Hola!
I greet you all in Spanish this time because....
A) I am getting an A- so far in Spanish this year in school.
B) We are playing the Miami Sharks this week, a team that is predominantly Cuban. Maybe next time the teams meet, the entire blog should be in Spanish?
The Vibe and the Sharks are in a stiff playoff hunt for that coveted fourth place spot in the Western Division, making this a must win week for both teams. What does that mean? This match will end in a draw! Let me explain my logic:
Board 1 sees GM Julio Becerra taking on the James Bond of chess, GM Melik Khachiyan. Although James Bond is pretty cool and tremendously skilled, he has a tough opponent in store for him. I have tremendous respect for GM Becerra, and have respected the games he has played thus far in the USCL. After all, he is the most successful player in USCL history, defeating opponents such as GMs Nakamura, Friedel, Ramirez, and Kacheishvili. Although I hope I am wrong, Julio will take down Melik with the white pieces.
Board 2 shows FM Alexandre Kretchetov facing off against GM Renier Gonzalez. Kretchetov is coming off a bad loss against GM Akobian, and is looking to redeem himself this week against Miami's other Cuban GM. Both of these players are excellent positional players, so expect Kretchetov to hold fairly easily, making a draw.
Board 3 features FM Marcel Martinez duking it out with NM Kostya Kavutskiy aka Mclovin. Martinez has had a pretty successful USCL career, featuring a win over GM Jessie Kraai. However, Mclovin just came off a very nice win over WGM Katerina Rohonyan, and I expect him to carry that solid play over into his game this week. Mclovin will come through again for the Vibe, and will hold the draw against the strong FM.
Board 4 spotlights the Vibe's Ankit Gupta playing against the Sharks' junior hockey whiz, Nicholas Rosenthal. By the way Nicholas, I admire you for not being the typical Miami beach boy and opting for a different and tougher environment! As for the chess, Ankit is coming off a win over NM Joshua Sinanan of Seattle, while Nicholas is coming off two consecutive losses. That, combined with the fact that Ankit has almost a 300 point rating advantage, makes the result pretty clear. Ankit adds another win to his USCL career.
As I did last week, I'll share a short preview of other matches coming up this week, along with predictions on outcome. Without further ado...
New Jersey vs. Manhattan: New Jersey has a large edge in rating, as well as a huge edge on board 4 with FM Arthur Shen facing off against Shaun Smith. That, combined with the fact that New Jersey seems to have a slight edge on the rest of the boards, leads me to believe that New Jersey will win this one, destroying Manhattan's playoff hopes (if the Kingfishers win). New Jersey 3-1
Baltimore vs. Philadelphia: This match features an interesting match-up on board 1, with USCL super-star GM Sergey Erenburg battling FM Tom Bartell, who has had an excellent USCL record thus far. This game will determine the match, as the rest of the games will be draws. My prediction? Erenburg pulls this one out and Baltimore solidifies fourth place in the East. Baltimore 2.5-1.5
Dallas vs. Seattle: This is another must win match for both teams, who are fighting for that fourth place spot in the wild west. Both teams have very close average ratings, which means this should be a close match. In the end, Dallas' MVP IM Julio Sadorra will pull out the win and lift the Destiny to victory. Dallas 2.5-1.5
Arizona vs. Chicago: This is a battle for first place in the west. Despite this, neither team is using their highest rated lineup. Expect this to be a fighting match, and honestly, any result is possible. Because I just can't decide on which team may prevail in this match-up, I am going to call this a draw. Tie 2-2
New York vs. New England: The undefeated Nor'easters face their toughest challenge yet in a high rated Knight's team. The Knight's are employing two of their GM's, making this lineup extremely hard to beat. New York hands New England its first loss of the season. New York 2.5-1.5
Carolina vs. Boston: The Cobras are looking to continue their mini hot streak after an upset tie last week against New York. Duke freshman Richard Herbst is making his USCL debut on fourth board for the Cobras. Despite this, Carolina is out-rated by almost 200 points, making the upset highly unlikely. Boston 3-1
St. Louis vs. San Francisco: The Archbishops are looking to pass the Mechanics into 3rd place in the west by employing their "Big 3" for the second time this season. This is almost impossible to defeat, even by a top tier team like San Francisco. That being said, this match will be close, but will end up in St. Louis' favor. St Louis 2.5-1.5
That's it, folks! Adios mis amigos, y Buenos Suerte Vibe!!!!!!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
LA Vibe vs. Seattle Sluggers Week 7 Preview
Hey USCL Fans!!!
This is my first blog in 3 weeks, as I have been very busy. My junior year at Loyola High School of Los Angeles (shout out to all you Cubs reading this!) is proving to be time-consuming, but here is the LA Vibe's biggest fan writing a preview for their next match. This week we face off against the Seattle Sluggers, a team that at first looked dangerous in the pre-season, but has the same mediocre record as the Vibe thus far in the season. Therefore, this match is a must win for both teams, giving the winner significantly better chances of securing a playoff birth. So let's cut to the chase and break down each board, along with predictions for the other matches around the league!
Board 1: FM Alexandre Kretchetov vs. GM Varuzhan Akobian: This match features a very solid IM vs. one of the strongest GM's in the country. An ironic aspect to this match is that Akobian resides in Los Angeles, yet is playing for Seattle. Moreover, Var just returned from the Chess Olympiad in Russia, coaching the USA team to a tie for fifth place, taking ninth overall. Congrats to the entire USA team!! Varuzhan has been immersed in world class chess for the past two weeks, so I expect him to come out strong. Although Kretchetov has drawn two GM's this season, I expect Varuzhan to deliver the victory for Seattle in this face-off.
Board 2: FM Slava Mikhailuk vs. FM Joel Banawa: Our very own FM is coming off a tough loss last week to FM Andrei Zaremba of Manhattan. Knowing Joel, I think this loss will motivate him to play better chess and be better prepared this week, and I expect him to deliver his second win. This game will be the last to finish and Banawa will be the hero for the Vibe, similar to the week 1 result against St. Louis.
Board 3: NM Kostya "Mclovin" Kavutskiy vs. WGM Katerina Rohonyan: Alright, so the Mclovin effect didn't work last time against Chicago with the black pieces, so we decided to try it again, only with the white pieces. We are confident Mclovin is not going to lose this time with his stronger white pieces, and will hold a draw against Katerina.
Board 4: NM Joshua Sinanan vs. NM Ankit Gupta: I personally know both of these players, and can confidently say that they are equal in strength, with similar positional playing styles. That being said, both Sinanan and Gupta are fighters, and will play a long game, resulting in a draw.
So I predict this match will end up in a tie, despite Seattle's near 100 point rating advantage. Now, onto my other brief predictions for the rest of the matches in the league:
Carolina vs. New York: The struggling Cobras take on the cruising Knights. The result should be pretty obvious, with New York sporting GM's Kacheishvili and Lenderman. New York 3-1
Manhattan vs. Baltimore: The Applesauce need this one for any hopes of the playoffs, while a win for Baltimore would give them extremely high possibilities for the playoffs. The two teams squared off in week 2, with Baltimore coming off on top 3-1. However, the colors are reversed this time around. Expect a tie 2-2
Miami vs. Dallas: The Sharks are coming out strong after a huge win over New York last week. This match will feature a battle between two GM's on board one, with Julio Becerra taking on Alejandro Ramirez on 1st board. Miami will extend it's winning streak to two games, winning 2.5-1.5
San Francisco vs. Arizona: This match features a battle between two competitive teams for either first or second place in the Western Division. San Francisco is employing their MVP this season on third board in FM Daniel Naroditsky. He will get the job done this week against our friend FM Robby Adamson. The rest of the lineup looks even for the most part. San Francisco 2.5-1.5
Boston vs. New Jersey: To everyone's surprise, the Knockouts are having a pretty anemic season this year, with a below average record of 1.5-4.5. They are having a rematch with the strong Boston Blitz, whom they faced recently in week 5. This match features the battle of two classic GM's, Larry Christiansen and Joel Benjamin. Boston comes out on top 2.5-1.5
Philadelphia vs. New England: The first place Nor'easters are facing off against a mediocre Philadelphia, equipped with a 102 point rating advantage. The Nor'easters will continue their undefeated season. New England 3.5-0.5
St. Louis vs. Chicago: With the return of GM Hikaru Nakamura from the Olympiad, St. Louis needs to win this one for a shot at the playoffs. For Chicago, a win would keep them in first place and virtually guarantee a playoff birth. These two teams squared off in week two, with the result ending peacefully. The outcome this time will be different; the Blaze will come out on top and add another victory to their franchise. Chicago 2.5-1.5
Until next time!
This is my first blog in 3 weeks, as I have been very busy. My junior year at Loyola High School of Los Angeles (shout out to all you Cubs reading this!) is proving to be time-consuming, but here is the LA Vibe's biggest fan writing a preview for their next match. This week we face off against the Seattle Sluggers, a team that at first looked dangerous in the pre-season, but has the same mediocre record as the Vibe thus far in the season. Therefore, this match is a must win for both teams, giving the winner significantly better chances of securing a playoff birth. So let's cut to the chase and break down each board, along with predictions for the other matches around the league!
Board 1: FM Alexandre Kretchetov vs. GM Varuzhan Akobian: This match features a very solid IM vs. one of the strongest GM's in the country. An ironic aspect to this match is that Akobian resides in Los Angeles, yet is playing for Seattle. Moreover, Var just returned from the Chess Olympiad in Russia, coaching the USA team to a tie for fifth place, taking ninth overall. Congrats to the entire USA team!! Varuzhan has been immersed in world class chess for the past two weeks, so I expect him to come out strong. Although Kretchetov has drawn two GM's this season, I expect Varuzhan to deliver the victory for Seattle in this face-off.
Board 2: FM Slava Mikhailuk vs. FM Joel Banawa: Our very own FM is coming off a tough loss last week to FM Andrei Zaremba of Manhattan. Knowing Joel, I think this loss will motivate him to play better chess and be better prepared this week, and I expect him to deliver his second win. This game will be the last to finish and Banawa will be the hero for the Vibe, similar to the week 1 result against St. Louis.
Board 3: NM Kostya "Mclovin" Kavutskiy vs. WGM Katerina Rohonyan: Alright, so the Mclovin effect didn't work last time against Chicago with the black pieces, so we decided to try it again, only with the white pieces. We are confident Mclovin is not going to lose this time with his stronger white pieces, and will hold a draw against Katerina.
Board 4: NM Joshua Sinanan vs. NM Ankit Gupta: I personally know both of these players, and can confidently say that they are equal in strength, with similar positional playing styles. That being said, both Sinanan and Gupta are fighters, and will play a long game, resulting in a draw.
So I predict this match will end up in a tie, despite Seattle's near 100 point rating advantage. Now, onto my other brief predictions for the rest of the matches in the league:
Carolina vs. New York: The struggling Cobras take on the cruising Knights. The result should be pretty obvious, with New York sporting GM's Kacheishvili and Lenderman. New York 3-1
Manhattan vs. Baltimore: The Applesauce need this one for any hopes of the playoffs, while a win for Baltimore would give them extremely high possibilities for the playoffs. The two teams squared off in week 2, with Baltimore coming off on top 3-1. However, the colors are reversed this time around. Expect a tie 2-2
Miami vs. Dallas: The Sharks are coming out strong after a huge win over New York last week. This match will feature a battle between two GM's on board one, with Julio Becerra taking on Alejandro Ramirez on 1st board. Miami will extend it's winning streak to two games, winning 2.5-1.5
San Francisco vs. Arizona: This match features a battle between two competitive teams for either first or second place in the Western Division. San Francisco is employing their MVP this season on third board in FM Daniel Naroditsky. He will get the job done this week against our friend FM Robby Adamson. The rest of the lineup looks even for the most part. San Francisco 2.5-1.5
Boston vs. New Jersey: To everyone's surprise, the Knockouts are having a pretty anemic season this year, with a below average record of 1.5-4.5. They are having a rematch with the strong Boston Blitz, whom they faced recently in week 5. This match features the battle of two classic GM's, Larry Christiansen and Joel Benjamin. Boston comes out on top 2.5-1.5
Philadelphia vs. New England: The first place Nor'easters are facing off against a mediocre Philadelphia, equipped with a 102 point rating advantage. The Nor'easters will continue their undefeated season. New England 3.5-0.5
St. Louis vs. Chicago: With the return of GM Hikaru Nakamura from the Olympiad, St. Louis needs to win this one for a shot at the playoffs. For Chicago, a win would keep them in first place and virtually guarantee a playoff birth. These two teams squared off in week two, with the result ending peacefully. The outcome this time will be different; the Blaze will come out on top and add another victory to their franchise. Chicago 2.5-1.5
Until next time!
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