skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This is the final part in a series of articles which has counted down to revealing what game was voted as the 2008 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process worked and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Place: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0
Not content to have only one piece hanging, Christiansen began a parade of tactics with 15. Bxb5+!, never letting up and never giving his opponent a chance to recover.
Below are the comments from the judges on why they ranked the game where they did and in parentheses is the ranking given by that judge and the number of points awarded for that ranking.
IM Ben Finegold (1st Place, 20 points): This is clearly the Game of the Year:
(A) Last week of the event.
(B) Christiansen plays like Christiansen!
(C) White's tactical ability this game is like a SUPER computer! Larry's play is amazing.
(D) High quality + fun to watch, more so than any other game!
(E) BRUTAL!
Winning a game of this quality (all of White's moves are perfect) when the chips are down, makes this GOTY!
FM Ingvar Johannesson (1st Place, 20 points): When looking over all the games, this one catches your eye immediately. Crushing attack, lots of flashy moves, and many of them unexpected, at least for me. At the end of the day this is the kind of game that chess fans like seeing, and I feel the same way. This is I think the prettiest game and so my vote for GOTY!
FM Daniel Ludwig (2nd Place, 19 points): When I stopped and took a deeper look at this game, there was no doubt that this game would be put high up there. Just try and think of the biggest blowout you have ever seen at the highest stage in sports. This game was just as bad, and it became ugly quick. According to the databases, the position after 9... Qxf4 has only occurred six times, but it seems that the previous assessment of this position is that Black is no worse. After 10. Rf1 Qc7 it seems that Black is fine with easy defenses, and apparently even Rybka agrees ... for a couple of minutes. Letting the computer mull over things for a little while allows him to discover the ideas that Christiansen used which gave him a winning position. 11. Qh5 is a theoretical novelty and a darn good one as well. After Christiansen calmly played 14. 0-0-0, Zivanic must not have seen the deadly threat and blindly walked into 15. Bxb5+! The rest was history, but not before Larry threw down the equally nice 17. Rxd6! and 18. Rxf6! It really is mind boggling to think of how badly poor Marko got crushed for the slightest inaccuracy 10... Qc7. Christiansen has always been known to be ruthless, but this was something even more frightening. Let's also not forget at what stage this game took place — the biggest of them all: Board One in the Championship Match. Phenomenal game by Christiansen, unfortunately for him I felt that the Erenburg vs Sammour-Hasbun game was just a little deeper.
FM Ron Young (2nd Place, 19 points): Perhaps it was naive of Black to accept White's pawn sac, but Larry has surrendered bigger things in the opening for less compensation. In any case, this game featured an impressive series of notable moves and almost got my first place vote. In the end though I favored a game where the coolness was deeper even if less abundant.
GM Jan Gustafsson (3rd Place, 18 points): A trademark Larry C storming the barricades effort. I haven't seen this 8. Bd3 pawn sac before, but accepting it against Christiansen seems very risky to say the least. Probably after 14. O-O-O Black is already in deep trouble, but I'm unable to suggest a decent improvement from moves ten through fourteen for Black, and White executes with ruthless precision. I especially like the quiet 16. Rf3! and afterward some roads lead to Rome. 18. Rxf6 and 19. Nd5 are definitely spectacular and at the same time an accurate way to do the job. White never lets his guard down, and both 25. Bc6! and 26. Rd6 deserve praise too.
Total Score of Christiansen vs Zivanic: (1st Place, 96 Points)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final 2008 Game of the Year Standings:
1st Place (96 Points): GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
2nd Place (86 Points): GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
3rd Place (76 Points): SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
4th Place (72 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
5th Place (70 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (64 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (62 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): GM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (59 Points): GM Alex Shabalov (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (54 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (51 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs GM Alex Shabalov (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (46 Points): GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (44 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (42 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (35 Points): FM Bruci Lopez (MIA) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (34 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (32 Points): GM Patrick Wolff (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
18th Place (27 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (22 Points): FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (18 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
This is the final part in a series of articles which has counted down to revealing what game was voted as the 2008 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process worked and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Place: GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0
Already having a dangerous attack, Erenburg effectively finished the game with the very nice 22. Rd3!, instead of settling for the banal 22. Bh5 and defeated a very strong opponent in a seemingly perfect effort.
Below are the comments from the judges on why they ranked the game where they did and in parentheses is the ranking given by that judge and the number of points awarded for that ranking.
FM Daniel Ludwig (1st Place, 20 points): This to me was perhaps the deepest attacking game of the year, and as Erenburg made clear in his responses on the USCL blog, none of this was by accident. So what makes a great attacking game? Kings castled on opposite sides, check. Pawn storms, check. Pawn sacrifices, check. Exchange sacrifices, check. Rook lift, check. This game was just so complete and oh so brutal. The biggest knock on this game was that it was so one sided, and thus was not a really great game. I for one am so sick of this one sided argument. One sided implies that one side played well, and the other side played poorly thus making it a wipe out. However, did people even take a close look at this game?! Sammour-Hasbun played great defense, and yet people act as though he played terribly. If someone defends well, and yet still gets crushed, that to me is the sign of a great game. It seems to me like most of the judges enjoy this crap where one side has a great position, but then blows it with a bad move, only to get the better position back when the other side also plays bad moves, and etc., etc., until move fifty or so when someone comes up with a cool looking tactic. I'm sorry, but that to me is not a great game, it is a comedy of errors. It is these kind of people who enjoy following Nakamura's one minute games on ICC rather than watching Linares. The same thing goes for the game Christiansen vs Zivanic. Erenburg took the time to post some of his own thoughts on this game, and how he was especially proud of his 17. Rhe1 move, instead of putting the Rook on the natural g1 square. He was of course correct in doing so, and just about every move he made this game was perfect. I'm especially impressed by 14. f5, because when he plays that, he knows that he is probably giving up the exchange. Not only was the exchange sac good on a psychological level, but according to my engine it was sound technically as well! Not surprisingly, Jorge declined to take the Rook on h1, and intended to go for a rock solid position with 16... f6 and 17... Ne5. However, once again Erenburg was right on the money with his response, 18. g6! Once again, I'm sure that Sergey had this line figured out in advance and when it came time, he struck soundly with the beautiful 22. Rd3, winning soon after. The recipient of this gem is especially notable. Sammour-Hasbun has always been the one dishing out nasty defeats, but this time, he gets a taste of his own medicine. Erenburg is a big fan of this line against the Najdorf, and he even dealt me a painful loss in a similar looking position. This was a truly spectacular game, the only downfall being that the game was not longer, so we could not see even more brilliancies from White! Congratulations to Erenburg on an excellent season and getting my vote for Game of the Year.
IM Ben Finegold (3rd Place, 18 points): Sammour-Hasbun gets punished for playing 15... exf5? This fatally opens up the b1-h7 diagonal after a later f6 by White, as well as giving up the d5 square. Erenburg never lets up and wins quickly against a strong opponent in brutal fashion. But this game was so one sided, I could not rank it higher as it seemed like it was over before it started. Black needs to play either 15... Rfe8 or 15... Ne5 to have chances in this line and leave the Kingside as closed as possible.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (4th Place, 17 points): A very impressive Sicilian slaughter by Erenburg. 22. Rd3! is the star move, and all I can say is that Sammour-Hasbun is DE ... wait for it ... NIED ... DENIED! But it's also impressive that it's not at all clear where Black goes wrong. The 16... f6 move seems to be a novelty, but maybe Black must just bite the bullet and accept the first exchange offer.
FM Ron Young (5th Place, 16 points): White expressed the opinion that this was a very good game, and he ought to know. Black seemed to think otherwise, but he should realize, like the Duke of Brunswick, that it takes two to create a great game and be proud of his part in creating this one.
GM Jan Gustafsson (6th Place, 15 points): A very good effort by Erenburg, making it look easy against a strong opponent. I lack knowledge about this Sicilian to say where Black went wrong as he already seems in big trouble after 14. f5!. 18. g6! also looks like a good decision, and 22. Rd3!! is a nice way to finish the game off. The game might be a bit one sided, but to win with such ease without obvious mistakes from his opponent is impressive for sure.
Total Score of Erenburg vs Sammour-Hasbun: (2nd Place, 86 Points)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Place (96 Points): GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
2nd Place (86 Points): GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
3rd Place (76 Points): SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
4th Place (72 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
5th Place (70 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (64 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (62 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): GM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (59 Points): GM Alex Shabalov (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (54 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (51 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs GM Alex Shabalov (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (46 Points): GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (44 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (42 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (35 Points): FM Bruci Lopez (MIA) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (34 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (32 Points): GM Patrick Wolff (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
18th Place (27 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (22 Points): FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (18 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
This is the eighteenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2008 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process works and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Place: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0
Sammour-Hasbun had been building up an attack for many moves, having sacrificed two pawns early in the game, and finally crashed through Black's position with 31. Nxe6!! after which the g pawn, which had previously seemed to be serving as more of a defender to the Black King, ended up proving its worth.
Below are the comments from the judges on why they ranked the game where they did and in parentheses is the ranking given by that judge and the number of points awarded for that ranking.
FM Ron Young (1st Place, 20 points): A double pawn sac for long term compensation, then a piece sac (31. Nxe6), and followed by a quiet move (32. Qf4), make this the Game of the Year, in my opinion. If it was all unsound, sorry, nobody told me.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (3rd Place, 18 points): Very entertaining game. Sammour-Hasbun goes all in with an inventive attack starting with 12. Nb5 - d6 followed by 15. f5 - f6. It was interesting, but somehow the attack ends up in a positional bind for White, down two pawns. There seems to be no way through, but an inaccuracy by Black allows another sacrifice and after that Sammour-Hasbun's raw tactical talent showcases itself, and he finishes the game in impressive fashion.
GM Jan Gustafsson (5th Place, 16 points): Not sure what to think about this one. I've never liked these French positions with that ugly c8 Bishop for Black, but that's highly subjective obviously. Castling Queenside and allowing 10... c4 etc. is risky business for sure though. Sammour-Hasbun's concept starting with 12. Nb5 and peaking in 15. f5! and 16. f6 is creative for sure, even though I'm not sure White was actually better after it as my computer is pretty happy with Black. Anyways, he got decent positional compensation and finished very nicely with the fancy 31. Nxe6!! after getting the chance from 30... Qf8. Nice stuff and far from easy to calculate that White is actually winning after 34. Qc7 and 36. Qd6!
Interesting concept, cute finish, but not at the top of my list since I'm not so sure about the objective merits of White's concept and how the position actually was before Pruess went astray with 30... Qf8?? (26... Kg8 also looks strange).
FM Daniel Ludwig (7th Place, 14 points): This was Jorge's finest game of the season. Typically Jorge beats you with some nice tactical shot that you completely overlooked but not in this case. In this case, Pruess had a long time to see what Jorge was doing, and was still unable to find a way to prevent the catastrophic break through with 31. Nxe6! In fact, Jorge spent moves twenty five through thirty preparing this idea, and during all that time, all Pruess could do was push his Pawns forward in what was a useless attempt to counterattack. Also, Jorge was one of the very fortunate people who had the opportunity to train with Tal, and I could definitely see a lot of Tal's influence in this game. 15. f5! was a great idea, regardless of what a computer might think. It is a deep double pawn sacrifice for long lasting pressure and open files. Tal was known for these sacrifices, without any concrete forced win in mind, just putting his opponent on the hot seat, forcing him to make all the tough choices. Unfortunately for Pruess, when the time came, he didn't have the gusto to play his last big opportunity, 30... e5! However, I can't blame him for not doing this, as I highly doubt I would play it either, considering how out of sync this seems to be with the position. After 31. Nxe6 the game is not quite over, but due to Jorge's relentless play, it seemed easier than it probably was.
IM Ben Finegold (13th Place, 8 points): A typical game between the weak players of the USCL. White sacrifices a pawn for nothing; Black has no idea how to defend so White equalizes. Then Black misses an obvious tactic and completely falls apart. Looks like a simul game. Once again, don't look at this game with Rybka or Fritz as you will be disappointed. I ranked it pretty highly though because the players have spirit!
Total Score of Sammour-Hasbun vs Pruess: (3rd Place, 76 Points)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned for the final article in the next few days as we will announce the 2008 Game of the Year!
Week 8: GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article
Championship: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
3rd Place (76 Points): SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
4th Place (72 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
5th Place (70 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (64 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (62 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): GM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (59 Points): GM Alex Shabalov (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (54 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (51 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs GM Alex Shabalov (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (46 Points): GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (44 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (42 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (35 Points): FM Bruci Lopez (MIA) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (34 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (32 Points): GM Patrick Wolff (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
18th Place (27 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (22 Points): FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (18 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
This is the seventeenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2008 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process works and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4th Place: IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0
After cleverly luring Black's Queen away from the Kingside, Kuljasevic brought his own Queen back with 46. Qd2! and struck a fatal blow to the Black King before Bhat could recover.
Below are the comments from the judges on why they ranked the game where they did and in parentheses is the ranking given by that judge and the number of points awarded for that ranking.
FM Daniel Ludwig (3rd Place, 18 points): One word is all it takes to describe this game: clutch. Both players were under five minutes when it became clear that in order for Dallas to advance, Davorin had to win. I recall watching and being amused by all the Dallas fans who were convinced Davorin was winning, and all the San Francisco fans who were likewise convinced it was a draw. I myself had doubts about Kul-J's chances, but that's when he began playing the best moves for about the final fifteen moves. I especially liked the idea he used of transferring the Queen to the Queenside and then immediately back to the Kingside, with the deep idea of throwing the Black Queen out of defensive position. You can dissect this game however you like, but in the end, it isn't doing the game justice if you don't consider the context, and with that in mind it was a great game even though the moves weren't all that spectacular because if it were simply about the entertainment value of the moves, this game would probably be placed closer to thirteenth than third.
GM Jan Gustafsson (4th Place, 17 points): Another great game by Mr. Kuljasevic; I'm really starting to wonder why I'd never heard of this guy!
A topical line of the Slav was played, resembling some Topalov vs Kramnik games. I used to think Black was absolutely fine there, but suffering badly against both Bacrot and Vaganian in that very line has taught me otherwise. Kuljasevic makes another good case for White's chances in that line, the space advantage and attacking chances seem to more than compensate White's "bad" Bishop and Black's play on the c-file.
Both sides played well in this game, but I am a bit skeptical about Bhat's decision to go 22... g5, which seems to ease White's attack. Bhat played very well to stay in the game afterward though; 34. Nf4 might not have been the most precise (34. Rg3!), and 39... R8c3 looks like an improvement, when Black might still be fine. As it was, White built up a decisive attack with simple looking, logical moves getting rid of the key defenders.
Not quite flashy enough to be a winner, but again I am impressed with Kuljasevic's strong and logical play. I might just have to hire him for my Hamburg team!
IM Ben Finegold (7th Place, 14 points): White plays pretty well and has a slight edge, then Black equalizes. After a lot of random moves, Black plays 45... Qb6? and loses. A difficult maneuvering game. I ranked this game higher than normal as Bhat is really tough to beat in the USCL.
FM Ron Young (8th Place, 13 points): Sometimes I'll overstuff a bag of garbage and have difficulty pushing it down the chute in the hallway. I'll push the hatch closed, but the bag will not go quite all the way in, so I open the hatch, push the bag some with my hand, close the hatch again, open and nudge the bag, etc., until finally the bag is all the way in and falls down the chute. The play here from moves forty four through forty six resemble this action, and 47. Nf4 finally sends Black down the chute.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (11th Place, 10 points): Somehow this game didn't do much for me even though I understand the situation was tense because of the match situation and the winner advancing. A pretty hard fought game which seemed pretty even near the end. What kills the mood for me is I don't know if what decided the game was brilliant accuracy by White or if he just got lucky maneuvering around in time trouble. Although it didn't do much for me, it was rather well played overall plus it had some drama, and I feel it deserves a ranking in the middle of the pack.
Total Score of Kuljasevic vs Bhat: (4th Place, 72 Points)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned for two more such articles as the field shrinks by one game every couple of days to see which of the following games will be the 2008 Game of the Year!
Week 5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article
Week 8: GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article
Championship: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
4th Place (72 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
5th Place (70 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (64 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (62 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): GM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (59 Points): GM Alex Shabalov (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (54 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (51 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs GM Alex Shabalov (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (46 Points): GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (44 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (42 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (35 Points): FM Bruci Lopez (MIA) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (34 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (32 Points): GM Patrick Wolff (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
18th Place (27 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (22 Points): FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (18 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
This is the sixteenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2008 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process works and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5th Place: GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1
How does one thwart a mating threat by a Queen and Bishop battery on h7? Many possible ways, but walking your King into the center with the majority of pieces still on the board probably isn't high on most people's lists. However, Erenburg showed no fear, doing just that, and via playing flawlessly, eventually made the wandering White Queen a bigger liability than his weakened King and ground his opponent down with impressive technique.
Below are the comments from the judges on why they ranked the game where they did and in parentheses is the ranking given by that judge and the number of points awarded for that ranking.
IM Ben Finegold (2nd Place, 19 points): I watched this game live and was impressed by Erenburg's slow buildup to a winning position. White is slightly better, then, from moves twenty five to thirty gets outplayed, and Erenburg seems fine with his King walk. A gutsy performance, walking his King to the center, especially against such a strong and experienced opponent. The game was long and tedious, but, I give it extra marks for the following reasons:
(A) Usually in the USCL, the GOTW is the one where White WINS after such a Black King walk.
(B) Erenburg beat Benjamin with Black.
(C) Black had excellent technique.
(D) The game seamlessly changes phases. First White attacks, then Black equalizes, then Black wins a pawn, and then technique sets in. A long brutal battle, and a high quality game, between two strong GMs. There were no obvious errors which is very unusual for USCL games.
FM Daniel Ludwig (5th Place, 16 points): This game was only one of two Black wins eligible for Game of the Year. What's more, this victory was against a 2600+ opponent and a three time US champion and was the only game of its kind which was eligible. Most of the games that do well in these sorts of contests have beautiful crushing attacks, and occasionally you see fine positional victories. But not this game; the name of the game here was defense, something that often gets overlooked in great players' games. In fact, I would say that the biggest progression we have seen in chess over the twentieth century is tougher defense. Now this game never got much love because it was apparently just some good endgame technique and some missed opportunities on Joel's part. However, I did analyze it pretty deeply, and it seems to me that Joel didn't really miss anything except for the prophylactic computer move 23. Bd3, preventing 23... Nc4, instead of 23. Bf4 which allowed the maneuver Nc4 – Nd6. I really did like the way that Sergey allowed White to invest so much into this attack that came to nothing. After 25. Be5, 25... Qa5! was especially nice, opening up the Bishop and producing counter threats. If White had played 26. Bxf6 then Erenburg would have responded with 26... Bxf3 27. gxf3 Qd2! protecting h6, thus keeping the Pawn and the advantage after 28... gxf6. This idea of 25... Qa5 was really, really deep. Not only was it good for the reason I just mentioned, but he had the idea of playing 27... Rc8, exchanging the pieces, and then meeting 29. Qg8 the way he did with 29... Qc3! With all this in mind, it is no wonder that Joel went for 23. Bf4, probably thinking that he was nearly winning. I also really liked how the White Queen went from being a menace to a prisoner of war in a matter of several moves. White probably could not stand seeing his strongest asset sit behind iron bars on Black's back rank, and thus decided to give up the pawn with 34. Ne5. It seems to me that people just don't appreciate how difficult it is to accurately defend a position like this with the King in the middle of the board as many would crumble in the situation Erenburg was in. A truly great game with lots of excitement, tons of chances to go wrong, yet very few mistakes in what was a long tense battle.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (6th Place, 15 points): I am very impressed with this game by Black. He equalizes and then goes on to outplay a very strong GM in very clinical fashion with the Black pieces. A fantastic technical effort by Erenburg.
GM Jan Gustafsson (11th Place, 10 points): Strange game. To me the early phase of the game looks like a success for Benjamin as I'm always skeptical about h6 in these IQP positions, it's just so weakening. Erenburg was forced to allow 19. Qh7 and run with his King. I can't believe White isn't better around there – both 20. Rfe1 and 20. b3 come to mind, and 24. Bd3 might also still keep an edge. The way it went Erenburg played some very precise non-obvious moves (25... Qa5! and 27... Rc8!) and took over the advantage. 34. Ne5 looks somewhat panicky, instead after 34. d5 things are probably not that bad. Erenburg finishes with good technique, but I'm a bit disappointed by the way Benjamin mishandled his nice position and miss the special achievement by the winner.
FM Ron Young (11th Place, 10 points): It is hard for Black to win a spectacular game so let us honor Black's cool King walk, tactical alertness (e.g., the initiative seizing 27... Rc8), and solid technique. How I rank it will depend on how I rank the others, and I haven't decided about that yet. In the meantime though, let us all praise this game.
Total Score of Benjamin vs Erenburg: (5th Place, 70 Points)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned for three more such articles as the field shrinks by one game every couple of days to see which of the following games will be the 2008 Game of the Year!
Week 5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article
Week 8: GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article
Quarterfinals: IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article
Championship: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
5th Place (70 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (64 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (62 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): GM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (59 Points): GM Alex Shabalov (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (54 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (51 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs GM Alex Shabalov (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (46 Points): GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (44 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (42 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (35 Points): FM Bruci Lopez (MIA) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (34 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (32 Points): GM Patrick Wolff (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
18th Place (27 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (22 Points): FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (18 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
So we have reached the prize stage of this contest, and these are the games that remain:
Week 5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article
Week 8: GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article
Quarterfinals: IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article
Finals: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #2: GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article
Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise is the continued survival of the Kuljasevic vs Bhat encounter, which the four predictors had placed in 10th, 11th, 16th, and 16th (maybe that's why none of us are actual judges?). Little else really is out of the ordinary though with the other four games all predicted to be near there from the start. For reference though, these are the rankings remaining for the Top Five games for the five judges and the the four predictors:
IM Ben Finegold: 1, 2, 3, 7, 13
GM Jan Gustafsson: 3, 4, 5, 6, 11
FM Ingvar Johannesson: 1, 3, 4, 6, 11
FM Daniel Ludwig: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7
FM Ron Young: 1, 2, 5, 8, 11
NM Jonathan Hilton: 2, 4, 9, 10, 16
IM Greg Shahade: 1, 2, 6, 9, 16
WGM Jennifer Shahade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 11
NM Arun Sharma: 1, 6, 7, 8, 10
Unfortunately, my triumph in being the only one to get nine of the top ten games correct seems to have been short lived as I'm now the only one to get a mere one of the top five correct (with Daniel Ludwig and Jennifer Shahade being on top, getting four of five correct).
While my incompetence in that regard cannot be debated, I'm really not surprised by any Top Five game, other than Kuljasevic vs Bhat like most people probably are. Even though I personally thought both Sammour-Hasbun vs Pruess and Christiansen vs Zivanic were not quite deserving of the Top Five (personally, I felt those players' other games, Shabalov vs Sammour-Hasbun and Kudrin vs Christiansen, were better, but again maybe that's why I'm not a judge!), I definitely am not surprised to see either of them make it here (the judges probably decided to really rub in my face by making those games finish first and second). Nevertheless, I am quite happy to see that my Wildcard pick, Benjamin vs Erenburg, did manage to make it to the promise land as I really felt that it deserved that in the least (and I still hold out hope that it will win!).
So which of these games will win the $500 Grand Prize? Stay tuned to see as it will be announced within the next couple of weeks!
This is the fifteenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2008 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process works and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6th Place: GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2
Following a strong exchange sacrifice by Ehlvest, Erenburg cleverly defended with 27... Bf5! After some more nice tactics by both sides, the game liquidated into a drawn endgame.
Below are the comments from the judges on why they ranked the game where they did and in parentheses is the ranking given by that judge and the number of points awarded for that ranking.
GM Jan Gustafsson (2nd Place, 19 points): We need more Petroffs! Ok, Ehlvest's opening treatment is hardly a refutation, and Black got a very decent position quickly. But the middlegame phase is highly impressive. While the exchange sac 23. Rxf6! was done out of necessity, it also carries a lot of venom, and both sides had to be very precise and creative. 25. e4! Nf4!, 27... Bf5!, and 28. Kh2! are all very strong, non obvious moves – attack and defense on a great level! 28... Kh8 might have been slightly inaccurate, 28... Kg7 covering f6 is probably better. On move thirty Black had the great 30... Qe5! 31. Qxe5 Rxh4 32. Kg3 Rh3 33. Kg2 Rxe5 34. exf5 Rxd3! 35. cxd3 Rxd5 with a good Rook ending, but missing that with low time is hardly a crime. In the game the balance wasn't seriously disturbed, and after the cute 34... Rh1, it quickly finished peacefully. 36. Rh5 might have been a chance to try for more for White actually. A very spectacular game. I was very seriously considering making this one number one, but somehow having a draw as GOTY doesn't seem right, and I also slightly miss more critical opening play. If these should really be criteria is up for discussion of course. Anyways, a cool effort by both sides!
FM Ron Young (4th Place, 17 points): Some people see a Petroff and figure that a dull draw is in store. But every once in a while, you get an exciting draw that leaves you longing for the next Petroff and looking for a Petroff thematic tournament to play in.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (7th Place, 14 points): Had all the makings of a boring Petroff draw, at least the opening and the very end in the Rook ending. But somehow in the middle it seemed like most of the pieces on the board developed some kind of random Tourette syndrome, and the pieces just dropped every which way with no regard for human life. An array of surprising moves in this game like 23. Rxf6, 27... Bf5 and 31... Rh1, although mostly forced. So this game ranks pretty high for its inventiveness and entertainment value.
FM Daniel Ludwig (12th Place, 9 points): I have to admit, Erenburg is quickly becoming one of my favorite GMs in the United States. His play is typically sharp, and he's always trying to win. In this game against Ehlvest, Jaan plays unorthodox as always and gets a worse position out of the opening. After Black played a nice Rook lift, the pressure was too much that White decided to sacrifice the exchange. Black was clearly in control of the game after 12. Be3? and played sharply and accurately to achieve a nearly winning position until he blew it with 30... Bh7 instead of the strong 30... Qe5! This was truly a great game in many respects. It could have easily been Top Five but for two major things. First of all, Ehlvest was just asking for a beating by playing 12. Be3. This move is ridiculous, and I'm sure that Erenburg was upset with himself for having not finishing the job. Secondly, it ended in a draw even though the position was clearly better, if not winning, for Black.
IM Ben Finegold (16th Place, 5 points): Pretty interesting draw. White is outplayed and worse throughout, but plays very resourcefully, and Black misses his chances to be better with 30... Qe5! Pretty well played draw and by far the best of the draws submitted.
Total Score of Ehlvest vs Erenburg: (6th Place, 64 Points)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned for four more such articles as the field shrinks by one game every couple of days to see which of the following games will be the 2008 Game of the Year!
Week 5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM David Pruess (SF) 1-0 Article
Week 8: GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article
Quarterfinals: IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1-0 Article
Championship: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #2: GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 0-1 Article
Eliminated:
6th Place (64 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Sergey Erenburg (BAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (62 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): GM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (59 Points): GM Alex Shabalov (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (54 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (51 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs GM Alex Shabalov (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (46 Points): GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (44 Points): IM Alex Lenderman (QNS) vs IM Emory Tate (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (42 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Sergey Kudrin (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (35 Points): FM Bruci Lopez (MIA) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (34 Points): IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (32 Points): GM Patrick Wolff (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
18th Place (27 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (22 Points): FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (18 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
