On board one... once again we saw a very accurate GM Julio Becerra getting the best out of the opening in the black side of a Meran Variation in the Slav. From there on Becerra went on to control every attempt of IM Stopa to mix things up winning in very clean fashion when time was going down dramatically. I am very happy to see Becerra leading for MVP this season as I think he deserves it. For me he is the strongest player in the league right now (with all due respect to all GM's here including Christiansen, Serper and Perelshteyn) He is on fire. After losing to Larry in the first round Becerra has gone on to win all his remaining games so far all in the very clean fashion which characterizes him. Having a first board like him means extreme securities for all remaining scrubs on the team.


Stopa vs Becerra  after 46...Bf8
Becerra just sacrificed the exchange, however produced
a crushing counter attack. After 47.Qxc7 Qd3! is completely
winning for black, as after white moves the rook on c2, black
has the winning blow 48....h4! After 48.Ra2 h4, white resigned.

 

On board two... Wow... this was a dissapointment as Moreno was squeezing every bit out of his opponent IM Kuljasevic out throughout the game to drop a very important pawn towards the end of the game in a nearly winning situation, allowing perpetual check and draw. Dallas should feel very happy about this result due to the position on board 2. Like I said before Moreno is adjusting little by little to life in USA and with some more time you won't see his games at this stage do down the drain like this one did. Some time and he will be back to swimming with the sharks.

 

On board three.... My game.... playing against one of the nicest kids in the block, Igor Schneider (brother of my old time rival IM Dmitry Schneider). Igor is improved very much as of late as proven by victories over very strong GM's in the past proving he may one day be at least as good as his older brother. Like i said before, I like playing people like Igor because in worst case scenario (which is losing the game) I know the point went to good hands and not someone stupid which is going to talk badly about the game without the slighest clue of chess in general. The game was a Dragon Variation in the Sicilian Defense in which Igor I believe improved over my game against his brother in the league last season by playing g4 instead of Dima's Bxg7. g4 keeps white choices open not giving black so many moves to play from. I sacked an exchange in some very interesting line and went after some scramble into a knight and pawn endgame which did not seem so good to me after the storm. Anyways... the endgame was very complicated and ended in a draw. A result I am not discontent with for comments I made above. I believe it was a good game from both sides.

 

Board 4 was the most problematic game of the match. Barredo is a very strong player who we know well from Cuba and after defecting to Spain is now living among us in Miami. Barredo got without a doubt a clear plus in the opening as Kiewra kept moving pawns creating holes in his position. Somehow Barredo played too slowly and got into trouble. In a better position by black (Kiewra) there comes an argument:

 

Black plays Bf6 against which Barredo after some thinking plays Nxd5 and thinks he is winning. All of a sudden there is a call to our TD that the move Bf6 was a mistake from the relayer of the Dallas Team. First of all I would like to point something: I don't believe is right to play from boards into a relayer, if one can avoid it (often it cannot be avoided but we have had almost no problems with relayers so far - ed). Suppousedly the relayer was moving the mouse around and accidentally clicked and made a move that to me seemed like it had an idea... was maybe threatening Bd8 also in some cases the bishop coming thru h4 with some checks. Meaning the move is not completly dumb. Happens not to be tactically justified but since that takeback was done, then Kiewra was advised of probably white's only tactical shot in the position and was alerted against it (Because the relay computer is out of the view of the Dallas players, this is not clear - ed). I think that people should play each from one computer and I don't think that should be a problem if Dallas plays from the UTD campus.. there should be plenty of computers. But is nobody's fault that the relayer was doing what he was not suppoused to be doing. This issue altered the whole team result as a whole. I lost track of my game for a while, Moreno at hearing the situation also got distracted to later drop a key pawn in his game as I said and Barredo himself was the worst one who lost very quickly after this incident.


Barredo vs Kiewra after 32. h3
At this point the move 32....Bf6 appeared on the board
This move allows white to win a pawn with 33.Nxd5 Qh5
34. Nxf6+. The move was later taken back, as Kiewra had
actually not moved but this had been a mistake of the
relayer.

I think the situation in general was handled properly but just as pointers, the relaying issue should be no joke like this was. We either all play from one different computer or then the relayer should keep himself to relaying and not analysing with a friend moving pieces around in the relaying boards.

 

Anyways.... The Sharks keep their position in the standings but are looking forward to beat Seattle two times and SF the one time left we have in the season. This sounds difficult but like Gene Hackman said in the movie "The replacements" : " Winners always want the ball"..... while talking to retired QB Shane Falco (played by Keanu Reeves). Our time to shine is to come, in the personal level my games have been overall miserable with a few exceptions underscoring for board 3. But like I said to my friend David Pruess in some ICC conversations: I don't think it could go any worse than now so at some point I am planning to start picking up some points which might be the right time when my team needs it most.