11/08/2005

  Solid Defense by USCL MVP and Kaufman family lead Baltimore to victory.
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by IM Greg Shahade                   
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New York vs Baltimore

1. GM Alex Stripunsky (NY) vs IM Pascal Charbonneau (BAL)  1/2-1/2
2. FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat (BAL) vs IM Jay Bonin (NY)  0-1
3. WGM Jennifer Shahade (NY) vs IM Larry Kaufman (BAL)  0-1
4. NM Ray Kaufman (BAL) vs FM Lewis Eisen (NY)  1-0


 Everything was on the line in this match. New York had an incredible regular season while amassing an 8-2 record, yet they had to face off against the one team that gave them problems: The Baltimore Kingfishers. Unfortunately for the Knights, their problems continued in this match and helped to send the Kingfishers to the finals.

  Things started off fantastically for the Knights, as IM Jay Bonin turned a positional grind into a tactical free for all, and broke down Tegshsuren Enkhbat's defenses:


Enkhbat vs Bonin: Black to move
 
  Bonin blasted open the position with 20....f5! and after 21. exf5 Bxf3 black had a raging attack. White defended with 22.Rd2 and the following position occurred:


Enkhbat vs Bonin: Black to move

  Bonin found the cute and crushing blow 22....Re2!. White can't capture on e2 with the knight due to Qxg2 mate, and was thus forced to play 23.Rxe2. The game went: 22...Re2! 23.Rxe2 Qc1 24.Kf2 Bxe2 25.Qd5 Kg7 26.f6 Kf6 27.Qa8 Bxc4 28.Qh8 Kg5 29. Qd8 Kh5 (Black is now totally winning, as white can't take advantage of the exposed king) 30. g4 Kxg4 31. Qc8 Kh4 32. Qd8 g5 0-1

  The New York fans could already taste victory after this win, as Baltimore would need 2.5/3 on the other three boards to advance to the finals. Ray Kaufman got the Kingfishers closer to this goal in the following game:


R.Kaufman vs Eisen: White to Move after 40.Bh6

  Eisen has been fighting an uphill battle all game but now things were looking very desperate. White had only 2 minutes left on the clock here, and despite having a winning position there are some small worries. For instance black is planning to play ....h4 followed by ...Bf4 check with an attempt at counterplay on the white king. Ray Kaufman sealed the deal with his next move however, as after 41. Bxe5! black's position is beyond hopeless. If 41...fxe5 42.Qc6+ and the c-pawn queens by force. Eisen resigned in just a few moves and Ray brought the Kingfishers a bit closer to their goal of 2.5 points.

  The board 1 matchup between GM Stripunsky and IM Charbonneau was all it was advertised to be, as neither of these players held anything back as Stripunsky attacked on the kingside while Charbonneau crashed through on the queenside.


Stripunsky vs Charbonneau: White to Move

 White has been attempting to break through on the kingside for quite a while but Pascal's defenses have seemed too strong. Stripunsky now shocked the crowd with the move 30. Bg5!?. Stripunsky's idea is that after 30...hxg5 31.Ng5 white has a powerful attack for the piece and may win the e6 pawn. Charbonneau could have tried this variation and played 31...Nc8 32.Nxe6 Qe7 when he is up a piece but white has some compensation, however instead he decided to go the safe route and played 30...Nc8 31. Bxh6 Qh7 32. Bxf8 Qxh2 33.Kxh2 Kxf8. Now Charbonneau has reached an endgame where he admitted "I thought I would have a hard time winning, but didn't think I would lose either. With the Kaufman's looking so good on board 3+4 I felt that a draw might be all we need to win the match". Charbonneau was able to hold the balance, and left the entire season at the hands of IM Larry Kaufman.


  The score was now 1.5-1.5 and Baltimore would require a win in the final game, as New York advances on a draw. On board 3 IM Larry Kaufman had been pushing WGM Jennifer Shahade to the edge for many moves. Larry has reached a winning endgame in the following position but Shahade sets one more devilish trap...


J.Shahade vs L.Kaufman:  White to Move

  Jenn now played 51.Ra3 with a sneaky idea. If black tries the obvious move 51....e3 white can force an immediate draw with 52.Rxe3! Rxh2 53. Kg1 Rg2+ 54. Kh1! Kxe3 and it's stalemate. Kaufman was very low on time and with not only his own fate resting in the balance, but the fate of the entire Baltimore Kingfisher squad, it's easy for nerves to get in the way and cause a last minute breakdown. However Larry Kaufman is not one to get nervous, and he played the simple 51...Rxh2 which led to a simple win for black. Shahade was forced to resign a few moves later and due to the fine play of Larry and Ray Kaufman, the Baltimore Kingfishers were headed to the inaugural US Chess League Championship match!

 The Baltimore Kingfishers seemed like the fiercest team in the league in the middle of the season by scoring four straight match wins, when they suddenly hit a few roadbumps. These roadbumps coincidentally occurred when Larry and Ray Kaufman went to Japan for a month. Seeing someone like Larry Kaufman on board 3 is pretty scary, as he has been rated over 2500 in his career and has more experience than any other third board in the league. In any case the Baltimore Kingfishers are hot now, as they won the final two matches of the regular season, and won in great style against the powerful New York Knights. The Kingfishers will go to the finals and face the same team that they lost to in week 1 of the regular season, the Miami Sharks. Fans can expect a exciting match that could go either way in the first USCL League Championship Match.

New York Knights			Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Alex Stripunsky - 2663	0.5	0.5	IM Pascal Charbonneau - 2506
IM Jay Bonin - 2379	1.0	0.0	FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat - 2453
WGM elect Jenn Shahade - 2318	0.0	1.0	IM Larry Kaufman - 2331
FM Dr. Lewis Eisen - 2325	0.0	1.0	NM Ray Kaufman - 2231
Avg Rating - 2421			Avg Rating - 2380
New York Total -------	1.5	2.5	------- Baltimore Total

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