The first money game is the fourth of five draws, an exciting back and forth Najdorf that the judges seemed to appreciate every aspect of.
This is the sixteenth 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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5th Place: GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) vs GM Wesley So (STL) 1/2-1/2
Even as the exciting game seemed on the verge of fizzling out, White struck with the pretty 32. Rxc3!, and after a bit more back and forth, the fighting game ended in a draw
FM Alisa Melekhina (4th Place, 17 Points): Now this is exactly the type of game I’m looking for in a GOTY finalist. It has all of the ingredients of an exciting battle: simultaneous attacks on opposite-castled Kings, tactical lines that will make your head spin, and an equally complex ending even after the fireworks have fizzled out.
The only thing missing was an outright piece sacrifice. However, there were so many intricate lines in which sacs were possible, but never made it on the board because both players handled the complications with careful foresight.
It’s unusual to see such a fighting game at a high level. Kudos to Huschenbeth for steering the game into the tactical types of positions he excels in. Too often when players are faced against high-rated opponents, they tend to play passively for a draw. That’s a major psychological mistake that strong players know all too well how to counter. Instead, Huschenbeth played fearlessly against his 2700+ opponent.
So fought back just as hard. I especially admire that he refused a draw offer in the ending after the g and h Pawns were exchanged. He was fighting for a win until literally only the Kings remained. Fantastic effort by both sides. This game shows why draws are allowed in chess!
IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (5th Place, 16 Points): This game was a razzle dazzle of attacks, counterattacks, and tactics! I really appreciate the counter attack by Niclas when his position didn’t look that promising in the middle game. A very lively encounter!
FM Ingvar Johannesson (5th Place, 16 Points): A great fighting draw in a true fighting opening, the Najdorf. Huscenbeth went for it against his high rated opponent and definitely had his chances in this game. So however defended well and after some exchanges of blows, only the two Kings remained, a fitting ending to this great battle.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (7th Place, 14 Points): A fun and entertaining game. The opposite flank attacks created a lot of tension that the players handled relatively well. The final trade-off into the endgame was also cool. Not the best game but pretty good.
FM Ron Young (12th Place, 9 Points): I always hate when annotators say “overlooked by…” (how do they know?), but I will say that So might perhaps have given more thought to 32. Rxc3 than he perhaps did. So, rather flashy for a spell, but I don’t usually stay at the fireworks show till the last ember cools, and there was a lot of anticlimax here.
Total Score of Huschenbeth vs So: (5th Place, 72 Points)
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Stay tuned for four 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 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
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
Eliminated:
5th Place (72 Points): GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) vs GM Wesley So (STL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
6th Place (67 Points): GM Alex Lenderman (CON) vs GM Gata Kamsky (NY) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
7th Place (61 Points): GM Wesley So (STL) vs GM Alex Lenderman (CON) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
8th Place (60 Points): IM David Vigorito (NE) vs FM Andrew Shvartsman (MAN) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
9th Place (55 Points): GM Anton Kovalyov (RIO) vs GM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
10th Place (55 Points): GM Julio Becerra (MIA) vs GM Julio Sadorra (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
11th Place (48 Points): GM Anton Kovalyov (RIO) vs GM Gata Kamsky (NY) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
12th Place (48 Points): GM Niclas Huschenbeth (BAL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
13th Place (42 Points): GM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
14th Place (41 Points): GM Varuzhan Akobian (STL) vs GM Renier Gonzalez (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
15th Place (38 Points): GM Mackenzie Molner (ARZ) vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn (BOS) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
16th Place (36 Points): IM Jeffery Xiong (DAL) vs GM Varuzhan Akobian (STL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
17th Place (36 Points): GM Pascal Charbonneau (NY) vs IM Jeffery Xiong (DAL) 0-1 Article Elimination Article
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