Game Preview – Week 1, 2008

August 24th, 2008 Chris Bird

Boston Blitz vs New York Knights
Wednesday, August 27, 7:00 pm

Woohoo! What a way to start the 2008 season than with a clash against arch rivals, the New York Knights. The Knights will surely still be steaming after the Blitz destroyed their USCL Championship hopes in the Semi-Finals last year.

This week’s match promises to be as compelling as all three of the games from last year with the Knights wetting their newbies early and the Blitz giving one of it’s new players an early taste of the rivalry.  However, the game may seem a little unusual for the typical Blitz-Knights matches as the absence of any Blitz GMs and the Knight’s own Blitz dominator of previous years, GM Pascal Charbonneau, unable to play since he is participating in the Montreal International.

GM Alex Shabalov, previously a judge for the USCL Game of the Year, makes his debut on board 1 for the Knights and the fireworks should start early as he is countered by our very own Jorge Sammour-Hasbun who was a USCL 1st team All-Star and Rookie of the Year last year.  Both players are known for their exciting, never say die, style of chess and already I’m predicting that there is no way this one is ending in a draw!  Shabalov will have the white pieces as this is considered a home game for the Knights.

On board 2 the Blitz will give an early chance to shine to IM Dave Vigorito. Vigorito is no stranger to the Boston-New York rivaly having been raised in Massachusetts as a die-hard Red Sox fan. Once he gets onto the playing site and feels the energy flowing throughout the Blitz team and fans I am sure he will soon feel well at home in the surroundings. The Knights will give board 2 to Gregory Braylovsky who served them well during his 2005 All-Star season. Braylovsky won both games against the Blitz and so Vigorito will be looking to set a new trend and take a leaf out of Sammour-Hasbun’s book from last year.

Board 3 is going to be a real love-hate kind of game! Denys Shmelov and IM Jay Bonin know each other well after facing each other in all 3 matches last year, each player scoring a win and a draw. That win for Bonin, in the Semi-Finals when the match was already sewn up by the Blitz, probably cost Shmelov 1st board All-Star honors and so a little bit of payback may be on the cards. However, I know that Bonin was not too happy with the Blitz’s celebration victory video from the same game and so he too will no doubt be gunning for some type of revenge. This game epitomizes the Blitz-Knights rivalry and blood may be spilled as neither player will want to give up in this one.

On board 4 Ilya Krasik will be making one of undoubtedly many appearances this year due to the make-up of the Blitz roster. Krasik only got to play three times for the Blitz last year, mainly thanks to Chris Williams’ efforts on board 4 and he will be looking to make up for lost time. His opponent, Evan Rosenberg, played for the Knights back in 2005 although he is rated nearly 100 points higher than back then. These two did meet in 2005 with Krasik winning the game.

Live coverage of all the Blitz games will be seen at http://www.boston-blitz.com/live.htm and you can follow the games via the Internet Chess Club (ICC). Local players 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, especially when it’s rivalry week!

Match Line-Ups

Board White Result Black
1. GM Alex Shabalov (2711) - Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (2576)
2. IM David Vigorito (2433) - Gregory Braylovsky (2415)
3. IM Jay Bonin (2383) - Denys Shmelov (2393)
4. Ilya Krasik (2137) - Evan Rosenberg (2201)
  Boston Blitz - New York Knights
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You Gotta Love Those Muddy Waters

November 15th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

“Oh, oh, Boston you’re my home.” Down by the river Charles we may have “Dirty Water”… But, here on US Chess League nights we have “Muddy Water.” Boston’s first round playoff (2½ – 1½) victory over the Evil Empire jr., New York Knights, was anything but clear as boards two and three made me hold my breath and swallow deeply several times. In the end, relief was spelled J-O-R-G-E.

First board, and first to finish, matched the Blitz’s GM Larry Christiansen as Black against the Knight’s GM Hikaru Nakamura. Of late, GM Nakamura has been stomping on the international players in impressive style. I’ll admit, my faith was tested and I was worried about this game. I should have known better as Larry made the draw seem effortless in a Ruy featuring White’s 5.d3… I guess this is forced since the e-pawn is hanging… eventually reaching my first favorite position.


Position after 17.Qa5

How does Black counter White’s dominance on the open a-file? Again, I failed the test of faith… 17…c4!, of course… now, after 18.Nbd2 cxd3 19.cxd3 Bc6 Black will exchange everything on the a-file and have the better side of equal with the Bishops. But, the d5 weakness allows White to plant a Knight that is just too strong to ignore. Black trades his Bishop for pawn structure and the game continues to reach this position…


Position after 43.Kxg4

I must say I was amazed… because during the game Jorge, who was involved in his own harrowing experience on board two, came over to me and predicted after White’s 37.g4 that Black now had a draw… How? No problem. Larry now played 43…Bxb4 44.Nxb4 Kc5 and the game reached the final drawn by agreement position…


Position after 55.Nc4

Black will play 55…Kc3 and White has nothing better than to repeat. From start to finish, easy draw… right? Boston (0.5 – 0.5)

Is there any doubt that second board (and sometimes first) superstar SM Jorge “Muddy Waters” Sammour-Hasbun truly was meant to play in Boston? Give him the White pieces and the position becomes unclear from about move six or seven… with Black it may take a little longer.

Last week it was the Danish… be still my heart… this week the ever popular 5.f4… against the Sicilian Kan. When he played this, everyone in the room was looking around at each other. I think we all together swallowed our first big nervous gulp. Jorge told me after the match that he just wanted a position where “pieces are hanging everywhere”.

No one told me that this was the aim of a good opening… I think I need to reevaluate my repertoire. On the board, things were continuously critical for both sides reaching my first favorite position…


Position after 12…Bxe4

Black has won a pawn but is uncastled and has weak pawns that can be plundered at a later time. But, how should White proceed? Fritz liked 13.Nb6 Nd5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.f5 with a continuing attack and a Black pawn hanging on a6 if White can’t find anything better. At this point, Jorge seemed to be straining at the board to find the way. I think he just didn’t like trading pieces on d5… he wanted more… So, he played 13.Bc5 Nd5 14.Bxf8 Rxf8 (at least there will be no safe Kings in this game) and the game continued through several tense positions to reach…


Position after 25…g5

Jorge quickly played 26.fxg5 Later, he criticized this move preferring 27.Ra7… Fritz agrees. After the game move, Black builds an attack. 26…Qxg5 27.Rf3 Rf7 28.Qe5 Rbf8 29.Ra1? White falters in time pressure. He should have played 29.Bf1… So, we reach…


Position after 29.Ra1

Now, it seems that Black has a big advantage after 29…Qd2! 30.Bf1 Qxb4 or 30.Bd3 Rg7… Instead, Black played 29…Rg7 30.Bf1 Qh5 31.Ra3 and White is not in immediate danger.

I should take time to point out that both players were under some time pressure during these moves… White was down to seconds and Black to a minute or so. I also want to espouse a theory of mine about Jorge’s style. He puts so much pressure on an opponent right from the opening moves. There just is no let up and eventually, I believe, the tension has a cumulative affect… in the form of a blunder from his opponent. This is only my opinion, but I’ve seen it in several games now. I offer as proof Black’s tactical blunder 33…Qg5?


Position after 33…Qg5?

Black is threatening the f4 Rook and would be better if not for 34.Rg3!!… White wins the Queen and the game after 34…Qh6 35.Rh4 Rxg3 36.Rxh6… Oh, the other thing is… don’t get into a time scramble with Jorge… He’s one of the best there is in speed chess… reference Dos Hermanas 2007. Boston (1.5 – 0.5)

And now, on to the game that actually won the match. NM Chris Williams playing White on board four against a recent nemesis, WFM Iryna Zenyuk. You talk about “Muddy Waters”… this game meets the criteria. I’m sure they understood what was going on, but, I was at a loss. Just take a look…


Position after 14.Kf1

White looks to be struggling here. Quite frankly, I didn’t see Chris winning the cramping d4 pawn any time soon. WFM Zenyuk was playing very aggressively and I had the feeling that she was confident in this position… especially, after her next move 14…Bf5 which forces Chris to win the knight or Bishop after 15.f4

Now, it’s just hope that there is no good way for Black to pick up a few pawns and continue the attack against White’s ruined Kingside. Fritz likes 15…h5 16.fxe5 Qxe5 17.g4 hxg4 18.hxg4 Bxg4 19.Nf3… and Black has two pawns and an attack for the piece. White seems to be winning, but, there’s a long way to go.

Instead, she played 15…Qd7?! 16.fxe5 Bxh3 17.e6… forcing the exchange of Bishops and a simple piece up game after 17…Bxg2+ 18.Kxg2 fxe6 19.e4 dxe3 20.Nf3 exd5 21.Qxd5+ Kh8 22.Bxe3… and White checkmated Black on move 52. Another clutch win from Chris. Boston (2.5 – 0.5)

With this win, the celebration was on… outside the building, of course, since Denys was still playing. Strangely, Denys’ game is the only game I had no concerns about. I felt he was better in the middle game and winning after a very nice piece sacrifice… take a look…


Position after 30.Qf3

Now, I thought at the time that Black would play for a draw with 31…Qg5 32.Qg2 Qf6+ 33.Qf3… and a repetition is forced. Fritz says no… Black has an easy win after 31…Qg5 32.Qh1 (Qg2 is worse) Rxc5! As it turns out, Black has a mate or win of major material… for example, 33. Ne4 Rf5+ 34.Ke1 Qg6! And the threat of Rh5 will win the Knight and more.


Analysis after 34…Qg6

Black missed this and went for the protracted win… 30… Qxf3 31.exf3 Bxc1 settling for a Rook and 3 pawns for two pieces. The draw here seems secure and after a few more moves the match was won. It was then that Denys began to think more. With the match over, he said he just “wanted to play chess” meaning he felt the position was a win and wanted to test his technique. However, he got into time trouble and made some small mistakes that led to a troublesome position…


Position after 67.Be3

It seems that Black can just keep the White King cut off from the pawn and things should be drawn here. For example, 67…g6 68.Nc5 Kb5 and there don’t seem to be any good discovered checks. If the Knight moves to the Kingside, Black can attack the pawn with the Rook and check the White King away if it moves.

Denys, in time trouble, chased the Bishop and after some nice play by IM Bonin reached a final position where Black cannot stop the pawn from Queening. Boston (2.5 – 1.5)

When the game ended, Denys got the customary “Bear” hug from Chris and congratulations and thanks from all team members. Odd that it was arguably Denys’ great play on third board that got the team this far. I’m sure he felt bad that he couldn’t finish off this playoff round with a win. But, wait till next round…

Congratulations to all for the nice Thanksgiving present. I can now eat a lot and keep my food down. See you at the Championship.

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Interview with Players after Semi-Final Win Against NY

November 15th, 2007 Chris Bird

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Game Preview – Eastern Conference Final, 2007

November 14th, 2007 Chris Bird

Blitz vs Knights, Eastern Conference Final, 2007Boston Blitz vs New York Knights
Wednesday, November 14th, 7:00 pm EST

Here we go again!  This time last year, the Blitz had dominated the Eastern Conference, winning the division title by a wide margin and were huge favorites to beat the New York Knights who had qualified for the play-offs by virtue of a final week melee.  This year, the Blitz once again are the Eastern Conference division winners, albeit by a smaller margin than last year, and the New York Knights are their opposition having qualified during the final week of the season.  Once again, the Blitz will have draw odds in this Eastern Conference Final, which will decide which team goes to the US Chess League Championship game on November 28th.

This year however, things seem different.  The Blitz only lost one game during the regular season and that was to the Knights, while the other game they played ended up in a draw.  The Knights have a young guy called Nakamura on board 1, who has recently been tearing up some of the world’s best GMs over in Europe, a Blitz dominator on board 2 in Pascal Charbonneau, who has never lost a game in the USCL to any of the Blitz players, and US Championship participants on boards 3 and 4 in Jay Bonin and Irina Zenyuk respectively.  This line-up (with Krush occasionally playing for Charbonneau on board 2) brought them from the brink of elimination, flying into the play-offs and a crushing victory over the hapless Philadelphia Inventors in last week’s wild-card game by a score of 3½-½.

So how is the Blitz to compete with such a strong line-up?  The Blitz didn’t get to sit at the top of the Eastern Conference by having the likes of “normal” players!  On board 1 there is a superstar in GM Larry Christiansen, who is a past US Champion and who has been devastatingly solid in the USCL, not losing a single game.  Then on board 2 is Jorge Sammour-Hasbun, playing his first ever season in the USCL and scoring 4½/5, with the only half-point given up being to the Knights board 1 superstar Nakamura.  On board 3 is Denys Shmelov, probably the board 3 MVP of the league, having played 9 games, not losing a single one, winning four and drawing five (he is also 1½-½ versus Bonin in the USCL this year) and then on board 4 we have Chris Williams, who finished the season with 5/7, his only blips on the radar being a loss to Zenyuk in week 7 and a loss in week 8.  This Blitz line-up is not one that anyone would want to face!

The Blitz-Knights match-up is one of the most heated in USCL’s short history and is fueled by the ever existing sports rivalries that already exist between these neighboring cities, sparked by no greater a rivalry in sport than the Red Sox and the Yankees.  However, this year seems to currently belong to Boston and the New England area, which has to be a good omen.  The Red Sox won the World Series (although just the same as Red Sox nation was hoping the Indians would take out the Yankees, I imagine most of the Blitz fans were hoping the Inventors would take out the Knights!), the Patriots are 9-0 while even the Celtics and the Bruins are having good starts to the season, at least by their usual standards.  Add to this the absolutely crushing victory that the Blitz’s Eugene Perelshteyn had over the Knights’ Irina Krush down at Texas Tech in the Spice Cup that is currently on and momentum is definitely in the Blitz’s favor!

As per the USCL rules, since the Blitz have draw odds by virtue of them winning the Eastern Division, the Knights were allowed to choose which boards they wanted the white pieces on and they chose boards 1 & 3.  This means that Nakamura will get the white pieces once again against Christiansen, although back in week 4, Christiansen easily held Nakamura in a similar situation and even turned the tables forcing Nakamura to play accurately for the draw.

The board 2 match-up of Sammour-Hasbun versus Charbonneau is probably why the Knights chose black on this one and board 4.  Charbonneau has been unstoppable against the Blitz, prompting the Blitz fans to come up with various imaginative ways of combating this problem.  However, Sammour-Hasbun will be a different challenge for Charbonneau compared to Kelleher and Perelshteyn, the two Blitz players he has already beaten this year.

Board 3 sees Bonin and Shmelov go head to head once again.  As stated earlier, Shmelov currently holds a 1½-½ advantage in the games between these two, although admittedly the last time that Bonin had the white pieces he dominated Shmelov out of the opening and should have probably won that game rather than eventually having to battle to obtain a draw.

Down on board 4 the Blitz will be asking Williams to exact some revenge for his week 7 loss to Zenyuk, and in this game the colors are reversed from that original match.  Admittedly, Zenyuk played some rather creative, attacking chess, forcing Williams to find the best defensive resources in a tough position, which he was unable to do.  However, as we have seen, losses are rare for any of these Blitz players and Williams is no exception, having seemingly got his groove back in his week 10 creative win against Yeager.

As usual, Boston-Blitz.com will have live coverage of one game, which will be the board 2 clash between Sammour-Hasbun and Charbonneau.  The rest of the games can be viewed live at the Internet Chess Club.  Of course, you are more than welcome to come and watch this monumental match in person, as well as taking in the championship fever, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge.

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Beware the Ominous Motto

October 11th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

“Play like a man… Die like a dog” was written on the chalk board when I first came into the room. (see picture on the website) “What was the meaning?”, I thought. “Play like a man” I understood… ruling out it’s sexist connotations and taking it as intended… “play bravely” made sense. But “die like a dog” kind of scared me… who wants to die like a dog? “Was it an omen?”, I thought once again. Yet, it was too late… it was the motto for the night. “Oh well, it’s only a joke”, I thought a third and last time.

Our first board match up was a good one, Jorge Sammour-Hasbun versus GM Hikaru Nakamura, two of the top tactical players in the country, and it didn’t disappoint. The first interesting position…


Position after 13…Qc8

GM Nakamura offers a pawn for some strong compensation. Fritz gives… 14…Rd8 15.Qa3 Rxd1+ 16.Nxd1 Nd7 17.Nc1 Nd4 as better for Black. And so, Jorge played the much superior 14.Nd5… giving White a dominant position and the struggle continued to my favorite… and the final position…


Position after 45…Rcc2

If White takes the Knight, the position is drawn by perpetual check. White’s only try is 46.Bf1… and the position will get very wild after 46…Nd3 47.Rf3 Ne1 48.Rg3 Rd2 49.e5 Rxa4 50.d6 Rf4 leading to this crazy position…


Analysis position after 50…Rf4

White still is on top and has winning chances. But, with only about a minute on his clock, Jorge didn’t risk it since we seemed, at the time, to be doing fine on the other boards. Boston (0.5 – 0.5)

On second board FM Bill Kelleher, as Black, ventured a unique accelerated dragon against GM Pascal Charbonneau reaching this position…


Position after 12.Be2

We’re out of the books here… I think. Now, Fritz gives 12…d5! With Black having the better side of equality after… 13.exd5 Rd8 14.Bf3 Be6… followed by the wild 15.dxe6… Queen sacrifice for Bishop and Rook. Bill played the safe 12…d6 and remained too cramped for the rest of the game becoming the first to “die” on this night of the ominous motto. Boston (0.5 – 1.5)

And now the pressure was on Boston’s all star 4th board, NM Chris Williams, playing Black against WFM Iryna Zenvuk. It was a wild Queen’s Gambit declined with both players playing well to reach this incredible position…


Position after 24.Rg5

White is threatening Black’s Queen and Rxg6+ but, Black can cope with the incredible 24…Bf5 and after 25.Rxf5 Qe7, Black actually has the advantage. Chris fell victim to the tension (a euphemism for “die”) and played 24…Bxb2+ and after 25.Kxb2 White is just a piece up.

This was the final spike… Boston going down… “Killed” by a woman? Coincidence? Boston (0.5 – 2.5)

In the last game to finish, NM Denys Shmelov, playing White against IM Jay Bonin, saved face, and tie break points, for the team playing this “Manly” (in keeping with our motto) Rook endgame. Just a quick look at it’s progression starting from the diagram below…


Position after 24.Rc4


Position after 41…Kg7


Position after 53.Rg3


Position after 60.a3!

Black is in zugzwang and should lose. But, it is late and both players were playing tired.


Position after 65…Kf4

Now, White can check to defend the f5 pawn and push e6 winning. Denys played instead 66.e6 Rxf5+ showing his fatigue and now the game should be a draw after 67.Kg6 Rg5+ 68.Kf6 Rf5+ 69.Kg6 Rg5+ 70.Kf6 Rf5+ (I believe this is a third repetition) 71.Ke7 Re5! And the game cannot be won by White. IM Bonin showed his own fatigue and played 51…c2? leading to the final position and some consolation for the team.


Position after 76.Kf7, Black resigns

Anatomy of a rook ending… they’re never easy for either the superior or inferior side. Another good game for Denys, a stalwart at third board. Boston (1.5 – 2.5)

What did we learn from this match? Never… no… always… no… just come up with a better motto and we’ll be fine.

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A Stormy Night

September 18th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

It was a dark and stormy night… that’s the best way I can describe the match between the New York Knights and the Boston Blitz… as a storm was brewing on every board. There were no easy draws… no careful Leko-like play… no… every board seemed set on fire. I became so absorbed in watching the games that I found I couldn’t get out of my seat… I chewed my nails and bit my coffee cup so hard that I spilled much of it over my shirt. Well, that woke me up and I filed off to the bathroom shaking my head. What was I worried about?… take a look…

On first board, former wunderkind (now a veteran at age 20) GM Hikaru Nakamura, the league’s highest rated player at 2742, was playing Boston’s highest rated GM Larry Christiansen in a battle of tactical titans with both players known for their creative styles.

This game was the highest rated match-up in league history. For that matter, so was the match.

In the diagram, Hikaru had some pressure and was threatening the a-pawn and, more importantly, a check winning the exchange when Larry very quickly played the beautiful 20…e3!!


position after 20…e3!!

What’s the point? Sure Black gets the c-pawn and maybe the f-pawn… well, I still was a bit worried knowing the tactical skill of Hikaru. I should have had more faith in our own wizard.

After 22.Nd6+ Rxd6 23.Rxd6… they quickly reached this dynamic, puzzle-like position… so, let’s ask…


position after 23.Rxd6

What’s the best move?

Nothing so simple as 22…exf2 or 22…Nxc2, both of which give White a large advantage… rather, the spectacular and immediately obvious (to Larry) 22. Nxa2+!!  Of course, now it is Black who has the edge after 23.Nxa2 Rxc2+ 24. Kd1 (only move as the discovered check is too costly) 24…Rxb2.

Now, Hikaru must give the knight back as 25. Nc3 is inferior due to 25…exf2 26.Rh1 Bh6 27.Kc1 Bg2 and Black will end up with rook and four pawns vs. rook and knight when all is said and done.

Hikaru very quickly decided to give back the Knight with 25.Rxe3 Rxa2 and after some tricky endgame play, Black had rook, bishop and 3 pawns against White’s two rooks and pawn with neither side able to make progress.

Great combinative play and a much need draw. Boston (1.5 – 0.5)

Larry’s was the second game to finish as Chris (super 4th) Williams had given everyone draw odds with another fine yet stormy game as shown in my favorite position…


position after 25…f4?

Black, WFM Elizabeth Vicary, has just played the poor 25…f4? She had some pressure with the pawn on f5 threatening bxc4 and piling up on the c-pawn combined with a build up on the kingside. But, after this, Chris quickly took over the game with 26.cxb5 axb5 27.Ne1! threatening to drive Black back, which he did very nicely after 27…Ng6 28.Nd3 Qc7 and White took control from there. Giving Boston a nice 1-0 cushion… and, of course, letting Larry’s draw put Boston in a good match position.

If it weren’t for Boston’s nemesis… GM Pascal Charbonneau…

This was a long, hard fought game. I won’t bore you with details. Boston’s second board, GM Eugene Perelshteyn, sacked a piece to reach this endgame. It is probably possible to draw this. But, according to Eugene “practically it’s just too tough.” Beginning with my favorite position… and one in which I held some hope for a draw and a Boston win…


position after 56…Ke3

Black has three pieces against two. Studies show that most rook + knight vs rook endings are a draw and about 40% of rook + bishop vs rook are computer analyzed wins, some in over 50 moves, but realistically a draw in human games… But what about rook + knight + bishop against rook + bishop? Not much computer help here. Are certain positions drawable?

After fine technique, Eugene’s opponent, GM Charbonneau reached the final position below.


final position – White resigns

This was the last game to finish and I’m sure it was a hard loss for Eugene. This gave New York the match draw. Boston 2 – New York 2.

Oh, I am bouncing back and fourth and taking things out of order here… and I did fail to mention a most important, pawn down, draw by our defensive genius and Boston third board, Denys Shmelov. In Denys’s own words “ I was crushed.”

He played Black against veteran, and the world’s most experienced chess player, Jay Bonin. Jay, I’m told, plays on average at least one rated game per day… yet, Denys kept grinding and finally tricked him into the perpetual shown in the diagram.

My favorite position…


final position – draw by perpetual

White must play Kh7… after which Black checks and repeats. Nice save Denys.

This game had team members gesturing with elation in wild silence (Eugene was still playing) since it assured at least a draw on this dark and stormy night…

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Game Preview – Week 4, 2007

September 17th, 2007 Chris Bird

Blitz vs Knights, Week 4, 2007Boston Blitz vs New York Knights
Monday, September 17th, 7:00 pm EST

For those sports fans who were under the illusion that the Red Sox and Yankees were just playing a 3-game series this weekend, you may indeed be correct, but I think you can add this week’s match between the Blitz and the Knights into the same rivalry category.  And, just like the baseball, the Boston team has a commanding lead in the league, but the New York baseball team is in a much better position than their chess counterparts.

The Blitz lead the way in the US Chess League and are the only perfect team going into the week 4 match-ups.  The Knights however are currently stuttering in their attempts to repeat last year’s Championship final appearance, scoring just a measly half-point from their 3 games.  However, that half-point came at the expense of last year’s Championship team, San Francisco Mechanics, when they met up in last week’s Monday night “Game of the Week.”

Former US Champion, GM Hikaru Nakamura, made his long awaited USCL debut last week and, for all but the last 15 minutes, he dominated as expected.  However, over confidence, or just a general lack of respect for the position, meant he was blitzing his opponent while he had a 70 minute to 1 minute advantage on the clock.  His opponent, none other than league star Vinay Bhat, complicated matters enough using his 30 second increment per move, that he not only managed to hold onto a losing position, but managed to turn it into a miraculous win to mop up the Game of the Week award for the second week in a row!

This week Nakamura will once again be at the helm of the Knights lineup and will be facing one of the Blitz’s star players, GM Larry Christiansen.  This should be a fun fight as both players are known for their exciting, attacking styles of play.  Two former US Champions, the highest ever rated game in USCL history, a rivalry that is second to none and that is just the start of the fantastic evening that lays in store for the fans.  This game will also be our Game of the Week that fans can tune into live here at Boston-Blitz.com.

On the second board we have another GM match-up as the Blitz’s Eugene Perelshteyn faces the Knight’s Pascal Charbonneau.  Charbonneau has been a perennial thorn in the side of the Blitz and so Perelshteyn will be hoping to set the record straight in this first ever second board all GM match-up in USCL history.

Board three will see the Blitz’s Denys Shmelov, second in USCL MVP points, face IM Jay Bonin.  Bonin will be full of confidence after convincingly beating a tough IM, David Pruess, in last week’s draw against the Mechanics.  However, Shmelov couldn’t have asked for a much better start to his USCL career, having won his last two games and been a huge part of the Blitz’s current run of success.

Once again the young Chris Williams will man the fourth board and his opponent this week will be WFM Liz Vicary.  Williams has had a great start to his USCL career too, winning both of his games, and he’ll be hoping to continue that trend when he takes a 125 point advantage, and the white pieces again, into his game on board 4.  However, don’t underestimate Vicary who won the brilliancy prize at the recent US Women’s Championship.

Rivalries don’t get much bigger than this and both teams are pulling out all the punches for this one.  I even heard a rumor that Matt Phelps (Blitz Manager, aka Bill Belichick) had the Knight’s game video taped last Monday (a la another Boston/New York rivalry game) so that he could use that information for his team to prepare over this weekend.  I don’t see any league rules on that one but I’m hoping he doesn’t get handed a $500,000 fine!

The Blitz-Knights match will undoubtedly be the most watched match in USCL history, especially since the World Chess Championship, going on in Mexico right now, intelligently scheduled a “rest day” on Monday so that the players (and seconds, fans, FIDE officials, etc.) can tune in and watch!  The whole chess world is waiting for this one!

Remember, you can come down and enjoy the live match atmosphere by visiting us at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge.  You can also check out all of the games live on ICC (membership required) or our Game of the Week, Nakamura-Christiansen, here at Boston-Blitz.com.  All games start at 7:00 pm EST.

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