When is a draw not a draw?… When it wins of course!
Evan Rabin’s 104 move, effortless draw clinched a win as the Boston Blitz defeated the New Jersey Knockouts in what I am calling a nightmare of a match. Not only were the games… well… rather ugly… but the atmosphere was sluggish… you know, one of those nights when it gets dark early and the fog rolls in and you begin to doze off… and the next thing you know, your soul has been transplanted into some pod laying in a goo in the basement… It could happen! And it almost did.
The players arrived looking rather listless… there was no energy in their gaze. They seemed mere imposters of themselves.
Evan was sitting at his PC quietly tapping away when I got there. He was trying hard to stay awake… he’s a bit to young to be a coffee junky yet… nothing to worry about, I thought. Eugene was next to wander in. Of course, we greeted him with… “So, you ready to crush your opponent?”. His answer, ‘Who am I playing?”, left no doubt. He was one of “them”… and I was relaying for him tonight. What to do…
Now, Vadim and Larry both seemed in good spirits… no basement plants could affect their mood… no sir… but just then, they both yawned simultaneously… It was going to be a long night. I tried desperately to recall the solution to this problem as I hurried to google “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. But, it was too Late… relaying duties on board two prevented me from searching further. I would have to rely on my wits… I had a bad feeling about this match.
Things didn’t start well on first board as it looked like Larry’s pod was gaining control… Trading Queens on move 4? The nightmare had begun.
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I had promoted this as a battle for the Love of New England fans… no, not New England the team fans… New England as in those chess fans living here. Now this is going to get confusing. Obviously, New England (the team) thought that by naming their team “New England”, the love and devotion of New England (the area) fans would automatically be forfeit to them… New England the team. After all, New England (the area) does encompass Boston (the city).
Well, not so fast, New England (the team) … Boston (the team and the city) was here first and you’ll steal no affection from us without a fight… or at least, some form of reasonable compensation.
That said (and it was no easy job), there was a fight… a chess fight, that is… a knockout on first board, a TKO due to a thousand small cuts on second, a precision draw on third, and an “oh, so painful one that got away” draw on fourth. And all of this squabbling over fan loyalty was for naught as Boston (the team) Blitz vs New England (the team) Nor’easters first ever encounter amounted to nothing more than a revolting hill of beans (Boston) and (2 – 2) match draw.
But, let’s not quibble over meaningless borders… let’s get on with the first board clash of titans, as Boston (the city) first board, GM Larry Christiansen, waxed his opponent in a game that should have been called (if only there were referees in chess) due to cruel and unusual punishment (of his opponent and fans ) before move 20. Don’t worry; it won’t hurt to analyze it. You had to be there…
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How can a match be a grudge match in the first ever meeting between two teams?…
When New England’s beloved Boston Blitz hosts the New England Nor’easters in a week 4 showdown to determine just who the most beloved team in NE really is… That’s how. There can be only one. No one has beaten the Nor’easters (3 – 0) and the Blitz have a record of (2 – 1) after being splatted in the first round by that team, whose name shall never appear on this blog again. So, the stakes are high… the stage is set… to determine just who will walk away this Wednesday with all the love.

       White               		Black
---------------------------------------------------------------
1. GM Larry Christiansen (BOS)	IM Sam Shankland (NE)
2. IM Robert Hungaski (NE)	SM Denys Shmelov (BOS)
3. WGM Anya Corke (BOS) 	FM Chris Chase (NE)
4. NM Alex Cherniack (NE)	NM Ilya Krasik (BOS)

Board 1
Let’s get ready to rumblllllle!… as both teams bring out the big guns.
IM Shankland must be itching to prove himself after an unfortunate loss to GM Benjamin in week 2. While Larry has been suffering a bit with Black in league games, he is awfully tough with White. Look for an 1.e4, c5 Scheveningen… and a really tough scratch your eyes out cage match.

Board 2
Denys has suffered an unprecedented, for him, two defeats playing White this year… and I’m sure he is chomping at the bit to get his first win. However, IM Hungaski is not the easiest route to victory as he clearly showed in his week 1 win over IM Enkhbat. Let’s look for a Queen’s Indian here… with a long, hard, Denys-like struggle.

Board 3
WGM Corke got her first win of the season last week in her only appearance for the Blitz. FM Chris Chase brings veteran craftiness. He can and will play anything. Expect 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 (My best guess), followed by a quiet maneuvering game.

Board 4
Ilya’s game has improved by leaps and bounds over the last year. Gone are the crazy, unjustified attacks. Believe it or not, he has been solid. NM Cherniak can play 1.e4… or 1.d4… But, he’ll probably test Ilya’s e6 Sicilian. I’ll trust Ilya to come up with a “solid” novelty.

That’s it for my conservative, predictionless preview. Win or lose, I guess I’ll still love the Blitz… How about you?

Like Krakus polish ham with Finlandia Swiss, pickles, and French’s mustard… the Blitz are on a Roll… preferably a Kaiser Roll. I must admit; I was worried… Had they lost the spark? Where were those fearsome fighters of former glory… those fabulous phenoms (?) of four-fold fame… those four-flushing frauds of freakish folly… Whoa! Somebody stop me please. Alliterary angst is often fatal in chess blogs. I should never have doubted them… This is a team beyond comparison to mere sandwiches… beyond even a likeness to super-subs… this team is a Hoagie… a hodge-podge of heavenly… no, no, this can’t continue… someone hand me my medicine.

That’s better… The Boston Blitz defeated the Manhattan Applesauce (3.5 – 0.5) in a week 3 match that can only be described as… well… delicious. Applesauce? Somehow it would have been more impressive to have beaten the Giants. Anyway, we beat the Applesauce… and we’ll have to live with it. Watching this match was a pleasure. I didn’t have any relay duties; so, I could really get into the fan thing. I could feel this one. It was a no holds barred food fight from the beginning… lunch pail type that is… each member of the Blitz was solemn and in a zone. I was almost afraid to speak to them as they settled to their boards and began chucking culinary delights… cheese and lunch meat vs. applesauce(?). It was going to be a sticky affair on this night of deadly condiments.

But, let’s not delay our feast one moment longer. Let’s get right to the meat… (I crack myself up sometimes)… as fan favorite femme fatale, WGM Anya Corke, spattered her opponent with mayonnaise causing him to slip and become the first victim of silly, savory sustenance… Auugh! I promise… I will gain control… please read on.
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Ok, so I missed the first week due to unexpected circumstances. I guess after all these years of no drinking, no smoking, and no fooling around with wild women, God decided to reward me by making me absent for what was the lowest point of Boston Blitz history… an O-pher on opening day. Of course, I did follow things from afar… and it did ruin a few of my days… but, this is neither here nor there. Who cares about my suffering? Let’s talk getting back on track as our Blitz heroes smashed their favorite opponent the Philadelphia Inventors, (2.5 – 1.5).

Usually I would back up that brash statement (smashed) with brilliant analysis and insightful commentary to convince our blog readers that the Blitz are back… but, in this case, it is a joke… and a bad joke at that…

This termite walks into a bar and asks…Where’s the bar tender?…ba da boom.

Alright!… we were lucky as heck; but, there were some bright spots.

Disclaimer: Due to the holiday weekend, I am unable to offer my usual full 4-game coverage. Also, since I was relayer on the critical game, board 2, IM Smith (PHI) – GM Perelshteyn (BOS), which went down to the wire and lasted late into the evening, I was unable to get a bird’s eye view of this match. In short, I am offering only one game’s worth of limited analysis… Denys, I’m sorry, but I chose your game. Why? I don’t know… third base.

Now, on to the action…
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