Burke (NJ) vs NM Goldenberg (MAN) 0-1 gets 18th Place in the GOTY Contest

Board Four games always have a tough time even making it into the GOTY Contest, much less finishing highly in it, and this year shall prove to be no exception with the only Board Four game making an early exit.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is the third part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2013 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: John Michael Burke (NJ) vs NM Ryan Goldenberg (MAN) 0-1

 

A wild tactical melee began with 20… Ng3+!, with Black eventually getting the best of the complications

 
 

GM Alejandro Ramirez (9th Place, 12 Points): It is not often that such low rated games make it in to the GOTY competition, and there is a reason for it. The pendulum swing of evaluation (and I’m not talking about computer evalution here, mind you, just the fact that one side must be winning after eighteen moves and is completely lost three moves later speaks volumes). The game was nice and flashy but it wasn’t good.

 

FM Alisa Melekhina (12th Place, 9 Points): It’s not everyday that you see the …h5-h4, …Nf6-h5-g3+ plan succeed in the Kan. I can almost imagine Black calculating the sacrifice on every move until White finally let his guard down with 20. Nxa5. Even so, White put up tremendous resistance until he slipped up again with 33. c3. If White had instead defended the Knight with 33. Qb5, his passed a-pawn could have decided the game in his favor. However, after 33… Rf2 black was coasting, although the win took longer than it should have. I don’t mean to nitpick, but missing basic tactics such as with 51… Qf2 allowing 52. Rxd6+ is unacceptable. Yes, Black was completely crushing at that point, but that’s no excuse to get careless.

It’s great to have a few board four contenders for GOTY because they are usually full of fireworks. If this game makes it to the top, both players deserve recognition for producing a whirlwind of a battle.

Nonetheless, both players were also inconsistent throughout. Coupled with the fact that the game was not an upset unlike the other top contenders, this one places just outside the top ten for me.

 

FM Ron Young (12th Place, 9 Points): Anyone who rejected the authoritarianism of “order of operations” learning arithmetic in school has to admire the way Black plays the quiet, Pawn-capturing 22… Be4 only after the big commitment of the 30… Ng3+ piece sac. Then the 23… Rxh3 (not even check) and the quiet 24… Qh4 (while a piece is hanging) makes me wish it weren’t 7:00 am on a work day, and I haven’t slept right now but 33. c3? (which looks like overlooking 33… Rf2) looks like White was simply was punch-drunk from the series of blows he’d absorbed.

 

GM Alex Yermolinsky (14th Place, 7 Points): With his back against the wall Black is finds the only way to keep it going until White blunders badly and loses a game he should have at least drawn.

 

IM Jake Kleiman (18th Place, 3 Points): This was a fun game. Unfortunately, I can’t really rank it higher because the play is too sloppy.

 

FM Ingvar Johannesson (20th Place, 1 Point): Hmm, White was on the verge of being just winning after 18… Ke7 but instead allowed Black some fancy though fairly obvious tactical shots which results in a roughly equal but unbalanced position. Then White was probably winning again but decided instead to lose the Queen to a one move “trick”

 
 

Total Score of Burke vs Goldenberg: (18th Place, 41 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 2013 Game of the Year!

 

Week 1: GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 1-0   Article

Week 2: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Robert Hungaski (MAN) 1-0   Article

Week 3: IM Andranik Matikozyan (LA) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 0-1   Article

Week 4: GM Emil Anka (SEA) vs FM Tom Bartell (PHI) 0-1   Article

Week 5: IM Dmitry Schneider (MAN) vs GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) 0-1   Article

Week 6: IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 0-1   Article

Week 7: FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) vs IM Irina Krush (NY) 1-0   Article

Week 8: GM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 1-0   Article

Week 9: GM Giorgi Margvelashvili (DAL) vs GM Ben Finegold (STL) 1/2-1/2   Article

Quarterfinals: GM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 0-1   Article

Semifinals: GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0   Article

Championship: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0   Article

Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs FM Steven Winer (NE) 1-0   Article

Wildcard #2: IM Vitaly Neimer (STL) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 0-1   Article

Wildcard #3: IM Justin Sarkar (CON) vs IM Levon Altounian (ARZ) 0-1   Article

Wildcard #4: GM Zviad Izoria (MAN) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0   Article

Wildcard #5: GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 1-0   Article

 
 

Eliminated:

 
 

18th Place (41 Points): John Michael Burke (NJ) vs NM Ryan Goldenberg (MAN) 0-1   Article       Elimination Article

19th Place (40 Points): GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) vs IM Steven Zierk (BOS) 0-1   Article       Elimination Article

20th Place (40 Points): GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0   Article       Elimination Article