Another wildcard game gets the axe as while the interesting play was a nice feature, the seeming lack of originality in a major chunk of the game did not seem to inspire many of the judges.
This is the third part in a series of articles which will count down to revealing what game was voted as the 2014 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: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 0-1
The forced, yet hard to meet 23… Rxf4!, once again created a very interesting imbalance which GM Holt nicely eventually turned to his favor.
FM Ingvar Johannesson (4th Place, 17 Points): As a Francophile I might be slightly biased, but I really liked the thematic White square exchange sacrifice by Black in this game. It might well be that the sacrifice was born out of necessity after not playing accurately enough after rather uncritical play by White. Nevertheless after the sacrifice Holt played quite nicely and brought home the point like a boss.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (11th Place, 10 Points): People keep playing this highly suspicious line because Black keeps winning games where he sacrifices an exchange. White is plan-less and somehow his position collapses. Like this one.
IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (19th Place, 2 Points): This game lacks originality in a big way, as White plays a line up to move 26 that was previously played by his opponent. When you play something that deep, you should have analyzed it until the end, but he erred as early as move 28.
FM Alisa Melekhina (19th Place, 2 Points): The game has been lauded for the strong 23… Rxf4 exchange sacrifice. It was stronger when it was played in this exact position by Holt himself in the 2012 USCL against Molner. The present game repeated 26 moves of the original game – the opening is too complicated for the same moves to have been coincidentally replicated anew. That one concluded in a suspenseful draw after White castled Queenside, and Black crashed through with b4.
Here, Pascal was the first to deviate with 27. Rb1. The plan is to stall Black’s b4 breakthrough (which proved almost lethal against Molner) while White proceeds with the attack on the Kingside. Unfortunately, Black was still able to find a roundabout way into White’s camp. It looks like Pascal underestimated the danger and recklessly took the Bishop on move 38, probably with time trouble playing a role.
Since I can only begin judging the current game from move 27, I can’t rank it as highly. However, Holt does get credit for being confident enough in his openings that he didn’t feel pressured into deviating. Many players would opt for a different line if they sensed any hint of prep on the horizon. Holt stuck with it and even won in the end.
(As a side-note, I looked back at the 2012 game vs. Molner and thought that was an original, exciting, and extremely well-played game by both sides. I’m disappointed that that one didn’t make it into the 2012 GOTY contest at all!)
FM Ron Young (20th Place, 1 Point): Black’s exchange sac is no less attractive for being practically forced, but it is no less practically forced for being attractive. This is the converse, or the contrapositive of the inverse, and has the same truth value. A good fight, but decided in the end by a crass (strictly in a chessic sense) blunder.
Total Score of Charbonneau vs Holt: (18th Place, 32 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 2014 Game of the Year!
Week 1: GM Anton Kovalyov (RIO) vs GM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) 1-0 Article
Week 2: GM Varuzhan Akobian (STL) vs GM Renier Gonzalez (MIA) 1-0 Article
Week 3: GM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article
Week 4: GM Wesley So (STL) vs GM Alex Lenderman (CON) 1/2-1/2 Article
Week 5: GM Alex Lenderman (CON) vs GM Gata Kamsky (NY) 1-0 Article
Week 6: GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) vs GM Wesley So (STL) 1/2-1/2 Article
Week 7: GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Holden Hernandez (RIO) 1-0 Article
Week 8: GM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article
Week 9: GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article
Week 10: IM David Vigorito (NE) vs FM Andrew Shvartsman (MAN) 1/2-1/2 Article
Quarterfinals: GM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1-0 Article
Semifinals: GM Wesley So (STL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article
Championship: GM Wesley So (STL) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1-0 Article
Wildcard #1: GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1/2-1/2 Article
Wildcard #4: GM Anton Kovalyov (RIO) vs GM Gata Kamsky (NY) 0-1 Article
Wildcard #5: GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs IM Jeffery Xiong (DAL) 0-1 Article
Wildcard #6: IM Jeffery Xiong (DAL) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (STL) 0-1 Article
Eliminated:
18th Place (32 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
19th Place (20 Points): IM Georgi Orlov (SEA) vs GM Alex Stripunsky (NJ) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
20th Place (19 Points): IM Kassa Korley (CAR) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 0-1 Article Elimination Article