Boston Blitz vs Carolina Cobras
Wednesday, September 3, 7:30 pm

Both teams head into this week 2 match-up having won in week 1, albeit under different circumstances.  Boston beat arch rivals New York when hardly anyone expected them to do so and Carolina beat Tennessee just like everyone expected they would.  This week both teams will find the shoe on the other foot (not that snakes have feet of course) as the Blitz will undoubtedly be listed as favorites, especially with the return to board one of their superstar GM Larry Christiansen.

Christiansen, an All-Star for the Blitz last year, will be up against IM Lev Milman on board 1.  As Jorge Sammour-Hasbun says “he’s a good customer” as Christiansen has beaten Milman all three times he has faced him in the USCL, two of those games garnering the coveted Game of the Week awards, week 3 in 2005 and week 5 in 2006.  Milman, an ever present for the Cobras on board 1, is used to being an underdog although he does regularly put up good fights and it is not unusual for him to draw with his higher titled opponents or even win one every now and again.

Denys Shmelov gets the nod this week up on board 2, the highest position he has played for the Blitz.  His higher rating this year obviously means he could get to see some of his time up there although last week he was in a more familiar role on board 3.  Shmelov will get his second black pieces in a row, this time against FM Oleg Zaikov.  Zaikov is a dangerous player and has a good record in the USCL, gaining All-Star honors in 2006.  He made a winning start to his campaign last week at the hands of FM Todd Andrews.

On board 3 the Blitz welcome back Charles Riordan to their line-up.  Riordan had a good season for the Blitz in 2006 and was a surprise exclusion from the team last year.  (Obviously the Manager knows best as he was replaced to have the Denys Shmelov/Chris Williams combination.)  Riordan’s first opponent will be FM Ron Simpson who is in his debut season for the Cobras.  Simpson drew in his first game last week, having to concede a draw after he couldn’t break down his opponent’s tough defending.  The last time Riordan played against the Cobras he lost his game against Zaikov, his only loss in 2006.

Board 4 welcomes the final roster addition to the Blitz this year with Marc Esserman making his USCL and Blitz debut.  Being able to play Esserman on board 4 is a huge bonus for the Blitz although he finds himself outrated by a few points in this game as the Cobras are able to field a balanced team since they don’t have the strength at the top of their line-up.  His opponent, Craig Jones, was a board 4 All-Star back in 2006 although he struggled last year after moving up a board.  This year he is apparently back to his favorite hunting ground and this should be an intriguing match-up since high expectations have been placed on Esserman’s shoulders, especially considering last year’s board 4 heroics he will have to try to match.

Live coverage of all the Blitz games can be followed at http://www.boston-blitz.com/live.htm or you can tune into the Internet Chess Club (ICC).  Local fans are always welcome to come and experience the match first-hand at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge.  A large projection screen of all the games along with contact with all the Blitz players and staff will keep everyone entertained.

Match Line-Up