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This is the final part in a weekly series of articles which has been counting down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process has worked and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Preview.
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1st Place: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0
SM Sammour-Hasbun had been fighting an uphill, defensive battle for most of the game, but went on the offensive with the nice tactic 28. Qxe5!!, which forced liquidation into a winning 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.
FM Robby Adamson (2nd Place, 19 points): This is the only time I took into consideration the particulars of a match in judging Game of the Year. However, it was critical in that this game was part of the the 2007 USCL Final between the Dallas Destiny and Boston Blitz. At the time this match was going on, the match was tied 1-1 with uncertainty on the remaining board. After playing a bad opening, Sammour overcame a fierce and thematic piece sacrifice on e5. After defending very well, Jorge attacked with his rooks on h2 and g2! As it turned out this victory was needed since the match went to a tiebreak. This game gets the extra credit it deserves because it was an exciting match from the final. I award this nineteen points.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (3rd Place, 18 points): What I love about this game is that after Ne5 I'd be thinking, how do I defend this, this is going to be so annoying, etc. Meanwhile, Jorge just goes straight for the kill and somehow creates a rook battery in the blink of an eye, his king just chilling on e1 like he thought he was castled. The final combination is also very aesthetic and having witnessed Jorge come up with longer combos in one-minute chess, I bet he saw the whole thing despite being in time pressure.
FM Ron Young (4th Place, 17 points): This seemed like a titanic struggle in the making before degenerating into a brilliancy. But cool touches such as doubled rooks on the second rank lift it above the run of banal sacrificial orgies.
FM Dennis Monokroussos (4th Place, 17 points): A very dramatic game, and well-played, too. Sammour-Hasbun got into all sorts of trouble in the opening, especially after the nice (but known) knight sac on e5. White's position after move 20 is almost preposterous, but Jorge managed to hold things together, whip up an attack of his own, and win in the ending. The win was incredibly important and extremely exciting (that's right, kids: always avoid alliteration), and it really wasn't badly played, either. (Except, perhaps, for 27... Bd5. But that's an easy error to make, especially in time trouble, and his position was already starting to crack.)
GM Alex Shabalov (5th Place, 16 points): Cool defense by Sammour-Hasbun, great middlegame tactics, and fine technique; solid top five performer.
Total Score of Sammour-Hasbun vs Kuljasevic: (1st Place, 87 Points)
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Final 2007 Game of the Year Standings:
1st Place (87 Points): SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
2nd Place (84 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
3rd Place (80 Points): FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
4th Place (76 Points): GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
5th Place (70 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
6th Place (69 Points): GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
7th Place (66 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the final part in a weekly series of articles which has been counting down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process has worked and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Preview.
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2nd Place: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1
IM Boskovic was forced to sac the exchange after 31. c5 which created a very unbalanced position where he was better able to sift through the complications than his opponent.
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.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (1st Place, 20 points): In a way, I wish that the Game of the Year Money was divided in a way so that the losing player gets some too - sort of like a bad beat jackpot in poker, where the "winner" gets 80%, the "loser" 10%, and the lucky bystanders share the rest. This game proves that artful chess games require two authors. Becerra went right into the fire with 32. Bc4, even though he knew that it was complicated. Boskovic used the principle of "playing on both sides of the board" (with 45... Bg4, 48... g5, 49... Kh5, etc.) in a position where it would not occur to most people to think that way. Finally when the tactics exploded in the mid 30s till the end of the game, there were countless opportunities for either sides to blunder. It's a testament to how serious both of them took the competition that they rose to the demands of the position and both found one good move after another. Until Becerra didn't that is, when he played 57. Qd7. I'm not sure how this will place in the final standings but congrats for being my number one USCL pick of 2007!
GM Alex Shabalov (1st Place, 20 points): Excellent defensive effort by Dallas #1. The forced exchange sac led to an extremely tense unbalanced middlegame, where Black just turned out to be more precise and showed more determination.
FM Ron Young (3rd Place, 18 points): A great fighting game, no question. Epic. But I want to avoid too touchy-feely an approach to the rankings and anyway, epics get plenty of respect elsewhere.
FM Dennis Monokroussos (8th Place, 13 points): A very exciting game. There's an old joke about marriage, that a man chases a woman until she catches him; that's a good description of this game. (I'm not calling Boskovic a woman, of course!) Becerra fought all over the board to generate play, and it was all Boskovic could do to stay afloat and generate some counterplay of his own. In a way 32. c5 was the decisive moment. Becerra won the exchange and maintained an advantage, but lost control as the position randomized. With 45. c6! he would have been safe and better, but after 45. a4 the tables started turning. 50... Qg4 let White off the hook, but the trend was going Black's way and after 56. Qe8+ and especially 57. Qd7? Black regained the advantage and brought home the point. A real thriller!
FM Robby Adamson (8th Place, 13 points): Oh man did I want to give this game higher marks. It was only after some analysis that I actually moved this game off my Top Three pedastal, and down to where I have it now. Julio played well throughout, but Boskovic hung in there and kept the game unbalanced. Although Julio missed several wins, I was impressed with Boskovic keeping the game goinge. I struggled with this game as I said before. If Boskovic had not been worse for much of the game, it would have ended up higher. I award this game thirteen points.
Total Score of Becerra vs Boskovic: (2nd Place, 84 Points)
This is the eighteenth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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3rd Place: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0
FM Martinez released the stunning 22. Bh6!!, without a doubt one of the most exquisite moves seen in USCL History, which left his opponent reeling.
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 Dennis Monokroussos (1st Place, 20 points): The big winner! Opening prep or not, it's a fantastic performance by Marcel Martinez. In a deeply theoretical line of the Ruy Lopez, Martinez released a thunderbolt with 22. Bh6!!, and the subsequent hammer blows 23. Re7!, 28. Ng5+!!, and 29. Bxf6+! probably left Zilberstein asking about the Mack truck that ran him over. Give Martinez his check; he's earned it.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (2nd Place, 19 points): This game caused me to question my own perceptions of chess beauty. Does the beauty of a move change based on whether it was found at home? Marcel's gorgeous 22. Bh6 was obviously home preparation; he played the move in 15 seconds, and later Marcel stated that he found it while training with Miami Board One Julio Becerra. It would be too easy to discount the beauty of this move to home cooking, and I almost did just that and considered placing it somewhere between places five and ten. But then I asked myself louder: Why is it bad for a team to work hard together, analyze, and find a beautiful novelty? Isn't this the spirit of USCL in a lot of ways? Chessmasters and Straight A students that brag they never study don't get any credit from me. I refused to rank this lower because it was the product of labor off the board.
FM Ron Young (5th Place, 16 points): Very smooth and elegant. White admitted the game was nearly all preparation, but I'm sure that is true of many prize-winning games. Perhaps he should be punished for his candor, just to teach a lesson, but it isn't my job to teach.
GM Alex Shabalov (6th Place, 15 points): After some highly theoretical debate, White started quite an unusual attacking pattern with 22. Bh6, which turned out to be deadly after Black's relaxing 25... Re8.
FM Robby Adamson (11th Place, 10 points): This game, along with Molner's two wins and Becerra vs Boskovic was one of the toughest games to judge. On the surface, this is a very impressive victory by Marcel since Zilberstein is an expert in the Archangel Variation of the Ruy Lopez and because Dmitry played an absolute masterpiece in the 2004 US Champs against Alexander Ivanov, which helped shaped the theory of this line. The tactics by Marcel were also very nice. My biggest problem in not awarding this excellent game higher marks is that it was virtually all preparation. A Game of the Year has to have a little more creativity. This may not be a fair criticism, but the games ahead of this were more of an at the board struggle. I award this ten points.
Total Score of Martinez vs Zilberstein: (3rd Place, 80 Points)
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Stay tuned for the final article as at long last we will announce the 2007 Game of the Year!
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
3rd Place (80 Points): FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
4th Place (76 Points): GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
5th Place (70 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
6th Place (69 Points): GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
7th Place (66 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the seventeenth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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4th Place: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0
GM Christiansen delivered a strong blow with 27. Nd5! which soon forced a win of decisive material.
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.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (4th Place, 17 points): I remember arguing about this game with someone. He thought it was a typical win while I was excited by it. Obviously since I ranked it fourth, I went with myself :) Games like this convinced me to quit the c3 Sicilian and start playing the Open Sicilian. And thank goodness I did, as my chessplaying career would be much less joyous if I had hundreds of c3's and Bb5's jamming up "Jennifer's database"
Finally, how can you not love 20. g3 ? There's something standard and unusual about it at the same time, which sort of mirrors my thoughts about the game.
FM Dennis Monokroussos (5th Place, 16 points): Two strong grandmasters and an exciting opening get the game off to a good start, and then Wolff was kind enough to commit suicide by playing 20... Qxg3. I've seen enough of Larry's games over the years to know that even if 20... Qxg3 was good (it's not), it's bad against Christiansen. Needless to say, Wolff got hacked to pieces. A loss for his team, yes, but a gain for USCL fans everywhere. Thanks, Patrick!
FM Ron Young (6th Place, 15 points): Castling by hand is not so unusual, but here Black does it only after castling conventionally on the other side. Unfortunately, he castled into it by hand. Or to be more accurate, he castled with it. But it continued to pursue him, and finally it was all over the Black king. And that was it.
GM Alex Shabalov (7th Place, 14 points): Grendel vs Beowulf. 18... Qe5, very provocative move, and the patzer took it, WOW! He just had to play 20... Qc7. Someone should applaud Patrick for the sportsmanship of allowing Larry to attack.
FM Robby Adamson (7th Place, 14 points): In a battle between the "Old Dogs", the game went into a complex Richter Rauzer where Larry kept Wolff off balance tactically, and eventually Larry netted the full point. I award this game fourteen points.
Total Score of Christiansen vs Wolff: (4th Place, 76 Points)
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Stay tuned for two more such articles as the field shrinks by one game each week to see which of the following games will be the 2007 Game of the Year!
Wildcard Round: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
4th Place (76 Points): GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
5th Place (70 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
6th Place (69 Points): GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
7th Place (66 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the sixteenth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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5th Place: IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0
Down two pawns and trailing seventy to one minutes on the clock, IM Bhat boldly pressed forward with 52. f6! and managed to pull off an amazing victory.
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 Shabalov (2nd Place, 19 points): Blue Anand vs Meat Processor. This is how every USCL game should be: the middlegame was played at a very high level. The two pawn sacrifice by Blue Anand was amazing, and it's no wonder that Meat Processor missed a couple of good defenses.
FM Dennis Monokroussos (2nd Place, 19 points): An incredible battle! The game was complicated throughout, both players fought like crazy to win, the advantage went back and forth, Bhat overcame a seventy one to one minute time disadvantage, and then won a technically difficult ending to boot. Against Nakamura! A fantastic contest that would normally win Game of the Year honors.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (6th Place, 15 points): I chose this game because Bhat managed to defeat the mighty Nakamura in a pawn down game, playing on just his increment. Nakamura showed a crucial flaw in this game, overconfidence: he had seventy one minutes to Bhat's one on move forty. In terms of USCL drama, you couldn't beat this game: it was Nakamura's first game for the league, and it was a Monday night game. Hundreds were watching on ICC, including World Cup champ Gata Kamsky. An impressive display of nerves and fighting spirit by Bhat.
FM Robby Adamson (9th Place, 12 points): I am interested in what the other judges think of this game. This game gave me fits for a few reasons. First of all, defeating Nakamura is always an accomplishment. Second, doing so with a seventy to one minute disadvantage on the clock makes it even more remarkable. However, the main reason it doesn't rank higher in my book is that in a game where Hikaru played too fast throughout this game as well as during the USCL season, Hikaru outplayed Vinay and only due to a slip up did Vinay cash in. Balancing these factors, I award this game twelve points.
FM Ron Young (16th Place, 5 points): This game has had its influence on chess play, as Nigel Short could testify. In the future, chess hustlers will be forced to offer increment odds rather than time odds.
Total Score of Bhat vs Nakamura: (5th Place, 70 Points)
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Stay tuned for three more such articles as the field shrinks by one game each week to see which of the following games will be the 2007 Game of the Year!
Week 6: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
Wildcard Round: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
5th Place (70 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
6th Place (69 Points): GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
7th Place (66 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the fifteenth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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6th Place: GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1
This ending, dead drawn or not? The spectators sure all seemed to think so, but GM Charbonneau admirably proved them wrong.
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 Robby Adamson (1st Place, 20 points): And then there was one. In a GM Matchup, Pascal Charbonneau played a fantastic game against Perelshteyn, outplaying him in an English. After forcing Eugene to sacrifice a piece, Pascal had to win an ending with just minor pieces and no pawns, and all with little time on his clock. The length of the game and the players involved made this deserving. I know this didn't have any special sacrifices, but the excitement of the game was special. In all honesty, any of the top five games were deserving of the Game of the Year award. I award this twenty points.
GM Alex Shabalov (3rd Place, 18 points): Ragazzi Del Norte (both Eugene and Pascal) or Boston Chicken vs Loverboy. Ragazzi Del Norte treated us to a wonderful mix of subtle maneuvering, shocking sacrifices, and computer-like endgame technique. In the end, it was Loverboy who demonstrated better qualities, to withstand this crush test.
FM Ron Young (8th Place, 13 points): Rarely does one have to deal with KRBN vs. KRB without the assistance of 100 computers working parallel, but Charbonneau rose to the task. The reason I didn't rank it higher was that the only pressure Black faced in the ending was the 50-move rule and the triple-occurrence-of-position rule. Also, without pawns on the board, there was a shortage of soul.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (9th Place, 12 points): This game would not make it as high on the list if it was just the middle-game combination that led to an edge for Charbonneau. What sets it apart is the incredible fighting spirit that Charbonneau showed to squeeze out the win. Pascal wakes up at some ungodly or at least ungrandmasterly hour to go to work, making it all the more impressive to me.
Normally best game prizes favor flashy finishes, and obviously since I didn't rank this one #1 or 2, I'm not entirely immune to this type of thinking.
FM Dennis Monokroussos (15th Place, 6 points): This was a really tough game to rate. Two very strong players going at it in a game with competitive significance is normally a recipe for a high ranking, but the game's chess content, as opposed to its dramatic content, didn't fare so well. Perelshteyn was getting outplayed, but in a still tenable situation made a panicky piece sac that netted him a lost ending. Then Charbonneau erred and allowed Perelshteyn to equalize, before the latter in turn lost the drawn ending. The winner's technique in hunting down the enemy king was very good, but on the whole I didn't find the game in itself either especially well-played or entertaining. Sorry.
Total Score of Perelshteyn vs Charbonneau: (6th Place, 69 Points)
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Stay tuned for four more such articles as the field shrinks by one game each week to see which of the following games will be the 2007 Game of the Year!
Week 3: IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 6: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
Wildcard Round: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
6th Place (69 Points): GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
7th Place (66 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the fourteenth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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7th Place: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0
GM Becerra capitalized on his dangerous initiative with 27. Rd1!, winning decisive material.
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 (2nd Place, 19 points): It's amazing that someone could defeat such a strong grandmaster as Stripunsky inside of thirty moves without even giving any material away, save for a single sealer-sweeper pawn sac. This may seem paradoxical to you if you do not have a high degree of chess culture, but it is true nonetheless.
NM Dennis Monokroussos (3rd Place, 18 points): A very attractive attacking game by Becerra, who showed that the "safe" Kan isn't so bullet-proof after all, even in the hands of a strong GM like Stripunsky. White's play flowed beautifully throughout, and poor Stripunsky never had a chance.
GM Alex Shabalov (8th Place, 13 points): There were a couple of games like this last year. Nice positional attack with a pawn sac but too one wayish to be a top contender.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (13th Place, 8 points): This is a very nice game in which Becerra plays almost perfectly, and makes Stripunsky look like a much weaker player. I had a really hard time deciding between games 7-12. All but one fell into the same category for me. Really nice games with special tactics, but sort of one-sided shows in which their opponents fell with not too much resistance. As clean as this game was, it wasn't particularly surprising, so that's why I ranked it 13th. Although to be honest, it's hard to be objective when you know who the players are: If a 2300 won this exact game against Stripunsky, I probably would have given it a higher ranking. Unfortunately, with Becerra winning in this way, it seems more like a natural result, and the strongest impression it leaves me with is that "Stripunsky needs to work on this Sicilian line."
FM Robby Adamson (13th Place, 8 points): Although not privy to how the other judges voted, I am guessing I am going to judge this game harsher than others. Becerra played exceptionally in this game, but Stripunsky basically got killed in a game where his King was stuck in the center. Julio finishes it off with a nice tactic. I award this game eight points.
Total Score of Becerra vs Stripunsky: (7th Place, 66 Points)
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Stay tuned for five more such articles as the field shrinks by one game each week to see which of the following games will be the 2007 Game of the Year!
Week 3: IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 4: GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
Week 6: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
Wildcard Round: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
7th Place (66 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the thirteenth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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8th Place: IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1
IM Burnett found a beautiful finish with 30... Qe3+!!
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): Does voting for a game ending with a queen sacrifice betray a lack of sophistication? Well, just call me "Bubba" then. Of course the queen sacrifice wasn't difficult, but don't forget Black was down a rook in that position, and having doubled b-pawns defended by the powerful, then impotent, then powerful again fianchettoed bishop makes this much more than your mother's back-rank mate.
NM Dennis Monokroussos (6th Place, 15 points): One of the most visually pleasing games of the year. Burnett went into full Petrosian mode: a hypermodern opening followed by an exchange sac and a mighty pawn steamroller, culminating in a nice tactical shot to wrap things up. It's not the best game of the year, as Milman was unable to put up much of a fight, but it may be my favorite.
GM Alex Shabalov (11th Place, 10 points): Milkman vs Brunette. Standard exchange sacrifice but a pretty finish.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (11th Place, 10 points): A beautiful win with a nice exchange sacrifice that glided into a monumental pawn storm that turned into an awesome queen sack. It could have gotten in an even higher ranking except that after the sack, the game seemed to play itself for Black, and even though the queen sack was gorgeous, there were other ways to win.
FM Robby Adamson (15th Place, 6 points): Lev, the theory hound, laid an egg in this one. Ron on the other hand played this very well. Knowing Lev, I can guess why he didn't play that well. As most fans of the very over hyped Coach K-Land basketball team, he had to be thinking back to Duke's 2007 NCAA tournament flame out. (War, Arizona Wildcats, Jerryd Bayless, and Chase Budinger!). Ron got incredible counterplay for his exchange sac (hard to call it a sac when it seemed Black had 6 pawns for the exchange) and finished him off with the "super-precise" (copyright, Emory Tate, all rights reserved) 30... Qe3+. I award this game six points.
Total Score of Milman vs Burnett: (8th Place, 61 Points)
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Stay tuned for six more such articles as the field shrinks by one game each week to see which of the following games will be the 2007 Game of the Year!
Week 3: IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 4: GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
Week 6: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
Wildcard Round: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #2: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
8th Place (61 Points): IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
This is the twelfth part in a weekly series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2007 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 Preview.
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9th Place: IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0
IM Friedel had just played 49. Re8! allowing the very dangerous looking 50... gxf3? in the above position but had a nice mating attack prepared in reply.
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 Robby Adamson (3rd Place, 18 points): First of all, how in the world did this game not win Game of the Week and have to back-door into the running for Game of the Year as a Wildcard?? This game gets high marks because both players played well, and there were no obvious mistakes. I will probably judge this game higher than others, but I liked how Josh was able to outplay Serper in an equal position with some slow and careful play. I award this eighteen points.
NM Dennis Monokroussos (9th Place, 12 points): A strange game. Friedel kept squeezing but didn't really have much, yet the more Serper pushed his Kingside pawns in search of play, the worse his position became! The game would have been ranked higher if not for Serper's blunder on move 50; after 50... Re7 51. Rxe7+ Qxe7 52. Qxf4 gxf3 53. Bxe5+ Kg6 54. gxf3 Bxf3+ 55. Qxf3 Qxe5, White still has some work ahead of him.
FM Ron Young (10th Place, 11 points): It is hard to out-tough a tough player unless you are tough. I was impressed by the way White used the whole board. It made me suspect that he practices at home on a 9x9.
GM Alex Shabalov (14th Place, 7 points): Desperate Housewife vs The Rise of the Silver Serper. Same scenario as before between these two, except for some extra cool maneuvering by Desperate Housewife and a nice final execution.
WGM Jennifer Shahade (15th Place, 6 points): A well played game, but we'd be lying to ourselves if we tried to say that Best Game awards don't usually go to games with some flash and sparkle.
Total Score of Friedel vs Serper: (9th Place, 54 Points)
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Stay tuned for seven more such articles as the field shrinks by one game each week to see which of the following games will be the 2007 Game of the Year!
Week 3: IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs GM Hikaru Nakamura (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 4: GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 0-1 Article
Week 6: GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Patrick Wolff (SF) 1-0 Article
Week 7: IM Lev Milman (CAR) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 0-1 Article
Wildcard Round: FM Marcel Martinez (MIA) vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) 0-1 Article
Championship: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #2: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (QNS) 1-0 Article
Eliminated:
9th Place (54 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 Article
10th Place (52 Points): IM Bryan Smith (PHI) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
11th Place (49 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
12th Place (44 Points): IM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
13th Place (44 Points): NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) vs FM Marc Arnold (NY) 1-0 Article
14th Place (43 Points): IM Eric Tangborn (SEA) vs IM Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL) 0-1 Article
15th Place (35 Points): IM Vinay Bhat (SF) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 1-0 Article
16th Place (35 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1-0 Article
17th Place (35 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Mackenzie Molner (NJ) 1-0 Article
18th Place (30 Points): FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 0-1 Article
19th Place (29 Points): IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs IM Lev Milman (CAR) 0-1 Article
20th Place (7 Points): IM Jay Bonin (NY) vs NM Denys Shmelov (BOS) 1-0 Article
