemed headed for an even result.

White was victorious in every game, even though all of the Black players were able to gain equality using rather unusual defenses. On Board 1, Benjamin reached his favored Ruy Lopez-like position out of the anti-Sicilian against Blehm and used it to gain enough of an edge to carry him through to victory in a very close game. On Board 2, Friedman used the Chigorin Defense to reach a very drawish position before he blundered badly and lost to Enkhbat's swift tactics. On Board 3, Molner played an interesting line against Kaufman's unusual Nimzo-French (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6!?) and ended up sacrificing a Bishop to gain an intuitive attack that eventually carried him to victory through some very complicated thickets. And on Board 4, Khodarkovsky seemed to gain easy equality with the Alekhine Defense only to lose to some very interesting endgame tactics by Battsetseg.

Other coverage of Round 9 action:

• NJKO Real Time Blog of the match
• US Chess League website
• Robby Adamson recaps Round 9 action at the USCF site
• USCL Chess Center discusses the playoff scenarios
• Bionic Lime Power Rankings and playoff scenarios

NJ Knockouts Stop the Blitz

Williams - Shen, USCL 2007 (8)
Black to play

In last night's US Chess League action, The New Jersey Knockouts answered their critics and kept their playoff hopes alive by drawing the most highly ranked team in the league, the Boston Blitz. I have annotated the games and posted them online.

The best games of the night were the decisive ones. On Board 2, Jorge Sammour-Hasbun played an attractive tactical game using an underestimated line of the Scotch Gambit (beginning 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Bb4+) against Dean Ippolito. Though Ippolito held onto the gambit pawn and made no obvious errors, Sammour was able to use his initiative to create a decisive attack that left him up the Exchange, which he was able to turn into a win despite evident time pressure. This game will certainly be a contender for game of the week. The loss for New Jersey on Board 2 was fortunately balanced by a win on Board 4 by the young Victor Shen in a wild game where both sides created second Queens. Shen has struggled against his usually more mature opponents, but this game showed him at his best.

The common criticism of the New Jersey Knockouts has been that their even record was achieved against the lowest ranked opponents in the League. They continued their even record, but they raised their level of respect considerably last night. Let's hope that the draw also raises their spirits so that they can make it to the playoffs.

Other coverage:

• NJ Knockouts Blog (photos)
• Boston Blitz Blog (photos)
• BCC Weblog
• US Chess League
• USCF

NJKO - Blitz Preview

The New Jersey Knockouts and the Boston Blitz meet tonight in US Chess League action with important playoff implications. If New Jersey can pull out a win or draw, they will have a very good chance of making the playoffs, despite their ups and downs this season. If Boston wins, they are guaranteed a playoff berth. I thought it would be interesting to preview the action by looking at a couple of games from the past which suggest that this could be a very tight contest, despite the two teams' recent records.

Here are the match-ups:

1. GM Joel Benjamin (2653) - GM Larry Christiansen (2663)
2. IM Dean Ippolito (2447) - SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2558)
3. NM Evan Ju (2268) - NM Denys Shmelov (2251)
4. NM Victor Shen (2218) - NM Chris Williams (2175)

GMs Benjamin and Christiansen have met many times before, of course, including in a critical US Championship match in 1997, from which I take the main game in my preview. They have played many interesting games over the years, including a fascinating game in the Kevitz Variation in the 2000 US Championship in Seattle which was nicely annotated online at TWIC by John Henderson. I expect this to be a very tough slug-fest. Though they were major rivals about a decade ago, they do not seem to have played each other recently. But one of Benjamin's Anti-Sicilians articles may offer a preview to the opening we might see....

Sammour-Hasbun and Ippolito have only one match-up in the databases, where Ippolito played the opening poorly and then struggled to hold on in a complex double-rook ending. I imagine his opening preparation will be a little better this time, and I think the games on every board could go either way.

Follow the action on ICC or with the NJKO's "Real Time Blog" of the match. Other good sources include the Boston Blitz Blog, the BCC Weblog, US Chess League, and USCF.

NJ Outwitted by Inventors

The New Jersey Knockouts lost to the Philadelphia Inventors in a tough match in which they could easily have been blanked on every board last night in early USCL action. The more experienced top board players managed to hold draws, but our young bottom board fell in the sole decisive game. The loss leaves New Jersey with an even record so far for the season as they prepare to face league leader Boston next week.

NJ Knockouts Slay Carolina Cobras

Friedman - Zaikov
Can White try for a win here?

The New Jersey Knockouts won their second match in a row on Wednesday night by defeating the Carolina Cobras 2.5-1.5 in Round 6 of US Chess League action thanks mostly to a brilliant victory by 15-year-old Expert Jayson Lian over a master on Board 4. I have annotated the games, all of which featured very interesting opening struggles. The most complex and interesting game of the night was Friedman - Zaikov, where Black played a very interesting gambit in a wild line of the Najdorf to which White responded with a gambit of his own -- giving up three pawns for a strong initiative. In the diagram above, could White have tried for more than the drawish ending he achieved after 26.Ng7+?

You can read more about the match at the NJ Knockouts blog. The victory places New Jersey a respectable 6th out of 12 in the US Chess League Quantitative Power Rankings.

NJ Knockouts Beat New York Knights

The New Jersey Knockouts came back from last week's loss to the Queens Pioneers to beat the low-ranked New York Knights and reclaim their even record. I have annotated the games from last night's Round 5 match and posted them online. GM Joel Benjamin's win on top board against Knights standout Pascal Chardonneau set the pace, and Mackenzie Molner's win on board 3 gave us the second full point we needed for victory. These were two great attacking games in the Sicilian and both are worth a close look.

Update

• Joel Benjamin annotates his game at the NJ Knockouts blog (compare my notes)
• Mackenzie Molner just edged out for game of the week
• Read the NJ Knockouts blog for the "play by play" during the match
• Read Robby Adamson's USCL Round 5 Recap
• Zlotnikov's 114-move draw longest game in USCL history

NJ KO'd by Queens

Ju - Zhao, USCL 2007
White to play and win.

Stripunsky - Benjamin, USCL 2007
White to play and win.

Sounds like a New York Post headline... The New Jersey Knockouts, who had been undefeated through three rounds of US Chess League action, lost a return match to the Queens Pioneers last night after their first two boards, GM Joel Benjamin and IM Zlotnikov, went down to defeat. I have annotated the games and posted them online. In previous matches, New Jersey had been holding their own on the strength of their top boards and the occasional luck of their bottom boards. But in last night's match, the roles were reversed, with the bottom two boards, young masters Molner and Ju, coming through with 1.5 out of 2 points while the top two were blanked.

The heartbreaking part of the night was that both Benjamin and Zlotnikov had chances to at least hold their games. Benjamin probably could have equalized against Stripunsky's early novelty in the Taimanov Sicilian by playing 11...d5! but instead went pawn hunting with 11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 e5 13.Be3 Nxe4?! creating a whole series of problems for himself that led to his King being stuck in the center of the board and subject to attack. Stripunsky, out for revenge after losing to Benjamin in their previous match, was relentless in his pursuit of Black's King and finally capitalized on its situation with a nice concluding combination (see diagram above). Zlotnikov, meanwhile, chose neither his favorite English with 1.c4 nor my recommended 1.e4 (in order to play against Vovsha's favorite Scandinavian Defense) but instead 1.Nf3, which he has favored of late, leading to a rather stale-looking Reti system where Black had greater control of space. However, Zlotnikov secured excellent chances in the middlegame and missed at least one chance for a very clear advantage. But he missed his chances, let his initiative slip away, lost a pawn to a nice Knight fork, and finally blundered the Exchange to prompt his resignation. If we had drawn either of these games, we would have at least maintained our unbeaten record.

The bright spot of the night was last year's New Jersey State Champion and Cadet Champion Evan Ju's performance on bottom board, where he redeemed his lucky draw against Queens in the first round with a very careful and masterly performance. Ju was able to repel his younger opponent's unsound attack and gain a winning material advantage for the endgame, which he promptly converted to a win by a nice concluding combination (see diagram above).

More coverage of the match (if you can stomach it) can be found at the following links:

• NJ Knockouts Blog
• US Chess League
  

NJ Knockouts vs. Queens Pioneers Redux

The New Jersey Knockouts play a return match tonight (7:00 ET on ICC) agains the Queens Pioneers, against whom they were lucky to squeeze out a draw in their first round meeting. This is going to be a very volatile and unpredictable match-up, with evenly-matched and tough, seasoned opponents on nearly every board. All results are possible, but I'll stick my neck out and make a prediction: another drawn match for the "NJ Even Stevens."

Board 1
GM Alex Stripunsky (Q - 2626) --GM Joel Benjamin (NJ - 2653)
This repeat of the match-up from Round 1, with colors reversed, will surely be a fight to the death. Stripunsky will want revenge, so Benjamin will have to watch out and hang tough. But I think Joel has his number and will gain at least the draw as Black in a very tough game.

Board 2
IM Mikhail Zlotnikov (NJ - 2387) -- IM Eli Vovsha (Q - 2501)
Zlotnikov has shown some variety in his opening repertoire of late, playing an occasional 1.Nf3 and even 1.e4 rather than his always-the-English 1.c4. Against Vovsha, I think 1.e4 is the ticket to victory, with a prepared line against Vovsha's doubtful Scandinavian. If Zlotnikov plays 1.e4, I think we win. If he plays 1.c4, I think we draw at best and possibly lose.

Board 3
FM James Critelli (Q - 2319) -- NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ - 2355)
Critelli was Board 1 on this past year's USATE winners "Beavis and Buttvinnik" (who Kenilworth played in round 5). Mackenzie Molner has been playing some very tough chess, though, including a victory over Zlotnikov at the US Open this year. This is a battle between two rising stars and could easily yield all possible results. But I'll stick my neck out and predict at least a draw for NJ.

Board 4
NM Evan Ju (NJ - 2268) -- NM Parker Zhao (Q - 2192)
Ju pressed too hard as Black against a lower-rated player in the first match-up with Queens and was lucky to pull out a draw (after losing his queen to rook and knight) by setting up a fortress. He has a great chance for redemption as white against another less experienced opponent and I don't think he'll let this one pass him by. A win is likely for NJ.

There has been great match coverage on the NJ Knockouts blog, which is worth checking out.

NJ Knockouts Draw Kingfishers

Ippolito-Enkhbat, USCL 2007
White to play and win.

Lunna-Rouleau, USCL 2007
White to play. What result?

I have posted the games from last night's match between the New Jersey Knockouts and Baltimore Kingfishers. My predictions of yesterday turned out to be fairly accurate. Benjamin, as Black, did gain a slight endgame edge over Blehm and made him suffer a bit before admitting that the game was a draw. Ippolito had a tough time against Enkhbat, who had a clear advantage until he allowed Ippolito to get the outside passed pawn that decided the game (see diagram above). This was the "lucky break of the week" for New Jersey. On Board 3, Shen went down badly to his much more experienced opponent. And Lunna's brilliant draw on Board 4 (see above) proved critical in securing a tie result at 2-2.

After this third drawn match in a row, though, we might consider changing the name to "Even Stevens."

Other USCL Coverage:

• New Jersey Knockouts Weblog by IM Mikhail Zlotnikov
• USCL Week 3 Recap by Robby Adamson (USCF)
• US Chess League
• Ask GM Joel by Joel Benjamin

NJ Knockouts Play Tonight

US Chess League action continues tonight when the New Jersey Knockouts try to swat the Baltimore Kingfishers (7:15 p.m. EST on ICC). Both teams have an even record and all of the match-ups are too close to call. New Jersey might have the edge on the top boards, but the bottom boards are definitely at risk. I predict another draw for New Jersey -- 2:2 again. That may be the best we can hope for....

Board 1
GM Pawel Blehm (B - 2589) vs. GM Joel Benjamin (NJ - 2653)
Even with Black, I think Benjamin is unbeatable and should have a chance for a win here. His performance two weeks ago against Stripunsky was stellar and showed that he is ready for a heavy-weight wrestling match. This one is going to be tough, but I predict a Benjamin victory in a long endgame.

Board 2
IM Dean Ippolito (NJ - 2447) vs. FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (B - 2411)

Ippolito is very solid and should have held a draw last week as Black but for one bad slip. As White this week he has a good chance to make up for last week's debacle, and no doubt he will be pressing for the win. But Enkhbat is extremely solid as Black and has been very tough to beat in USCL games. If he holds a draw, which seems very possible, then we will need at least a draw on one of the bottom boards.

Board 3

WGM Katerina Rohonyan (B - 2329) vs. NM Victor Shen (NJ - 2218)
Victor did not look so solid last week and should have lost as White if he did not catch a lucky break. I expect him to have trouble as Black, especially against Rohonyan's much greater experience. This is going to be a tough match-up for New Jersey.

Board 4

NM Todd Lunna (NJ - 2221) vs. NM John Rouleau (B - 2295)

White on Board 4 should be a plus for New Jersey, but Lunna's typical opening repertoire is not the best for exploiting that advantage. The young Rouleau did much better than Lunna in the recent US Open and seems to be more on the rise. This one is going to be tough, but Lunna might provide a critical draw.

USCL Rankings

David Glickman of the BCC Weblog has a useful post today ("A Matter of Semantics and Mathematics") providing what appears to be an objective ranking system for the USCL teams, which he calls the US Chess League Quantitative Power Rankings. The New Jersey Knockouts hold a respectable center-of-the-pack standing after their drawn first round match last week. They will face the Tennesseee Tempo (ranked near the bottom at #11) on Wednesday, September 5, at 8:00 p.m. Let's hope that the USCLQPR rankings have predictive value.