LA Vibe vs. St. Louis Archbishops Week 1 Recap

At about 5:30 PM PST, my good friend, Daniel Giordani, and I arrived at the Chess Palace anticipating a tough and intense inaugural USCL match for both teams. We were right, though we had no idea the level of suspense that was in store for us, as spectators. About ten minutes before the round, GM Melikset Khachiyan, the team captain, gave a pep talk to the team explaining the importance of this game, and gave specific instructions to the players about their opponents. After the pep talk, I felt a warm up song was in order to feel "the vibe" of the match. We listened to "Right Now" by Van Halen. This song is played right before the start of the LA Laker games, so I felt it was appropriate.


Onto the match! Melik surprised me by avoiding his pet Grunfeld and opting for the Knights Tango. He eventually snatched two pawns in the opening, allowing his opponent, GM Yury Shulman, some counter play. When I turned my head to our board 2, I was pleasantly surprised that FM Alexandre Kretchetov obtained a good position as white out of the opening, giving GM Ben Finegold a difficult Hedgehog structure. Board 3 featured a Cobra variation of the Sicillian by our very own FM Joel Banawa. By move six, Banawa's opponent, IM Michael Brooks, seemed confused by the opening, giving Banawa a significant time edge. Board 4 featured a four knights game between Ankit Gupta and Spencer Finegold. This is an opening that I am unfamiliar with, but I trusted that Ankit knew what he was doing, given the rating advantage over his opponent .

By 8:30 PM, GM Melik lost a close game against Shulman. We were all disappointed, but Melik reminded us that the match was still young and to play hard. Soon after Melik lost, Kretchetov achieved a much better position after 22.c5, and Joel was up a pawn. However, Joel was blitzing under time pressure, and could have blundered easily. Fortunately after playing a few moves, Ankit Gupta had won by trapping his opponents knight, a break that was much needed for the Vibe. Suddenly, we were all feeling our "mojo" and realized that there were real possibilities of winning this match. After Banawa picked up a second pawn against Brooks, Kretchetov offered a draw in a better position, confident that his teammate could win two pawns up in time pressure. Of course, Finegold accepted Kretchetov's draw offer, which left the pressure on Joel to convert the win in time pressure. About twenty minutes after Kretchetov's game had finished, at 9:30 PM, Brooks resigned, securing the match for the Vibe.

After Banawa realized his opponent had resigned, he let out a "Yes!" and threw his arms in the air. GM Melik was the first one to give him a huge hug, and celebration ensued in the Chess Palace. Everyone was extremely happy and celebratory. "This is one of many more to come!" exclaimed Khachiyan. I must say I have not felt as happy and excited all summer. What a great way to start a franchise!






Before I conclude this entry, I must thank Vibe Assistant Manager, Doreen Tanaka, for bringing Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for the team and spectators to enjoy! We really enjoyed them, Doreen!! Also, thank you to the Ong family for hosting this event in their chess club. Up next: Dallas Destiny on September 1. Ale-Alejandro!!!!