Game of the Year -- 7th Place

This is the fourteenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2011 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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7th Place: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1

The nice tactical blow 32... Rd2!, finished off a well played game by GM Friedel.


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 Lenderman (2nd Place, 19 points): Another clutch game. Very key to Chicago advancing, and despite the pressure was played nearly perfectly by Josh if not perfectly. Black got a dream position out of the opening, which Black often has trouble in, examples like Kasparov-Karpov in 1987 match, or Kramnik-Radjabov recently in the candidates. Black used his trump, the space advantage with great care, shutting down White's light squared Bishop. Then he followed up with an interesting Pawn sack 18... e5!?. White probably should've taken the bait and risked grabbing it, so that his eventual suffering wouldn't have been for nothing. It would have required very accurate play against Black's initaitive but with a couple of correct moves the resulting position should be dynamically playable for both sides (roughly equal/unclear).

After that White's defence wasn't very tenacious as White should've tried maybe Ne4 at some point, and try to exchange some pieces, given Black's space advantage. For example, instead of 21. Re1?! allowing 21... Bb4 and the exchange of Black's bad Bishop, 21. Bxb7 followed by 22. Qg2 has good chances of equalizing. After that, Black was able to generate a nice initiative, with his powerful Queen+Knight combination and executing a nice tactical pattern. Very nice game by Josh all around. The reason this game I ranked second rather than first is because I thought the first place was a little bit more unique, unorthodox and creative, whereas this one was a bit more simple, routine, and straightforward. Nevertheless, it should take away from Josh, as he played the best moves the position could ask for. (I almost wish I could rank the top five games equally!), but unfortunately I cannot, so I have to give some little preferences to certain types.



FM Ron Young (6th Place, 15 points): A nice attack with limited means. On the chessboard, that is. Plenty of means within the cranium, no doubt.



FM Ingvar Johannesson (7th Place, 14 points): A good game by Friedel. He just seemed to play a good solid game, equalizing with Black and then taking over with some solid chess, weakening White on the light squares and then taking advantage of the weaknesses remaining. The 32...Rd2 tactic was a nice finishing touch



FM Victor Shen (16th Place, 5 points): I thought Friedel played a very nice game, but it unfortunately wasn't really White's day at all. He seemed to flounder around in the opening and early middlegame, unable to find a plan while Black slowly built up his position. It was a nice performance by Friedel and had a nice finish as well, but White played too passively for this game to merit a higher ranking.



FM Alisa Melekhina (18th Place, 3 points): This was a lackluster game until the end, not helped by White's choice of playing the Reti. Friedel combated it calmly and finished with the surprising and appealing 32... Rd2. If this were a tactics contest, this game would have been ranked higher for the miniature, but as far as the overall game was concerned, there was not enough to put it past the others.



Total Score of Z Amanov vs Friedel: (7th Place, 56 Points)


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Stay tuned for five more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2011 Game of the Year!


Week 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Lev Milman (MAN) 1-0 Article

Week 3: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article

Week 5: GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article

Quarterfinals: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (SEA) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Robert Hungaski (NE) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


7th Place (56 Points): IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

8th Place (52 Points): WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

9th Place (51 Points): IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

10th Place (48 Points): GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

11th Place (47 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

12th Place (46 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

14th Place (44 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

15th Place (43 Points): GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) vs IM Gabriel Battaglini (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

17th Place (42 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

18th Place (32 Points): GM Hikaru Nakamura (STL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

19th Place (30 Points): Christopher Wu (NJ) vs NM James Black (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

20th Place (27 Points): IM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs FM Joel Banawa (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

Game of the Year -- 8th Place

This is the thirteenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2011 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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8th Place: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0






















WGM Abrahamyan effectively concluded her attack with 29. f6+!, 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 (4th Place, 17 points): The light square weaknesses that first appeared on Black’s Queenside after 8… a5 spread tragically but instructively all the way to the g6 square, while 19. f4!, preparing the lift Rd2-g2, was reminiscent of the famous Esserman-Fedorowicz game. 29. f6+ was a piquant finish.



FM Alisa Melekhina (9th Place, 12 points): This was probably the only game where I'm sure the winner was out of theory by move 5. White handled an unfamiliar set-up by Black well, and punished him accordingly after Black’s nonchalant 14…Nd7, transferring the Knight to the Queenside instead of playing the solid and defensive 14…Nh7. Even though in hindsight g5 turned out to be very powerful, it is not clear what White’s plan would have been after Nh7. Regardless, White executed a remarkable and forceful attack against a tricky player.



FM Ingvar Johannesson (12th Place, 9 points): Lots of Sicilian games in this GOTY contest! White's play in this game was very direct and somehow Black just seemed to lack counterplay in this game and was very cooperative in losing this game (for instance giving White a hook for the attack with 11... h6). Having said that, White played a very nice attacking game with a thematic opening of the g-file and then finished it off with the nice 29. f6+



GM Alex Lenderman (13th Place, 8 points): An interesting sharp Sicilian where White executed the attack well. However, I ranked this game relatively low because the opening just seemed too sloppy to me. Black played a rare line 5... Bd7, possibly influenced by Tatev's last year's game against Angelo Young, where Tatev played f3 on move 6. But here Tatev plays another line with 6. Be3!?, and Black immediately made a sloppy move 6... e5?!, on which Tatev missed the simple move 7. Nb5! simply attacking a7 and d6 (Najdorf went bad for Black without that a6!). That seems to force Black to actually play the unfortunate 7... Bxb5 8. Bxb5+ Nc6 9. Nd5, and White is just clearly better. For instance, 9... Be7 10. c3 and Nxe4 is always dangerous due to Qf3. And if the Bishop is on e7, then Qg4. It's not surprising White missed it and played the primitive conventional 7. Nb3?! because she spent only 31 seconds on that move (Thanks ICC!). Then on move 11, after Black mangled the opening a bit more, White had a strong move 11. Nd2! (Improve your worst piece, and find a weakness in opponent's strucutre). The Knight is coming to c4 to pressure b6, d6, and even e5 a bit, and possibly can try to come to d5 via b6 - a very unpleasant move for Black to meet. And 11. Nd2 d5? 12. Nc4! is just bad for Black.

Instead 11. Rd2?! was played. And then for some reason Eric plays 11... h6?! as simply Be7 and 0-0, getting the King to safety makes much more sense, keeping his Pawn structure in tact and giving counterattacking chances, giving Black a fairly normal game then. 13. Rg1 also didn't make much sense. Either play g4 right away and see if you'll need to play Rg1, or play another move like 13. Qg3!? after which I simply don't see a good response for Black. Black returns the favor with 13... 0-0?!, something that should not be rushed once you've already played h6. 13... Qc7 is a nice waiting move would be very logical and would come with a surprising threat - that is, 13... Qc7 14. g4?! would be met with 14... d5! 15. exd5 Nfxd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5. 17. Rxd5 then doesn't work due to c2 hanging. 17. Bb5+ Kf8 and after Rd8 Black has a very playable game with about equal chances. Instead Black castled and didn't even defend very well after that to let White exectue such an attack. 14... Nh7 had to be played to cover g5 better. A lot of inaccuracies in this game. Despite the many mistakes, I still gave this game a reasonable ranking since the victor didn't really miss wins, which happened in some other games.



FM Victor Shen (15th Place, 6 points): A powerful display by Tatev, but a little too one-sided. The attack came crashing through after an unusual opening with nice moves like 19. f4! and 22. Bb5! Perhaps Black should have defended with 14... Nh7 instead of 14... Nd7, to stop 15. g5. 29. f6+ was a nice finish to a clean attacking game.



Total Score of Abrahamyan vs Rodriguez: (8th Place, 52 Points)


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Stay tuned for six more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2011 Game of the Year!


Week 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Lev Milman (MAN) 1-0 Article

Week 3: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article

Week 5: GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article

Quarterfinals: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) 1-0 Article

Semifinals: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1 Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (SEA) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Robert Hungaski (NE) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


8th Place (52 Points): WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

9th Place (51 Points): IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

10th Place (48 Points): GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

11th Place (47 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

12th Place (46 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

14th Place (44 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

15th Place (43 Points): GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) vs IM Gabriel Battaglini (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

17th Place (42 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

18th Place (32 Points): GM Hikaru Nakamura (STL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

19th Place (30 Points): Christopher Wu (NJ) vs NM James Black (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

20th Place (27 Points): IM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs FM Joel Banawa (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

Game of the Year -- 9th Place

This is the twelfth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2011 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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9th Place: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0






















The strong exchange sacrifice, 21. Rxf4!, proved very strong as the shattering of Black's Pawns eventually ensured White's triumph.


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 (5th Place, 16 points): In the old days, before we had computer evaluations, we relied on the punctuation method to tell us who was doing well, and in this game, White would have garnered several exclamation points (i.e., "!’s") in a row during the phase where he is spurning the other side's minors in favor of preserving his own, and giving up clunky Rooks to retain graceful Knights and Bishops (punctuation, is? fun!).



FM Victor Shen (9th Place, 12 points): I liked this game - it just seemed fresh and creative. Amanov's play was pretty accurate throughout, as he found the powerful 21. Rxf4 (which was certainly planned, possibly since move 16). He did miss a quicker win though (24. Kf2! and if 24... Qxe4 25. Qg4+ Kh8 26. Rg1, and Black must sacrifice his Queen to stave off mate). However, it was still a difficult position for Black to play, and Amanov converted a better endgame. All in all, a creative and interesting attacking game.



GM Alex Lenderman (12th Place, 9 points): Another interesting sharp Sicilian battle, and I'm usually in favor of those. In this one though Black didn't really play very well. First of all 15... d5 might've been a bit premature. Surprisingly the somewhat unnatural 15... h6!?, a computer move, might be ok! But the idea is unique. If 16. Qg2 Bb7 17. h4, Black answers with 17... h5! and on 18. g5 Ng4. That actually seems ok for Black and d5 can then come with some preparation with great effect now that White played g4. Of course that might be too bold, only computers can tend to play like that. But the next move after 16. g5, 16... d4?! seems not so good. After 16... Nxe4 would follow 17. Nxe4 Nxd3 18. cxd3 dxe4 19. dxe4 Qc4 which seems playable even if a little bit better for White. After Qf3, Black can either attempt to sac an exchange after Bb7 and Bxe4, or play Rd8 to protect against f6 with Bf8. That would probably have been a much better way of defending.

White played extremely well up until a certain point. But the major problem with this game for me is 24. Re1? when 24. Kf2 was just simply winning. 24... Qxe4 leads to mate after 25. Qg4+ and 26. Rg1. And the best Black can do there is the bleak 26... bf5 27. Qxf5+-. Kf2 seems like quite a simple move to me, and White after missing it, Black returned the favor with 26... Qf8?. Instead 26... Qe5! with the idea of Bxf5 gives Black some activity. For example, 27. Bb6 Bxf5! 28. exf5 (Bxd4 then Rg6 comes as a surprise) Qxf5 29. Nxd4 Qg6 30. Qxg6 hxg6 31. Re7, and even though White is probably better, Black is still very much fighting. After 26... Qf8 was played though White finished off nicely.

So all in all a very nice interesting game but mostly it was spoiled by missing 24. Kf2+-, a seemingly a very simple move, and instead giving Black a chance. This would possibly have made the Top Five if not for that big mistake. And also Black did panic maybe a bit with d5 though, but of course White's whole nice sequence with Rxf4 and Ba5 wasn't so easy to see in advance.



FM Ingvar Johannesson (13th Place, 8 points): A sharp Sicilian game. I really like the exchange sacrifice from White, and it was very nice how the White pieces dominated the board, even after exchanging Queens.

White won the exchange back more or less by force and was left with an easily winning two Pawn up endgame. This game slips a bit though because White had 24. Kf2 which seems like an easy idea to find, simply threatening Rg1+ (if 24...Kh8 25.Qh6). Black has only 24...Bxf5 when the White victory is then only a matter of technique.



FM Alisa Melekhina (15th Place, 6 points): After Black allowed White to Pawn storm with f5 and g5 and missed either a3 or the intermediate Nd5, it became difficult to defend the unpleasant position. It became a matter of technique from there, which White craftily demonstrated with a timely positional sacrifice and Bishop maneuver. The result was imminent when he obtained a decisive advantage around move 31, and the game really should not have lasted longer.



Total Score of Z Amanov vs Mikhailuk: (10th Place, 51 Points)


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Stay tuned for seven more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2011 Game of the Year!


Week 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Lev Milman (MAN) 1-0 Article

Week 3: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article

Week 5: GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article

Week 7: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0 Article

Quarterfinals: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) 1-0 Article

Semifinals: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1 Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (SEA) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Robert Hungaski (NE) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


9th Place (51 Points): IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

10th Place (48 Points): GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

11th Place (47 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

12th Place (46 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

14th Place (44 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

15th Place (43 Points): GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) vs IM Gabriel Battaglini (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

17th Place (42 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

18th Place (32 Points): GM Hikaru Nakamura (STL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

19th Place (30 Points): Christopher Wu (NJ) vs NM James Black (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

20th Place (27 Points): IM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs FM Joel Banawa (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

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 2011 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 Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0






















With 35. Qa7!, GM Shulman tranposed to a favorable endgame which he skillfully converted.


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 Victor Shen (7th Place, 14 points): This was another nice positional game by Shulman, who just had a more pleasant position throughout and exerted pressure on his opponent. Black, already in a slightly difficult endgame, erred with 33... dxe5 giving White a passed d-pawn which decided the game. Overall however, this was pretty well played by both sides; at first glance it was hard to say where Black made a real mistake.



GM Alex Lenderman (8th Place, 13 points): A nice effort by Shulman. 9. exd5 I think isn't a recommended way to play, instead 9. b5!? is more unclear and probably a more topical way of playing this line. After 9... exd5?! White seems to have a free hand, where he gets the pressure and space advantage for nothing, not even a pawn, which Yury exhibited very nicely and won a decent straightforward game. But there were inaccuracies that ended up making this game a little bit lower-ranked. 13. cxd5 maybe should not have been rushed, as 13. Re1!? ( moving the Rook avoids Ba6 tricks). The line can go 13. Re1 Re8 14. cxd5 c4 15. Qd4 Nc5 16. Qxc4 Ba6 17. Qd4! And if instead of 15... Nc5, 15.. Rc8 then 16. Bf1 Qc7 17. e4 Nc5 18. Bg5, and again White seems to have an edge.

In the game Yury took on d5 right away, which meant after 13... c4 14. Qd4 wasn't as good due to Nc5 with the c4 Pawn now being taboo due to Ba6! So Yury played then 14. e4, which still promised an edge. So cxd5 was not inaccurate, and Re1 wasn't necessary better, just interesting, but some real inaccuracies/mistakes were to come. On move 27, Kg2?! was played, which allowed 27... Nb8 making the advantage much smaller for White. Instead 27. Qb4 or 27. Qd4 wins a Pawn after 27... Nb8 28. Qxc4 Nxc6 29. Rc1! (Maybe Yury missed this move?). The line would likely continue 29... b5! 30. Qxc6 (30. Qxb5? Qa5 -/+) Qb8 31. Qa6 Rc4! 32. Rxc4 bxc4 33. Qxc4 Qxb2 34. Qd3 Rc8 35. Rf2, and White is still up a pretty healthy pawn and will soon try to exploit his center. This seems much better than what could've happened in the game. In the game, White, after 27. Kg2?! Nc5! 28. Qd4 b5, instead 28... Nb3! 29. Qc3 (Qxc4? Nd2) Qd7!, and Black is still very much fighting as e5 is controlled, and it's unclear how White really improves his game, even though I'd still probably prefer White. Maybe White has to sacrifice the exchange but then black perhaps can sacrifice it back so it's probably closer to equal than +/= to be honest.

In the game instead 28... b5 was played which was followed by 29. Re3 a6 30. e5 and now 30... Nb3?! was played at the wrong time. 30... Qd7 was more tenacious, not allowing Qa7 tricks, and e6 is impossible then due to Nxe6! Black didn't defend perfectly afterwards, thus allowing White to get a winning game which he could have exploited easier with 36. Rf7! or 36. Rf5!?, and the d-pawn would be completely decisive. Instead 36. Rxe5?! let Black back into the game and on move 39, instead of 39... Kf7? (losing move allowing basically everything, 39... Rf8! actually still holds the position. (40. Re7 Rf6! 41. d7 Nxd7). After 39... Rf8 Black is still very much in the game despite White being better. Relatively best for White would be to play slowly with 40. h4!? and then Black can create some counterplay with 40... Rf6!? 41. Re5 Rxd6 42. Rxc5 Rd2+, and Black gets some chances. That might not be the best variation though because there White is probably still winning. However, on 40. h4, 40... h5! then in some Knight endgames, White cannot gain space with g4-g5. Point is, instead of White being completely winning, Black can now fight based on certain nuances. I don't think that was something Shulman really planned on allowing. As good of a positional effort it was all around, from good opening, to decent middlegame to decent endgame, this game wasn't completely special and also had flaws that kept it only in 8th place. Still good game though.



FM Ingvar Johannesson (11th Place, 10 points): A positional game out of a Nimzo. Seemed like a strong game from Shulman, just piling up the positional pressure and crashing through in the endgame. I really found 16. Bxc5 interesting, giving up the Bishop pair but instead fighting for the weakened light squares using the d4 square as a springboard for the Knight. Black didn't make any obvious mistakes, perhaps only 39... Kf7 in the endgame is a mistake when 39... Rf8 seems to give good chances to fight for a draw as it's not clear how to activate the White King (since Rook exchanges mean the d6 pawn can be picked up).



FM Alisa Melekhina (13th Place, 8 points): Another positional game from Shulman, this time using the Rubinstein to neutralize a very dynamic player. After Black opted to go for 9... exd5 instead of 9... b5, White again realized his slight advantage by patiently maneuvering his pieces until he was ready to initiate a decisive breakthrough with e5. Black was unable to patch up the weaknesses in his position, leaving him with little chances for counterplay in the meantime.



FM Ron Young (18th Place, 3 points): As others have said (credit where it is due), White played cleanly, but Black could have made it tougher toward the end, which is not unusual, but it did not all add up to much excitement for me.



Total Score of Shulman vs Molner: (10th Place, 48 Points)


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Stay tuned for eight more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2011 Game of the Year!


Week 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Lev Milman (MAN) 1-0 Article

Week 3: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article

Week 5: GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article

Week 7: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0 Article

Quarterfinals: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) 1-0 Article

Semifinals: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1 Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (SEA) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Robert Hungaski (NE) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #6: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


10th Place (48 Points): GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

11th Place (47 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

12th Place (46 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

14th Place (44 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

15th Place (43 Points): GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) vs IM Gabriel Battaglini (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

17th Place (42 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

18th Place (32 Points): GM Hikaru Nakamura (STL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

19th Place (30 Points): Christopher Wu (NJ) vs NM James Black (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

20th Place (27 Points): IM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs FM Joel Banawa (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

Game of the Year -- 11th Place

This is the tenth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2011 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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11th Place: GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1

With 35... Na4, GM Kacheisvili eventually managed to grind out a win in the famous B+N endgame, clinching the Championship for the Knights.


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 Ingvar Johannesson (5th Place, 16 points): A great win for Kacheishvili. With this being the decisive game of the Championship I am probably ranking it higher than I normally would have. It was a typical fighting game between strong players. Kacheishvili seemed to have a small initiative in the endgame with his better placed and active pieces. Amanov just made some small mistakes, and Kacheishvili cooly cashed in on his passed Pawn and then we need to give him a cookie for mating flawlessly with a Bishop and Knight as there is always a famous story of someone blowing that although it should be really straightforward for any serious player.



FM Victor Shen (5th Place, 16 points): I wouldn't have ranked this game in the top five had it not been for its competitive importance. Kacheisvhili, who proved to be a great leader for his team all season, won with Black in the Championship Match to secure the victory. It was also very well played by Kacheishvili as he just outplayed his opponent throughout. Unfortunately, it seemed to me as if White played too passively in the opening and early middlegame, making it not the big fight that fans probably hoped for. However, well played by Black, and nice endgame technique to wrap up the match and the Championship.



FM Ron Young (12th Place, 9 points): White's play may have been unambitious, but the ending he reached seemed just about tenable. Having two pieces get trapped in that particular phase of the game is pretty unusual. I haven't ranked it yet as I write this, but wherever it ends up, it probably got a couple of places worth of consideration for the clutchness.



GM Alex Lenderman (16th Place, 5 points): Obviously a very clutch game as it was a deciding clincher in the League Championship Match helping New York to a 2.5-1.5 win over Chicago. This game however, if you ask Giorgi, is probably one of his least favorites amongst his many wins in USCL, some of which were left out of this contest. Problem was that there weren't very many exciting tactics in this one, and the bigger problem is that the game was not very high quality; possibly a nervous game from both sides as there was a lot on the line here.

White played a rather passive opening, and Black got very comfortable. 20... e5!? seemed a bit more accurate than 20... Nb6 which brought the Knight to a vulnerable square. After 20... e5!? Black probably has a slight edge but nothing more. The very next move, after 21. Bf4, 21... Rc2 is a mistake, leave his pieces vulnerable. 21... Rc4 followed by Ra4 had to be played. On 23. Bf1 there would follow 23... Nc4, and Black is solid and fine. After 21... Rc2?! Amanov returned the favor with 22. Rbc1?!. Instead 22. Bf1! gives White a solid edge, and the best Black can hope for in any line would be an endgame where Black would be suffering for a draw!

After a couple of more inaccuracies by White, Black got a very strong endgame without any risk. But on move 29, Black again erred with 29... f5?! which allows White to liquidate some of his weaknesses and untangle his pieces. Instead simply 29... f6 or Na4!? followed by pushing on the majority on the Queenside would be very strong. White had a couple of chances to equalize, like instead of 33. Nf1, bg2-f1. But his last chance was 37. Ne7+ Kf7 38. Bd5 and somehow try to get counterplay. After 37. a3?! Nc5 38. Nb6?! (all pieces away from the passed d-pawn), 38... Bf7 Black is simply winning and then the technique was good enough though probably not perfect, but nice execution of Knight+Bishop vs King, something that some GMs aren't even able to do. But besides the clutch factor, nothing seems intruiging to me in this game as I have seen many much better games by both of them!



FM Alisa Melekhina (20th Place, 1 point): The action in this game only began after move 34 when Black managed to promote his pawn. Even though a Knight and Bishop checkmate is unusual to come across in tournament chess, especially among GMs, regurgitating endgame theory for 26 moves is insufficient to surpass the other nominees.



Total Score of M Amanov vs Kacheishvili: (11th Place, 47 Points)


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Stay tuned for nine more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2011 Game of the Year!


Week 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Lev Milman (MAN) 1-0 Article

Week 3: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article

Week 5: GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article

Week 7: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0 Article

Week 10: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0 Article

Quarterfinals: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) 1-0 Article

Semifinals: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1 Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (SEA) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Robert Hungaski (NE) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #6: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


11th Place (47 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

12th Place (46 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

14th Place (44 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

15th Place (43 Points): GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) vs IM Gabriel Battaglini (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

17th Place (42 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

18th Place (32 Points): GM Hikaru Nakamura (STL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

19th Place (30 Points): Christopher Wu (NJ) vs NM James Black (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

20th Place (27 Points): IM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs FM Joel Banawa (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

Game of the Year -- 12th Place

This is the ninth part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2011 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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12th Place: IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0

The interesting 25. Ke2! proved to be a very effective shot with IM Esserman scoring a quick victory over a strong 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.



GM Alex Lenderman (1st Place, 20 points): This game simply illustrates all of Marc's positive chess traits. In not even his main opening against the Sicilian (the Smith-Morra), he still exhibits amazing preparation. Playing the opening fairly fast making me believe it was preparation. And that great preparation ends with a brilliant novelty (or almost novelty), though a very rare move, 25. Ke2!. For the rest on this game I can just refer you to his wonderful analysis in his very nice article as that says it all. And of course the computer says everything is perfect. Maybe 21... Bxh4+ is too ambitious of a line as 21... Bf6 or 21... Bg7 would be safer. But nevertheless to just nearly refute a popular line and play so accurately at such an important time in the playoffs against a strong booked-up player and GM, really says something.

P.S. instead of 25. Ke2, I think 25. b5 is also very good for White, though maybe not as clear, but Ke2 pretty much seals it probably.



FM Alisa Melekhina (11th Place, 10 points): At first glance this game had the makings of at least a top five finisher: theoretical battle in the main line of a sharp opening between two strong players, unorthodox piece development, vigilant attack with the King left uncastled, piece and pawn sacrifices, and creative maneuvers all around, but on further examination there was one major flaw – the game was contaminated with preparation. Out of the 32 moves of the game, only at 26... Ne5 by Fedorowicz did the game deviate from previous games. Esserman had improved on the previous Kramnik – Van Wely (Amber-Rapid, 2005) game with the courageous 25. Ke2, but even that was previously employed by one Snape (Jessie Gilbert Celebration, 2008).

Of course Esserman executed the final six moves perfectly, but while his preparation is admirable, and he definitely deserves the win and to have his game nominated, I would hope that the GOTY winner is someone who displays as much creativity and originality on the board as they do off. This is not to detract anything from Esserman, who frequently gets overlooked despite his numerous GM scalps and being one of the most devoted players in the country. This game and his memorable win over Van Wely in the US Open should serve as a reminder that he is not to be taken lightly.



FM Ron Young (13th Place, 8 points): Wouldn't it be a gas if it turned out that the whole Morra Gambit thing was a big hype and that Esserman never actually played it at all? In any case, he did a good job of prep for this game, and though evidently his would-be TN wasn't actually from Tennessee, he found it himself and though he is completely to be praised for it, they don't give the Oscar to Casablanca every year. Or have I already said all this?



FM Victor Shen (14th Place, 7 points): An impressive piece of opening preparation from Esserman. Although Ke2 isn't new, it's a nice idea nevertheless. However, I have a strong suspicion that the opening is just dubious for Black (he is just lost after 25. Ke2). I had to go all the way back to around move seventeen to find an acceptable position for Black as the ensuing positions after the h4 Pawn sacrifice seem extremely dangerous. I guess this may have been one of the reasons why the Sveshnikov has virtually disappeared from top level play. Well played by White, but the game ended very quickly after the opening which slightly detracts from the quality and appeal of the game.



FM Ingvar Johannesson (20th Place, 1 point): Cool game. The idea of clearing the second rank and the Rook maneuvre Ra1-a2-h2 makes a nice aesthetic impression. However I had a recollection of seeing this idea in a Van Wely game before, and I was right, this game was Kramnik vs Van Wely Amber rapid 2005. They copied that game up to move 24 when Esserman deviates with 25. Ke2 but from there they are even following Stopa vs Bogosavlevich from 2005, the new move of the game being 30. Rxh4, Stopa went 30. Bd3, and the position is already winning. A nice win but it seems to me like just superior preparation which is very nice but not worthy of GOTY without the originality.



Total Score of Esserman vs Fedorowicz: (12th Place, 46 Points)


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Stay tuned for ten more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2011 Game of the Year!


Week 2: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Lev Milman (MAN) 1-0 Article

Week 3: GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article

Week 5: GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article

Week 7: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (LA) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 1-0 Article

Week 10: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) 1-0 Article

Quarterfinals: GM Yury Shulman (CHC) vs GM Cristian Chirila (DAL) 1-0 Article

Semifinals: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs GM Josh Friedel (CHC) 0-1 Article

Championship: GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY) 0-1 Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (SEA) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #5: SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs IM Robert Hungaski (NE) 1-0 Article

Wildcard #6: IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) vs FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) 1-0 Article



Eliminated:


12th Place (46 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM John Fedorowicz (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

13th Place (45 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

14th Place (44 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

15th Place (43 Points): GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) vs IM Gabriel Battaglini (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

17th Place (42 Points): GM Mesgen Amanov (CHC) vs IM Zhanibek Amanov (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

18th Place (32 Points): GM Hikaru Nakamura (STL) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article

19th Place (30 Points): Christopher Wu (NJ) vs NM James Black (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article

20th Place (27 Points): IM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs FM Joel Banawa (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article