An entertaining draw which saw a hanging Rook for a surprisingly long string of moves is the third game knocked out from the GOTY Contest.
This is the third 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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18th Place: SM Denys Shmelov (BOS) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1/2-1/2
With 35… Rxf5!, Black’s desperado Rook managed to stay en-prise for many consecutive moves, en-route to an entertaining draw
GM-elect Robert Hungaski (7th Place, 14 Points): Along with Stripunsky vs Sammour-Hasbun, I think this game illustrates the main virtures of the Slav Pawn structure. It’s the type of game I usually look for when I study an opening. Not to find some cool novelty that suddenly justifies an entire variation, but rather to get a better feel for how much pressure such a structure can resist or how hard it will allow me to push. I think this game shows a bit of both. Black was able to mount a strong attack thanks to the open g-file and justified the doubling of his f-pawns on a more positional, long-term basis. His control over the dark squares proved to be an ideal pivot-point for his pieces and set the stage for an impressive Rook waltz.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (10th Place, 11 Points): This game was good but again nothing special.
IM David Pruess (18th Place, 3 Points): They played with tenacity, and there were a few nice ideas, but nothing too amazing happened. My heart rate did not increase watching this live.
GM Alex Yermolinsky (19th Place, 2 Points): A classical line of the Slav Defense with a modern twist: Holt allowed doubled f-pawns and had his Bishop nearly imprisoned on g6. His compensation was based on the strength of his dark-squared Bishop and activity of the pieces. Perhaps at some moment Holt hesitated and allowed Shmelov to reposition his Knight. Suddenly facing difficulties Holt reacted admirably well, using tactics he took the game into an equal ending.
FM Ron Young (19th Place, 2 Points): A rather correct game, full of petite combinations, with 33… f5 being an especially nice breakout. Downside - though the nice touches were many, they weren’t very deep, and mainly, what it all added up to, the drawn RRB-RR(opposite)B ending, was not very rewarding.
FM Alisa Melekhina (20th Place, 1 Point): After all decisive games in last year’s GOTY contest, I was surprised to find that 20% of the games in this year’s group were draws. Some were well-deserved draws after the middle game fireworks cooled down. However, this was a more-eventful-than-usual-Slav where the imbalance simply fizzled out into a draw.
I appreciated Black’s attempt to exploit White’s weak dark squares created after the bold g4 push. And yes, keeping the Rook en prise for nine consecutive moves was a nice touch. But the Rook was only in danger of being captured optically. The threat of White losing his Queen if he ever took the Rook negated any real danger.
A game certainly worthy of coming out victorious in the Game of the Week selections, but one that pales in comparison to the more exciting, precise, and start-to-finish battles that were prominent in the other games.
Total Score of Shmelov vs Holt: (18th Place, 33 Points)
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Stay tuned for seventeen 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 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:
18th Place (33 Points): SM Denys Shmelov (BOS) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
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