For the second year in a row, one of GM Joel Benjamin’s games managed an impressive second place finish in the Game of the Year Contest, a nice additional feather in his cap of a great season.
This is the final part in a series of articles which has counted down to revealing what game was voted as the 2014 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: GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Holden Hernandez (RIO) 1-0
In a very drawish looking position, GM Benjamin went forward with 18. Rd1! and scored a masterful win despite no serious mistakes from his opponent
FM Ingvar Johannesson (1st Place, 20 Points): A cool game by Benjamin. He used a sharp line against the QID, and although things simplify a bit, he always hold on to a nagging edge because of his better pieces. The pressure just builds up in Karpovian style until Black blundered with 32… Rd6. Black could have defended better in some spots, but overall the game made an impression on me.
GM Alejandro Ramirez (3rd Place, 18 Points): I really liked this game because Benjamin’s precision punishes a position that at first glance seems sure to go to a draw. Hernandez’s defense didn’t seem bad, he made logical moves, but his opponent played so well that one dubious move was all it took for his position to collapse.
FM Alisa Melekhina (6th Place, 15 Points): This game stands out as a tribute to classical chess. A small advantage in a symmetrical position snowballs into a victory seemingly out of nowhere. Benjamin dominated the three open files while Black didn’t react swiftly enough to neutralize White’s initiative. While White was maneuvering, Black was re-shuffling.
The result was a clean and sophisticated win – he makes beating a GM look too easy. While not as exciting as a more tactical games, it has an undeniable charm about it.
FM Ron Young (6th Place, 15 Points): The opening took me back to 1980 faster than any Christopher Cross song could. And now that I’m there, I don’t want to come back. From slightly gnarly to bag-your-face in just a few moves. But when you’re under pressure, it never rains but it pours.
IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (7th Place, 14 Points): White got a slightly better position out of the opening, and Black played a dubious novelty on move 18 by playing Qc7, when Qe8 would have been the best move. White gave him only one chance after that when he played 27. Rdd1, where Black should have played Rxc1. This game teaches you a lot of positional ideas.
Total Score of Benjamin vs Hernandez: (2nd Place, 82 Points)
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Final 2014 Game of the Year Standings:
1st Place (84 Points): GM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1/2-1/2 Article Elimination Article
2nd Place (82 Points): GM Joel Benjamin (NJ) vs GM Holden Hernandez (RIO) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
3rd Place (80 Points): GM Wesley So (STL) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
4th Place (74 Points): GM Wesley So (STL) vs GM Conrad Holt (DAL) 1-0 Article Elimination Article
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