A big upset both in the individual game and the match by FM Korley which featured an entertaining King march finishes just outside the prizes in the Game of the Year Contest.
This is the fourteenth 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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7th Place: GM Mikheil Kekelidze (CON) vs FM Kassa Korley (CAR) 0-1
With 38… Ke5!, despite having his King right in the center of the board, FM Korley was the one who shortly launched a decisive offensive against his opponent’s King
GM Alex Yermolinsky (3rd Place, 18 Points): After 17 moves of play it looked like the GM is going to score an easy victory. White had the Bishop pair and space advantage on both wings. Perhaps, Kekelidze relaxed a bit too soon. 18. b4 was logical and forceful, but keeping a pair of Knights on the board with 18. Nc3 was simply a better move. The young Korley saw a glimmer of hope, and he went on with his play on the dark squares. 25. Qa4+ was another move Kekelidze later wished he could have taken back. The removal of the White Queen from the major theater of operations allowed Korley to launch a deadly attack on the exposed White King, beginning with 26… h5!. The fearless march of the Black King to the center with the White Rooks and Queen misfiring was also very impressive.
FM Alisa Melekhina (4th Place, 17 Points): I’m really glad that Wildcards are placed in the GOTY mix because of gems like this enthralling game. I suspect that I may be the only judge to rank it in the Top Five, but judging invariably has a personal element. I can’t help but look favorably upon the game because it has a list of the following personally significant qualities: An anti-Sicilian, unorthodox opening plans, KID-type dark-square domination, memorable King march, and a GM upset by a junior.
The opening was bizarre, but my guess is that Kekelidze shuffled the opening move order to trip up Korley, who usually plays 2… d6 after 2. Nf3 and follows up with a Scheveningen. Sensing that something was about to go awry, Korley hedged by playing the unusual 3… e5 to steer clear of any dangerous Open Sicilian weapons. Afterwards, he rejected the typical Closed Sicilian plan of fianchettoing the Bishop and playing on the Queenside. Instead, he obstinately refused to castle into White’s line of fire and stalled on the Queenside. White began to slowly expand on both sides of the board, but neglected his own Kingside probably because he reasonably overestimated the safety of his own King given that Black wasn’t castled.
But Korley remained steady and made it clear that he was playing for a win just as much as Kekelidze was. Perching the King on e5 when White had two Rooks, a Queen, and a Bishop – the audacity! He didn’t even give White any “chances” with 38… Kxg5 and 39. Qg2+, which is still -/+. Usually college takes a toll on one’s chess, but not for this Duke sophomore. Well done.
IM David Pruess (7th Place, 14 Points): Kassa appeared to have a really difficult game, but turned it around with excellent and dynamic play. What really pushed this game up the list was the pure real-time excitement it generated in the audience (including myself), with his King running up to e5, in the middle of an opposite colored Bishop attacking. I think there’s also an extra excitement when the underdog (the lower-rated Korley and the lower-rated Carolina team) scores a bone-crunching knockout.
FM Ron Young (10th Place, 11 Points): 26… h5 was a nice reminder that White also had a King, all the more apt for Black just having walked his own from check the move previously. Next time out, I bet White puts some flashy clothing on his King.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (12th Place, 9 Points): The saving grace of this game was the cool positioning of the King on e5, but besides that there is nothing to see here.
GM Robert Hungaski (13th Place, 8 Points): I think this was one of the first games I looked at. I have to say this is the game I underestimated the most when I first saw it. I played through it quickly and got the impression that White was just better, not much happened, and then Black won. This seemed odd to me and when I started looking at a few possible variations I began to understand the complexities of such a tense position. It is this tug of war regarding unresolved, tense positions that I feel comfortable using as a criteria when it comes to determining great games. But it is only when there is maximum tension that I feel a game is great. I think what I got most out of this game was the insight into how I would rank the remaining games.
Total Score of Kekelidze vs Korley: (7th Place, 77 Points)
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Stay tuned for six 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 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 8: GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) vs GM Sam Shankland (NE) 1-0 Article
Quarterfinals: SM Matt Herman (NY) vs IM Eli Vovsha (MAN) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #2: GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 0-1 Article
Wildcard #7: GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article
Eliminated:
7th Place (77 Points): GM Mikheil Kekelidze (CON) vs FM Kassa Korley (CAR) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (75 Points): IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (STL) vs FM Kassa Korley (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (72 Points): GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) vs SM William Fisher (PHI) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (71 Points): FM Kazim Gulamali (BOS) vs GM Larry Kaufman (BAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (66 Points): FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) vs IM Justin Sarkar (CON) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (59 Points): IM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (59 Points): GM Vladimir Romanenko (MAN) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (58 Points): IM Georgi Orlov (SEA) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (57 Points): NM Jared Defibaugh (BAL) vs NM Justus Williams (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (48 Points): GM Ben Finegold (STL) vs GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (37 Points): NM Joshua Sinanan (SEA) vs IM Shahin Mohandesi (ARZ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
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