Game of the Year -- 4th Place

This is the seventeenth 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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4th Place: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1/2-1/2






















The already interesting game had another twist when GM Charbonneau continued with 13. Nxd4?!, sacrificing his Queen for two pieces, leading to a very unbalanced position.



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 Alex Yermolinsky (3rd Place, 18 points): A very topical line of the popular gambit line in the Four Knights Opening saw a novelty on move ten, but the real shock came three moves later when Pascal calmly offered his Queen for two pieces. Soon White reached a dominating position sending the opponent's Queen on the run. When it looked a sure victory for White (and the top honors in this contest as well), Dean refused to cooperate. Black’s tenacious defense saved the day as the White King became open for perpetual check.



GM Robert Hess (6th Place, 15 points): Well these two clearly went for the others' throats in their matches this year. This game was incredibly exciting, and I actually disagree with the initial comments on this game stating that Black would just have a huge edge after 14... Bxc2 instead of 14… Bg4. Sure, Black may have been a bit better, but it still would have been a fight. This game upsets me though for a similar reason; clinching moves were missed. Strictly judging based on the opening, this game may have been an automatic winner in my book; However, with Pascal missing many game-ending moves, I'd have to say this game fizzled out into a bit of a disappointment.



WFM Tatev Abrahamyan (8th Place, 13 points): A crazy game which surprisingly ended in a draw. I actually was watching it live, but unfortunately I don't recall any of the deep and valuable ICC kibitzes to help me with my commentary. Obviously an imperfect game with many mistakes, but thrilling and shocking. The kind of game that is rarely seen in a team tournament, let alone between two strong players in the Semifinals. Taking all that into consideration and the fact that it is the only draw on the list, makes it a truly fascinating game.



GM Gregory Kaidanov (8th Place, 13 points): Very imaginative play by White, too bad he wasn't able to win.



FM Ron Young (13th Place, 8 points): With unbalanced material and the weird positions that result, mistakes are bound to happen. I nonetheless regret White's missing the win not from a primitive blood lust, but because checkmate represents man conquering his environment, while perpetual check shows a man being frustrated by it, reminding us of our insignificance in the great scheme of things.



Total Score of Charbonneau vs Ippolito: (4th Place, 67 Points)


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Stay tuned for two 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 5: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs GM Josh Friedel (SF) 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



Eliminated:


4th Place (67 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article


5th Place (65 Points): IM John Bartholomew (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


6th Place (59 Points): GM Alejandro Ramirez (ARZ) vs GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


7th Place (58 Points): IM Daniel Fernandez (DAL) vs FM Oleg Zaikov (CAR) 0-1 Article Elimination Article


8th Place (57 Points): IM Dean Ippolito (NJ) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article


9th Place (56 Points): IM John Bartholomew (DAL) vs IM Jan van de Mortel (CHC) 0-1 Article Elimination Article


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