GM Stripunsky had a nice endgame grind rise up to third in last year’s GOTY and another nice effort by him managed a very fine finish in this year’s contest though it fell just short of the prize spots.
This is the fourteenth 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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7th Place: GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 1-0
With the surprising 42. Nxg7!, Stripunsky essentially finished off a nice endgame grind
FM Ron Young (3rd Place, 18 Points): The difference between an “opening” and a “system” is that an opening can be learned by reading a book, while a system can only be absorbed by a complete dedication to the lifestyle. For those willing to make the commitment, though, the rewards are there, if chess were played in ancient Greece, Stripunsky’s use of the nagging edge he wields in this game might have sold the London System to Xanthippe.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (4th Place, 17 Points): Stripunsky’s tenaciousness in this game was a pretty sight. He consistently put pressure on his opponent until the opponent cracked.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (4th Place, 17 Points): What’s there not to love here? The London, strong solid play and a wonderful display in good Knight vs bad Bishop endgame. White can even afford to give up a Pawn and then he gives up a piece for a strong passer. Love it!
IM Jake Kleiman (8th Place, 13 Points): This was a very clean squeeze with a cool Pawn sacrifice on g5 and a cute firework with 42. Nxg7. However, to be ranked higher, I would want more explosions or unusual structures.
FM Alisa Melekhina (17th Place, 4 Points): Another impressive endgame grind from Stripunsky. Remember his 112-move odyssey against Romanenko from last year? By setting the standard for endgame fighting spirit so high, Stripunsky falls a bit short this time around.
Black seemed to have lost his grip on the game after 18. Bh3. As if pre-visioning the trajectory of the endgame, Stripunsky locked in the Pawn structure to create the perfect access points for his King. The first half of the game was lackluster, but endgame material sacrifices are a rarity. It’s refreshing to see GMs fight out deadlocked positions to the end.
GM Alex Yermolinsky (18th Place, 3 Points): Black’s passive play gets punished in an instructive fashion. What else is new?
Total Score of Stripunsky vs Khachiyan: (7th Place, 72 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 2013 Game of the Year!
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 8: GM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 1-0 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
Eliminated:
7th Place (72 Points): GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (70 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Robert Hungaski (MAN) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (69 Points): GM Giorgi Margvelashvili (DAL) vs GM Ben Finegold (STL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (58 Points): FM Eric Rodriguez (MIA) vs IM Irina Krush (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (58 Points): GM Zviad Izoria (MAN) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
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