Another very flashy game whose tactics caught the eyes of the judges, but once again the inaccuracies that were mixed in prevented it from slipping into the top ten.
This is the ninth 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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12th Place: IM Vitaly Neimer (STL) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 0-1
With the strong 19… Nxh3!, Black began a parade of tactics which eventually gave him a decisive material advantage
GM Alejandro Ramirez (5th Place, 16 Points): A fun game full of inaccuracies. Still it was a tense struggle.
FM Alisa Melekhina (6th Place, 15 Points): This game was an instruction manual for how to beat your opponent psychologically:
Step 1: Show him who’s boss by rebuffing the reserved Italian by shoving the f-pawn down the King
Step 2: Trick your opponent into wasting moves attacking the Knight that you were going to transfer to the Kingside anyway
Step 3: Simultaneously sacrifice a piece and an exchange with 19… Nxh3!
Step 4: Offer a perpetual while secretly knowing that as the higher-rated player he’s likely to recklessly play for a win with 22. Kf1
Step 5: Make him regret not going with the safer route by back-rank checking him and winning the Queen.
Top marks for very daring and creative play from Rodriguez.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (10th Place, 11 Points): After 11… Nd8 Rodriguez managed to set up a Fischer Random starting position for Black and from there started to build up an attack on the Kingside. Black seemed to miss a killer blow in 19… Nxg2 but instead captured on h3 which probably should have allowed White to fight, but he chose the wrong square for his King on move 22 with Kf1 after which the play was very one sided.
IM Jake Kleiman (11th Place, 10 Points): Two words: Fireworks everywhere! Unfortunately, it was a bit sloppy and both sides could have played more accurately.
GM Alex Yermolinsky (16th Place, 5 Points): There were tactics in this game White couldn’t handle.
FM Ron Young (20th Place, 1 Point): A nice attack, though 21. Kf1 seemed obviously suicidal. But maybe it was just a cry for attention.
Total Score of Neimer vs Rodriguez: (12th Place, 58 Points)
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Stay tuned for eleven 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 2: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Robert Hungaski (MAN) 1-0 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
Semifinals: GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #1: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs FM Steven Winer (NE) 1-0 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:
12th Place (58 Points): IM Vitaly Neimer (STL) vs FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (56 Points): GM Emil Anka (SEA) vs FM Tom Bartell (PHI) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (51 Points): IM Andranik Matikozyan (LA) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (44 Points): GM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (43 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (43 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
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
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