Game of the Year -- 10th Place

This is the eleventh part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2009 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.


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10th Place: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1-0






















The maneuvering game, which had suddenly turned into a tactical melee, had it's most salient moment here, where GM Christiansen could have turned the game and the whole match around with the incredible 50... Rbd8!



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.



WFM Tatev Abrahamyan (2nd Place, 19 points): Another great game by Kacheishvili. It is amazing how he managed to win all the crucial games and lead his team to victory. Usually the games on the last boards determine the outcome of the match but not this time. So apparently White missed 47. Rg6! and Black didn't see 50... Rbd8 drawing the game. Still, White completely outplayed Black and got a dominating position. Every move White made in the middlegame was towards improving his position, whereas Black failed to accomplish much. Very nice play in the middlegame – White managed to put his pieces in all the right squares, gain space advantage, and overall just dominate.



GM Gregory Kaidanov (3rd Place, 18 points): This was a nice positional game, which suddenly turned into exchange of tactical blows in the end. I liked it very much.



GM Robert Hess (10th Place, 11 points): Well besides Christiansen missing the saving move, 50... Rbd8, this game was of rather high quality. I would not have played 12... c5 but rather 12... Re8 had I been playing Black in this game. However, this was a normal move and led to chances for both. Kachieshvili did a great job maneuvering his pieces, opening files for his Rooks, and using his two Bishops advantage. 48. Ra7 would have ended the game immediately, but give credit to Christiansen for creating chances for himself. After 50... Rbd8 51. Qa7 Qd3+ leads to a perpetual. Rather fine showing by two leading GMs.



FM Ron Young (17th Place, 4 points): The latter part of this game felt like a baseball game where both teams are at bat at the same time. It is too bad that Christiansen's confusion about the match situation led him to reject the almost-winning 50... Rbd8. Had he managed to turn it around after 48. Rg6+ he might have outdone Antoine Lavoisier, who after all only attempted to speak after losing his head on the guillotine.



GM Alex Yermolinsky (18th Place, 3 points): Yermolinsky only provides commentary for his top ten games.



Total Score of Kacheishvili vs Christiansen: (10th Place, 55 Points)


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Stay tuned for eight more such articles as the field shrinks by one game every day to see which of the following games will be the 2009 Game of the Year!


Week 1: IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 1-0 Article

Week 5: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs GM Josh Friedel (SF) 1-0 Article

Week 6: GM Alejandro Ramirez (ARZ) vs GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) 1-0 Article

Week 7: IM Daniel Fernandez (DAL) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 0-1 Article

Week 8: IM John Bartholomew (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article

Week 9: IM John Bartholomew (DAL) vs IM Jan van de Mortel (CHC) 0-1 Article

Semifinals: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1/2-1/2 Article

Wildcard #4: NM Matt Herman (NY) vs FM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs FM Ron Simpson (CAR) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


10th Place (55 Points): GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


11th Place (52 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Josh Friedel (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


12th Place (48 Points): GM Boris Gulko (NJ) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article


14th Place (43 Points): GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Alejandro Ramirez (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


15th Place (39 Points): FM Victor Shen (NJ) vs IM Marc Esserman (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


16th Place (36 Points): IM Jan van de Mortel (CHC) vs GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


17th Place (35 Points): GM Gregory Serper (SEA) vs IM Jan van de Mortel (CHC) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


18th Place (35 Points): FM Andrei Zaremba (QNS) vs SM Marc Esserman (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


19th Place (30 Points): SM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs FM Tom Bartell (PHI) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


20th Place (24 Points): GM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Marko Zivanic (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article