In a fantastic endgame struggle, GM Stripunsky ground out a win from what seemed to be a sure draw netting him a super high finish in the GOTY Contest.
This is the eighteenth 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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3rd Place: GM Vladimir Romanenko (MAN) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) 0-1
GM Stripunsky’s amazing fighting skills were showcased here as he ground out a very strong opponent in what looked to be a certain draw
GM Alex Yermolinsky (1st Place, 20 Points): If any of this year’s games embodies the fighting spirit of the U.S. Chess League this is the one. Stripunsky’s will to win persevered through over 100 moves of play, most of it in the notoriously difficult Queen endgame. By move 54 Black had increased his advantage to a size noticeable with a naked eye. Ironically, only two moves later Stripunsky threw it way by misjudging the consequences of the obvious 56… hg5 recapture. As the game went Romanenko had a draw by perpetual (71. Qd5 instead or 71. Qf4). Perhaps he was dreaming of victory. In any case, letting the Black King through to the Queenside was a bad idea. On move 91 Stripunsky showed his deep insight into the secrets of Queen endings by refusing a free Pawn. Indeed, capturing that Pawn would have lead to a theoretically drawn ending. As the game went on White had no way to save himself. All computer analysis I tried were unable to improve on Stripunsky’s play in the finishing stages of the game. Bravo.
GM Robert Hungaski (1st Place, 20 Points): I suppose this is where the subjective elements of each person come into play since this year I had quite a few marathon games myself. My choice to rank this game first might seem a little odd as it’s definitely not your average crowd pleaser. However, going back to my comments on Kekelidze vs Korley might make my decision a bit more understandable. I think this was the ultimate tug of war. I have been on both sides of these seemingly endless games and really I’m not sure which side I’d rather be on. There are few things in chess that make me feel worse than drawing (or losing!) a technically won position, and these types of endgames can lend themselves to that quite easily. To a lesser extent the same goes for the defending side. What sometimes gets lost to the delayed viewer is the tension that both players must deal with during the game, and when a game is so even for so many moves, but there is still plenty of pushing and shoving then that’s where I want to be! I can only imagine the amount of energy it must have taken for both players to play this game and for that I hold it in the highest esteem.
FM Alisa Melekhina (3rd Place, 18 Points): What an incredible fighting game. It may have been questionable why Stripunsky headed towards a seemingly drawish position. However, all doubts were resolved when Stripunsky displayed Shereshevsky-type endgame technique. He achieved a position with an almost negligible advantage but was still the only one playing for a win. The ability to be patient and convert those types of positions into a full point is a hallmark of a veteran GM.
After Stripunsky fixed his pawns on a4 and b5, he was effectively a Pawn up. Even so, it is notoriously difficult to win a Queen ending a Pawn or even two Pawns up! Resolute, he pushed on at a time when two GMs would usually agree to a draw, and allow the last few boards to be decisive. Keeping White’s King at bay with the threat of exchanging into a favorable Pawn ending, he managed to penetrate with his own King, even at the expense of giving up a Pawn in the process. There were many subtleties in the endgame that would make it worthy of analyzing in detail to anyone who wants to improve their endgame.
It’s easy in hindsight to fault Romanenko for being tempted by the h6 pawn and decisively allowing the Black King entry with 71. Qf4+ rather than the more solid 71. Qd5+. But it is absolutely presumptuous to do so. The game was grueling for both players, and the decisions required superhuman calculation.
This game in particular should be judged as more than a collection of moves – it symbolizes what the USCL is all about: uncompromising fighting and team spirit. The game would have been decisive for his team, and Stripunsky exhibited commendable team camaraderie by giving it his all. Whether it was out of respect for Stripunsky who pulled a win out of thin air, or because he was hoping for a stalemate miracle, Romanenko played on until mate – a rare occurrence after the 1800 level, (and added bonus to the game!).
This game will be remembered in future USCLs as the gold standard for fighting spirit.
FM Ron Young (7th Place, 14 Points): Many was the hour I spent as a young chess player going over Fred Reinfeld’s “How to Be a Winner in Chess”. The third chapter in particular, “When to Resign”, I found a source of endless fascination. Call me presumptuous or immodest, but I think I might have something to teach even a GM on that subject.
As 90% of this game was QK vs. QK, I envy the Facebook user who can simply click “like” and be done rather than strain to find a different way from everyone else, to extol the fighting spirit, determination, and endurance displayed by Stripunsky in this game. I like it.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (15th Place, 6 Points): This show of will and fighting spirit is commendable for Stripunsky, but hardly deserving of a Game of the Year award.
IM David Pruess (17th Place, 4 Points): High marks for Stripunsky’s endgame play. Romanenko seemed to be playing for a draw from move five, but as if he expected that Stripunsky also was — i.e. he wasn’t even playing good moves. To me the game would have needed a little more fire from the second player to be a serious GOTY contender.
Total Score of Romanenko vs Stripunsky: (3rd Place, 82 Points)
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Stay tuned for two 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!
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
Eliminated:
3rd Place (82 Points): GM Vladimir Romanenko (MAN) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
4th Place (80 Points): GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
5th Place (79 Points): GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) vs GM Sam Shankland (NE) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (77 Points): SM Robert Perez (MIA) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
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