Board Four games have a notoriously difficult time doing well in the GOTY Contest, and this year would prove to be no exception with the only Board Four game in the batch going out in second position.
This is the second part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2012 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process works and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest
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19th Place: FM Ralph Zimmer (BAL) vs NM Joshua Colas (CON) 1-0
With the strong exchange sacrifice 23. Rxf6!, FM Zimmer began a nice attack which quickly proved decisive
GM Alejandro Ramirez (13th Place, 8 Points): A good showing by Zimmer, but it was a bit too easy.
IM David Pruess (14th Place, 7 Points): Another clean kill (and good play by White), but Black’s play was weak, and White had multiple ways to KO him.
GM Alex Yermolinsky (14th Place, 7 Points): Playing against the Double Fianchetto English Black often sends his central Pawns forward to occupy the space White doesn’t seem to be interested in. All fair, but for that strategy to succeed Colas had to put his Knight on c6, not d7! The energetic 13. b4! opened the floodgates, and soon the Black defenses were swept away. The thematic sacrifice 23. Rxf6 was nice also.
FM Ron Young (16th Place, 5 Points): I’ve noticed a paradox regarding the move “Rook takes Knight” — it is usually quiet or even silent when it is a simple capture or recapture, but comes with a distinct crunching sound when it is an exchange sac, which is perceptible even in online games. White ran the game like a symphony conductor, with the b4 sac acting as prelude to the d4-c5 central rush, and then the Kingside assault starting with Ng5 reaching its climax with the aforementioned exchange sac on f6, with White’s brother Rook delivering the denouement. I may have trapped myself here, why so low a ranking then … I guess I feel that though White waved the baton skillfully, it wasn’t a very heavy one.
FM Alisa Melekhina (19th Place, 2 Points): The game was an instructive example of how to take advantage of a seemingly innocuous plan. White spooked Black into sustaining his blockade of the long diagonal. Black could have tried a more dynamic plan such as 9… Bd6, a5, Re8 to protect e5, waiting for White to make a committal pawn push. After Black fixed his Pawn structure instead, White proceeded to undermine it with e3 and b4, resulting in a strong Pawn center. White then implemented a predictable exchange sacrifice, and the youngster was unable to maintain any resistance.
The game is not out of place compared to others in the batch, but still lacks the subtlety of the other choices. I look forward to seeing more Board Four games making it into the Game of the Year contest in the future.
GM-elect Robert Hungaski (20th Place, 1 Point): I think one of the best parts of playing over a game is when you find that moment when the tables turn and the momentum shifts heavily towards one side. Such moves are not always obvious but in this case 13. b4 seems to have done the trick. I think some refer to these moments as “changing the character of the position”.
Total Score of Zimmer vs Colas: (19th Place, 30 Points)
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Stay tuned for eighteen more such articles as the field shrinks by one game almost every day to see which of the following games will be the 2012 Game of the Year!
Week 1: GM Vladimir Romanenko (MAN) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 2: GM Ben Finegold (STL) vs GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) 1-0 Article
Week 3: SM Robert Perez (MIA) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 0-1 Article
Week 4: SM Denys Shmelov (BOS) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article
Week 5: GM Vladimir Romanenko (MAN) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) 0-1 Article
Week 6: FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) vs IM Justin Sarkar (CON) 1/2-1/2 Article
Week 7: NM Jared Defibaugh (BAL) vs NM Justus Williams (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 8: GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) vs GM Sam Shankland (NE) 1-0 Article
Week 9: GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) vs SM William Fisher (PHI) 1/2-1/2 Article
Week 10: FM Kazim Gulamali (BOS) vs GM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article
Quarterfinals: SM Matt Herman (NY) vs IM Eli Vovsha (MAN) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: NM Joshua Sinanan (SEA) vs IM Shahin Mohandesi (ARZ) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #1: GM Mikheil Kekelidze (CON) vs FM Kassa Korley (CAR) 0-1 Article
Wildcard #2: GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 0-1 Article
Wildcard #3: IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #4: IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (STL) vs FM Kassa Korley (CAR) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #5: IM Georgi Orlov (SEA) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #7: GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article
Eliminated:
19th Place (30 Points): FM Ralph Zimmer (BAL) vs NM Joshua Colas (CON) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (17 Points): IM Georgi Orlov (SEA) vs SM William Fisher (PHI) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article