Game of the Year -- 16th Place

This is the fifth 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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16th Place: IM Jan van de Mortel (CHC) vs GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) 1-0






















IM Van de Mortel dealt GM Ehlvest his first ever USCL loss in resounding fashion, showcasing the power of the two Bishops with 23. Bxe5! following a strong exchange sac.



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 Robert Hess (2nd Place, 19 points): Van de Mortel produced two great wins for GOTW nominations throughout the season, and this one is my choice for runner-up for Game of the Year. The Dutch (the opening, not the nationality), notorious for producing fights, proved its worth in this game. The IM showed he did not fear the GM one bit, pushing forth from the start. When Ehlvest tried to gain some breathing room, Van de Mortel just continued to gain initiative. I decided not to vote for this game based on sheer precision, but rather for the overall quality.



WFM Tatev Abrahamyan (11th Place, 10 points): Yet another chaotic game with too much going on. But this time White's advantage seems clear due to Black's weak King and White's dominating Bishops aiming at the King.

I don't fully understand Black's 11... g5. It seems unnecessary and makes the King very vulnerable after White opens the center. Either way, seemed like a fairly easy win against a higher rated GM.



GM Gregory Kaidanov (17th Place, 4 points): Nice, but nothing special.



FM Ron Young (19th Place, 2 points): Van de Mortel's King's Knight went to the f8 square, but all he got for it was a lousy t-shirt. At least, that is how I think it will go down. Well played by White, but when the best moves are all captures there is not much of a "wow" factor.



GM Alex Yermolinsky (20th Place, 1 point): Yermolinsky only provides commentary for his top ten games.



Total Score of Van de Mortel vs Ehlvest: (16th Place, 36 Points)


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Stay tuned for fourteen 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 3: GM Boris Gulko (NJ) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 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

Quarterfinals: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) 1-0 Article

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

Championship: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article

Wildcard #1: FM Victor Shen (NJ) vs IM Marc Esserman (BOS) 1-0 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

Wildcard #6: GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs GM Alejandro Ramirez (ARZ) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #7: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Josh Friedel (SF) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


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