The Mclovin Effect: LA Vibe vs. Chicago Blaze Week 3 Preview

Hey again!

After two disappointing weeks for the Vibe, Los Angeles looks to even its record out at 2-2. This task is easier said than done, as the Vibe are facing off against the deadly second place Chicago Blaze. The Blaze check into this match with a record of 2.5-0.5. Chicago has actually been a surprise this year. While they don't have the highest rated team, the Blaze have been getting positive results thanks to great teamwork. The Vibe are looking to put a stop to their "blazing" chemistry and hand Chicago its first loss. Here is an explanation of why I believe the Vibe will be able to do that. (Yes, I know I have been wrong the past two weeks, but watch me get to 50% along with LA)

Board 1: GM Melik "James Bond" Khachiyan vs. GM Dmitry Gurevich: Wow, what a matchup - two veteran GMs with extremely different playing styles duking it out! While Khachiyan is very tactical and creative, Gurevich is one of the most solid players in this country. Given the color assignment, it is quite obvious that this game is going to end in a draw. Khachiyan will get an active position, but Gurevich will hold and liquidate. To further my prediction regarding this game, it will be the first game to finish in the match, again, with the result being a draw.

Board 2: IM Florin Felecan vs. IM Andranik Matikozyan: Since this is Matikozyan's USCL debut, many of you may not know him. This low-profile IM (pictured at left) moved to the United States from Armenia ten years ago, residing in Glendale, California. Andranik is known for his love of crazy, wild positions, and can play either color. Despite this playing style, Andranik has extensive positional and endgame knowledge, leaving no obvious weaknesses in his game. In his USCL debut against the red hot Felecan, expect a sideline Sicillian, resulting in fireworks. Either player could win this game; I don't think this game will be a draw. This is why, in my opinion, this will be the crucial game of the match. Since this game is a toss-up, I will go with Andranik.

Board 3: WFM Tatev Abrahamyan vs. IM Angelo Young: Coming off a tough loss to IM Danny Rensch, Tatev looks to redeem herself this week before she heads with GM Khachiyan to the Women's Olympiad in Russia. This task will prove daunting, however, as she is matched against one of the most challenging opponents in the USCL. IM Young was a first team all-star last year, going undefeated in his USCL career until recently suffering his first loss to GM Ben Finegold of St. Louis. Given Tatev has white pieces, this game will be difficult for either player to win. Both players will fight it out to the end, but the result will end in a draw.


Board 4: NM Kostya "Mclovin" Kavutskiy vs. Trevor Magness: This is the game I was hoping for this week, as I mentioned at the end of my last entry. Two strong young forces in chess, both of whom I respect, facing off in the USCL. Before making a prediction for the game, I must explain the nickname I have given to Kostya. Kostya bears an uncanny resemblance, both physically and in personality, to the character Mclovin from the movie "Superbad." See for yourselves :). Both are pictured below, with Mclovin on the left and Kostya on the right.

While Kostya looks incredibly similar to Mclovin, he also is a close personality match: the quiet and reserved guy who is always the winner at the end. In "Superbad," Mclovin ends up getting the girl. In this chess game, Kostya will get the win for himself and for the Vibe.

So, with these predictions, the Vibe will prevail with a 3-1 win, thanks in part to the help of the Mclovin effect. At the end of the night, the Vibe will be partying hard, just like Mclovin in Superbad ;).

LA Vibe vs. Arizona Scorpions Week 3 Recap

Fail. That was the word of the night. We thought the night would go better, but oh well. The "vibe" was in the air at the Chess Palace, with the team joking around having a pre-match pizza party. Team members Kostya Kavutskiy and Ankit Gupta were in attendance to provide spirit for the Vibe. Christian Tanaka even got a good luck message from the great FM Daniel Naroditsky of the San Francisco Mechanics. Thank you, Danya!! Unfortunately, we were not so lucky in this match. Let me break down what happened from a spectator's point of view in the match.

On board 1, our very own GM Melik "James Bond" Khachiyan faced IM Rogelio Barcenilla. Mr. Bond tried to equalize the position into a draw, playing a solid Grunfeld type structure against Barcenilla's English opening. Melik made a dubious move in 17...d4, letting Barcenilla fork the bishop and knight by playing 19.e5. We are not sure if this was a mouse slip, as it looks like it loses right away. After this blunder, things just went downhill for Khachiyan, although he seemed to have some compensation. Barcenilla quickly converted his material advantage, and board 1 was the first board to finish in the match.

Board 2 resulted in FM Joel Banawa having an interesting fight with IM Dionisio Aldama in a Modern Benoni Defense. Aldama surprised Joel with this opening, avoiding his normal Kings Indian Defense. Joel exploited Dionisio's queenside with 18. b4, but didn't quite get enough material or initiative to convert to the win. When everything sizzled away, Joel had a Queen for Dionisio's two pieces, resulting in a drawn endgame. Although the match was already decided in the Scorpion's favor, Joel made Aldama show his endgame knowledge, and finally acquiesce to a draw after 72 moves. What a great fight from both players! On a side note, I nominate Joel as the Vibe's MVP. He always shows up in good shape for the matches, and loves to play in team events. Every team needs a player like Joel on their team.

Board 3 featured the USCL Game of the Week between IM Daniel Rensch and WFM Tatev Abrahamyan. As said in my preview, both are extremely tactical players and always out for blood. Where I went wrong was when I said that the game would end up a draw. Nonetheless, this game featured both of the players' styles, with Tatev having two Queens on the board for Rensch's attack. As a spectator, I could not determine which advantage would prevail! Eventually, Danny used his strong calculation skills to force Tatev to give up one of her Queens and eventually the game. Well done, Danny! A great game from both players.

Board 4 was probably the biggest question mark of the match for the Vibe. NM Christian "the balla" Tanaka arrived at the Chess Palace early, extremely eager to play and confident he was in good shape, and moreover seemed well-prepared. However, by move 15, Tanaka found himself in a far worse position, misplaying the white side of a Benoni, courtesy of Amanda Mateer. From then on, all Christian could do was play passively while Mateer slowly exploited the center. The Vibe's basketball stud kept holding a worse position until 31. Qc2, hanging the rook on e1. Showing his fighting spirit, Christian kept playing the position, making Mateer win her position in time pressure. I commend Tanaka for playing on, as most people would just resign after having lost their rook. Kudos to my homie, and I know you will have a better outcome next time!!

Although we lost this match convincingly, that did not lower team spirits after the match. Team members all commiserated about the loss, acknowledged how disappointing outcomes happen to every team, and then moved on to begin analyzing the opening from Christian's game. FM Banawa pointed out, "Whenever we are favored to lose, we win! Whenever we are favored to win, we lose!" So in conclusion, I hope we are underdogs next week against the 2nd place Chicago Blaze, and I hope to see my friend Trevor Magness play on board 4 against my other buddy, Kostya "McLovin" Kavutskiy. Before I conclude this entry, I suggest that you all sign up for a free weekly Vibe newsletter at www.thelavibe.com. This newsletter includes all the games played that particular week. Check back soon for a preview of Wednesday's match!

LA Vibe vs. Arizona Scorpions Preview

Fasten your seat belts folks, because you are in for a ride on Tuesday night! The LA Vibe are facing off against the Arizona Scorpions, a much anticipated match for both sides. The Vibe are looking to improve their overall record to 2-1, while the Scorpions are looking to continue their perfect record so far this season. Considerable drama and long time friendships separate players and fans of these two teams, promising a tense match. This may well be the match of the week, so you will not want to miss it! With that, let me now tell you why LA is going to put an end to the Scorpions perfect record at the end of the night.



Board 1: GM Rogelio Barcenilla vs. GM Melik "The Armenian Leprechaun" Khachiyan

Any of you who know GM Khachiyan can understand the endearing aspect of this moniker. Melik is one of the most positive individuals you will encounter and for our team, embodies the good will and spirit of a leprechaun. Though he is good natured and positive, GM Khachiyan is fierce and determined on the board. Expect this game to be a long fight. Both players are very active and tactical, creating an exciting game. In addition, both players are looking for the win, as they understand that this game is very critical to the match. My prediction is, however, that in the end, the game will end up a hard-fought draw that included many winning chances for both sides following an English opening.




Board 2: FM Joel Banawa vs. IM Dionisio Aldama

Expect fireworks in this game featuring the Kings Indian Defense from Aldama. Because Aldama's style includes aggressive and tactical play, my prediction is that Dionisio will launch some crazy attack, but that Joel will defend valiantly, stopping Dion's attack and winning a piece in the process. At the end of the game, the Vibe will have secured a win in this crucial game. DO NOT MISS THIS GAME!!





Board 3: IM Danny Rensch vs. WFM Tatev Abrahamyan: Expect another tactical, active game. Both players love to attack and create many imbalances in their respective positions. One significant advantage for Rensch is that he has knowledge in both 1. e4 and 1. d4, making it very challenging to prepare for him. However, Tatev is keenly knowledgeable in her black openings, studying under IM Armen Ambartsoumian. Tatev has also just come off a great tournament in Armenia, narrowly missing out on an IM norm. Other elements to consider in this game include this being Tatev's inaugural USCL game, and Rensch's history of being unpredictable in the USCL. With these factors, the players seem to have equal chances in this game. Predicted outcome? Draw.




Board 4: NM Christian "The Balla" Tanaka vs. Amanda Mateer: This match is difficult for me to predict an outcome for, in part because I know and respect both players. Christian has proven over the past two years that he is a solid master, while Amanda has improved 100 points in the past year, including an excellent Philadelphia International in June, and has shown no signs of slowing down her hot streak. Christian has the white pieces in this game, and has shown that he is very solid with white, rarely losing. That said, Amanda's openings are excellent, having learned under the tutelage of GM Alejandro Ramirez. Given the relative strengths of both players, my best intuition tells me that this game will be the third game of the match to end in a draw. As a side note, opponents should know that Christian is as fierce a competitor on the basketball court
as he is on the chess board, so think twice or three times before challenging this guy to a one-on-one pick up game!!


So with that, the Vibe will win 2.5-1.5, ending the Scorpions perfect season. I am hoping to be in attendance at this match at Chess Palace, adding whatever spectator support and encouragement I am able to and I ask all of you to tune in sometime Tuesday night. Adios, mis amigos!