Monday, August 23, 2010

BostonNewNorBltizEastEnglanders

Zoinks!

Chess Potentate, Greg Shahade, has knighted a second Boston-area US Chess League team, the New England Nor'easters, to complement the perennial pennant favorite, the Boston Blitz. This leaves me, the on-again/off-again Bad-Boy Boston Chess Blogger, with double blog-blasting duty. Twice the targets for my sharp keystrokes! Shenanigens X2! New opportunities for Revolutionary War punning, like:

"Subway Series, Meet the T-Party".

"The Bayonet Attack Leads to a Boston Massacre".

"Here I am! Rock you like a Nor'easter!" (maybe missing just a little something from the Scorpions original)

Also, at some point, I'll use the phrase, "A perfect storm." Repeatedly.
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Zounds!

Let's preview this week's action.

Monday night: Boston Blitz vs. New York Knights

New York Knights

Boston Blitz

GM Alex Lenderman: 2608

GM Larry Christiansen: 2665

GM Pascal Charbonneau: 2566

SM Denys Shmelov: 2471

FM Alec Getz: 2377

NM Vadim Martirosov: 2248

NM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy: 2289

NM Ilya Krasik: 2253

Avg Rating: 2460

Avg Rating: 2409


Gadzooks! It is a classic rivalry! -Paste trite Yankee's-Red Sox metaphor photo here.-

Board 1: GM Lenderman vs. GM Christiansen
Dare I say it? I dare! There are gms (Lenderman), and then there are GMs (Christiansen). One of these GMs has won Linares, the US Championship 3X (including his nearly making this year's Final Four), and is in the chess Hall of Fame. The other gm is known for his funny dancing. Will I pay lip service to the youth vs. experience angle? No.

Come out of the woodwork you anonymous trolls and challenge my assessment! The only question tonight is whether Larry will take US Chess League games seriously enough, as his League results last year weren't exactly amazing. Perhaps the 7PM start time eats into his 1 minute bullet chess time.

Boston Blitz up 1-0.

Board 2: GM Charbonneau vs. SM Denys Shmelov
Dare I say it? I dare! There are GMs, and then there are SMs. Denys makes a great Board 3, but GM Charbonneau would be a strong Board 1. The Boston Blitz do not benefit from Denys rise to Board 2, not this week, and not after his relative absence from chess this past year.

Boston-NY knotted up at 1-1.

Board 3: FM Alex Getz vs. NM Vadim Martirosov

Dare I say it? I dare! There are FMs, and there are NMs, and does anyone really think there is a difference? Here is what I think-- an FM is just an NM that plays in New York (and thus has access to more FIDE rated events). Come out of the woodwork you trolls and challenge my assessment! Vadim was a solid player for the Blitz last year, scoring 3 out of 4. Alex Getz was born in 1993. Am I going to pay lip service to the youth vs. experience angle? YOU BET! Alex is young enough to only know the world with the Internet in it. This increases the probability that he is a Neuromancer, perhaps one of the younger generation who has reached the fabled Singularity. That's right-- Alex Getz might be a closet Computer that Wears Tennis Shoes. I'm not saying it's fact; I'm just saying, watch out for people born after 1990, as they may be our secret computer/human hybrid overlords. I'll predict a draw: Blitz and New York are tied 1.5-1.5.

Board 4: NM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy vs. NM Ilya Krasik

Dare I say it? I dare! There are NMs, and then there is Krasik.

Krasik loses. (Come on, trolls! Anyone who read my old Blitz coverage knew that was coming.) I kid. I kid.

But seriously, my prediction: New York wins the opening round, 2.5-1.5.


Stay tuned for part 2-- A Perfect Storm Blows the Kingfishers Off Course

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