Miami Sharks win 2013 USCL Championship

It took until their fourth trip to the Championship Match, but the Miami Sharks are at long last USCL Champions! With big wins by their two GMs, Miami avenged their 2009 Championship loss to New York in a huge way to capture their first crown.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

L to R: Miguel Fonseca, Manager John Salisbury, NM Carlos Gaston Andretta, GM Renier Gonzalez, GM Julio Becerra, FM Eric Rodriguez

 
 

It started with GM Gelashvili surprisingly employing the aggressive Sicilian Dragon against GM Becerra, but the daring try did not end up paying off as GM Becerra scored a quick knockout and put his team up 1-0.

With New York seeming to have the better of Board Two and the bottom boards both somewhat unclear, the match was still anything but decided. But GM Renier Gonzalez fought back from a tough looking position, spurred by surprising Kingside threats in a game where all the play seemed to be on the Queenside. Scoring a second win he put the Sharks on the brink of victory.

And with two positions seeming drawish, eventually despite a valiant effort, NM Checa could not create any chances in a drawish endgame against NM Andretta, with a repetition eventually coming about clinching the match for the Sharks. In the meantime, IM Chandra had gone all out to create chances to win to try to salvage the match for his team, but FM Rodriguez navigated the complications well eventually liquidating into a better endgame which he eventually converted giving Miami a convincing 3.5 - 0.5 Championship victory.

This being their fourth trip to the Championship Match and sixth trip to the Playoffs in nine years, it’s very clear how strong a franchise the Miami team really is, making them unquestionably a very deserving winning squad. Congratulations again to the 2013 USCL Champion Miami Sharks!