2010 USCL Season Preview

Hey All!

So here I am writing a post about my predictions for the 2010 USCL Season, the strongest USCL season yet. I have been following the USCL since 2005 and have not seen so many strong teams. Before making these predictions, I have no intention in insulting/offending anyone in any way; this is just a blog expressing my honest opinion from a fan. Without further ado, let me start with my West Division Predictions!

West Division

• Arizona Scorpions- The Scorps suffered a severe off-season blow with the loss of GM Alejandro Ramirez to the Dallas Destiny. Instead, the Scorpions will have to use IMs Rogelio Barcenilla and Levon Altounian. As Barcenilla has only played one tournament in the past five years, and with the recent shaky results from Altounian, I envision board 1 problems for the Scorpions. The saving grace is that there are a few good possibilities for boards 3 and 4. The Scorpions will probably play FM's Warren Harper and Robby Adamson on 3rd board, while masters David Adelberg, Nick Thompson, and experts John Gurczak and Amanda Mateer are solid candidates for 4th board. However, with the woes on boards one and two, I do not expect the Scorpions to make the playoffs this year. Grade: B-
  

• Chicago Blaze-The Blaze scored big in the off-season, acquiring GMs Dimitry Gurevich and Mesgen Amanov. This may be exactly what the Blaze need to get into the playoffs. With a solid 1-2 punch on boards 1 and 2 (with the possibility of using IM Florin Felecan on either of these boards,) the Blaze also have IM Angelo Young, first team all-star on board 3 in 2009. On board 4, the Blaze have two extremely talented juniors, NMs Eric Rosen and Trevor Magness. With the lineup of Gurevich, Amanov, Young, and Rosen, I believe the Blaze will get to the playoffs this year. The only crutch to the Blaze is that many of the players are new to the league, and may not be able to make the adjustment to internet play. Grade: A-
  

• Dallas Destiny- The Destiny are returning from a tough 2009 season, in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs. They have revamped their roster by adding GM Alejandro Ramirez, and IMs Puchen Wang and Rade Milovanovic. The only question mark in the Destiny lineup is who is going to be a successful 4th board. Having not played chess in a year, Gerald Roberts is a very questionable 4th board. Bayaraa Zorigt had a tough USCL season last year, and Nelson Lopez has yet to prove himself in the USCL. If the Destiny can find a steady 4th board, they are in it to win it. Grade: B+
  

• Los Angeles Vibe- The Vibe are a new expansion team to the USCL, but should not be taken lightly. GMs Melikset Khachiyan and IM Andranik Matikozyan make for a solid punch on boards 1 and 2. Other possibilities for board 2 include FMs Joel Banawa and Alexandre Kretchetov. Yet, the strength for the Vibe comes with their flexibility on the lower boards, composed by solid FMs and masters who have had successful results as of late, including 2010 National High School Champion Christian Tanaka. The two main guns for the Vibe come on board 4 in NMs Konstatin Kavutskiy and Ankit Gupta. Both are 100-150 points underrated for league play and are still improving. I can see both becoming USCL All-Stars and leading the Vibe to a playoff appearance in their first season. Grade: B+/A-

• Miami Sharks- The Sharks have been one of the most successful teams in USCL history and I expect them to make the playoffs once again this year. With the leadership from GMs Julio Becerra and Reinier Gonzalez, the Sharks will be deadly. Possibilities for board 2 include IM Blas Lugo and FM Marcel Martinez. Moreover, their bottom board variety makes the team more of a threat, with young talents Robert Perez and Nicholas Rosenthal. With this lineup, the Sharks are a major contender to return to the USCL Championship this year. Grade: A

• San Francisco Mechanics- The Mechanics return again hoping for another successful season in the USCL. With the loss of IM Sam Shankland, the Mechanics picked up IM Dimitry Zilberstein. With the recent recruits of FMs Steven Zierk and Andy Lee, the Mechanics are almost sure to return to the playoffs for the sixth time in six seasons. If they get by this "wild card curse," the Mechanics could capture their second championship in USCL history. Grade: A

• Seattle Sluggers- The Sluggers, like the Mechanics, are hoping for another successful year from the franchise. With the loss of super GM Hikaru Nakamura, the Sluggers went out and acquired GM Varuzhan Akobian to take his place on board 1. The Sluggers also have GMs Gregory Serper and Emil Anka, so plenty of firepower is in place for the top boards. With a variety of options for board 3, and juniors Alex Guo and Michael Wang executing board four duties, the Sluggers look like a serious contender to win the West. Grade: A

• St. Louis Archbishops- With the famous Big 3, composed of super GM's Hikaru Nakamura, Yury Shulman, and Ben Finegold, St. Louis is the Miami Heat of the USCL. Similar to the Heat in the NBA, St. Louis looks unstoppable on paper. However, the Big 3's time and availability are limited, as they are all chess professionals and have busy tournament schedules. However, if they make it to the playoffs with the Big 3 playing, the Archbishops will be impossible to beat and extremely tough to draw. Will they make it to the playoffs? Yes. The Big 3 will play just enough to guarantee St. Louis a spot in the playoffs, maybe a 4th place finish. Of course, the Archbishops will still have to work hard while the Big 3 is absent. Grade: A

East Division

• Baltimore Kingfishers- Having captured the USCL crown in 2005, the Kingfishers have struggled ever since, although making the playoffs last year. Baltimore has a solid board 1 in Sergey Erenburg, provided he is available most weeks. The Kingfishers have plenty of support on the bottom boards, including WGM Sabina Foisor and IM Ray Kaufman. Pivotal to the Kingfishers is who can be a consistent bottom board. The two main options are NMs Ricky Selzler and Jared Defibaugh. If the Kingfishers can find a consistent 4th board, they are in serious contention of returning to the playoffs once again. Grade: B
  

• Boston Blitz- The Blitz are arguably the best team in the USCL that has never won a championship. The Blitz are a top board heavy team, including GMs Larry Christiansen and Eugene Perelshteyn. With such a top heavy lineup, the Blitz could stack and put underrated junior Grant Xu on board 4, leaving room to put players like IM Marc Esserman and SM Denys Shmelov on board 3. With the lineup of Christiansen, Perelshteyn, Esserman, and Xu, the Blitz could be a deadly team in the playoffs. Grade: A-

• Carolina Cobras- The Cobras return in 2010 after a last place finish last year in the East. Problems continue for the franchise, with the off-season loss of team hero FM Oleg Zaikov. The Cobras have a huge hole on board 1, with IM Jonathan Schroer having to play nearly every week. To make matters worse, Schroer will have to prove himself after a disappointing individual season last year. Fortunately for the Cobras, boards 3 and 4 should not be much of a problem, with solid possibilities of NMs Craig Jones and Chris Mabe, and the underrated Richard Herbst, recently coming off an excellent Denker Tournament of Champions. Still, a finish in the top 6 would be a good season for the Cobras. Grade: C

• Manhattan Applesauce- Formerly known as the Queens Pioneers, the Applesauce look to be serious contenders in the East. Led by GM Alex Stripunsky and IMs Eli Vovsha, Lev Milman, and Dimitry Schneider, the Applesauce see no problem on the top boards. Board 3 responsibilities could be given to many candidates, including FM Andrei Zaremba, Benjamin Katz, and WFM and the famous IS 318 coach, Elizabeth Vicary. However, pivotal to the Applesauce is their underrated junior, who will play board 4: James Black, 2009 6th Grade National Champion. Checking into the league with a 1852 rating, Black is about 200-250 points underrated. If the Applesauce used a stacked lineup with Black on board 4, and Black can perform well, the Applesauce have the tools to become the first expansion team to win a USCL championship. Grade: B+
  

• New England Nor'easters- Even without a GM, the Nor'easters look to be serious contenders in the East. With the extremely strong IM Sam Shankland, 2010 US Junior champion, on board 1, the Nor'easters don't see the absence of a GM as much of a problem. With IMs David Vigorito, Jan van de Mortel, and Robert Hungaski as options for board 2 and alternatives for board 1, New England should not see any problem scoring points on the upper boards. Boards 3 and 4 will see many solid FMs and NMs, including FM Braden Bournival and NM Carey Theil. However, many of the players are new to the USCL. If the Nor'easters can overcome this possible achilles heal, they are in contention for the playoffs. Grade: B+

• New Jersey Knockouts- Having dominated the East in 2009, the Knockouts once again look for another strong season. Led by GMs Joel Benjamin and 2009 all-star Boris Gulko, the Knockouts should have no trouble scoring on the first board. Board 2 will see IMs Dean Ippolito, MacKenzie Molner, and Albert Kapengut. Boards 3 and 4 will include World Open u2400 winner, FM Victor Shen, and his brother, FM Arthur Shen. Pivotal to the Knockouts success at times will be 4th board, Anna Matlin. If the Knockouts use a stacked lineup of Benjamin, Ippolito, Molner, and Matlin, and Matlin is able to deliver, the Knockouts can beat any team in the league. Grade: A
  

• New York Knights- Being the defending champions of the USCL, the Knights look to repeat their title this year, and they certainly have the tools to do so. With GMs Giorgi Kacheishvili, Alex Lenderman, Pascal Charbonneau, and John Fedorowicz, the Knights are certainly top board loaded. To compliment these players, the Knights also have IM Irina Krush, FM Alec Getz, and NMs Matt Herman and Aleksandr Ostrovskiy to provide support for boards 2 and 3. Like many other USCL teams, what can be pivotal to the Knights winning a championship is their bottom board, in underrated juniors Justus Williams and Alexander Katz. With the lineup using 3 of New York's GMs and Katz on board 4, the Knights look as scary as St. Louis' "Big 3." Again, it may come down to which board 4 can perform better. Grade: A

• Philadelphia Inventors- Coming off a disappointing season in 2009, the Inventors look to make the playoffs for the second time in six years. The Inventors suffered some serious off-season losses with GM Sergey Kudrin leaving the USCL and GM Alex Lenderman transferring to the New York Knights. To replace these losses, the Inventors acquired former UTD student GM Maghesh Panchanathan. The Inventors have solid top board possibilities in Panchanathan and IM Bryan Smith, but are a bit shaky on who will fill in on board 3. FM Tom Bartell is the best candidate, but a disappointing 2009 individual season makes his result a question mark. For board 4, the Inventors are solid with many possibilities, including IM Richard Costigan and FM Matthew Bengston. If the Inventors can find consistent boards 3 and 4, and keep Panchanathan and Smith on boards 1 and 2, the Inventors will not have a bad year. Grade: B
  

Writing these predictions have made me realize just how strong the USCL is this 2010 season. I am very excited, and let the games begin on Monday!