Arizona Scorpions

Danny Rensch invited to SPICE Cup

2009-08-10T10:26:00.003-07:00

GM Susan Polgar announced today that Danny Rensch has been invited (and confirmed) to play in the next SPICE Cup. The SPICE Cup is an international FIDE tournament, to be held September 19-29, at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.

Danny will be hunting for his final IM norm.

FM Danny Rensch of Arizona has confirmed his participation in the SPICE Cup B
group. I was so impressed when I read a story about him. That is why I decided
to invite Danny to give him an opportunity to earn his third and final IM norm.

Group B will be a 10-player round-robin event (Category 11-12). So far the confirmed players are:

IM Gabor Papp 2558 - HUN
IM Davorin Kuljasevic 2547 - CRO
GM Eugene Perelshteyn 2537 - USA
GM Andre Diamant 2519 - Brazil
IM Ben Finegold 2513 - USA
IM Ray Robson 2496 - USA
IM Gergely Antal 2479 - HUN
FM Danny Rensch 2392 - USA

Good luck Danny! We hope you get your norm (and title)!!!

World's Best to Clash in Arizona!

2009-05-25T19:37:00.002-07:00

The 2009 Copper State International Chess Tournament

May 29th - June 3rd, 2009
at
Abstrax, Inc.
2222 S Dobson Rd, Mesa, AZ 85202

COME EXPERIENCE:

• A chess event unlike any Arizona has ever seen.
• Some of the strongest players in the world competing alongside
many of the nation's most talented juniors.
• A chess tournament guaranteed to be full of many hard fought battles.
The event will also include a day (May 30th) of fun and festivities:
• A 20-player Simultaneous Exhibition by Grand Master Timur Gareev
of Uzbekistan.
• Chess Lecture by Grand Master Alejandro Ramirez of Costa Rica.

OUR MISSION:

The American Chess Events' mission is to create the most cooperative and productive
environment possible for America's youth chess players to succeed both in chess and in life,
with the eventual goal of producing an American World Chess Champion. We intend
for the 2009 Copper State International to help the U.S. chess scene take the next big step:
Create a consistent series of tournaments where our best players can challenge tough,
international competition without having to travel overseas. In an effort to breakdown the
barriers that exist between the “Chess Professional” and the “Amateur Chess Enthusiast”,
a higher quality of chess both “over the board” and “in the playing halls” will be expected from
all tournament participants.

UPDATE: 6 GMs, and over 10 IMs will be comepeting in the event! Click the link below for more details: http://www.americanchess.net/tournaments/csi_052909.asp

2009 USCL schedule released

2009-05-06T12:31:00.003-07:00

The 2009 USCL schedule had been released. The season begins with 3 match-ups on Monday, Aug. 31. The Scorpion's first match-up will be Wednesday, Sep. 2 at 6:00 PM (local time) against the Chicago Blaze. As always, all games will be played on the Internet Chess Club.

Week 1 - Wed. Sep. 2 White vs. Chicago
Week 2 - Tues. Sep. 8 Black vs. Tennessee
Week 3 - Wed. Sep. 16 White vs. Seattle
Week 4 - Mon. Sep. 21 Black vs. Baltimore
Week 5 - Wed. Sep. 30 White vs. Dallas
Week 6 - Mon. Oct. 5 White vs. New Jersey
Week 7 - Wed. Oct. 14 White vs. San Francisco
Week 8 - Mon. Oct. 19 Black vs. Chicago
Week 9 - Wed. Oct. 28 Black vs. Seattle
Week 10 - Wed. Nov. 4 Black vs. Miami

Playoff Quarterfinals - Wed. Nov. 11
Playoff Semifinals - Wed. Nov. 18
Championship - Sat. Dec. 5

White/Black denotes the color for boards 1 and 3. Boards 2 and 4 will be the other color.

Rosters for the Scorpions and all teams will be announced soon.

Newspaper article on David Adelberg

2009-04-11T12:45:00.004-07:00

Really neat newspaper article on promising local junior David Adelberg:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/10/20090410sr-chess0411.html

University of Arizona College team Ties for First in the College Chess League

2009-03-25T21:01:00.003-07:00

The University of Arizona tied for first in the Chess Park College Chess League played over a span of a couple of months. The five teams that participated were all strong including two teams that made it in the Final Four of the Pan American Championships (UTB and Stanford). The five teams involved in the league are University of Arizona, University of Texas at Brownsville, Stanford, University of Miami and New York. The league was a round robin where every team plays every other team. First place was shared between Stanford, UTB and the University of Arizona who all scored 2.5/4 match points. The University of Arizona team consisted of Arizona juniors including FM Warren Harper, NM Leo Martinez, and Experts Ben Marmont, Jon Cox, and Amanda Mateer. The match results and games can be seen at http://college.chesspark.com. Stay tuned for annoted games from some of our players !

Oh dear sweet Dragon...

2009-03-24T21:10:00.003-07:00

Danny's relationship with the Dragon: "I wish I could quit you!"

Dominguez Perez,L (2717) - Radjabov,T (2761) [B77]
XXVI SuperGM Linares ESP (5), 24.02.2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.Bb3 h5 12.0-0-0 Ne5 13.Bg5 Rc5 14.Kb1 Re8 15.f4 Nc4 16.Qd3 Qc8 17.f5 gxf5 18.exf5 Ne5 19.Qe2 Neg4 20.Rhf1 Rxc3 21.bxc3 Qxc3 22.Bc1 a5 23.Bb2 Qe3 24.Rde1 Qxe2 25.Rxe2 a4 26.Bc4 Ne5 27.Bb5 Rc8 28.Bxd7 Nfxd7 29.Nf3 Rc4 30.Nxe5 Nxe5 31.g3 Rg4 32.Rg2 Nc4 33.Bc1 Be5 34.Rf3 f6 35.c3 Kf7 36.Kc2 Ke8 37.Kd3 b5 38.Be3 Kd7 39.Bf4 Kc6 40.Rf1 Kc5 41.Rf3 Kd5 42.Rf1 Kc6 43.Rf3 Nb6 44.Bd2 Nd7 45.Bf4 Nc5+ 46.Kc2 Ne4 47.Re2 d5 48.Ree3 Kd6 49.Rf1 Rg8 50.Rd1 Kc6 51.Rf1 Bxf4 52.Rxf4 Nxg3 53.Rxe7 Ne4 54.Kd3 Rg2 55.a3 Kc5 56.Rc7+ Kd6 57.Rc8 Ra2 58.Kd4 Rd2+ 59.Ke3 Ra2 60.Kd4 Rd2+ 61.Ke3 Ra2 62.Kd4 ½-½

Dominguez Perez,L (2717) - Carlsen,M (2776) [B78]
XXVI SuperGM Linares ESP (9), 01.03.2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 11.Bb3 Na5 12.Bh6 Bxh6 13.Qxh6 b5 14.g4 Nxb3+ 15.Nxb3 b4 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 Rb6 18.Rhe1 e5 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.Re3 Rf7 21.Nd2 d5 22.Nb3 Qc7 23.Kb1 Rb8 24.Rde1 Rc8 25.R1e2 Qb6 26.h4 d4 27.Re5 d3 28.cxd3 Rxf3 29.d4 Bb5 30.R2e3 Bd3+ 31.Ka1 Qxd4 32.Rxe6 Rf1+ 33.Re1 Qxg4 34.Rxf1 Qxe6 35.Nc5 Qe2 36.Rc1 Bf5 37.Qf4 a5 38.h5 Qe7 39.Qc4+ Be6 40.Qc2 Qg5 41.hxg6 hxg6 42.a3 bxa3 43.Qc3 axb2+ 44.Kxb2 Qd5 45.Rc2 a4 46.Ka1 a3 47.Qe3 Bf7 48.Qc3 g5 49.Qe3 Re8 50.Qc3 Re2 51.Nb3 Rxc2 52.Qxc2 Qe5+ 53.Kb1 Kg7 54.Qd2 Bxb3 0-1

Thanks for listening!

Multiple members of Arizona Scorpions Start Playing in the College Chess League!

2009-01-19T02:15:00.004-07:00

Arizona Scorpions players FM Warren Harper and NM Leo Martinez, as well as other strong local Experts Ben Marmont, Jon Cox, and Amanda Mateer are all a part of the newly created College Chess League representing various college teams from across the nation. Although the league has just started, many strong teams are playing including the University of Arizona, Stanford, New York University as well as others. Find out more about interviews with members of the teams and about updates of when the matches will be held at the College Chess League Blog at http://college.chesspark.com/

2008 Results

2008-11-07T13:52:00.001-07:00

Week 1 - (W) - Chicago Blaze 2.5-1.5

(Games) (Pictures) (Recap)

Week 2 - (L) - Dallas Destiny 1.0-3.0

(Pictures) (Recap)

Week 3 - (L) - Queens Pioneers 1.0-3.0

(Recap)

Week 4 - (W) - Tennessee Tempo 2.5-1.5

(Games) (Pictures) (Recap)

Week 5 - (D) - Carolina Cobras 2.0-2.0

(Games) (Pictures) (Recap)

Week 6 - (L) - San Francisco Mechanics 1.0-3.0

(Recap)

Week 7 - (L) - Miami Sharks 0.5-3.5

Week 8 - (L) - Seattle Sluggers 1.5-2.5

Week 9 - (W) - Chicago Blaze 3.0-1.0

Week 10 - (W) - Seattle Sluggers 2.5-1.5

Final Record: 4 wins - 1 draw - 5 losses; Tied for 4th place

Click here for the full season schedule

Scorpions Barely Miss Playoffs!

2008-11-06T14:26:00.033-07:00

Well that was close! We missed the playoffs in our first year by the narrowest of margins tying for 4th place (four teams make the playoffs in each division) only to lose on tiebreaks by 1/2 point. You can see below that we lost on the first set of tiebreaks (Game Points) to Seattle by 1/2 point.

WESTERN DIVISION	W	L	Game Points	Opp Avg Rating	Opps Record
# - Miami	7.0	3.0	26.5/40 (66%)	2407	47.5-38.5 (55%)
@ - San Francisco	6.5	3.5	23.5/40 (59%)	2404	46.5-39.5 (54%)
@ - Dallas	6.5	3.5	21.0/40 (53%)	2409	46.5-39.5 (54%)
@ - Seattle	4.5	5.5	18.0/40 (45%)	2400	42.5-43.5 (49%)
X- Arizona	4.5	5.5	17.5/40 (44%)	2398	48.5-37.5 (56%)
X - Chicago	4.0	6.0	19.5/40 (49%)	2392	42.0-44.0 (49%)
X - Tennessee	4.0	6.0	16.5/40 (41%)	2398	41.5-44.5 (48%)

(Opponent Record Column only counts match results against other teams,
and will only be calculated once all of the week's matches have completed.)

However, to win our last two matches against Chicago and Seattle and to come so close to the playoffs is only stronger motivation to make it next year! As has been the case all year everyone on the team was devastated with the result but also pointed out how many improvements can be made for next year.

Okay let's get on the games from the final week! It might seem that we lost this match from my comments but actually we seemed to be dominating throughout. This match was actually a rematch of Week 8 when we played Seattle as well. The only difference was that instead of GM Hikaru Nakamura 2749(2700 FIDE) playing board 1 for Seattle they had GM Gregory Serper 2592 who is of course very strong but better for us. Serper would be playing IM Levon Altounian 2535, our number 1 board for our Tucson team, who has done very solidly overall this season. Everyone else for Seattle and Arizona was the same so we would see some rematches from this earlier match, but with colors reversed. So for example, FM Robby Adamson 2377 would play WGM Katerina Rohonyan 2336 but with White this time. IM Mark Ginsburg 2410 would play FM Slava Mikhailuk 2437 but with Black. And NM Warren Harper 2351 would play NM Michael Lee 2314 again, this time with Black.

We needed Chicago to lose and we needed to win by a score of 3-1 to make the playoffs. I was confident Chicago was an underdog as they didn't put up their best lineup against the defending champions, Dallas Destiny. As predicted they lost 2.5-1.5. Winning 3-1 against Seattle was going to be tougher. Winning a match in general is tough but winning 3-1 is obviously even harder. I told the whole team, including Lev, to go for a win as getting 3 points was the goal.

Arizona Scorpions			Seattle Sluggers
IM Levon Altounian: 2535	0.5	0.5	GM Gregory Serper: 2592
IM Mark Ginsburg: 2410	0.0	1.0	FM Slava Mikhailuk: 2437
FM Robby Adamson: 2377	1.0	0.0	WGM Katerina Rohonyan: 2336
NM Warren Harper: 2351	1.0	0.0	NM Michael Lee: 2314
Avg Rating: 2418			Avg Rating: 2420
Arizona Total -------	2.5	1.5	------- Seattle Total

Board 4 NM Michael Lee (SEA) vs NM Warren Harper (ARZ) 0-1

This game was very important and matched two strong 4th boards against each other, both over the 2300 rating mark. Although Warren had lost his first two games this season he ended up winning his last three games, beating Michael Lee twice, if you include this game. In these three games he was playing three 2300s beating all of them. This game really showed that Warren can really mix it up and really went after Michael Lee from the beginning. I remember that Warren had a test on Thursday but really wanted to play and decided finally to play. However, due to this he didn't have much time to prep so me and him prepped the 1/2 hour before the match against the almost definite 1. c4, 2. g3, 3. Nc3 setups that Michael Lee always plays. Once Lev showed up, 15 minutes before the match, he got into the preparation also which helped a lot. So 5 minutes before the game Warren went into a corner and was looking up games with this ...f5 system that can be seen in the game. Not ideal but it worked! We had looked at positions very similar to what happened in the game and went over some ideas such as ...Qe8 and ...Qh5 and also ...c6 and ...d5 in some positions. The setup seemed right since we needed a win and Michael Lee had lost to this ...f5 setup earlier in the season to Emory Tate. I wasn't 100% sure about 9...Nf5, thinking 9...Qh5 was most natural but the idea is interesting. I've kind of learned this season that Warren doesn't really think like me when it comes to chess but his ideas usually work anyways! The game really turned wild when White decided to castle long with 17. gxf4 and 18. 0-0-0. I thought maybe 18. Rg1 was a better try but already I kind of like Black. This is one of those positions where Black can push but has to be a little careful of overextending. Maybe one place that White can think about an improvement is 20. h3!? when after 20...dxe4 21 Bxe4 White will take on g4 next and he finally has something to work with. At least the play is completely centered around the kingside. I haven't really looked at it too deeply but it seems logical. After this Warren really played nicely activating his pieces to the
maximum and after 29...Qe3 (diagram) the game seemed basically over.

The next game to finish was on board 1.
Board 1 IM Levon Altounian (ARZ) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1/2-1/2

This game was pretty interesting as it seemed that both players knew that a draw was most likely outcome but neither was really shying away from complications. Lev was another person that didn't really have much time to p

repare for the game, coaching non-stop throughout the week and having a young girl, but with White Lev is strong and very tough to beat. I relayed this game for a while and could see that Levon was really into it. We talked about his game for a while afterward and he said he was looking for complications at a number of points, playing 7. Nxc6!? bxc6 8. c4 instead of the

normal and more timid 7. Nb3 followed by a later c4 with a most likely draw.

12...Rac8 was slightly strange and after 13. e4 the game seemed to be at a critical point. White

won a pawn after 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. ed5 cd5 16. cd5 but after 16...Bd4! 17. Rac1 e5! Black had a

lot of compensation with his two bishops and pressure on the c3 knight. Although both of these players are at least a couple of levels above me I will do my best to point out a couple areas of interest.

Maybe one area of interest was 19. b3!? (diagram) followed by either Ne4 or Ne2. At least this gets rid of the pressure on b2 and the c3 knight. However this continuation looks more dangerous as White has some loose pieces. After 19. Kh1 the game seemed to forceably peter out to a draw and after 22. fe5 Qe5 23 Rfe1 Bc3 24. Re5 Bd2 25 Rc6 Rfc8 26 Rc7 Rc7 it was pretty obvious the game was going to end in a draw.

The next two games were FM Slava Mikhailuk (SEA) vs IM Mark Ginsburg (ARZ) on board 2 and FM Robby Adamson (ARZ) vs WGM Katerina Rohonyan (SEA) on board 3. We needed 1.5/2 in order to get to the magic number of 3 points in order to make the playoffs. Robby's game was prepared up to move 17 and both players blitzed out these moves very quickly. However, as seems to happen a lot both players made up for this time by spending a lot of time on the next couple of moves.

I was pretty confident in Robby's chances but after 30...Rc3 (diagram) I slowly changed my mind as it is unclear where White can really breakthrough while if White wastes time Black will quickly get a lot of play with ...Kg7-f6-e5 and ...f5-f4 ideas putting pressure on White. However, just one move after thinking this Robby was winning! White played 31. Rb4 and Black played 31...Rd7? (31...Kxg7 looks natural with the idea that after 32. Rb6 Black plays 32...a5 33. Rb5 Rec7) completely changing the game as White wins the pawn on e4 with 32. Rxe4!. After this Black's pressure and space advantage are completely gone and the d5 pawn is weak. Although it seemed like at certain points Robby's technique could have been better the win was never really in doubt.
At the same time Mark's game was going on and he was also doing well. All we needed was a draw on this board, based on Robby's games turn of events. However, Mark didn't know this and was still playing the game out. You can see all of his annotations to his game and his thought process during the match on his blog at http://nezhmet.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/the-fabulous-00s-uscl-week-10/ . Although he had a couple of draws or more clear cut moves with 1-2 minutes on the clock this is tough. Unfortunately, he ended up losing it in a rook vs. pawn endgame.

This was a tough match and to get to that magic number of 3 points was not possible this time. However, with all we've learned from this first season and the obvious mistakes we made throughout the season, learning on our way, there is no real doubt in my mind that we will be improved and more ready next season. I want to also say a quick thank you to all of those who helped the Arizona Scorpions throughout the season (in no specific order):

all of the players on the team who took a large chunk out of their schedule in order to play, Alan Anderson, Sean Higgins, John LaLonde, Amanda Mateer, Pasha Savine, Jean Hoffman, Sam Hoffman, Jon Cox, Ben Marmont, Kevin Zhang, Danny Rensch, Robby Adamson, Satheesh Aradhyula, Jim Blackwood, Levon Altounian, Rogelio Barcenilla, James Martin. I am sure I missed some people but thank you to you also! I also want to thank our sponsors: Abstrax, SACA, ACFI, Checkmate Chess Instruction, and the University of Arizona. Thank you!

Joel Johnson vs. Ilan Meerovich Recap by Joel Johnson

2008-10-23T13:37:00.004-07:00

My Second USCL Match

In this week’s match against the Chicago Blaze, I find out that my opponent is scholastic chess star Ilan Meerovich. And, as in my last match, I start digging for information about my opponent.

The first bit of information comes from an old blog at:

http://chesslodge.blogspot.com/2005/12/ilan-meerovich.html

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Ilan Meerovich

Ilan is 14 years old and highest rated player in Illinois for his age group, which also makes him one of the hot prospects for the future of US chess (USCF rating - 1972). He was the winner of numerous junior events and has also participated in The Internet Scholastic Chess Championship.

At this point, I know he is a very highly rated high school senior. Then, I check out his past games played in the U.S. Chess League. I notice that he won the two games that he played against higher rated opponents, which means that he is likely stronger than his posted rating. In both of his games, he played fairly wide open and aggressive. Below are the two games.

Meerovich,Ilan (2131) - Harper, Warren (2301) [E25]

US Chess League

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.f3 d5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd3 f5 9.e4 fxe4 10.fxe4 Ne7 11.Nf3 0–0 12.Be2 Nec6 13.0–0 Nd7 14.Be3 Qe7 15.e5 h6 16.Qg6 Qf7 17.Qg3 Qh5 18.Nh4 Qxe2 19.Bxh6 Rf7 20.Rxf7 Kxf7 21.Qxg7+ Ke8 22.Qg8+ Nf8 23.Qxf8+ Kd7 24.Qd6+ Ke8 25.Rf1 1–0

Meerovich,Ilan (2131) - Wheeler (FM), Jerry (2204) [E94]

US Chess League, 10/20/2008

1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e4 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nbd7 8.d5 Nc5 9.Qc2 a5 10.Ne1 Ne8 11.f3 f5 12.Be3 b6 13.Nd3 Nf6 14.Nxc5 bxc5 15.a3 f4 16.Bf2 g5 17.b4 Nd7 18.bxc5 Nxc5 19.Na4 Nxa4 20.Qxa4 h5 21.c5 Bd7 22.c6 Bc8 23.Qd1 Rf6 24.Rb1 Rg6 25.h3 Bf6 26.Rb5 Qf8 27.Be1 Qg7 28.Rxa5 Rxa5 29.Bxa5 g4 30.fxg4 hxg4 31.Bxg4 Bxg4 32.hxg4 Rxg4 33.Qe2 Rh4 34.Qf3 Rg4 35.Rb1 Kf7 36.Rb7 1–0

Next step is to scan the internet for more games, and just like that I find this “youtube” video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgs9Q-08Yv0

This game tells me that he has a rough time dealing with cramped positions. He loses to a weaker player because he is unable to deal with his opponent’s positional maneuvers. A very nice video put together by Matt Pullin.

Meerovich, Ilan (2066) - Pullin, Matt (1895) [D09]

2007 Illinois Open Internet Chess Club (5), 2007

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3 Bf5 6.Nh4 Be6 7.Qa4 g5 8.Nf3 h6 9.Bg2 Qd7 10.Qb5 0–0–0 11.Nfd2 Bh3 12.Bxc6 Qxc6 13.Qxc6 bxc6 14.f4 Be7 15.Nf3 g4 16.Nfd2 d3 17.exd3 Bc5 18.Ke2 Ne7 19.Nb3 Bg2 20.Re1 Bf3+ 21.Kd2 Bf2 22.Rf1 Bd4 23.Na3 Nf5 24.Nc2 c5 25.Re1 h5 26.Ncxd4 cxd4 27.Kc2 h4 28.Nd2 hxg3 29.hxg3 Nxg3 30.Rg1 Ne2 31.Rf1 Rh1 32.Rxh1 Bxh1 33.Nf1 g3 34.Nxg3 Nxg3 35.Bd2 Rh8 36.Rg1 Rh3 37.Be1 Nf5 38.Rg8+ Kd7 39.Rf8 Rh7 40.b4 Bf3 41.a4 Ke7 42.Rc8 Kd7 43.Rf8 Ne3+ 44.Kd2 Rh2+ 45.Kc1 Rc2+ 46.Kb1 Re2 47.Bh4 Nd1 48.Rxf7+ Kc8 49.Rf8+ Kb7 50.Rd8 Nc3+ 51.Kc1 Rh2 52.Bg5 Rh1+ 53.Kd2 Rd1+ 54.Kc2 a5 55.bxa5 c5 56.f5 Rg1 57.Bd2 Bd1+ 58.Kb2 Rg2 59.Kc1 Bxa4 60.a6+ Ka7 0–1

The next game provides me with information about how he handles the Grand Prix attack, my normal line against the Sicilian. My feeling is that I should avoid this line, mainly because this is what he will likely expect based on all of my games that are “out there”.

Velazquez, Kevin - Meerovich, Ilan (2100) [B23]

ICA High School Invitational

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.Bd3 d6 7.Nxd4 cxd4 8.Ne2 e5 9.0–0 Ne7 10.c3 Nc6 11.cxd4 Qb6 12.Kh1 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.Bb5+ Ke7 15.Qf3 f6 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.b3 Be6 18.Ba3+ Kf7 19.Rac1 Rac8 20.d3 a6 21.Bc4 Qd7 22.Qh3 b5 23.Bxe6+ Qxe6 24.Qe3 Rhd8 25.Bb2 Kg8 26.d4 exd4 27.Bxd4 Rxc1 28.Rxc1 Bh6 29.Qxh6 Rxd4 30.Qf4 Rxe4 31.Qb8+ Qe8 32.Qg3 Qe5 33.Rc8+ Kg7 34.Rc7+ Kh6 35.Qh3+ Kg5 36.Qg3+ Qxg3 37.hxg3 Re2 38.a4 bxa4 39.bxa4 Re4 40.Rxh7 Rxa4 41.Ra7 Kg4 42.Kh2 Ra5 43.Rg7 Rh5+ 44.Kg1 Rg5 45.Rf7 Rf5 46.Rg7 g5 47.Ra7 a5 48.Kh2 Rb5 49.Ra6 f5 50.Ra8 Kh5 51.Ra6 g4 52.Kg1 Rb1+ 53.Kf2 Ra1 54.Ke3 Kg5 55.Ke2 a4 56.Kf2 Ra3 57.Kf1 Rxg3 58.Rxa4 Rb3 59.Ra8 Rb4 60.Rf8 Rb1+ 61.Ke2 0–1

And this game reaffirms that he plays the Sicilian Defense regularly with Black against e4.

Menon, Gopal - Meerovich, Ilan (2100) [B78]

ICA High School Invitational

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0–0 8.Bb3 d6 9.f3 Bd7 10.Qd2 Ne5 11.0–0–0 Rb8 12.f4 Neg4 13.h3 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Nh5 15.Rhf1 Nxf4 16.Rxf4 e5 17.Rxf7 Rxf7 18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.Ndb5 Bxb5 20.Nxb5 Bf8 21.Kb1 a6 22.Nc3 Kg7 23.Nd5 Be7 24.g3 Qd7 25.h4 h5 26.g4 hxg4 27.h5 gxh5 28.Qb3 Rf8 29.Ne3 Rf3 30.Nf5+ Qxf5 31.exf5 Rxb3 32.cxb3 Kf6 33.Kc2 Kxf5 34.Kd2 g3 35.Ke3 Kg4 36.Ke2 h4 37.Kf1 h3 0–1

Ok, so basically, I am dealing with an underrated young scholastic superstar looking to make a name for himself. He will likely play the Sicilian Defense and fully expects me to play the Grand Prix. And, like many young players, seems to have difficulty playing positionally. Based on this information, I decide that it is best to play a Closed Sicilian against him. The next step is to determine which line. I have played several types of lines in the past, as in the following games:

Johnson, Joel (2220) - Donaldson (IM), John (2468) [B20]

Joshua Tree Open Joshua Tree, CA (3), 02.06.2007

1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0–0 0–0 8.h3 b5 9.a4 b4 10.Nbd2 Bb7 11.Qe2 Nd7 12.Rb1 Rc8 13.b3 Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Nc4 Nb6 16.Bd2 Nxc4 17.dxc4 a5 18.f5 e6 19.fxe6 fxe6 20.Qg4 Qd7 21.h4 Rxf1+ 22.Rxf1 Rc5 23.Bh3 Re5 24.Bg2 Rc5 25.Bg5 Qe8 26.Bf6 h5 27.Qe2 Bxf6 28.Rxf6 Kg7 29.Rf2 Qe7 30.Qd2 e5 31.Qg5 Rc7 32.Kf1 Qxg5 33.hxg5 Rf7 34.Rxf7+ Kxf7 35.Ke2 Bc6 36.Kd3 Bb7 37.Bh3 Ke7 38.Bg2 Ba6 39.Bh3 ½–½

Johnson, Joel (2220) - Martinez, Leo (2200) [B25]

Master Trek (ASU) Tempe, AZ (2), 16.06.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.d3 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Kh1 Rb8 10.a4 a6 11.Qe1 Nd4 12.Qf2 Nec6 13.g4 (An aggressive move aimed at opening up Black's kingside.) 13...f5 14.gxf5 gxf5 15.Rg1 (The Rook belongs on the open g-file.) 15...Kh8 16.Be3 b5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Nd1 (The move is designed to relocate the Knight closer to the kingside, while chasing the Black Knight on d4 from its' outpost.) 18...Bd7 19.c3 Nxf3 20.Bxf3 Qf6 21.Qg2 (Increasing the pressure along the g-file and the h1–a8 diagonal.) 21...Ne7 22.Ra7 Rbd8 23.e5! (Black has major issues. The c-Pawn is a problem, as well as, the d4-h8 diagonal.) 23...dxe5 24.fxe5 Qxe5? (Black needed to try 24. ... Qf7 25. Bh5 Bc6 26. Bxf7 Bxg2+ 27. Rxg2 Rxf7 28. Bxc5 Bf8 29. d4 f4 30. Nf2, even though White is in full control of the game.) 25.Bxc5! (The Black Queen is tied down defending the checkmate on g7.) 25...Qf6 26.Qxg7+! Qxg7 27.Rxg7 1–0

Next, I look at other Closed Sicilian lines and I am drawn to the two following games.

In this game, Robert Hess outplays a young Rob Robson in a line that was popular in the 80s. In particular, former World Champion Anatoly Karpov loved playing this line.

Robert Hess (2412) - Ray Robson (2293) [B25]

US Championships Stillwater USA (Round 3), 05/17/2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Bd2 Rb8 10.Rb1 b5 11.a3 a5 12.a4 b4 13.Nb5 Nd4 14.c4 Nec6 15.Be3 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Ba6 17.Re1 Qd7 18.Bg2 Rfe8 19.Kh1 Rbd8 20.Qf3 Bb7 21.Qf2 Qc8 22.Rbd1 Ba6 23.e5 dxe5 24.Bxc5 exf4 25.gxf4 Bxb5 26.axb5 Bd4 27.Bxd4 Nxd4 28.b6 Qc5 29.b7 f6 30.Re4 Nb3 31.Qe1 Kf7 32.d4 Qb6 33.c5 Qc7 34.Qe3 a4 35.f5 gxf5 36.Qh6 Kg8 37.Rg1 Kh8 38.Qxf6+ Qg7 39.Rxe6 Qxf6 40.Rxf6 Nxd4 41.c6 Re7 42.Rd6 1–0

In the next game, I really like this type of position that Fedorov gets against the former World Champ and decide that if I can refine White’s play, I believe that I can make this line work out well. And, with the help of student, Jerry Snitselaar, we tear apart this game and determine ways to improve upon White’s play. We conclude this preparation a half an hour before game time and after a couple of quick reviews and a “head butt”, I am ready to conquer!

Alexei Fedorov (2575) - Garry Kasparov (2849) [B20]

Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (2), 14.01.2001

1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0–0 0–0 8.h3 b5 9.g4 a5 10.f5 b4 11.Qe1 Ba6 12.Qh4 c4 13.Bh6 cxd3 14.cxd3 Bxd3 15.Re1 Bxh6 16.Qxh6 Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Ne5 18.Nbd2 Rac8 19.Ng5 Rc2 20.Rf1 Bxf1 21.Rxf1 Rfc8 22.fxg6 hxg6 23.Nb3 Rxg2 24.Kxg2 Rc2+ 25.Kg3 Qe3+ 0–1

As for the match itself, we were on the verge of elimination, with our backs against the wall. We needed to trounce these guys to remain in contention and we did just that!! Here are the three favorable decisive games from the match:

GM Nikola Mitkov - CHC (2601) – IM Rogelio Barcenilla - ARZ (2560) [C28] ICC 60 30 u

Internet Chess Club, 10/22/2008, Board 1

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Nge2 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.0–0 Nxc3 8.Nxc3 0–0 9.f4 Na5 10.Bb3 Nxb3 11.axb3 exf4 12.Bxf4 Qd4+ 13.Kh1 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qxc3 15.Ra4 b5 16.Re4 Qc6 17.Re7 Bh3 18.Qd2 Rac8 19.Be5 f6 20.Bd4 Rce8 21.Rfe1 Rxe7 22.Rxe7 Rd8 23.Bxa7 Ra8 24.Bg1 Ra2 25.Re2 Bg4 26.Rf2 h5 27.b4 Kf7 28.d4 Rb2 29.d5 Qd6 30.h3 Bd7 31.Qd1 Qxb4 32.Qxh5+ Kg8 33.Qe2 Rb1 34.Qe3 Rd1 35.c3 Qb1 36.Rd2 Re1 37.Re2 Rf1 38.Kh2 Qf5 39.Qd4 Rf4 40.Qa7 Rf3 41.Re3 Rxe3 42.Bxe3 Qe5+ 43.Kg1 Qxc3 44.Bf4 b4 45.d6 b3 46.Qa8+ Kh7 47.Qe4+ f5 48.Qe7 Qd4+ 49.Be3 Qa4 50.Bc1 Qd4+ 51.Kh2 Qxd6+ 52.Qxd6 cxd6 53.Kg3 g5 54.Kf2 Kg6 55.g3 f4 56.gxf4 gxf4 57.Kf3 Kf5 58.Bb2 Bc6+ 59.Kf2 Ke4 60.h4 Kd3 61.h5 Kc2 62.h6 Be4 White resigns 0–1

IM Mark Ginsburg - ARZ (2410) – IM Jan van de Mortel - CHC (2460) [B76] ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 10/22/2008, Board 2

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0–0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0–0–0 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.exd5 Rfc8 14.Rc1 Qd7 15.g4 b5 16.c4 Qb7 17.h4 bxc4 18.Bxc4 Rc7 19.b3 Rac8 20.Qb2 h5 21.gxh5 Nxh5 22.Bxg7 Nxg7 23.h5 Rxc4 24.Rxc4 Rxc4 25.bxc4 Qxb2+ 26.Kxb2 gxh5 27.Kb3 Kh7 28.Kb4 Kg6 29.Kb5 Nf5 30.Ka6 Ne3 31.Kxa7 Nxc4 32.a4 e6 33.Ka6 Kg5 34.Kb5 exd5 35.a5 Nxa5 36.Kxa5 h4 37.Kb4 Kf4 38.Rxh4+ Kxf3 39.Kc3 f5 40.Kd2 f4 41.Rh6 Kg2 42.Rg6+ Kf3 43.Rxd6 Ke4 44.Ke2 f3+ 45.Kf2 d4 46.Rd8 d3 47.Rd7 Black resigns 1–0

NM Joel Johnson - ARZ (2211) – Ilan Meerovich - CHC (2131) [B20]

ICC 60 30 u Internet Chess Club, 10/22/2008, Board 3

1.e4 d6 (No need to panic. I am sure that he wants to play a Sicilian and this move does not change my opinion of that fact.) 2.d3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.f4 0–0 6.Nf3 c5 (Ah, yes, all is well now.) 7.0–0 Nc6 8.h3 d5 (Even though this is the best move in the position for Black, I felt comfortable playing against this line. The move that I spent the most time on here was 8. ... b5.) 9.e5 Nd7 10.c3 e6 (Even though this is a solid move, I was happy to see it. Practically speaking, it seemed better for him to counter with 10. ... Nb6 and 11. ... Bf5. Part of the problem with e6 is that Black has to play very precise to avoid having his Bishop on c8 becoming locked out of the game.) 11.Na3 a6 12.Nc2 b5 13.d4 c4 (Black continues to play moves that make it more and more difficult to fre his locked in light-squared Bishop on c8. And, even though it would appear that the situation is a wash because of my locked in dark-squared Bishop on c1, I plan on making kingside Pawn advances that will provide my Bishop with some real future value.) 14.Qe1 (My goal now is to secure the queenside, then turn my full attention to building up a kingside attack.) 14...a5 15.a3 Rb8 16.Kh1 Qe7 17.Bd2 Rb6 18.g4 Ndb8 19.Qg3 b4 20.axb4 axb4 21.Ne3 bxc3 22.bxc3 f5 23.exf6 Bxf6 24.Rae1 Qc7 25.Ne5 Nxe5 26.fxe5 Bg7 27.Rxf8+ Bxf8 28.Rf1 Rb2? (I had expected him to play 28. ... Bg7, after which I had planned on playing g5, followed by Ng4 and Nf6 with a growing advantage.) 29.Qf4 (My intention is to play Nd5! on the next move, but it is also very good here. One of the lines I was looking at here was 29. ... Bg7 30. Nd5! ed5 31. Bd5 Kh8 32. Qf8!! Bf8 33. Kg7 Rg8#.) 29...Qe7 30.Nxd5 exd5 31.Bxd5+ Black resigns (All moves lead to checkmate, for example: 31. ... Be6 32. Be6 Kh8 33. Qf8 Qf8 34. Rf8 Kg7 35. Rg8#; 31. ... Kh8 32. Qf8 Qf8 33. Rf8 Kg7 34. Rg8#; 31. ... Kg7 32. Qh6 Kh8 33. Rf8 Qf8 34. Qf8#) 1–0

And, one last time, my first US Chess League game:

Joel Johnson - ARZ (2211) - FM John Bick - TEN (2249) [C30]

ICC 75 30 u United States Chess League, 09/17/2008, Board 4

1.f4 e5 2.e4 Bc5 (At this point, I just sat and twiddled my thumbs for five or six minutes. Much like playing poker online, you need to create the illusion that you were somewhat taken aback by his bet (move), 2. ... Bc5 and needed time to come up with a response.) 3.Qh5! (The surprise move! From this point forward, Black's clock starts seriously ticking and ticking. It is obvious that I have blindsided him and now, everything related to this game is in my favor.) 3...Nc6 4.fxe5 g6 5.Qe2 (As in my key game, P Buecker - M Maier, I like placing the Queen here instead of Qf3, which happens in many of the other sample games.) 5...Nd4 (Here, John plays the move that I had just finished looking at, prior to the start of play. Not that it mattered because my preparation has resulted in a huge time advantage already and a great idea of how to proceed.) 6.Qd3 Qe7 7.c3 Nc6 8.Qg3 (I have reached the position that I wanted, when I decided to play this line.) 8...d6 (In several of the sample games, Black frequently employed the move, Bxg1 to avoid losing the tempo after White plays 9. d4 attacking the Black Bishop. The extra tempo is important to Black's defensive chances.) 9.d4 Bb6 10.Bb5 (At this point in the game, I really want to play Bg5, but I can see that Black will respond with f6, and the eventual capture of my e-Pawn on e4. So, by playing 10. Bb5 first, I am threatening to win his Knight on c6 with the move d5 and on the eventual Qxe4+, I will be able to get all my pieces developed without blocking in this Bishop, say after the move Ne2.) 10...Bd7 11.Bg5 f6 12.exf6 Qxe4+ 13.Ne2 Ne5? (This is a desperate attempt by Black to complicate the position. However, I routinely play complicated games and have no problems sifting through everything.) 14.Nd2 (This is the key move to refuting Black's 13. ... Ne5?. The point is Black has no place good to relocate his Queen. On 14. ... Qf5, White wins after 15. Rf1, 16. f7+, and 17. fxg8(Q)+. On 14. ... Qc2, White wins by playing 15. Rc1 Qxb2 16. Rb1 Qxa2 17. dxe5. And, on 14. ... Qd5:) 14...Qd5 15.c4! (Black wanted to capture my Bishop on b5 in response to me grabbing his Knight on e5 and should I decide to snatch the Bishop on d7, he would simply recapture with his Knight on e5. The move c4 foils Black's plan by protecting the White Bishop on b5 and leaving Black's Knight on e5 hanging.) 15...Nd3+ (Black is still trying to hold onto his piece.) 16.Qxd3 Qxg5 17.f7+! (This move wins the piece for good.) 17...Kxf7 18.Bxd7 Nf6 19.0–0 Rad8 20.Ne4 Black resigns 1–0

And, with one week to go, as I understand it, we can make the playoffs if we beat Seattle next week by at least a 3-1 score and Chicago loses to Dallas (a distinct possibility, as Dallas is one of the better teams).

Lastly, I am an alternate on the team, and according to the rules, I am ineligible to play any more games for the team (see below). So, it looks like I will have a perfect 2-0 record for the team this year! Hopefully, I will be able to play a larger role on the team next year. Go Scorpions!!

US Chess League

E. Alternate Rules

1. Two players of any rating can be declared as alternates by each team before the season.

2. Each of these players may play at most two games, and a combined total of at most three games.

3. Alternates are not eligible to compete in the postseason (semi-exception in E6 though).

4. The main intent of the alternate spots is to give each team an extra degree of flexibility. As such, the alternates should really be local players who will generally fill in during extreme circumstances (though teams can use them whenever they see fit). For example, naming a GM from the other side of the country who is scheduled to be in your city for a tournament would not be considered in the spirit of the alternate system. In general, any GM or IM alternate will need to reside in reasonable locale to the team in question to be allowed as an alternate. The League has the right to declare ANY alternate who is felt not to be in the spirit of the system as ineligible.

5. Once the alternates are named, and your season begins, they can only be replaced by a player who lives approximately within 100 miles of your playing site. Once an alternate has played a game, they cannot be replaced on the alternate list under any circumstances. Any team replacing an alternate who hasn't played a game yet during in the season must comply with the same rules that are used to replace someone on the main roster, in that they must be either rated U2400 or within 50 points of the player they are replacing.

6. For teams wishing to switch players on the main roster with those who are alternates after the season begins, or simply wanting to switch an alternate to the main roster, this is how it works. Regardless of which of the three below scenarios this switch or replacement follows, this change must also fall under the rule of general replacing outlined in A7.

(a) Assuming neither player has played a game, teams may switch a main player and alternate with no penalty (i.e. this does not require the use of one of their two allowed replacements).

(b) If the alternate has already played a game, then when moving them to the main roster, the player they replace is removed from the roster entirely (i.e. cannot switch to an alternate spot). The team effectively loses that alternate spot, and this, unlike (a), does require the use of one of the teams' two replacements.

(c) If the main player has already played a game and the alternate has not, then once again the main player is removed from the roster entirely, but in this situation, the team is permitted to replace that alternate (following the rule mentioned in E5, but again they cannot be replaced with the main player who's place they are taking). This also does use up one of the teams' two allowed replacements.

Note that if a team switches an alternate to the main roster, any games that player has already played still count towards the three total allowed for alternates. Also, when an alternate moves to the main roster they must play at least two regular season games AFTER being added to the main roster (i.e. at least two games as a non-alternate) to be allowed to compete in the playoffs; this is done since we don't want teams putting an alternate on the main roster during the final week, realizing that player might be more useful than some other in the postseason.

Anybody see a loophole? Robby, you are the lawyer!

Recap of Weeks 7, 8, and 9

2008-10-17T06:55:00.014-07:00

Here is the recap of the last three matches of the Scorpions. Week 9 is reviewed by Robby Adamson and Weeks 7 and 8 by Leo Martinez. Please also check out Mark Ginsburg's blog for his thoughts on the match at http://nezhmet.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/the-fabulous-00s-uscl-week-9/.

Week 9 Chicago Blaze vs Arizona Scorpions

The Arizona Scorpions played their best match of the year in downing the playoff contending Chicago Blaze, by a surprising 3-1 score. This marks the second time this year that Arizona defeated the Chicago Blaze, as they previously won their first match of the USCL season 2.5-1.5.

With the win, Arizona can do the unthinkable - make the playoffs with a victory over the Seattle Sluggers next week by a score of at least 3-1, and hope that Dallas tops Chicago. Although this scenario requires some good fortune, the Scorpions will go out and do their best and whatever happens, happens.

Board 1 - GM Mitkov - IM Rogelio Barcenilla 0 -1

It was great to see Rogelio Barcenilla play an outstanding game with the black pieces and defeat GM Mitkov. In a game that featured opposite colored bishops, a rook and queen each from virtually the late opening/early middle game, Rogelio untangled somewhat and was able to achieve a favorable game. Although he might have missed an easier win in the queen and bishop ending, Rogelio found the very powerful g5! in the opposite colored bishop ending. While several ICC kibitzers were claiming draw, Rogelio kept his chances alive, by creating 3 passed pawns (2 is not enough in the game because the d and b pawns are too close to each other). Congrats Rogelio on your first win! I would also add that Rogelio has faced all GMs thus far - Alex Stripunsky, Jan Ehlvest, Vinay Bhat, Julio Becerra, and Nikola Mitkov - and has an even score (win versus Mitkov, loss vs. Ehlvest, and rest draws. Very impressive!

Board 2 - IM Mark Ginsburg - IM Jan Van de Mortel 1-0

While I was happy with Rogelio's first win, I was even more happy with IM Mark Ginsburg's win, his first this year, with a solid win over IM Jan Van de Mortel. Mark has taken a lot of criticism this year, but it really is a different skill to play over the internet than over the board. Until you play in this environment, you can not appreciate the pressure and differing environment. In any event, Jan is a noted Dragon expert, but Mark, to my surprise, busted out 1.e4 and went straight into the Open Sicilian! Mark got a slight edge and was able to force Jan to sacrifice the exchange when he was unable to make much progress on the queenside. Mark carefully played the endgame which was more complicated than it looked and netted the full point.

Board 3 - IM Emory Tate - FM Danny Rensch 1-0

Although Danny has not played well this year in the USCL, he did just have a fantastic performance in Reno this past weekend at the Western States Open where he defeated 2 GMs, Alexander Ivanov and Alexander Yermolinsky. Unfortunately his success this past weekend did not translate to his game this week, as he was outplayed by the unusually patient IM Emory Tate in a Hedgehog. Danny fought hard once he got a bad position but it was simply not to be.

Board 4 - NM Joel Johnson - Ilan Meerovich 1-0

Did we make a mistake by not playing Joel more often this year? This week Joel crushed his opponent in what turned into a Closed Sicilian, from a Pirc Defense. Black mistakenly locked up the center with c4, after which Joel got a great game, and crashed through on the kingside, with an eventual obvious sacrifice on d5! Joel moved to 2-0 on the season. Nice job again Joel!

Wish us luck next week in our last match of the season against the Seattle Sluggers.

Week 8 Seattle Sluggers vs Arizona Scorpions

So another loss for the Scorpions this week unfortunately. Seattle is of course tough as GM Hikaru Nakamura, with his 2742 rating, overshadows almost everyone on 1st board in the entire league and puts pressure on boards 2-4 to win. However, this match could have easily been drawn despite strong play at times by both Robby and Warren.

Board 1
GM Hikaru Nakamura vs. IM Levon Altounian
This was a tough match but I remember Lev saying before the match that he was happy about one thing: he didn't have to prepare to much because Hikaru plays basically everything. He said something like he would've had to prepare for e4, d4, c4, g3, Nf3, and b3 all on move 1. The game seemed to go pretty smoothly and Levon didn't seem to have a lot of problems. One moment that was strange was after 11 Ne3 Rfe8 White didn't take the free pawn with 12 Bd7 Nd7 13 ed5 cd5 14 Nd5. I'm not really sure what Hikaru saw but Lev was very nervous about this option. Probably Hikaru wanted to just keep the game more under control and solid and use his time advantage. Maybe one improvement is 16...Ng5 with the idea of 17. Bg2 Bb4 and trading off White's two bishops. After 16...Nd4 of the game White's plan of Bg2, f4, and e5 activating the light squared bishop seemed to strong.

Board 2
IM Mark Ginsburg - IM Slava Mikhailuk

This game was wild from the very beginning to the very end. I was commenting on the game and thought White was doing well but the position is more complicated than it seems. I am going to refer you to his analysis at his blog:
http://nezhmet.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/uscl_week_8/
for Mark's own analysis of the game.

Board 3
WGM Katerina Rohonyan - FM Robby Adamson
This game was pretty wild despite pieces getting traded. Robby switched up his openings from the Benko to the 2 Knights Tango after Rohonyan suprised him with 1. d4. This switch seemed to work out really well as he got a strong initative and seemed to be doing really well after 18...f5. With Black threatening both ...f4 and ...Rf6 moves I thought White's position was looking dangerous. After 19...Rf6? White seemed to just save himself after 21 Rc8!. After 19...f4 I'm not sure how White saves himself really. After for example 20. Qxb7 Rae8 looks winning while also 20. Qe7 Rf6 21 Rc7 Rg6 looks over. Seattle dodged a bullet with that as Rohonyan saved the game a couple moves later with a 3 fold repitition.

Board 4
NM Warren Harper - NM Michael Lee
This was a very nice game by Warren Harper as he continues to show his strength after his bad season start. He has now beaten two 2300's in his last two games after losing to lower rated players earlier in the season. In this game the position became pretty closed early on and after that Warren seemed to think that 10...0-0-0 was completely wrong after the game. After this it is easy for White to attack on the Queenside while to attack the White king is completely unclear. The whole rest of the game after move 10 White seemed to build up on the Queenside while Black just maneuvered around not really doing or acheiving anything. A nice game by Warren!

Week 7 Arizona Scorpions vs Miami Sharks

Well in hindsight this match looks better than it did when it was played. Losing 3.5-0.5 is pretty tough but after this match Miami went on to beat Dallas by 3.5-0.5 and beat New Jersey by 3-1. Both of those teams are very strong and Miami is now in 2nd place in the West. This was a match where at one point I got up from my game and looked at all the games and I didn't think there was one game that I worried about. Once time trouble hit the tide switched though.

Board 1
IM Rogelio Barcenilla vs GM Julio Becerra
This was another Exchange Ruy for Rogelio and he seemed to play it better than against GM Bhat this time. However, at one point it seemed clear that Becerra knew the opening and the plans very well and was blitzing out moves like 16...Rh7 and 17...Be7 and 18...Bd8. Black didn't seem to have to many problems throughout the game but neither did White really. White used a completely different plan than the game against GM Bhat in playing to use the d5 square and playing his knights to e3 and c3 and later playing Ncd5. However, due to the two bishops a draw seemed the most likely result and occured not to long later.

Board 2
FM Osmany Perea vs FM Danny Rensch
This game also looked promising to me after 15 moves or so. Black seemed to have a solid Benoni type position without the light squared bishop which is sometimes his problem piece. The critical moment of the game according to Danny after the game was on move 21 where he could have played either 21...Ng4 or 21...Nxd5. 21...Nxd5 looks best and most obvious but Danny was afraid of complications like 22 ed5 Qe1 23 Nxd6 Re7 24 Nde4 or something similar. Even after the move played in the game Black seemed alright and after 30 Nxh5 can play 30...de5 with a crazy game still. Unfortunately after 30...gh5 played in the game Black went down quickly.

Board 3
FM Robby Adamson vs FM Charles Galofre
This opening of this game has an interesting story. Robby prepared for a while for the Berlin that he knew was coming but still wasn't sure what to do when we got ready to take the trip to Phoenix. He had like 3 options and he wasn't sure which one was best and thought they were equal. I suggested some line I saw in some magazine and he liked it as it was playable and also little known. So after some preparation he basically just used the prep on the drive there. Anyways he seemed to have the slightly better game after 21 Bf4 and then just went for the throat with 22 Nxg6. Unfortunately this sacrifice was less clear than it looked and Galofre defended pretty well it seemed. So this was another game that seemed to turn after getting a good position.

Board 4
NM Eric Rodriguez vs NM Leo Martinez
This was a painful game in that I had a one move win of a Queen that I missed. On move 37 I remember I expected 37 Nc8 which I think is the best move and when he played 37 Rc8 I was surprised and just blitzed out 37...Nxc8 38 Qxc8 Bf8 believing my opponent completely. However White has 39 Nc4! there winning the game on the spot. What me and my opponent completely overlooked in time pressure was that simply 38...Re8+ is check and wins the Queen and the game on the spot. At least this game didn't affect the entire match but was another disappointing game that started out well.

Chess Park hosts Match with Sluggers!

2008-10-14T17:10:00.005-07:00

Grandmasters duke it out at the United States Chess League tournament this Wednesday – and Chesspark members have the best seats in the house.

This Wednesday, October 15, at 6:30pm (MST), chess fans at every level can log on to Chesspark.com to watch the Chesspark-sponsored Arizona Scorpions take on the Seattle Sluggers in this riveting USCL event. All Chesspark members are welcome – and newcomers can join simply by signing for a free membership, or the $4/month PRO option, which comes with hosted tournaments, speed chess and other perqs. Click to see lineup.

PRO Chesspark members will be invited to an exclusive, post-game Q&A session with Scorpions teammates. "The hope is that this brush with greatness will involve our PRO members on a deep level and inspire them to improve their games," says Jean Hoffman, manager of popular web-based chess communities, Chesspark.com and WuChess.com.

"Prepare to be dazzled," says Hoffman, referring to the USCL's legendary Grandmasters and International Masters, including Seattle Slugger Hikaru Nakamura – one of the world's highest ranked players. He'll be playing in Wednesday's lineup along with other superstars.

"Sponsoring [this event] is a great way to expose our PRO members to that 'Master mentality,'" says Hoffman, who also recently arranged to have Chesspark PRO member tournaments hosted by International Master Attila Turzo on an ongoing basis.

Chesspark.com is a leading Internet Chess community built on an innovative communications platform that combines Jabber Instant Messaging (XMPP) and a flexible, rich web-based Ajax client. Chesspark has hosted over 5 million games and welcomed over 450,000 members to the community since October 2006. Members compete in tournaments, create profiles and join social groups, chat in public and private chat rooms, and have access not only to standard chess but also variants including Chess960, Atomic, Crazy House and Losers. Exhibitions by high-rated players and private lessons from masters enable students and novices to improve their skills.

WuChess.com was inspired by the Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF), a non-profit fusing music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and non-violence. The HHCF hosts celebrity chess benefits where underserved youth play chess for educational scholarships and engage cultural icons from various backgrounds. WuChess.com will donate a portion of revenues to HHCF to fund scholarships. WuChess gear, including branded game sets and apparel, is available at store.wuchess.com.

Week 7 Matchup vs Miami Sharks by Leo Martinez

2008-10-06T09:08:00.003-07:00

The Arizona Scorpions play the Miami Sharks this Wednesday in a key matchup for playoff contention this year. Both teams, as well as Chicago, are all very close to each other in standing and every match at this point is important. This match, like all of them, is very close in rating and strength and will all come down to the up and down swings of every match in the US Chess League.

Arizona Scorpions vs Miami Sharks

Board 1
IM Rogelio Barcenilla 2560 vs. GM Julio Becerra 2640

This matches up the two time MVP versus a very strong IM that had an incredible save last week in time trouble. With Rogelio having White and getting his form back this should be a very close matchup.

Board 2
FM Osmany Perea 2453 vs. FM Danny Rensch 2411
Perea has had a solid record in the league beating Irina Krush while drawing the rest of his games while Danny will try to break this undefeated streak. Looking at smoe of Perea's games it looks like he is not afraid to mix it up which will make this an interesting game as Danny doesn't avoid complications either.

Board 3
FM Robby Adamson 2377 vs. FM Charles Galofre 2326

Robby has done very good in the league with a +2 record and with White he should have good chances against FM Galofre. However, based on rating and strength this could be anyone's game.

Board 4
NM Eric Rodriguez 2242 vs. NM Leo Martinez 2209
Eric Rodriguez is 4-1 in the league so far and has played extremely well to get there beating several masters, seemingly easily. However, he lost against Naroditsky earlier this season in a strange game. Like most matches this will be a crucial game.

Look for the games live on ICC at 6:00PM or visit the site for commentary on the games LIVE at the Abstrax Building, 2222 S. Dobson Rd, Suite 500 (Building 5), Mesa AZ 85202.

Week 7 Predictions by Robby Adamson

2008-10-05T14:02:00.006-07:00

A quick look at the matchups for Week 7.

Monday Matchups:

1. Boston Blitz vs New York Knights

Boston bounces back to beat NY - Boston wins 2.5-1.5.

2. Queens Pioneers vs New Jersey Knockouts

NJ hands Queens its 2nd loss in a row. Gulko on 2nd board is a bigger edge for NJ than Lenderman on 3rd vs Ippolito. NJ knocks out Queens 2.5-1.5.

3. Tennessee Tempo vs Chicago Blaze

I picked Tennessee to win 2 straight weeks, but without Ehlvest, Chicago wins 3-1.

4. San Francisco Mechanics vs Seattle Sluggers

Big match for Seattle with the G-Double Lineup. Going safe here, Seattle and San Fran battle to a tie 2-2.

Wednesday Matchups:

5. Baltimore Kingfishers vs Carolina Cobras

Carolina can put a stamp on their playoff ticket with a win - it doesnt happen this week. Yes, another tie match. Baltimore and Carolina fight to a 2-2 tie.

6. Dallas Destiny vs Philadelphia Inventors

Dallas faces a tough lineup this week against a Philly team that might creep back into playoff contention, and draws Philly 2-2. In much better and more exciting news, the Phillies beat Milwaukee!

7. Arizona Scorpions vs Miami Sharks

AZ wins 2.5-1.5. Go Scorpions!

Week 6 Recap by Levon Altounian

2008-09-30T13:59:00.005-07:00

An incredible match. Who would prevail? A Scorpion sting a mechanical tool? Unfortunately as scorpions we could not stop the advancement of human technology with their Mechanic’s Institute Team. Before the match I was hoping we will narrowly win ( based on ratings and strengths on the boards but it was clear nothing will be too easy ) The teams were in my opinion approximately equally matched to start with and yet very quickly it was clear we are in trouble as a team. We tried to also work as a team on time management skills. It worked well as we were better or equal on clocks on every board. Alas, that didn’t help or maybe possibly hurt? Usually, in an equal match a team that gets a lucky break in just one game wins the match. We had 2 miracle saves in this match ( Barcenilla-Bhat and Naroditsky-Martinez ) and yet we still lost the match. I guess those things happen and we need learn from it and look forward to the next games.

Barcenilla-Bhat

I was very much looking forward to following a game of two very all-around strong IMs who despite their apparent chess differences employ similar chess concepts and techniques in majority of their games: i.e solid openings that lead to complicated but understandable middlegames and avoiding super popular lines that change evaluation from day to day and require being o the top of theoretical novelties. Therefore, I was not only surprised to see Rogelio play 1 e4 but to find out that following his strategy of choosing slightly off-beat systems (which is what he did in the game before against a strong GM Ehlvest with c7-c5 push in the opening ) he gave preference to a relatively unknown line I sometimes adopt in the exchange Rui ( 5 Nc3 ) myself. The game was turning out not only well for White ( apparently Bhat did not know the lines developed by a strong GM Yandemirov that sometimes go 40 moves long ) and therefore chose a relatively quiet way to develop, but White was getting a serious time advantage as well. White kept a small but stable advantage until he decided to go for decisive actions on the King side with f3-f4-f5 push. I would have probably played it in a safer way and go for the d5 outpost (such as using maneuvers Nc3-Nd5, Ne3-Nd5 or even Nf4-Nd5 ). However, if White didn’t play the extremely tempting 19 e4-e5?! and instead settled for going for the white squares ( moves like Nc3, Nd5 and even Kf3 look nice ), he would have kept the opening advantage and the outcome could have been very different. After that the position started looking a lot like the fire-proof systems of the Berlin system in the Rui Lopez where Black is extremely low on space but thanks to the power of 2 bishops, playing against White’s bad dark-squared Bishop, and some pawn breaks- stands well. From my own experience ( playing both colors in similar positions ) I found one funny rule that applies to many such positions: If neither side has anything good to do, whichever side looks better on superficial terms is actually ….. probably worse. That was the unfortunate case here too. About 15 moves from there White was in dire problems and to make matters worse, blundered a piece. Then came the time for true Rogelio magic (I had the unfortunate pleasure being the receiving side of those magical tricky saves in numerous blitz games I played with him over the years ). In a completely hopeless position, down a pure piece, White kept putting up a tenacious fight with 2 goals on his agenda: make Black think in time pressure and at the same time look for counter chances on the King side in any form possible. It worked extremely well, as Black got completely confused, missed numerous simple wins and at the end found himself with a textbook example of what happens when you have an extra Bishop and a pawn but are in a theoretically drawn endgame. Draw!

Pruess-Ginsburg

I was a bit nervous about this game, because even though I trust Mark’s experience and knowledge and in our last 2 encounters I myself run into a “ Ginsburg brick wall”, Pruess is very strong in tactical games and having White certainly aids that tendency. David chose a slightly incorrect opening as white ( hybrid of 2 Bg5 and Trompowsky Opening ) with a simple goal of transferring the weight of the game into the middlegame, where his tactical abilities can bear fruit and confuse Mark. In June of this year I watched him outplay in crazy complications the super tactician GM Hikaru Nakamura. Mark looked good for a while, having 2 bishop’s advantage in a more or less locked up position that looked like a mixture of French or Caro-Cann. However, in my opinion ( later shared by Robby ), Black’s 8…e3 was dubious as the desire to not let White get a strong center led to another problem: Exposed King in the Center.Black could either play it in a normal way ( 8…gf ) or go for complications that are about even : ( 8… ef!? 9 B:g7 Rg8! 10 gf R:g7 ) Black King on the E-file started getting in more and more trouble and basically got checkmated. Despite putting up a great resistance and creating what seemed like “maybe a counterplay chance ?”, the game was over on move 23 with White’s simple but pretty c6-c7 push. Black is losing a Queen in the final position and therefore resigned.

Rensch-Shankland

A disappointing game for all of us. I am sure no one was as unhappy as Danny though, as I know he was really going into this game with great concentration and desire to prove he is one of the best. We had 2 attacking players playing each other on this board in a moderately sharp line of the open Sicilian (Rauzer Attack). Considering Danny likes those positions, he is higher rated and is White, I had high hopes for us on this board.

I am no expert at this line ( long ago was considering playing it for Black but gave up ) but from what I remember in this somewhat popular (very popular 10 years ago ) line for Black, originally developed by Kramnik, white played the slightly offbreat 11 Kb1, which caught me by surprise ( usual lines are 11 e5 de 12 fe Bd7 ) or 11 Bd3. Danny’s next move 12 Qd2 was not the most popular either in the database( 12 h4 is more in line with what Danny would have liked maybe in this game) White presumably got what he wanted- a slightly better looking endgame, but I have a feeling those positions do not match Danny’s aggressive style of play. Some forced line, where White gets a King Side attack, or plays up an Exchange line, might be a better try (for those who want to find out what is the recent theory, search the position I mention above in some database and many games will pop up ) Black player, however, also does not like to dwell on small positional details ( I know Shankland too ) and immediately makes a mistake with b6? (the usual is Kf8 with a most likely outcome of an equalish ending- unless Danny had a secret weapon prepared there ). White missed his chance by not punishing black’s inaccuracy with 17 e5! ( and not Be2 transfering , like it happened in the game), where most likely Black had the choice of sacrificing a pawn on d6 and hoping to regain it back, or going for a very unpleasant French Pawn structure positions where in addition to having a “ Bad Bishop”, Black will also have problems with an exposed King ( 17 e5 fe 18 de d5 19 Be2 followed by possible Rf1, Rd4- Rg4, etc ). I also do not like White’s 20 e5 advance…Going for some Hedgehog squeeze might have given more practical chances for a win. In the resulting position Black has no problems. In what appeared to be an equal endgame later on, white got slowly outplayed and the last burst of aggressiveness with trying to create a Queen Side Passer was a little bit too late and there was no real hope at the end.

Naroditsky-Martinez

A heartbreaking opening blunder and a Super Save in the Endgame! I was watching the Boards 1 and 4 at the end, when we were losing the match already, having a weird feeling we might save some points on those boards and feeling sad that at the end that won’t matter for the Team score anyways. Leo knew the position after move 8 will likely to arise, had it prepared at home beforehand ( we had a conversation about it at 8 AM on Sunday! ) didn’t want to accept the pawn sac on e4 with (8...N:e4), which I think is possible though dangerous ( granted, Naroditsky played it as White before and according to Leo and Robby, it is dangerous , but Fritz still likes it for Black ) and prepared the safe alternative with 8…Nc5, which I liked too at our preparation session. Unfortunately he didn’t prepare against all White possible moves on it ( using Fritz in complicated games like this is the safest path ) and the 9 Qe2 caught him by surprise. Black chose the worst option of all – Nf:e4?? (safe way would be Be7, a5 or even Ba6 while Nc:e4 would lead to an edge for Black with a very cool tactical line which I would not be surprised at all if White would fall for: (10…Nc:e4! 11 Ne5 Qd5 12 N:e4 N:e4 13 Bf4 Nc3!! 14 B:d5 N:e2!+ 15 Kg2 B:d5+ and White can safely resign). One correct move was the real difference between a win and a sure loss. Instead, in the game White was winning immediately with 14 Bf4, or by the pretty 14 Qc6+ Ke7 15 N:e6!! but the way he played was winning too as it was a safe way and he is up couple of pawns in a simple and boring endgame. The rest of the game was an example of how in losing positions to never give up, no matter who you play or how bad it is, create problems for the opponent on every step of the way and hope for a miracle, fatique, time pressure or simply bad technique by the opponent ( It is amazing how some great players can play below their level in winning positions ) White missed a win probably on every move until his last mistake with 43 g4??(King advance to the King side was still a relatively easy win). Leo then defended it perfectly and White had to agree for a draw. One more miracle Draw!

Considering my horrible technique from last week against Milman when I not only missed few wins but actually a CheckMate in 2, I feel not as bad as finally some games went in our way ( in terms of good saves- boards 1 and 4 )- unfortunately those were in games that did not matter for the team anymore. Next few matches will prove crucial for us in terms of qualifying for the Play-offs. Good luck Scorpions!

Week 6 Predictions by Robby Adamson

2008-09-29T01:25:00.009-07:00

A very quick look at Week 6

Monday Matches:

AZ over San Francisco 2.5-1.5 (Isnt a Scorpion more threatening than a Mechanic? Go Scorpions!

Seattle over NY 3-1 (2 GMs (Nakaserper) is greater than 1 GM (Fedorowicz) Therefore Seattle wins)

Wednesday Matches:

Carolina ties Queens 2-2 (Carolina may win this one, especially because of Queens' weaker than usual lineup)

NJ over Baltimore 2.5-1.5 (NJ is loaded and will show their stuff against a struggling Baltimore team)

Boston over Philly 2.5-1.5 (Philly has a chance here if Kudrin can defeat Jorge, if not, turn out the lights on the Inventors, and say "Hello Phillies")

Miami ties Chicago 2-2 (This should be a very competitive match – both teams need it)

Tennessee over Dallas 2.5-1.5 (TN really has a great chance to win this match, given the great success of the Ehlvesanator.

Until next week....

Week 6 Preview of SF Match by Robby Adamson

2008-09-29T00:58:00.007-07:00

Arizona squares off against what is probably going to be the the Scorpions toughest match so far. San Francisco is loaded and has underrated players on every board.

Board 1 - IM Rogelio Barcenilla (2560) - IM Vinay Bhat (2481)

Rogelio finally gets to play white, after facing 2 strong GMs (Ehlvest and Stripunsky) with black. This time he will face off against GM-elect Vinay Bhat. If Rogelio can pull out a win, the Scorpions have a great chance.

Board 2 - IM David Pruess (2479) - Mark Ginsburg (2410)

Youth vs. veteran IM. Expect fireworks here, as David is especially proficient in tactical positions and is not afraid to mix it up. Mark will do his 70's version of defend!

Board 3 - FM Danny Rensch (2411)- FM Sam Shankland (2364)

Again, a battle of two players who love to mix it up. Expect a decisive result for someone in this game.

Board 4 - FM Daniel Naroditsky (2321) - NM Leo Martinez (2209)

Finally, Manager Leo Martinez takes a break from his manager duties and squares off against ultra-stud young Daniel Naroditsky in an appealing fourth board match-up. Daniel continues to get better and better with every tournament (He is almost 200 points higher rated than the rating being used for this year). The key to victory for Arizona however is that Leo is at least a foot taller than Daniel - that has to count for something. In all seriousness, Leo is anxious to bounce back from his first so-so effort in Week 3 against Queens.

Scorpion nation, please rise!

Week 5 Recap by Danny Rensch

2008-09-28T09:42:00.011-07:00

Here is Danny's analysis of the Week 5 match with the Carolina Cobras (For Mark Ginsburg's recap click here):

Levon Altounian vs. Lev Milman

U.S.

Chess League Week #5 Carolina vs. Arizona

Honestly I found this game hard to read for the majority of the opening and middle game. I would venture to guess that Levon got what he wanted: A position with a slight pull that offers Black very limited ability to change the structure and make it wild. However, as a spectator I was worried about Levon’s time disadvantage throughout. I will admit that I myself have something to learn about Increment Based Time Controls and how this affects both time management and preparation. I especially feel that way after watching Levon (and Robby last week against Andrews) trail a significant amount on time for the majority of the game, but still increase their advantages comfortably to eventually achieve clearly winning positions. This was the case in Levon’s game and after the move 46.Bb5, it seemed to be only a matter of technique for Levon, especially when I considered that Lev Milman was now the player down on time. Unfortunately however, we started to see some of the effects of converting a winning, but complicated position, “on line”. I think I am in the majority with my feelings that Levon would never have missed a mate in two (available to him after Black played Qh6 on move 56) in a live game. Obviously Kramnik missed mate in one not too long ago, so I guess it happens, but needless to say, not winning this game was a tough break for the Scorpions!

Oleg Zaikov vs. Mark Ginsburg U.S. Chess League Week #5 Carolina vs. Arizona

Viewing the game live, I had a much better feel for the position than I did in Levon’s game. Mark’s opening choice was something I have played before, and it was therefore more familiar to me. I felt he handled the position very well even after Zaikov’s rare choice of 9.g3. Technically, 9.g3 has been played before (one time according to my database) but the question is whether or not Zaikov was really prepared for this “new idea and approach” to the position, or if he just didn’t quite know the line that well. My guess is the former, but judging by his time-management, maybe he did make the whole thing up over the board. Who knows? With that perspective in mind (the one where we assume Zaikov prepared this line with 9.g3) I have to give Oleg credit for his choice and even his lash out move 16.f4!?. The position remained unclear for sometime, but from a practical perspective: A young underdog against an experienced International Master; Zaikov did exactly what he needed to do to win. He applied pressure. Despite Mark’s accurate defense (and Mark did do a good job dealing with the tactics and shooting down tricks), once time pressure began to play a role, Mark blundered and lost immediately. This was obviously a critical game and even in hindsight, I don’t think Mark could have played much better (some small improvements to the defense might have been 23…Re8 or even the aggressive 23…Qxa3) but over all Zaikov “won” the game more than Mark “lost it”. Taking the “unbiased Rybka approach” you might say “well, if Mark had only played 31…Rg6 instead of 31…Qd1+?? He would have most likely drawn”. Although that is true, given the circumstances of Mark’s time pressure and Zaikov’s attacking chances, unless Mark was going to take the draw right then, it was still going to be a hard game for Black. Mark will avenge himself this week against David Pruess of the San Francisco Auto Mechanics or whatever!

Robby Adamson vs. Ron Simpson U.S. Chess League Week #5 Carolina vs. Arizona

Despite my previous accusations, Ron is not related to Bart or Homer in any way…J In all seriousness though; this game was another tough break for the Scorps. Robby was the favorite in this game and he had White. After taking Ned Flanders bad advice, Mr. Simpson chose the dubious 7…Bg4?! (Which I guess is hard to call dubious given that no other move helps the line anyway). My guess: Ron was planning on a repeat of the game Gufeld-Balinas, Las Vegas U.S. Senior Cup 1995 which although reads 1-0 in the database, was a wild and crazy affair in which Black had really good attacking chances. Robby made the right decision with 8.Bd5, but he should have captured on c6 and gone into the game quoted above with 10. Nxe5 instead of 10.d4. Then, even if White doesn’t want the complications that occur after 14.Nd2 and 15.Qxg7, 14.f4 (Rybka) seems to give White a slight pull. Nonetheless, after Robby missed this opportunity out of the opening it still seemed as though his “veteran savvy” might pull off a surprising win in the rook ending (Lord knows he should know something about them by now). Although it doesn’t seem to offer much, in a practical sense I think Robby needed to play more actively with a move like 43. Rb8, although I must admit as long as Mr. Simpson doesn’t stray too far from Springfield he should be fine. In the end it wasn’t destined to be for Robz to get the win, and he settled on a draw after 76 moves of fighting.

Craig Jones vs. Warren Harper U.S. Chess League Week #5 Carolina vs. Arizona

I personally had a lot of anticipation in this game as I knew that Warren’s first two showings in the League were not a good example of his true strength. (Let’s hope the same is so for me this week against Shankland right.) Curiously enough in this game, Craig played 9.g3 just as Zaikov played 9.g3 against Ginsburg: Coincidence? I think NOT! I am on to Carolina’s little game, and whoever plays them next week should look into this little 9.g3 shenanigan! Anyway, a typical Queen’s Indian was reached and they followed the game Sjodahl-Wessman Sundsvall 1989, until Craig varied with 16.dxc6. It is unclear whether or not that move was an improvement for Craig, and it seems to me that at that point Black already has a comfortable position. Warren’s defense, as his kingside became open, was impressive until the blunder 33…Rxd5? (33.Qe7 keeps an edge as White can’t capture the f7-pawn without getting mated on f1.) After that Craig had a clear advantage, but then “old faithful” time pressure set in and Craig trapped his own knight with 40.Kf2?! and 41. Ne7? (40.Ne7 immediately was much better). The finish was certainly entertaining (don’t you just love when the bishop dominates the knight). Warren wins a nice game.

SUMMARY:

Although some good things happened in this match, the Scorpions definitely let one slip away. An extra half a point on anyone of the top 3 boards would have done it, but hindsight is always 20-20. I liked our aggressiveness as well as our “will to push on” in games like Robby’s. Let’s go get em’ against San Fran and hope for the best!! Go Scorpion Nation…

Week 5 Games

2008-09-26T14:43:00.001-07:00

Thank you to the players for providing the annotated games and to our sponsor, SACA, for posting them.

Visit the games archive at http://sazchess.org/reference/palview4/games/USCL/USCL.html

Week 5 Pictures - Thank you Amanda!

2008-09-26T10:07:00.001-07:00

Please be sure thank all the individual contributors who help make the Arizona Scorpion team a success. Thanks to Amanda Mateer for providing the following photos and comments.

Arizona Chess for Schools sponsors the Arizona Scorpions!

2008-09-26T09:07:00.009-07:00

Arizona Chess for Schools has become a sponsor for the Arizona Scorpions! This brings the number of sponsors of our team to 4 and adds another chess institution from Arizona in support of our state team! Go Scorpions! Below you learn more about this very new and interesting organization.

Arizona Chess For Schools

Arizona Chess For Schools was founded in 2005 by International Master Levon Altounian.

Our primary goal is to provide quality chess education in Arizona, and Tucson in particular, through a wide range of services. Whether you are looking for a chess instructor or need help starting a chess club, we are here to help. Our mission is to help people achieve their chess goals regardless of their chess rating, ability, age or experience is. Chess is not only one of the most fascinating games ever but one that helps develop extremely useful traits in both children and adults. We are also proud to be the organizers of the widely successful Anaconda Chess Camps and Western Alliance Summer Chess Camps. Our staff is composed of 12 qualified instructors who enjoy being a part of our chess community.

Some of our general services include:
● Providing individual and group lessons
● Organizing or promoting chess clubs.
● Organizing rated chess tournaments.
● Providing chess lectures, simultaneous exhibitions, and presentations.

For more information, please contact International Master Levon Altounian at (520) 891-3632 or laltounian@msn.com

More Pictures from Week 4!

2008-09-22T16:26:00.021-07:00

Week 4 Games

2008-09-22T14:38:00.003-07:00

Thank you to the players for providing the annotated games and to our sponsor, SACA, for posting them.

Visit the games archive at http://sazchess.org/reference/palview4/games/USCL/USCL.html

New Scorpion Player!

2008-09-22T09:39:00.005-07:00

The strong International Master Nikolay Andrianov has joined the Arizona Scorpions replacing IM Dionisio Aldama. Andrianov is well known by top chess players as someone with a great deal of chess knowledge and has consistently done well against top players in the past.

Week 5 Preview By Leo Martinez -- Arizona Scorpions vs. Carolina Cobras

2008-09-21T21:28:00.026-07:00

Week 5 is underway for the Scorpions on Wednesday with a match against the Carolina Cobras. This is a match that had caught my eye from the beginning of the season as my good friend Craig Jones is the manager and usual 4th board for the Cobras. Craig used to live and coach in Tucson for a long time but moved to North Carolina 6 years ago. I have had many talks with Craig about the league and about other teams in the league as well as our respective teams. Now our teams will have to face each other!

Carolina is a team that many expected to finish last in the Eastern Conference but have surprised some people with a 2-2 record from the first four matches with an especially impressive 4-0 win last week versus the struggling New York Knights. Being a clash of teams with 2-2 records in opposite divisions this becomes a very important match for each team as the middle of the season approaches.

Let's look at the lineups for each team (Photos by Amanda Mateer and James Martin):

Board 1
IM Levon Altounian 2535 vs. IM Lev Milman 2502

This is a very interesting matchup pitting two strong International Masters against one another. These two have played once before in the 2005 US Championships a while back that ended in a draw. However, considering Levon's strength playing White and Milman's impressive win last week against GM Shabalov this game should be anything but peaceful.

Board 2
FM Oleg Zaikov 2376 vs. IM Mark Ginsburg 2410

Another close match of an experienced International Master that has been on the scene for a couple decades versus a strong college student that has done well in the US Chess League in the past. Although Oleg has generally played the most and done best on board 3 in past seasons he does have strong wins over IM Justin Sarkar and FM Todd Andrews on board 2 this season.

Board 3
FM Robby Adamson 2377 vs. FM Ron Simpson 2346

Both of these players have played board 3 most of the season and both come off wins for their respective teams with Robby defeating FM Todd Andrews to help Arizona beat Tennessee and Ron Simpson beating IM Jay Bonin of New York. This is also the first season for both players as Ron Simpson is a new addition to the Cobras. Both are aggressively minded which should create a lot of fireworks!

Board 4
NM Craig Jones 2320 vs. NM Warren Harper 2350

Like all the others, rating wise this matchup is very close. Warren will have a chance to avenge his previous losses in the league while also playing his toughest competitor yet in Craig Jones. Craig comes off a very nice win against WFM Iryna Zenyuk of New York. These two fourth boards are both very strong and pit two of the highest rated 4th boards in the league against one another.

As you can see all four of these games are very close in rating and strength and literally anything is possible. Check out the match live at the University of Arizona, Cesar Chavez Building (5th Floor) 1110 E James E. Rogers Way Tucson, AZ or on ICC at 6:00 PM AZ time. Go Scorpions !

Week 5 Predictions by FM Robby Adamson

2008-09-21T18:21:00.005-07:00

Lets take a quick look at Week 5 - my predictions will be brief.
For Monday matches -

1. Queens vs. NY Knights

I am calling the upset here (upset because Queens is the lone 4-0 team) - NY will overcome last week's debacle and prevail over Queens 2.5-1.5

2. Miami vs. Tennessee

Winless Tennessee, riding the Ehlvest wave, will bounce back and win their first match. 2.5-1.5

For Wednesday matches -

3. Philly - New Jersey

NJ trots out an obnoxious 2484 rating advantage, and proves its worth 3-1 (again, if Philly has any chance Kudrin has to beat Benjamin).

4. Baltimore vs. Chicago

No GM this time for Baltimore = no victory. Chicago wins this one 2.5-1.5, though 3-1would not surprise me.

5. San Francisco - Boston

Easily the best match of the night. GM-Elect Vinay Bhat against LarryC will be an exciting one. Shankland - Esserman should be a tactical slugfest between 2 of the hottest players over this past summer. I am going to predict 2-2 tie.

6. Seattle - Dallas

This loses a little bit of luster because Seattle is not using 2 GM lineup but still this looks like an interesting match. Seattle has a chance to upset the champs but I am going to wimp out here and call this a tie 2-2.

7. Arizona - Carolina

Do you even have to ask what I think? Arizona wins 2.5-1.5.

Pictures! More Coming!

2008-09-20T08:39:00.009-07:00

Here's two photos from the celebration after the team victory from Week 4. From left to right is Joel Johnson, Robby Adamson, Mark Ginsburg, and Rogelio Barcenilla. In the back you can see that we are in the building for Abstrax, one of our sponsors.

Week 4 Recap by Amanda Mateer

2008-09-18T22:49:00.010-07:00

This week, the Arizona Scorpions faced off against the Tennessee Tempo in our biggest nail-biter of the season to date. In a match-up that everyone knew would be close, the Scorpions were able to hold off the Tempo, even with the successful debut of GM Jaan Ehlvest on Board 1. Arizona stood at 1-2 while Tennessee was at 0.5-2.5, and
both teams were looking for a convincing win to put them back in the middle of the standings; luckily, the Scorpions were the team to walk away with the win.

For the first three matches, the Scorpions have struggled on Board 4, a board in which they typically have a comfortable rating advantage walking in. Having only scored 0.5 out of 3 on Board 4, it was clear a nice game by hard-to-prepare-for alternate NM Joel Johnson (2211) against the Tempo’s FM John Bick (2249) (NM Joel Johnson (ARZ) vs FM John Bick (TEN) 1-0) would put the Scorpions back on track. Joel played an aggressive King’s Gambit with 3. Qh5, and black’s passive play and uncoordinated pieces left him in danger very early on. After 13 ...Ne5?, Joel played the pretty 14. Nd2!, forcing the win of a piece. By move 20, the game was over, and the Scorpions had finally scored a victory on Board 4.

Even with this nice game, the match was nowhere close to over. IM Rogelio Barcenilla (2560) was hanging on with the black pieces in a King’s Indian against Tennessee’s newly acquired GM Jaan Ehlvest (2668). Rogelio offered a draw on move 25, but Ehlvest declined, keeping the pressure and about a 20 minute time advantage. His decision to continue pressing worked, and left with under 2 minutes after 37 …Qh5 against Ehlvest’s 26 minutes, Rogelio faltered and played 38 …Nf6?, going on to lose the game on move 41. Instead 38...Bd4! gave Rogelio some chances to save the game, although the position is still very complicated. You can see the whole game by clicking on GM Jaan Ehlvest (TEN) vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla (ARZ) 1-0.

The match was now tied at 1-1, and Tennessee’s hopes to score at least a draw in the match were renewed. IM Mark Ginsburg (2410) had been pushing with a small edge with white against IM Ron Burnett (2412). However, Mark went a little astray with 21. Qc7?!, leading to exchanges that did not really improve White’s position. In an unclear endgame, Black made a few inaccuracies and after 40 …Kg5, Mark missed the pretty 41. Rhg1!, giving him some winning chances. After this, 41...Bxd4 is impossible due to 42. Rxd4 Rxg1 43. Nh3+. If in the final position White had gone 41. Nxd5 Rd6 42. Ne3 like many people thought was winning for White (because of the line 42...Rgxd4 43. Rg1+ Kf6 44. Rxd4 Rxd4 45. Rxg7!) then Black has 42...Rf4+! first followed by 43...Bxd4 with an unclear game. Upon noticing Robby’s position on Board 3 looked much better, Mark played out the perpetual and on move 44, the game ended in a draw. You can follow this at IM Mark Ginsburg (ARZ) vs IM Ron Burnett (TEN) 1/2-1/2.

The final game between FM Robby Adamson (2377) and FM Todd Andrews (2350) (FM Todd Andrews (TEN) vs FM Robby Adamson (ARZ) 0-1) proved to be the decisive factor in the match. Andrews made an interesting opening choice with white, playing the Stonewall and making the move 8. dxc5, an odd idea in this opening. Robby played a strong middlegame and was left better heading into the endgame, even though he was, as usual, severely down on time. He played 35 …Re4, where 35 …Re2 left him with a much more decisive advantage. In a 2 rook, 3 pawns for each side endgame, it was unclear if Robby would be able to still win the game, even though White’s pawns were much weaker and White’s time advantage had vanished. ICC kibitzers were torn about Robby’s winning chances, but Robby was able to showcase his spectacular endgame-in-time-trouble technique and finish off Andrews.

Back at 50% with their 2.5-1.5 victory against the Tennessee Tempo, the Scorpions will have a chance to regain their plus score next week against the Carolina Cobras. The location of the match will be announced soon – be sure to catch the games live in person or on ICC at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, September 24th!

Week 4 Review of Predictions by FM Robby Adamson

2008-09-18T10:47:00.009-07:00

Let's look quickly to see how I did on my predictions. I think I did pretty well overall but of course the league always has surprises.

Monday Matches -

Baltimore Kingfishers vs Queens Pioneers Queens won 3-1, I predicted 2.5-1.5

2. Seattle Sluggers vs Chicago Blaze Seattle won 2.5-1.5, I predicted the same

I was correct in predicting who won both of these matches, though I did think Baltimore would fare a little better. This easily could have been a 3.5/4 match had Vovsha accepted the draw offered or perhaps even won in a game where he was clearly pressing.

Although Tate took care of business against the youngster Michael Lee, Chicago did not fare that well on the other boards. I have not analyzed Mitkov's interesting game against Nakamura, but it seemed to be very complex, where Hikaru excels, even if the computer analysis might beat otherwise. Remember, computer analysis is not really relevant in a lot of these games because you are dealing with humans!

3. New Jersey Knockouts vs Boston Blitz New Jersey won 3-1, I predicted a tie

I didnt see this coming at all. I thought Esserman was a lock to win given his current hot streak, but I didnt see the other 3 games ending in such disasterous fashion for Boston. LarryC may not have had his ice coffee before the game - the only possible explanation for losing a piece and having to sac his Q. Boards 2 and 3 pressed given the match situation and it just didnt work out.

4. Carolina Cobras vs New York Knights Carolina won 4-0, I predicted tie 2-2

The Surprise of the 2008 Season. If anyone saw this coming, I want to know who they are, their social security number, and their hottest stock tip. A 4-0 sweep is a very uncommon occurrence no matter who the losing team is, and completely unexpected given the usual strength of the NY team. Congrats to Carolina (our next opponent). NY should bounce back from this forgettable performance though they need to start putting wins together in the East division.

FYI: Did you know that Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are 2-0?? Say it aint so. I fully expect AZ to lay their usual egg now that they are playing a real team (Redskins).

5. Dallas Destiny vs Miami Sharks Dallas won 2.5-1.5, I predicted a tie

The games here looked very competitive. Dallas continues to impress, this time beating USCL guru Becerra, while the other games all ended in fighting draws.

6. Philadelphia Inventors vs San Francisco Mechanics San Francisco won 3.5-0.5, I predicted SF wins 3-1

Youth was served with wins on boards 3 and 4 from Shanky and Danky. Kudrin never had a chance for any real edge against Wolff, and thus, there went Philly's chances. On a brighter note my Phillies have a good chance to make the playoffs.

7. Tennessee Tempo vs Arizona Scorpions Arizona won 2.5-1.5, I predicted the same

Congrats to my Scorpions. We defeated a tough Tempo team by a close margin. Kudos for Joel Johnson's excellent surprise against FM John Bick, as well as IM Rogelio Barcenilla, even though he lost, for facing 2 strong GMs back to back weeks with black, this week Jan Ehlvest (thanks for black- is it time for my root canal?).
Until next week!

Week 4 Preview by NM Leo Martinez

2008-09-15T22:13:00.011-07:00

This week we play the Tennessee Tempo which has characteristically been the worst team in the league. However this year they have brought GM Jan Ehlvest on their team and the first match that he is playing is this week!

Board 1 GM Jan Ehlvest 2668 vs IM Rogelio Barcenilla 2560

Although Jan Ehlvest is a strong new addition to the Tempo the very strong IM Rogelio Barcenilla is back on top board ensuring this to be a great match up. Rogelio showed last week just how strong, despite not having played for a while, he really is by outplaying GM Alex Stripunsky and having an advantage for most of the latter stages of the game despite drawing in the end. How Ehlvest plays this year on ICC after not playing in the league for two years is anyone's guess but this should definitely be the board to watch!

Board 2 IM Mark Ginsburg 2410 vs. IM Ron Burnett 2412

This match up is a very tight in terms of rating and also in terms of strength. Both players are veterans and have been playing consistently in the U.S. for many years. This is the first time that Ron Burnett has played on board 2, usually playing board 1. I am sure that Mark wants to prove himself as a very strong player with White after last week's game against IM Alex Lenderman.

Board 3 FM Todd Andrews 2350 vs FM Robby Adamson 2377

This match up is another very close match up between players that are very close in strength and rating. Robby has a good record in the league out of his first two games with 1.5/2 so far and looks to further the trend by playing the always complicated and dangerous Todd Andrews. Look for a fight in this game as Todd with White always brings crazy games.

Board 4 NM Joel Johnson 2211 vs. NM John Bick 2249

This pits the U.S. Senior Champion of 2007 versus a very strong master making two strong 4th boards. Although Bick lost last week it was clearly a case of trying too hard for team reasons and this game cannot be seen as showing his true strength. This game is also the introduction of a new player to the Scorpions in Joel Johnson who will test his strength and experience in his first game in the US Chess League.

Week 4 Predictions by FM Robby Adamson

2008-09-15T11:26:00.008-07:00

Week 3 didnt go too hot, as my Scorpions lost a tough one and I didnt predict very well. This is much tougher than it looks! Lets take a look at each match and see if I can do better. Please note that since I am picking the Scorpions to win every match we play, if the team wins, my predictions will improve!

1. Baltimore Kingfishers vs Queens Pioneers

Tough Matchup for Baltimore. If they are to have a chance, GM Blehm needs a win especially with white, and Zimmer needs to come up big against ultra-hot Parker Zhao. Lenderman on board 2 gives Queens the ultimate edge and thus moves Queens to 4-0. Queens wins 2.5-1.5.

2. Seattle Sluggers vs Chicago Blaze

Shouldnt a 2 GM lineup be illegal? The same could be said when Chicago puts an IM, Angelo Young, on board 4 - something they choose not to do, figuring they needed a GM to play Naka. Nakamura has the edge with white, nice record against Mitkov, etc. Jan has his hands full with Serper, though he is facing him with the white pieces. I am really interested to see board 3 encounter with young and improving Michael Lee, and Emory "I am the World" (expletives omitted) Tate. Seattle wins 2.5-1.5

3. New Jersey Knockouts vs Boston Blitz

Nice matchup between American GM's Joel Benjamin and LarryC, and a clash in style (a decisive result could mean victory for their team). Esserman on board 4 borders on criminal given his incredible performance in Miami last weekend. Close matchups on boards 2 and 3. Hard call here, but I will go with Boston 2.5-1.5 in a very close match.

4. Carolina Cobras vs New York Knights

Depression in NY was averted as the Knights won their first match last week. Meanwhile, on the home front, the Yankees wont make the playoffs, the Knicks cant seem to play any defense at all and may not win the division unless Patrick Ewing comes out of retirement, and the Jets (ok some NY fans are only Giants fans) couldnt beat Brady-less New England - NE with Brady would have won by 40. Carolina will make this close and could pull upset and tie, but the smart pick is the NY Knights give NY something to celebrate and win 2.5-1.5.

5. Dallas Destiny vs Miami Sharks

A sexy matchup here - Dallas seemingly has 8 IM's on the roster, and this week they play Kuljasevic against super MVP Becerra on board 1. Bart will do his best to shuffle against Marcel Martinez in what should be a slugfest. Board 3 and 4 are both close matchs. I will take the easy way out here and predict a draw 2-2.

6. Philadelphia Inventors vs San Francisco Mechanics

An obnoxious rating advantage for SF. If Philly has a chance, Kudrin needs to win, something that is possible given Wolff's inactivity. I have to go with the youth of Shanky and Danky. SF wins 3-1.

7. Tennessee Tempo vs Arizona Scorpions

We all hoped Ehlvest would be Elvis here and not play against us, but Rogelio is a tough cookie. AZ is also pleased to welcome NM Joel Johnson to the team. Even though we are underdogs overall, I can't pick against my team - AZ wins 2.5-1.5. Go Scorpions!

SACA, ACFI, and Abstrax all support the Scorpions! by NM Leo Martinez

2008-09-14T11:47:00.032-07:00

Southern Arizona Chess Association (SACA) and the
Arizona Chess Federation, Inc. (ACFI) have both generously sponsored the Arizona Scorpions during this season adding to the idea that this team is a part of the Arizona community. The mission of both of these non-profit organizations is to promote chess in Arizona and this sponsorship ideally fits the Scorpions. Many of the players on the Scorpions are well entrenched in Arizona Chess and its expansion and have been a part of these organization for years.

The corporation Abstrax has also generously offered an incredible site for playing in the Phoenix area. The playing site for a team is just as important as everything else and we could not have imagined any better than this site in week 3. We will again be using this site in Week 4 against the Tennessee Tempo so everyone should come out and watch! The address is 2222 S. Dobson Rd, Suite 500 (Building 5), Mesa AZ 85202.

Week 3 Recap by Ben Marmont

2008-09-12T11:49:00.009-07:00

The Scorpions this week faced the undefeated Queens Pioneers. Queens were coming off a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Knockouts, whereas our Scorpions had lost the previous week in heartbreaking fashion to the defending champion Dallas Destiny. This match was a good opportunity to regain some momentum.

GM Alex Stripunsky (2608)- IM Rogelio Barcenilla (2560)

On Board 1 IM Rogelio Barcenilla made his debut for the Scorpions against GM Alexander Stripunsky. Stripunsky is a regular in American open tournaments and Barcenilla, though probably of GM-strength, is a very rare visitor in competitive play. Barcenilla was black and defended against the Ruy Lopez. He threatened the Marshall Gambit with 7…0-0, and Stripunsky avoided it with 8.d4, transposing into Closed Ruy Lopez without h3. Stripunsky played the rare 14.Bg5!? and Rogelio made the first new move of the game with 15…h6N. Barcenilla’s position seemed to be promising, in fact after Stripunsky’s 26.Qe4?! he is clearly better. Unfortunately Rogelio rushed his position with 39…e3?!, throwing away his winning chances. Instead 39…Bf8! With the idea of …Bh6 leaves Black clearly better. The game petered out to a draw after Rogelio’s inaccuracy.

IM Mark Ginsburg (2410)- IM Alex Lenderman (2463)

Board 2 saw IM Mark Ginsburg battled against IM Alex Lenderman. Lenderman had started off very well this season, winning both his games, and Mark had managed a win-clinching draw in the Scorpions first match of the season against the Chicago Blaze. Mark had white in this game and played his usual English opening, to which Lenderman countered with the Wedberg Variation, aka the Botvinnik System. The game went very normally in the opening until Ginsburg thought he was Emory Tate and started playing weird moves like 18.Kh1 and 19.f3 which leave a strange impression. Then Mark screwed up with 20.Bc3?!, when 20…f5 would have been awkward for white. Instead Lenderman played 20…Nec6 when white is only slightly worse. Unfortunately Mark’s position was tough to defend and he ended up blundering with 33.Qg3? when Lenderman’s 33…Nd4 just wins. Ginsburg resigned a few moves later. Sadly a one sided game.

NM Parker Zhao (2236) - FM Danny Rensch (2411)

On Board 3 FM Danny Rensch took on young phenom Parker Zhao. Danny had a significant rating advantage, but due to the fact that Zhao is having good results and is more active than Danny, this game would not be easy. Danny had black and the game was a slightly strange 6.g3 Najdorf in which black played 7…Be6 rather than the normal 7…Be7. Black’s position has perfectly fine out of the opening, it was just a normal position in which white is fighting for the d5-square but black has his queenside play. However Danny made an inaccuracy with his 21…Qc6?! instead of 21…Rxc3 which leads to a murky position. After 21…Qc6?! black loses the exchange for very little. It was really looking bad for Danny until Zhao played 33.f3?! after which black is fine and then 35.Ng2?! when black has the advantage due to his center pawns! Unfortunately Danny missed the best continuation and played 39…Qxc2+?! which leads to a draw instead of 39…Re6 which retained his winning chances. Danny’s 40…Be5 was also not that great, as 40…exf3 is easier. 42…Nf2+? was the real nail the coffin though because 42…d3, even though black is down a rook(!), draws because white can’t stop the center pawns and has to force a perpetual. Black’s position was hopeless after 42…Nf2+? and even though he fought valiantly Danny had to resign 32 moves later.

NM Leo Martinez (2208) - Benjamin Katz (2110)

Board 4 saw team manager and master Leo Martinez take on Benjamin Katz. Leo had a 100 point rating advantage, but this game would be no easy task. Leo was white and the Katz played the Sveshnikov Sicilian. Leo had a really good position out of the opening, but played 16.a4 after which black is completely fine. 16.Qd3, the slower approach, would have kept white’s advantage. Leo then messed up with 28.b4, where 28.h3 was needed to hold the balance. Katz then proceeded to outplay Leo and was even winning in the final position when he offered a draw, which Leo of course accepted.

The Scorpions are now 1-2 on the year with this 3-1 loss to Queens. Next week they face the mighty Tennessee Tempo, who have GM Jaan Ehlvest on their team. Will he make his debut against our Scorpions? Will the Scorpions get back on track with a victory? There is only one way to find out, and that is to watch next week’s match on Wednesday at 6:00 MST!

Week 3 Predictions by FM Robby Adamson

2008-09-09T13:20:00.008-07:00

Now that the US Chess League is in full swing, I am going to give my predictions for the matches. This should be an interesting exercise. Without further ado, here are my Week 3 predictions (unfortunately I am too late for Monday ones):

New York Knights vs Philadelphia Inventors

NY Knights are a talented team, way too talented to start the season 0-3. They will find a way to win their first match. NY wins 2.5-1.5.

Carolina Cobras vs Baltimore Kingfishers

Both teams need a win here. I give an extremely slight edge to Baltimore here, but it wont be enough. I see a tie here, 2-2.

Chicago Blaze vs Tennessee Tempo

GM Mitkov makes his debut for Chicago. This will be closer than most people think. I give Chicago a small edge here, by 2.5-1.5 margin, though it will not surprise me if Tennessee ties or even pulls the upset.

Queens Pioneers vs Arizona Scorpions

I am not picking against my beloved team. AZ plays a solid match and wins in a squeaker, 2.5-1.5. Go Scorpions!

Seattle Sluggers vs New Jersey Knockouts

The best match of the night! I have gone back and forth on this one in my mind. Nakamura should win, especially with the white pieces. However, Joel is a tough cookie and Naka did not fare well in the USCL last year. I expect Naka will come in with a renewed attitude for his new team. Gulko, a sick 2nd board, should win on 2nd board and so it comes down to board 3 and 4. I gotta go with Mackenzie Molner having a small edge on board 3, with a tossup on 4th, and therefore I will pick NJ 2.5-1.5.

Root us on, this time from Mesa!!

Week 3 Preview vs. Queens by FM Robby Adamson

2008-09-07T23:14:00.016-07:00

The Arizona Scorpions look to bounce back from a tough Week 2 loss to the Dallas Destiny when they face off against the undefeated Queens Pioneers (2-0). This week's match will be played in Mesa at 2222 S. Dobson Road Suite 504 (Building 5), complements of John Lalonde, who has generously donated the use of his business for this week's match, as well as for future matches held in the area.

With the new playing venue also comes the USCL debut of 2 accomplished Arizona players, International Master Rogelio Barcenilla and National Master and Team Manager Leo Martinez. For those who do not know Rogelio, he is a strong International Master from the Phillippines, who is easily GM strength (I believe he has 2 GM norms) and is rated 2560. Rogelio does not get to play much anymore (which is why he does not have the GM title), but he is a very strong player with both colors.

Leo Martinez (a Junior at the University of Arizona) is our 4th board this week, and in the day was a very accomplished scholastic player. Leo won the K-8 National Championship in 2000 (FM Danny Rensch won the K-9 National Championship the same year - AZ dominance), and won numerous State Titles as an individual as well as for St Gregory High School. Recently, Leo cracked master with a fantastic victory against fellow-Scorpion IM Dionisio Aldama.

Onto the specifics of the match (Scorpions players in bold).

Board 1 - GM Alexander Stripunsky (2664) - IM Rogelio Barcenilla (2560)

This marks Stripunsky's 2008 debut as well, and I expect him to come after Rogelio, knowing they have a decent rating advantage on this board. Stripunsky, who finished 2nd in the 2004 US Championship behind GM Hikaru Nakamura, is also the team's manager. Expect an exciting game!

Board 2 - IM Mark Ginsburg (2414) - IM Alex Lenderman (2463)

This should be a very interesting match. I somewhat wish Mark was black so Alex could show off his knowledge of the Smith Morra Gambit, for which Alex recently did some videos on for ICC, against Mark "Theory Expert from the 1980s" Ginsburg. Maybe both can agree that Mark will play a Smith Morra against Alex!

I am quite familiar with Alex as he was on the powerhouse Edward R. Murrow team, which gave the team I coach, Catalina Foothills High School, a run for their money in High School Nationals from 2005-2007, something I personally will never forget. Special Note: Alex won the 2005 World Youth Championship for Under 16 years old, and is currently rated over 2500 USCF.

Board 3 - NM Parker Zhao (2227) - FM Danny Rensch (2411)

Parker, who is coached by Stripunsky, has improved dramatically in the last 6 months, recently cracking 2300 USCF. Last month he scored his first IM norm in the New England Masters. Danny will look to bounce back after last week's disappointing loss, this time with the black pieces.

Board 4 - NM Leo Martinez (2222)- Benjamin Katz (2101)

Benjamin Katz was a hero for Queens in Week 2 where he scored a minature victory against New Jersey's NM Victor Shen. Leo will get a break from his management duties and try to give the Scorpions some production from 4th board.

Come by the Phoenix location to support the Arizona Scorpions. We expect there to be some spectators and some live commentary on the games.

Week 2 Photos - Courtesy of Amanda Mateer

2008-09-07T19:15:00.005-07:00

Here are a few photos from the Week 2 match against the Dallas Destiny. Enjoy!

Blast from the Past!

2008-09-05T22:43:00.005-07:00

Hello Everyone!
Here's an old photo. See if you can match him to one of our players! Shouldn't be too hard. Good luck!

I'm blogging while running from a hurricane by Sean Higgins

2008-09-04T23:16:00.008-07:00

Being chased out of New Orleans by the vicious Hurricane Gustav couldn't even stop me from catching all the action as the Arizona Scorpions took on the Dallas Destiny in Week 2! After our mayor issued a mandatory evacuation for the entire city, I fled to Tuscaloosa. But I quickly started to feel a little stir-crazy in a small town that revolves around Alabama football. I took a Greyhound bus to St. Louis on Wednesday to visit family and got hooked up to the internet just in time to watch the Scorpions take on the Destiny. Here's my report on the action:

After winning a nail-biter in Week 1, the Arizona Scorpions fell short last night against the defending champion Dallas Destiny. Arizona lost the match 1-3, and the team now has a season record of 1-1 following Week 1’s 2.5-1.5 win over the Chicago Blaze.

In the USCL Season Opener on August 25, the Scorpion’s victory started with an early hiccup when NM Warren Harper lost to his lower-rated opponent on Board 4, a game in which he did not play at his usual strength. That game was quickly made up for, however, when FM Robby Adamson overcame severe time pressure to execute the win over NM Jon Burgess. Then, IM Levon Altounian gave the Scorpions the lead with a beautiful win over IM Jan Van de Mortel—a game which took bronze in the Game of the Week competition. To secure the match, Arizona IM Mark Ginsburg held a draw against Chicago IM-Elect Mehmed Pasalic.

Week 2 started with a different kind of hiccup: internet access at the intended playing site went down, and the team had to relocate at the last minute to a local fan’s house. As a result, the Scorpions started the round late and some players lost time on their clocks before making the first move.

Before long, Board 1 ended in a bloodless draw. Dallas IM Drasko Boskovic made no effort to push for a win with the white pieces against Altounian. After trading queens on move 11, the two strong IMs agreed to a draw in 18 moves. You can see the entire game by clicking IM Drasko Boskovic (DAL) vs IM Levon Altounian (ARZ) 1/2-1/2

On Board 2, FM Daniel Rensch (ARZ) vs IM John Bartholomew (DAL) 0-1, FM Danny Rensch lost a reckless game to the Destiny’s IM John Bartholomew, a student at the University of Texas at Dallas. The Destiny is made up of players from UTD, a school which is known for being a dominant powerhouse on the college chess circuit.

Out of the opening, Rensch must have been happy with his position; it came from the familiar Scotch and Bartholomew chose a passive approach with 10...g6. More active would have been 10...d5 (see Oral-Sokolov 2002), 10...Ba6 (see Kasparov-Adams 1999), or 10...Bb4 (see J.Polgar-Piket 1995). However, Rensch faltered with 13.0-0-0, when 13.cxd5 would have allowed him to hold on to a slight advantage due to his better pawn structure.

After his first falter, Rensch rolled the dice with 15.Bb5+ and 16.Nxd5 which made the game complicated but turned out to be a bad choice. He did win a pawn out of the combination, but at the cost of leaving three of his pieces en prix, his king open, and his a2-pawn under fire. Six moves later, Bartholomew won a full piece and the game.

The Destiny sealed the match in NM Warren Harper (ARZ) vs WFM Bayaraa Zorigt (DAL) 0-1 after Dallas WFM Bayaraa Zorigt, a USCL All-Star last year, defeated Harper on Board 4. Harper played another sub-par game, clearly not playing at the level that he usually does. A couple of moves from his game were especially uncharacteristic—29.Na2 left the knight out of play for the entire game and 32.g5 is an obvious mistake. Instead 32.gxh5 would have left white worse but still breathing.

In a game that no longer mattered for the match, FM Igor Schneider (DAL) vs FM Robby Adamson (ARZ) 1/2-1/2, Adamson took a draw with FM Igor Schneider on move 37 in a level endgame. Adamson chose the slightly off-beat 3...Nc6 against the Tarrasch Variation of the French, and found himself in a worse position—especially after white forced 22...Ng7. However, white did not play as aggressively as he should have and Adamson was able to equalize shortly after.

As the Scorpions continue to battle to the playoffs, an important factor for the team will be the performance of their fourth board. The team needs to complement excellent performances on the top boards like Altounian’s Week 1 win with full points from the bottom boards, which is where the Scorpions have a distinct rating advantage. As USCL Commissioner Greg Shahade said, “If [Harper] starts to pick things up...Arizona’s gonna be a very powerful team.”

Predictions for Tomorrow's Match

2008-09-02T20:06:00.021-07:00

There have been four predictions on the Arizona Scorpions-Dallas Destiny match tomorrow so far.

You can see Arun Sharma's prediction at:
http://usclnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-2-predictions.html

You can see Bioniclime's prediction at:
http://bioniclime.blogspot.com/2008/09/uscl-week-two-predictions.html

You can see Ron Young's prediction at:
http://usclpredictions.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-two.html

You can see Ed Scimia's prediction at:
http://kingsidechess.blogspot.com/2008/09/uscl-predictions-week-2.html

All the predictions are fairly supportive of the Scorpions with all four of the predictors having Arizona winning 2.5-1.5. Unfortunately, this does not mean anything and the ups and downs of a match in this league are highly unpredictable as can be seen from the first match. However, we will know for sure tomorrow at 6:00 PM AZ Time! Make sure to tune in! Also make sure to check the blog after the match for pictures, video and analysis of games from the match!

By the way make sure to vote on the poll to the right. The person with the most votes I will try to to get to wear a suit the next time they are playing!

Lineup for Second Match Announced !

2008-08-31T19:52:00.014-07:00

The Lineups for the Second Match have been announced ! This was a match that we immediately spotted when the schedule was released as it was against the Defending Champions, the Dallas Destiny. This team, similar to us, has a very balanced roster almost every round and, as was shown last year, can compete with any team. This will be a competitive match! Okay on to the match ups!

The names listed to the left have White for the game while the names in bold are Scorpion players.

Dallas Destiny vs Arizona Scorpions

Board 1
IM Drasko Boskovic (2507) --- IM Levon Altounian (2535)

Board 2
FM Danny Rensch (2411) --- IM John Bartholomew (2488)

Board 3
FM Igor Schneider (2397) --- FM Robby Adamson (2377)

Board 4
NM Warren Harper (2351) --- NM Bayaraa Zorigt (2217)

All the ratings are current and are not the ratings being used for the league. As you can see this will be a very tight match. As I have said from the beginning it will all come down to who plays well and who doesn't. I have my own feelings about the match but I will leave the predictions to others. Come cheer our team on at the Eastside Chess Club at the Jewish Community Center in Tucson!

More Comments on the Opening Match

2008-08-29T23:51:00.004-07:00

You can find more commentary on the opening match from a video by the US Chess League Commissioner Greg Shahade at http://www.chessvideos.tv/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=3682.

You can also see commentary by our second board IM Mark Ginsburg of the match at his blog: http://nezhmet.wordpress.com/

For the match this week the lineups for both teams will be announced Sunday night at this blog. Stay tuned and get ready for the match this Wednesday!

Game of the Week Results for Week 1- Levon Altounian finishes 3rd!

2008-08-29T09:24:00.011-07:00

The Arizona Scorpion's own IM Levon Altounian finished third overall (out of 28 games judged) in the just released Game of the Week competition for his fine effort as white against the Chicago Blaze's IM Jan Van De Mortel. Check out the judge's rankings at http://usclnews.blogspot.com/2008/08/week-1-game-of-week.html.

Please check out Levon's comments on this game at http://sazchess.org/reference/palview4/games/USCL/USCL.html. Congratulations Levon!

Also, Jan was kind enough to provide his own insights to the game in the comment section of Leo's in depth analysis of the Scorpions Week 1 encouter. Thanks Jan! http://arizonascorpions.blogspot.com/2008/08/analysis-and-summary-arizona-scorpions.html. Both Lev and Jan seem to agree in their assessment of the game.

I finished 8th overall in the voting for my win against NM John Burgess. The analysis for my game can be found at the same link.

Each week in the US Chess League (USCL), all of that week's games are evaluated by three judges (IM Greg Shahade, NM Arum Sharma, and NM Jonathan Hilton), and at the end of the season there is a vote by a different set of judges (to avoid bias by the seemingly emotional response to games by the 3 judges - just partially kidding of course) to determine who wins Game of the Year (for those acronymistic-obsessive compulsiveOCD-driven-nutty chess fans, the abbreviation is GOTY, not to be confused with GOTW - Game of the Week). Should we introduce a new one - GOTWJs?

Not that anyone needs any additional motivation to play well, but there are a few cash prizes awarded for the best games at the end of the season (a whopping $1,000 for first!). Because I was not playing on a team in the USCL last year, I was honored to be one of the game of the year judges and it is a tough job. Even if a game doesnt win GOTW honors, it can still qualify as a wild card entry and be eligible for GOTY.

Root the Scorpions on at the Eastside Chess Club held at the Jewish Community Center this Wednesday, September 3, at 6 pm AZ time, for our Week 2 encounter against the Dallas Destiny - the 2007 Champion. The lineups for both teams will be announced Sunday evening.

More Pictures! See Also Post Below !

2008-08-26T22:26:00.025-07:00

This post and the one below are the many pictures taken at the playing site of the Arizona Scorpions first match. In this post the pictures are taken by James Martin displaying the obvious intensity of the players during the match. James really captured Lev's concentration during the game.

In the post below are pictures taken by Amanda Mateer that really showed how our team connected and showed the fun parts, including winning and the celebration afterward, of the match.

Both of them did a great job and took some amazing pictures. They both also contrasted in types of photos which was perfect as well. Big thank you again goes out to James Martin and Amanda Mateer !

Week 1 Photos

2008-08-26T20:20:00.022-07:00

Hey all!

Here are some pictures from the Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Blaze. (Pictures taken by Amanda Mateer and James Martin)

Analysis and Summary -- Arizona Scorpions vs. Chicago Blaze

2008-08-26T01:05:00.026-07:00

This match was pretty interesting. The games were played at Levon Altounian's house and were supposed to start around 630 PM Tucson time (930 PM ET). Around 6:29 PM our internet went out probably affected by the weather as it was raining in Tucson the entire day. However, everything turned out alright with the internet not out long and the games started slightly late around 6:35 PM or so.

Check out Robby Adamson's summary of the games from the first match below. I wanted to put a little bit of analysis and explanation on some of the games this week as well (in order of how they finished):

Week 1:
Arizona (2.5) ---- Chicago (1.5)

Board 4
Ilan Meerovich (CHC) vs NM Warren Harper (ARZ) 1-0

This game was tough as we had not expected a Saimisch with 6. f3 and instead had reviewed over some lines for 4. e3 as we had seen Ilan play this before. Warren thought for 16 minutes on 8...f5? showing that he did not know this specific line. The main line goes 8...b6 planning to play a quick 9...Ba6. He probably got confused in that after both of the other theoretical moves, 8. Qd2 and 8 dc5 (the main line), Black can play 8...f5. The difference is that in the game White can play 9. e4 immediately and has no problems developing his kingside while also keeping a large center. After 8. Qd2 f5 9. e4 is not possible due to 9...fe4 10. fe4 Qh4+. After this inaccuracy Black seemed very cramped and his pieces did not have good squares. On top of this White had the center. Of course if Warren gets a good opening he is a very impressive player however in this case Warren's position after the opening didn't give him a chance to show this. After 15. e5! Black was already suffering and after some accurate moves by Ilan (16. Qg6 and 17. Qg3) the game ended quickly.

Board 3
FM Robby Adamson (ARZ) vs NM Jon Burgess (CHC) 1-0

This game was very strange all around and to add to this was Robby's terrible time management. Robby had prepared some of this line himself. Despite this Robby was down to 4 minutes while his opponent still had 38 minutes by move 20. However the time control used had a 30 second increment which means that after every move you play 30 seconds is added to your clock. This allows players to play out of their time trouble to some extent.
As he mentions Milov, one of the Kan's experts, has been playing 5...Ne7 recently. I had thought that 7. Nb3 was the common way to play against ...Ne7 in the Sicilian discoordinating the knights but maybe the way Robby played was also promising. Robby was loving his position around moves 15 and 16 however I'm not sure if I share his opinion that "I was winning after 16. g5" as he said at the team dinner afterward. However he did seem to play pretty well having the initiative and attack on the kingside for most of the game. However some of Black's moves (15...Rfe8) were debatable. However after 20...d5 all of a sudden it's not clear where White's attack is going to breakthrough. I was analyzing 23...Qxg6 during the game trying to figure out what White's way to breakthrough was as it seemed to me that White had overextended. I ended up thinking that 24. Rxb7 Nxb7 25. Nc5 was just good for White. Luckily after 25. Qh5 Black completely missed the threat of 26. Rxg7 mating and Robby was able to end the game very nicely. This game was also crucial as it gave the remaining two games some encouragement and in some ways changed the momentum of the match. After that the body language of Lev and Mark seemed much more positive to me.

Board 1
IM Levon Altounian (ARZ) vs IM Jan van de Mortel (CHC) 1-0

This game was the best played game of the match with Lev holding a slight edge for most of the game and really pushing for a win due to the match situation. Lev's aggressive intentions were obvious early when he played 13 h4 instead of playing quieter. The game really heated up when White played 24 b4! playing on both sides of the board. Lev was slightly afraid of 27. bc5 f5!? when after 28 cb6 the position looks good for White but looks very wild. But Black played 27...bc5 very quickly and this was a critical moment. It seems that 28. Nc5 was an innaccuracy as it allows a tactic while first 28. Rb8 Rb8 29 Nc5 avoided this tactic. Warren and I were analyzing, unsuccessfully, in a different room trying our best to understand all the tactics in the position around move 28 trying to piece apart what Levon was doing. We hadn't seen Black's saving idea which both players also missed. After 32 Ne4 Black had 32...Rb8! 31 Qa1 Ra8 32 Qb1 and here Black has a draw with 32...Rb8 (which would have been good for the match situation) or can go for something else with 32...Ra2!. Of course with both players having 2-3 minutes seeing all this was pretty difficult. Anyways after 32...f5? Black is losing after the forced line in the game with the very nice 36. Qb4! attacking f8 and mate on h4 being a nice final touch. After this nice game by Lev the match score was 2-1.

Board 2
FM Mehmed Pasalic (CHC) vs IM Mark Ginsburg (ARZ) 1/2-1/2

This game was the last to finish and was tight the entire way. Arizona needed a draw to win the match and Chicago of course had to win. These two players played fairly recently with Mark drawing with Black that time as well. The opening was well played by both players and even 15...Qc5!? is actually a common idea and is used in these types of positions sometimes when you get the tempo on the knight on d4. Around move 24 Mark offered a draw but at this point it seemed that Pasalic had to go all out for a win in order to save the match for Chicago. After a while the pawn structure stabilized and Black had the two bishops but White was slightly better due to his strong knight on c5. At this point most of the team was watching the match in another room, too nervous to go and look at Mark's game directly. Black lost a pawn on move 47 due to some "sneaky" play according to Mark. However, Black has some chances due to his active rook, two bishops, and the mutual time trouble. Both players had 1-2 minutes left at this point. Both players missed that after 53 Rb3 Black has 53...Ba6! which looks ok for Black after 54. Na6 Rb3 55 Qb3 Qa6. Black didn't play 54...Qb4 due to 55. Qc8 Qb3 56 Qh8 Kg5 57. h4 Kf4 58 Qh6 winning for White.
After 58...Qa7 Black finally got some active moves in with 61...Qf7 (Lev and I were analyzing 61...Qa2 which was also interesting) and 62...Qh5 and and after 65...Qg5 a couple moves later Pasalic had to accept that the position was drawn.

A crazy match ! Stay tuned for more updates as well as many photos which were taken by Amanda Mateer and will be posted by her soon. Thanks go out to Amanda, Ben Marmont, and Pasha Savine for their help in relaying the games and taking pictures as well as to all our spectators.

Until next Wednesday on September 3rd when we play the defending champions, the Dallas Destiny!

AZ Scorpions Win Week 1 Thriller!

2008-08-25T23:39:00.009-07:00

Wow, what a first week in the US Chess League! If the future matches are anything like tonight's match, fans of the AZ Scorpions are in for a treat. Even though our team outranked Chicago on all boards, Chicago Blaze gave us all they could handle. The below games are analyzed in the order they finished.

Board 4: Meerovich - NM Warren Harper 1-0
Warren Harper had trouble on board 4, losing to Chicago's Ilan Meerovich. Warren did not know the Saemisch Nimzo Indian and it showed. I am quite sure Warren will bounce back because he is a lot stronger than this game shows.

Board 3: FM Adamson - NM Burgess 1-0
This game began as a Kan Sicilian where black black played 6.Bd3 Ne7 - a favorite of Vadim Milov. I had no previous experience with this line, but I got a fantastic position. I fell in love with my position too much however, and got into ridiculous time pressure. I was fortunate to overcome a terrible time disadvantage to finish off the game in style. If my opponent had defended better, the game would have been quite interesting. After I won, the match was tied 1-1.

Board 1: IM Altounian - IM Van De Mortel 1-0
Our first board, IM Levon Altounian, tried to mate black on the kingside in a Symmetrical English, but Van Der Mortel put up great defense and could have forced a draw and perhaps better. But remember something, when you are under pressure, it is difficult to find these moves and a lot easier when you are an observer! Levon found a nice tactic, and of course avoided a potentially embarrasing stalemate to finish off Van De Mortel. After Levon came through to put us ahead it all came down to board 2 and Mark Ginsburg.

Board 2: IM-Elect Pasalic - IM Ginsburg 1/2-1/2
Despite having a disadvantage for much of the game (though I thought Mark equalized in the opening after his Qc5, Qh5 maneuver - a typical maneuver), Mark hung in there against IM-Elect Pasalic, and was able to earn a draw under time pressure, and thereby win the match for the Scorpions.

Root for us next week when we face off against 2007 USCL Champion, the Dallas Destiny!

Check out predictions of the First Match

2008-08-25T12:00:00.009-07:00

Predictions for the first match of the Arizona Scorpions vs the Chicago Blaze today can be found at http://usclnews.blogspot.com/
by Arun Sharma,

at
http://kingsidechess.blogspot.com/2008/08/uscl-opening
-match-predictions.html
by Ed Scimia,

and at http://bioniclime.blogspot.com/2008/08/
uscl-season-week-1-monday-predictions.html

Check them out and send good vibes to the Scorpions tonight at 6:30 PM Tucson Time !

Also the poll to the right was written by Mark Ginsburg.

Lineups for First Match Announced !

2008-08-21T18:23:00.017-07:00

The lineups of both teams for the first match on August 25th against the Chicago Blaze have been announced. Some of the Blaze seem to be unavailable for this first match so some of their better players such as GM Nikola Mitkov and IM's Emory Tate and Angelo Young are not playing. However, the team that Chicago has put up is very solid on all boards and the match should nevertheless be a struggle.
The Matchups:

Board 1
IM Levon Altounian 2535 vs. IM Jan Van De Mortel 2460

Board 2
IM Mark Ginsburg 2414 vs. FM Mehmed Pasalic 2375

Board 3
FM Robby Adamson 2344 vs. NM Jon Burgess 2263

Board 4
NM Warren Harper 2301 vs. Ilan Meerovich 2131

The bolded names are the players playing White in their game.
The match starts at 6:30 PM Arizona time (9:30 PM EST) and will be broadcast online on the Internet Chess Club. This match will be held in Tucson at Levon Altounian's house at 2772 N. Neruda Lane Tucson, Arizona 85712. Come cheer us on !

ACE Chess Excited to be with Scorpions!

2008-08-19T14:02:00.006-07:00

Hey All-

This is Danny Rensch, President of American Chess Events, LLC and "over-rated-dummy" chess player on Scorpions team. :) Seriously though, I am extremely psyched to be a part of the Arizona Scorpions, and I hope we don't disappoint our "huge" number of fans! :) Seriously though again, I am ready to give my best to the team in all aspects of preparation and competing. Please look to my site www.AmericanChess.net for articles and updates about the team. Also, for anyone looking for some serious "over-the-board" play, come to a Master Trek tournament @ ASU. Masters play for free, and if they give some of the kids their rating points, I will buy them lunch too... Just joking. Check me out, and shoot me an email. Later Scorpions!

Dionisio Aldama ties for 1st in Southern Open in Florida

2008-08-18T18:39:00.007-07:00

IM Dionisio Aldama tied for first scoring 4/5 points in the strong Southern Open in Altamonte Springs, Florida, held August 15th to the 17th. Dionisio tied for first with GM Julio Becerra and IM Blas Lugo. He only gave up one draw to Becerra (and took a half point bye in the first round) after beating two experts as well as IM Kirill Kuderinov (2525). Congratulations and hopefully he can carry this on to the league!

Arizona Scorpions Complete their Roster

2008-08-17T08:58:00.008-07:00

The Arizona Scorpions have chosen the final two members of their team. The first player added to the main roster of the team is the strong International Master Dionisio Aldama who has always been rated around 2500. He adds more strength to the top of our lineup and gives the team many more options.

Our last player we are adding is the 2007 US Senior Open Champion NM Joel Johnson rated around 2220. He will be our last alternate and is a valuable weapon to put onto the team when we need him due to his vast experience.

Overview of the Arizona Scorpions

2008-08-16T16:35:00.010-07:00

As one of the assistant managers of the Arizona Scorpions (Danny Rensch is the other), I want to thank everyone for the kind words of support for our team in the first year of existence. Thanks to everyone in the State for your support.

Our team will be competitive in the ultra-strong US Chess League (http://www.uschessleague.com/), and we expect big things in our first year. Our team is excited to face Grandmasters such as Hikaru Nakamura, who recently made 2700 FIDE, Alexander Stripunsky, Julio Becerra, and many other strong GM’s.

The US Chess League rules provide that the average rating of the team, consisting of 4 players each week, must be 2400.75/under. While many teams feature top heavy lineups, our team is very balanced and we have numerous potential lineups.

Our potential board 1’s (IM Rogelio Barcenilla, IM Levon Altounian, and IM Dionisio Aldama) are all very strong and will manage the top board nicely. The rest of our lineup will consist of an International Master (IM Mark Ginsburg), Fide Masters (Robby Adamson, Danny Rensch, and Ken Larsen), and National Masters (Warren Harper, Leo Martinez and Joel Johnson) on board 2-4. The trick in deciding a team each week is where you want your strength to be. Our team has the flexibility to field a slightly stacked team on the top or bottom boards or a well balanced team on all boards, depending on the other team's lineup. Virtually all of our lineups feature average ratings of between 2385-2400.

We encourage everyone to follow the progress of the Arizona Scorpions on the Internet Chess Club (http://www.chessclub.com/) each week, or to attend the matches in person (make sure and check our website for the location and directions since some of the matches will be held in Tucson and some will be held in Phoenix).

Stay tuned for more information on how to make donations to support the Arizona Scorpions. If you wish to make a donation to support the team, please contact Leo Martinez at chopotin@yahoo.com, Robby Adamson at robzadamson@msn.com, or Danny Rensch at danny@americanchess.net. We need donations to pay for a site, reimbursement of travel expenses, paying a TD, etc. Any support is appreciated.

RZA from Wu-Tang Clan comes to local Chess tournament from the new organization 9 Queens

2008-08-08T00:57:00.004-07:00

The newly created 9 Queens Foundation, created by Tucsonan Jean Hoffman and WGM Jennifer Shahade, recently ran a large tournament in Tucson with the famous rap star and avid chess player and fan, RZA. You can find out more about the 9 Queens foundation at http://www.9queens.org/. Many of Tucson's junior players helped run the main blitz tournament as well as some other events, such as a simul, blindfold chess, teaching sessions and much more. A three part video about the event can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/J9QUEENS.

Commentary about Arizona Team

2008-08-03T22:31:00.002-07:00

There is a little bit of commentary and analysis on the Arizona Scorpions team on the US Chess League website. It is done by Arun Sharma and can be seen at
http://usclnews.blogspot.com/2008/08/arizona-scorpions-announce-their-roster.html

Most of Team Announced !

2008-08-02T17:35:00.003-07:00

Most of the players on the Arizona Scorpions team have been announced !
The team so far consists of:
IM Rogelio Barcenilla 2560
IM Levon Altounian 2535
IM Mark Ginsburg 2410
FM Danny Rensch 2411
FM Robby Adamson 2377
FM Ken Larsen 2322
NM Warren Harper 2351
NM Leo Martinez 2209

Every team is allowed 10 players to be on the team with 2 of these players as alternates. The entire ten player team is not known yet however.

This team is very strong with some experience and some youth as well. Warren Harper is a talented young player that has done very well and has only started playing in recent years.

How the team will do in this very competitive league is a question but I believe that we can be competitive with any team in the league and will have great chances of success. If anyone has any suggestions or comments concerning the team or the league you can respond to this post. Thanks and good luck !

Scorpions Player wins Local Tournament !

2008-07-30T09:21:00.003-07:00

At the recently played Ye Olde Pueblo Open in Tucson, Arizona Levon Altounian tied for first place with GM Alejandro Ramirez. Both of these players won 4 1/2 out of their 5 games to finish clear of the rest of the participants. This tournament ran directly after the Western Invitational Chess Camp which occurs in Tucson and features such teachers as US Champion GM Yuri Shulman, GM Gregory Kaidanov, GM Alejandro Ramirez, IM Levon Altounian, FM Danny Rensch, FM Robby Adamson, and FM Ken Larsen. This camp is run by Robby Adamson.

Congratulations to Scorpions player Levon Altounian !

2008 Season Schedule Announced!

2008-05-27T08:06:00.004-07:00

The 2008 schedule for the league has just been announced and all the teams Arizona will face.

WEEK 1: Monday, August 25th Arizona Scorpions vs Chicago Blaze 9:30 PM ET

WEEK 2: Wednesday, September 3rd Dallas Destiny vs Arizona Scorpions 9:30 PM ET
(One or two matches from this week may be moved to Tuesday)

WEEK 3: Wednesday, September 10th Queens Pioneers vs Arizona Scorpions 9:00 PM ET

WEEK 4: Wednesday September 17th Tennessee Tempo vs Arizona Scorpions 9:15 PM ET

WEEK 5: Wednesday September 24th Arizona Scorpions vs Carolina Cobras 9:00 PM ET

WEEK 6: Monday, September 29th Arizona Scorpions vs San Francisco Mechanics 9:15 PM ET

WEEK 7: Wednesday, October 8th Arizona Scorpions vs Miami Sharks 9:00 PM ET

WEEK 8: Wednesday, October 15th Seattle Sluggers vs Arizona Scorpions 9:30 PM ET

WEEK 9: Wednesday, October 22nd Chicago Blaze vs Arizona Scorpions 9:30 PM ET

WEEK 10: Wednesday, October 29th Arizona Scorpions vs Seattle Sluggers 9:00 PM ET

Sponsorship is needed !

2008-05-26T08:11:00.007-07:00

The Arizona Scorpions are looking for sponsors for the 2008-2009 season. We hope to be competitive throughout the season however help from the local community is critical to our success. Funds are needed to provide a site, tournament director, equipment, technical assistance for the games, and for travel between Tucson and Phoenix. Any contributions are appreciated and can help support the team.

You can also help and support our team by buying equipment available at the US Chess League store where you can buy Arizona Scorpion shirts, mugs, buttons, stickers, hats, and more. You can see this at http://www.cafepress.com/uschessleague/5534323. If you wish to donate you can contact Leo Martinez (Manager) at chopotin@yahoo.com , Robby Adamson at robzadamson@msn.com , or Danny Rensch at danny@americanchess.net.
.

New Player IM Rogelio Barcenilla Committed !

2008-01-20T18:25:00.001-07:00

Hello Again!

Recently a new player has committed to joining the the Arizona Scorpions ! Rogelio Barcenilla, rated 2560, has committed to joining the team and will be a great help as he is well known to be very strong IM.

With the addition of Rogelio our roster now has 7 players. We will be adding players to the roster and will be announcing these additions on this blog. If anyone has any thoughts on team lineups and possible players to be added you can make a comment...alright talk to everyone soon !

An Arizona Team in the US Chess League -- the Arizona Scorpions!

2008-01-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello all !

As has been announced recently on http://www.uschessleague.com/ Arizona has joined the US Chess League and will be playing under the name Arizona Scorpions next season! This is a great chance to join an upcoming league and compete against some of the best players in the nation.

The teams in the league have 8 players with 2 alternate players(who can play only one or two games) during the season. During one match only 4 players can play at a time and their average rating must be 2400 or below. This makes the players chosen for the team important as a team needs to be well rounded and not simply the top players.

The Manager of our team will be Leo Martinez, while the only Assistant Manager at the moment is Robby Adamson. What makes our team unique is that Tucson and Phoenix are included in the team and the team will be playing in both cities throughout the season. Since we have strong players scattered throughout the state this makes our team stronger and easier to coordinate.

So far we have committments from IM Levon Altounian, IM Mark Ginsburg, FM Danny Rensch, FM Robby Adamson, FM Ken Larsen, and NM Leo Martinez. We have many others interested and will be announcing other committments throughout this blog.

If anyone has any questions about the league or the team please reply to this blog.