What a match we have in store this week!
In the unofficial USCL power rankings, Seattle sits at #2 and Arizona sits at #3 in the league. Clearly, this match is going to be a battle between teams that have proven to be heavyweights in 2009.
Board 1 pits two young phenoms against each other. In the red corner, GM Hikaru Nakamura, the current US Champion and undisputed superstar of the USCL this season. Naka weighs in with an October-supplement USCF rating of 2824 (!) and a whopping 5-0 record in the league. In the blue corner, we see the return of GM Alejandro Ramirez, weighing in with an October-supplement rating of 2623 and a solid 3-1 record this season, which includes a GOTW win over GM Joel Benjamin. It is safe to say that Naka–who leads the league in MVP points–is the favorite, but no one should ever underestimate the spaghetti-making Central American wonder that is Alejandro Tadeo Ramirez Alvarez. DO NOT MISS THIS GAME!
On Board 2, IM Levon Altounian reps the Scorpions against FM Slava Mikhailuk. Early this season, Arizona’s IM Mark Ginsburg dealt Mikhailuk his only loss of the 2009 season. Scorpions fans hope that Levon (who has drawn all 3 of his games this season) can do the same. This board could easily be the critical game for the match and looks to be a must-win for the Scorps!
On Board 3, FM Robby Adamson (2.5-1.5) will also be looking to convert a full point with black against FM Marcel Milat (0-1). Though both players weigh in with similar ratings, Robby has two advantages in this game: (1) he has been staying much more active in recent years than Milat, who hasn’t played a USCF or FIDE tournament since 2006 and usually only gets played once a year in the USCL; and (2) he is the blitzmaster.
On Board 4, Amanda Mateer makes her debut for the Scorpions, taking on NM Joshua Sinanan. Earlier this season, Arizona’s NM Leo Martinez drew Sinanan. Weighing in with a 5-1 record this season and a USCF rating of 2248, Sinanan looks to be the favorite on this board. However, Amanda has proven her talent against much stronger players than Sinanan, so this game could easily still go either way. Besides, as Alejandro will remind us, Amanda is sooo creative!
Tune in tomorrow evening to watch this important battle between two teams leading the West! If you have been watching the Scorpions’ action-packed matches the past few weeks, I shouldn’t have to convince you that it could be epic.
Sean, you forgot to mention that Amanda could be like 2500 FIDE! It’s like we have a ringer on board 4!
Thanks for an excellent preview. I look forward to the games. (And also thank you for minimizing the use of nicknames – a pracitce that’s been getting a little tired on these blogs.) Best wishes, Scorpions!
I will be in the commentary room @ the site tonight. I gotta diagree with ol’ Birchwood, keep those nicknames coming. Especially, our fourth board
Amanda “YOU’RE MATED” Mateer
aka “Superfox” Mateer
aka “Slinky” Mateer
aka “Fashionista” Mateer
etc.
I think our advantage is on Boards 2 and 3 while our disadvantage is on Boards 1 and 4. We need to get at least a draw on the outside and 2 points on the inside.
No draws, Lev!!