The runner up for the best game in 2013 featured some amazing moves and great creativity from both sides, in particular one totally shocking move from GM Benjamin which completely wowed the audience
This is the final part in a series of articles which has counted down to revealing what game was voted as the 2013 USCL Game of the Year. For more information on exactly how this process worked and the prize information, please refer to: Game of the Year Contest
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2nd Place: IM Dmitry Schneider (MAN) vs GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) 0-1
In what many called the best move of the season, Black shocked the crowd with 14… b3!!
GM Alejandro Ramirez (1st Place, 20 Points): This is what I’m talking about! White’s flashy attack seemed to be giving Black huge headaches, and indeed had Black chosen 14… 0-0 he would have been slightly worse and Dima’s risk justified. However the amazing move 14… b3! put an end to all that and gave Black the advantage. But the game wasn’t over yet! White retaliated with further sacrifices which made the game unclear. A fatal inaccuracy with 21. Be4 cost him a game that was still open to multiple results, despite Black’s extra Rook.
FM Ron Young (1st Place, 20 Points): In some old chess book (I think it was Saidy and Lessing’s “The World of Chess”, but maybe not), there is a small section describing various types of chess moves, according to the way a move is physically played on the board. One style was rather self-explanatorily called “the hammer”, and another was called “la delicatesse” (or maybe it was “le”; I have no French, and I’m not even Jewish). Anyway “la delicatesse”, which is employed with “pinky in the air”, and I think a cup of tea in the non-moving hand, is said to be the most effective response to “the hammer”, and, though I did not witness the game live, it is hard to believe that that is not the way 14. Rxd6 b3 went down. I could go on, but I hear the kettle whistling.
GM Alex Yermolinsky (2nd Place, 19 Points): This could have been the Game of the Year if only Schneider had found a way to keep it going while a whole Rook down. Joel’s bolt-out-of-the-blue 14… b3!! should win the Move of the Year Award hands down.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (3rd Place, 18 Points): Cool game…Schneider waived the red flag at the bull first with 10. 0-0-0 inviting the complications with 10… b4 and 11… Nxe4 which Benjamin gladly accepted! White had a menacing number of pins when Benjamin uncorked the beautiful 14… b3!! which gave him the upper hand. A few inaccurate moves by White and some accurate ones by Benjamin meant the fuel was soon running out for White as he ended up down too much material.
IM Jake Kleiman (5th Place, 16 Points): This game really impressed me. Joel found this computer move 14… b3 and continued to play quite well in a very exciting and unconventional skirmish.
FM Alisa Melekhina (19th Place, 2 Points): It must be demoralizing to have your entire position fall apart after one move. It looked like White had everything: lead in development, center control, and an attack ready to go against Black’s King. Black’s saving grace was the incredible 14… b3!. One could spend hours going through the resulting intricacies. Schneider made it out of the complications barely alive, never having enough to recover his erroneously sacked material.
If I were judging “Best Move” of the League, 14… b3 would certainly be a top contender. However, it’s just not enough to speak for the entire game.
Total Score of Schneider vs Benjamin: (2nd Place, 95 Points)
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Final 2013 Game of the Year Standings:
1st Place (105 Points): IM Marc Esserman (BOS) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
2nd Place (95 Points): IM Dmitry Schneider (MAN) vs GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
3rd Place (80 Points): GM Sam Shankland (NE) vs GM Tamaz Gelashvili (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
4th Place (80 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs FM Steven Winer (NE) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
5th Place (80 Points): IM Justin Sarkar (CON) vs IM Levon Altounian (ARZ) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (77 Points): GM Conrad Holt (DAL) vs IM Jonathan Schroer (CAR) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
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