Note:  the blog says written by EJ but Mark Ginsburg wrote it, I (MG) cannot figure out the blog software to change the author.

In Week 2 Arizona battled to a 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Inventors.  We used a Tucson squad again.

The first game to finish was Adamson-Gorman, when white was up a pawn but black had enough positional compensation.

Next was Bartell-Ginsburg where the Philadelphia player left his king in the middle and got into a lost ending.

After that, Atoufi had a good game against Dehmelt with the bishop pair and a strong passed e-pawn, and in fact Dehmelt offered a draw, but Atoufi had the sound off and did not know.  He probably would have declined anyway.  At any rate, Atoufi misplayed and Dehlmet won a close endgame by one tempo.

Finally Molner and Erenburg agreed to a draw in a completely equal rook ending that came out of an Evans Gambit.

Board 1.

Molner-ARZ (2511) – Erenburg-PHI (2700) [C51]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 10.09.2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 Na5 7.Bd3 d6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Nf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qc2 Bd6 12.Nf3 Nc6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Nh5 16.Nbd2 Bg4 17.Rfe1 Nxg3 18.hxg3 Qf6 19.Rab1 Rab8 20.Nc4 Bxf3 21.gxf3 b5 22.Nxd6 cxd6 23.Bxb5 Ne5 24.Be2 Nxf3+ 25.Bxf3 Qxf3 26.Re3 Qf6 27.Kg2 Rfc8 28.Rb3 Qe7 29.Qd2 Qe6 30.Qb2 Rxb3 31.Qxb3 Qc4 32.Qxc4 Rxc4 33.Rd3 Rc6 34.Kf3 Kg7 35.Ke3 Kf6 36.Kd4 Ke6 37.f4 Ra6 38.Rd2 Ra4+ 39.c4 Ra3 40.Rh2 Ke7 41.Rxh6 Rxg3 42.fxg5 Rxg5 43.Rh3 Ra5 44.a3 Ke6 45.Rb3 Ra6 46.Rf3 Rb6 47.Rf5 Ra6 48.Rf3 Ra5 49.Rb3 Kd7 50.Rb7+ Ke6 51.Rb3 Kd7 52.Rb7+ Kc6 53.Rxf7 Rxa3 54.Rf6 Ra5 55.Rf7 Ra1 56.Rf6 Rd1+ 57.Kc3 Rc1+ 58.Kd4 Re1 59.Rf5 Ra1 60.Rf6 Rd1+ 61.Kc3 Re1 62.Kd4 a5 63.Rf5 Ra1 64.Kc3 Ra3+ 65.Kb2 Ra4 66.Kb3 Ra1 67.Kb2 Ra4 68.Kb3 Ra1 69.Kb2 Ra4 Game drawn by repetition 1/2-1/2

Board 2.

Bartell-PHI (2489) – Ginsburg-ARZ (2400) [E46]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 10.09.2012

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nge2 d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.g3 c5 9.dxc5 Nxc3 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.Nxc3 Bxc5 12.Bg2 Nc6 13.Bd2 Ne5 14.Ke2 Nc4 15.Bc1 Rb8 16.b3 Ne5 17.Ne4? b6!  Now white is in big trouble as the a6-f1 diagonal is open.

18.Bd2 Ba6+ 19.Kd1 Be7 20.f4 Ng4?!  The obvious 20… Nd3 was by far the fastest. White cannot untangle.  The text wins too.

21.Ke1 Bb7 22.h3 Nh6? For some reason, I overlooked 22…Nf6! 23. Nxf6+ Bxf6 and with both the R on a1 and the B on g2 hanging, black wins after 24. Bxb7 Bxa1 with an easy win.

 23.Rg1 Nf5 24.Nf2 Bxg2 25.Rxg2 Rbc8 26.Ra2 h5 27.g4 hxg4 28.hxg4 Nd6 29.Bb4  More prudent is g4-g5 shutting out the Bh4 possibility.

Bh4 30.Bxd6 Rxd6 31.Rd2?  A losing blunder.  Black concludes with some simple moves.   However it is difficult.  31. Ke2 Bxf2 with the idea of Rc3 is crushing.

Rc1+ 32.Ke2 Rxd2+ 33.Kxd2 Ra1 34.Ke2 Bxf2 35.Rxf2 Rxa3 White resigns 0-1

Board 3

Adamson-ARZ (2415) – Gorman-PHI (2327) [C12]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 10.09.2012

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2  IM Danny Rensch likes 6. Be3!? here.

 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4 g6 9.Bd3 Nxd2 10.Kxd2 c5 11.Nf3 Nc6 12.Rhb1 (?!)   Why not something like h2-h4 straight away?  

The text is a funny looking move committing both rooks on semi-closed lines.

Qe7 13.h4 c4 14.Be2 Rb8 15.a4 b6 16.Qf4 Kd7 17.Nh2 g5 18.Qe3 f5 19.exf6 Qxf6 20.hxg5 Qxg5 21.Ng4 Qxe3+ 22.Kxe3 Ke7 23.Rh1 h5 24.Ne5 Nxe5 25.dxe5 h4 26.g3 h3 27.Rh2 Bd7 28.Bg4 a5 29.Rxh3 Rxh3 30.Bxh3 Rh8 31.Bg4 Kd8 32.Be2 Be8 33.Bg4 Bd7 34.Be2 Be8 35.Bg4 Bd7 Game drawn by repetition 1/2-1/2

Weirdly since white’s pawns are so weak and he is tied to the a-pawn there no way to make progress in this position.  If only the king side pawns could be mobilized but there is no way to arrange it.

Board 4.

 Dehmelt-PHI (2298) – Atoufi-ARZ (2275) [B07]
ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 10.09.2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.c4 Nc6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Nc3 Nd7 10.Be3 Ne5 11.Be2 Be6 12.b3 Bf6 13.Rc1 c5 14.f4  Shouldn’t white put his N on d5?

 Nc6 15.e5 dxe5 16.f5 Bd7 17.Bxc5 Re8 18.Qd5 Ne7 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Ne4 Rad8 21.Qb7 Bg5 22.Rc3 Bf4 23.Qxc7 Bxf5 24.Qxe7 Rxe7 25.Ng3 Bg6 26.Rd1 Rxd1+ 27.Bxd1 Bd2 28.Rf3 e4 29.Rf1 Be3+ 30.Kh1 Bc5 31.Bg4 e3

White has a terrible game.  Somewhere in here, white offered a draw but black’s sound was off and he did not hear it.  ARGH!!!!

32.Rd1 h5 33.Bf3 h4 34.Ne2 Bb4 35.Rd5 Bb1 36.Rb5 Bd2  This bishop can be usefully used on the e5-b8 diagonal instead helping contain white’s only source of play, the queenside pawns.  

37.a3 Bd3 38.Rd5 Bc2 39.b4 f5 40.c5 g5 41.h3 g4??

Black blunders and loses an ending by one tempo.  Agonizing.

42.hxg4 fxg4 43.Rg5+ Kf8 44.Rxg4 Rh7 45.Kh2 Ke7 46.Be4 Bxe4 47.Rxe4+ Kd7 48.Kh3 Rf7 49.Rf4 Rxf4 50.Nxf4 Bc1 51.a4 Ba3 52.Nd3 e2 53.b5 Bb4 54.c6+ Kc7 55.Kxh4 e1Q+ 56.Nxe1 Bxe1+ 57.Kg4 a6 58.Kf4 axb5 59.axb5 Kb6 60.g4 Bb4 61.g5 Bc3 62.Kf5 Kc7 63.Ke6 Bd2 64.g6 Bc3 65.Kf7 Black resigns 1-0

Arizona should have won this match.  ARGH!!!!

The 2012 USCL season is upon us!

Here are the players.

GM Rogelio Barcenilla
IM Mackenzie Molner
IM Levon Altounian
IM Mark Ginsburg
IM Shahin Mohandesi
FM Robby Adamson
FM Pedram Atoufi
NM Dipro Chakraborty
NM Amanda Mateer
Isaac Martinez

The Year 2010 in the US Chess League looks to be a rather balanced league. It will be interesting to see whether improved teams such as Chicago can qualify for the playoffs, and whether new teams like St Louis and Los Angeles will handle their respective first year in the league. Somehow I think there will be a few new teams to the playoffs.

Just like last year, I will try my best to predict the matches. I really hope I can pick better than I did last year because last year was worse than the fall of a certain political parties (insert your favorite punch-bag here).  Without further ado, here are the Week 1 predictions:

Monday Matches –

New York Knights vs. Boston Blitz

The first match of the 2010 campaign is again a great match-up between 2 rivalries. I really like New York’s team this year with the use of the 3 underrated juniors (underrated meaning current USCF ratings are much higher than 2009 rating supplement being used) Alec Getz, Alex Ostrovskiy and Justus Williams, as well as heavy-weight GM Giorgi Kacheishvili on board 1. Getz has played well this year, Ostrovskiy is almost 2300, and Justus Williams has improved a lot in the last year. Boston always will be strong when you have GM Larry “Can I please get an ice coffee” Christiansen leading the team, but I think Boston is lacking that underrated player element that always seems to help teams. So who wins this one? I think Larry needs to score the full point against GM Alex Lenderman for Boston to be successful because I think NY is stronger overall. NY wins 2.5-1.5

Philadelphia has a slight rating edge here – but Philly will need a strong outing from IM Bryan Smith who had a superb  Philadelphia International this summer. I think Bryan needs to come after GM Joel Benjamin because NJ has a huge edge on board 2. GM Boris Gulko receives his obligatory white vs. FM Tom Bartell and should bring that point home. For that reason, I think NJ wins this one 2.5-1.5.

I remember the nervous feeling I had two years ago when I played for the Arizona Scorpions and I am sure there will be a little bit of nervous feelings from both of these expansion teams. But don’t feel too bad for St Louis who has 3 GMs (Naka, Shulman, and Finegold) or LA which has the very experienced GM Melik Khachiyan and some other very talented players. I think its pretty clear that if St Louis survives on boards 3 and 4 this year, they will be very difficult to beat. Even though this match is going to be close, in large part due to the huge rating advantage LA has on board 4, St Louis wins this one 2.5-1.5.

Seattle Sluggers vs. Chicago Blaze

Chicago has a rating edge this match and really looks to be significantly improved. GM Amanov on board 2 (or potentially 3^rd!) for future matches is slightly obnoxious. I expect Gurevich to do well on board 1 this year which should help Chicago contend for the playoffs. Seattle on the other hand has replaced Naka with Akobian, but Varuzhan is not playing this week. Chicago wins 3-1.

Wednesday Matches –

Manhattan Applesauce vs. Carolina Cobras

Do Cobras eat apple sauce? If they did, that would give Carolina at least one edge to speak of. Manhattan wins this one, though it will be closer than people will expect. MA wins 2.5-1.5.

The other expansion team, New England, has a lot of familiar faces with IM’s Hungaski, Vigorito, and strong FM’s Braden Bournival and Chris Chase. NE also has a huge rating edge. Baltimore is not playing their strongest possible lineup and is an underdog on all boards. That spells disaster for Baltimore.
New England wins 3-1.

San Francisco busts out the usual obnoxious rating average (2462 – highest of the week) and features the usual cast of underrated juniors, with both Daniel Naroditsky and Steven Zierk each recently picking up IM Norms. Dallas has a strong team as well and really needs a strong performance from Sal “Can we have split (not separate) checks” Bercys.  Sal really will need to “Do it Live” for Dallas to hang in there – you know its gonna be an interesting Kings Indian Defense. Overall, I give SF the nod here as youth is served.  SF wins by a hair, 2.5-1.5.

Miami Sharks vs. Arizona Scorpions

Last year was a great year to be a fan of the Scorpions. We won the blog award , made the playoffs, and had a great time.  Unfortunately we lost in the playoffs – but still a successful year.

This year we see two new strong juniors (NM Nick Thompson and Expert John Gurczak) who will man board 4, as well our most successful board 4 from last year, David Adelberg.

Now onto the match. We will need Rogelio to hold down USCL stalwart, GM Julio Becerra while our other IM’s Dionisio Aldama and Danny Rensch will need to score against fellow IM Blas Lugo and NM Eric Rodriguez. Miami has a 200 point rating edge on board 4 with Charles Galofre against John Gurczak, though John is white. This will be a tough match as it always is when you play Miami.  I predict the olive branch here, 2-2 tie.

Hello Everyone!

The 2010 United States Chess League is almost upon us. The teams (including 3 new ones) are gathering for another great season of Internet chess. Just as the league is making some changes, so are the Arizona Scorpions.

The 2010 Scorpions were announced today. Here is the official roster. The ratings in parenthesis are the official league ratings based on the September 2009 USCF supplement. Current USCF ratings are different.

IM Rogelio Barcenilla (2583)
IM Levon Altounian (2536)
IM Dionisio Aldama (2489)
IM Danny Rensch (2432)
FM Warren Harper (2357)
FM Robby Adamson (2346)
NM David Adelberg (2196)
NM Nick Thompson (2098)
Expert John Gurczak (2098)
Expert Amanda Mateer (1993)

One other change to announce. Leo Martinez has stepped down as manager of the Scorpions. Sources close to the organization, who wish to remain anonymous, say that “wanting to spend more time with his family, to work on his studies, and to focus on his health” were major factors in his decision. There were some rumors last season that Leo’s wild, partying nightlife and many female fans were a distraction to the team during their playoff run. When asked if “Leo’s Legion of Ladies” was the cause for the early playoff exit, Scorpion veteran Robby Adamson replied, “Everyone loves Leo. Women want to be with him, men want to be him. But that doesn’t matter now. The 2010 team is only focused on the 2010 season.” EJ will take over as manager of the team.

The first match of the year will be on Wednesday, August 25 at 6:00 PM (local time) against the Miami Sharks. A line-up and location will be announced prior to the match. Once again, the Scorpions will play matches in either Mesa (Abstrax) or Tucson (University of Arizona). All matches are viewable on the Internet Chess Club (ICC).

We look forward to another great season!

Sharks, Cars, and Suicide

First of all, I want to preface this preview with an apology: this will be my worst write-up for the Scorpions that I have done.  My liver is reeling from this weekend, I can’t breathe out of my nose, I’m sleep deprived, and I just got back from a class where my world famous professor rambled on about Hardy-Weinberg Principle Chi-squared testing for two hours—YAY!  Okay Elliott, stop whining.  Anyway…

both teams will make the playoffs, so not as much to play for other than seeding, but Arizona can actually tie for first in the West with Seattle if the Scorpions win and the rainy city inhabitants lose.

GM Julio “¿Hablo Inglès?” Becerra vs. GM Alejandro “I Don’t Know How To Drive” Ramirez

(Disclaimer: I have no knowledge about Alejandro’s actual driving ability, but I know it’s at least better than Robby’s and Amanda’s)

This game will be exciting, obviously because both players are Latino (although Handi somehow didn’t acquire the dominant “I love to attack crazily” allele).  Becerra will of course go for the jugular and come out with guns blazing.  These two last played with the current colors over the board at the 2008 UTD GM Invitational where the game ended in a hard-fought draw after 44 moves.  Julio will open with 1.e4 as always (once again because nearly every Latino player plays 1.e4), but the question is what will Ramirez respond with on his first move (he played Alekhine’s 1…Nf6 in the 2008 game—maybe a good choice again)?  He has many flexible choices at his disposal (i.e. Sicilian and French along with Alekhine’s), so it’s really up to Alejandro to determine what type of game he’d like to steer the position towards.  This stylistic direction will most likely determine the outcome of the game.  I recommend Alejandro plays something solid like he did last time because I think complications would favor Julio.  If Handi can successfully equalize, I think he can hold a very dangerous opponent to a solid draw.

IM Levon “I Am Going To Go For a Win This Time!” Altounian vs. IM Blas “I Have The Coolest First Name” Lugo

Levon is white, the rating favorite, and really needs to try to win this game for his team, mainly based on the fact that board 4 is a problem (sorry Amanda, love you!).  No matter how he goes for it—either via slow, methodical, python squeeze or busting out of his solid cocoon for an attempted blitzkrieg—Mr. Reliable Consistency has to try to push, force the issue, and win this game at all costs.  However, everyone knows Blas will be ready for a fight, and for those who aren’t familiar with him, he is a capable player whose strength is much greater (at least 100 points) than the meaningless four-digit number that follows his name (Lugo has also whooped me twice a few years ago).  I know Blas plays Slav as Black, which is obviously way too exciting for Levon to even come close to challenging, so maybe Altounian will open with the flexible 1.Nf3 to see how Lugo responds or maybe Levon should play English with 1.c4, which would most likely result in a reversed closed Dragon such as: 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.d3 0-0 9.a3 etc. because I think Blas plays something along these lines (although I could obviously be wrong).  Of course, Levon should really play the Botvinnik variation of the Slav or one of those crazy Meran lines or something like that.  *[Wishful thinking by me]*.  Regardless of what the opening is, I believe Altounian will come through in the clutch again for his team and ultimately prevail in this intriguing match-up.

IM Alejandro Moreno “No, I Don’t Have As Many Middle Names as Handi” Roman vs. Robby “Yesterday, I Became Eligible For Senior Benefits” Adamson

Happy Birthday Robby (to the readers: it actually was his birthday)!  Congratulations, you’re old!  You also suck at driving.  Now, just don’t lose this game.  Nothing would make Robby and the Scorpions happier than a big win on Board 3.  I think this may be the most pivotal game of the match.  The winner here will most likely lead his team to victory.  Moreno Roman will actually not play 1.e4 (I will be very surprised if he does) because he clearly favors Queen-pawn systems.  What remains to be seen is if Adamson chooses to repeat his Two Knights Tango or if he tries to go into some sort of Benko or Benoni.  I will predict a toss-up: will the veteran IM secure a victory for his team or will Birthday Baby-face deliver a present with a masterful performance?

Madame Amanda “I Almost Killed Elliott Liu When He Was In My Car” Mateer vs. Eric “The Last Time I Played A Girl With Initials ‘A.M.’ I Lost In 14 Moves!” Rodriguez

Alright so for those who don’t know, these two nicknames are actually TRUE!  FACT!  CORRECT!  So…first of all, Amanda, you ARE the world’s worst driver, congratulations (yes, hard to believe, but worse than Larry)!  To make a long story short, ms. Directionally Challenged made a left turn into an oncoming semi with me in the passenger seat.  Okay, I guess I am being mean.  I only say she is a bad driver because I almost died, but besides that she isn’t too bad (“too” is the key word here).  And secondly, Eric, my homeboy, remember back in the U.S. Open in 2007 when you played another “A.M.” with Black, lost in 14 moves because you forgot how to play chess, and wanted to kill yourself?  Well, in case you or anyone else did, thought I’d revive this gem: I present to you ms. Abby Marshall vs. Eric Rodriguez.

Yo, so Amanda you have the whole “A.M” thing on your side this week.  Also, you showed the world your undercover beastly strength with that previous 300 point upset, so there’s no reason why history won’t repeat itself.  Unfortunately, I have a feeling E-Rod will play more like A-Rod this week, so just pretend you’re Madonna or something (hopefully sports enthusiasts understand).  I assume Eric will try to Benoni you, so, um, good luck with that.  But seriously, make the game cool.  In a shocker, I predict Rodriguez to win this game, but ms. Mateer is no pushover…until you actually try to push her.

Verdict: So what does all this mean?  I predict an exciting 2-2 draw this week.  No, I’m being serious, I actually think 2-2 has a good chance of happening.  Both teams have two toss-up games on Boards 1 and 3 and two games where one player is more favored than the other on Boards 2 and 4.  I still think Robby’s game is the most crucial because in this specific situation I don’t see Alejandro beating Becerra with the Black pieces unless Julio has to unnecessarily push, which I’m assuming he shouldn’t considering both teams are already in the playoffs.  I will conclude by saying it has honestly been a pleasure guest-writing for the Scorpions from time to time this USCL season, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Peace!

Alright, back to Mendelian recombinant population genetics and lactose coevolution

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.

Let’s quickly look and see what Week 9 has in store for us. NJ is going to try and clinch the East, while Seattle closes in on the West. Everyone seems to be alive in the East while the West is seed-to-be-determined, with Dallas having an outside chance. I have done much lately in picking, although of course that’s all luck.

Queens Pioneers vs. Carolina Cobras

Queens wins to keep mathematically alive. Queens wins 2.5-1.5.

Dallas Destiny vs. Chicago Blaze

A battle for Dallas to stay alive in the West – Dallas and Chicago battle to 2-2 tie.

San Francisco Mechanics vs. Tennessee Tempo

San Francisco wins 3-1 – they have more to prove than Tennessee, who has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Philadelphia Inventors vs. New Jersey Knockouts

Gulko = win for NJ – should wrap up the division and may dash the playoff hopes of Philly. NJ wins 2.5-1.5.

Baltimore Kingfishers vs. New York Knights

The biggest match of the night perhaps. NY has the edge on board 4. Erenberg probably needs a win with white for Baltimore to have a chance. NY wins 2.5-1.5.

Boston Blitz vs. Miami Sharks

A match with significance for both teams. No Becerra, no LarryC – should be a tight match. Perelshteyn gives Boston the edge and a very narrow win. Boston wins 2.5-1.5.

Seattle Sluggers vs. Arizona Scorpions

I predict my Scorpions and Seattle battle to a tie, 2-2.

Last week – 5-2! (That is 10-4 in 2 weeks!).

Lets briefly recap Week 7, (where I finally picked well (5-2). I mean I had to pick well once this year).  Seattle solidified their stranglehold on 1st place in the West Division with a hard fought win over Miami, while both New Jersey and Boston improved their record to 6-1 as they continue their dominance in the East.  Arizona, San Francisco, and Miami are all tied for 2nd in the West, with a record of 4-3. All teams in the East except Carolina are in playoff contention in the East, with only 1 match win separating 3rd from 5th place.  The results this week should clarify or confuse the division.

New Jersey Knockouts vs Boston Blitz

With firstp lace on the line in the East, except a very competitive match.  No GM Joel for NJ, and no GM Larry for Boston. The GM match-up of  Boris Gulko and Eugene Perelshteyn should be a dandy – as both are undefeated in USCL play this year. Boston seems a little stronger on the other boards and that should provide an edge. NJ has been impressive this season, so we will see if that difference matters. I think Eugene will hold Gulko to a draw and therefore the edge switches to Boston, and therefore Boston wins. 2.5-1.5.

Dallas Destiny vs Miami Sharks

Miami has a slight rating advantage, and because of  Dallas’s late substitution on board 4, Miami has the edge on most of the boards. For Dallas to be successful, they need IM John Bartholomew to hold at least a draw and perhaps have IM Daniel Ludwig exact some revenge from his previous loss to IM Bruci Lopez.  Despite the advantages for Miami, somehow I think Dallas and Miami battle to a tie, 2-2.

Chicago Blaze vs Arizona Scorpions

Go Scorpions! Arizona wins.
New York Knights vs Carolina Cobras

Rating advantage on 3 boards + Need to win to keep hold of 3rd place = Win for NY Knights, though it will be closer than people think,  NY 2.5-1.5

Philadelphia Inventors vs Baltimore Kingfishers

Philly better make their move soon if they are gonna make the playoffs, like my beloved Phillies. This match is a total toss-up. Philly seems a little stronger, though Baltimore is very close to making the playoffs if they can find a way to win. This should be an exciting match – I predict a draw, that way no one is happy.

San Francisco Mechanics vs Queens Pioneers

Queens needs this badly or their playoff hopes are over. San Francisco needs it as well to keep pace in the West. SF wins a close one, 2.5-1.5.

Tennessee Tempo vs Seattle Sluggers

It is so difficult to pick against Seattle when Nakamura is playing, no matter who the opponent. TN chose not to use either of their GM’s, its hard to pick anything but a Seattle win.  TN has to hope for production on boards 3 and 4, and a draw on boards 1 or 2. TN will put up a valiant effort, in the end, you cant get around the NAKA factor. Seattle wins 3-1.

Last Week 5-2!