Baltimore Kingfishers![]() |
Baltimore will once again be lead by the undisputed star of their last two seasons, GM Sergey Erenburg, a 2008 All Star and a near 2009 one as well. While the Kingfishers are likely reasonably confident of how he may perform on the top board, the middle boards, the places which have really held the Kingfishers back from being close to the top in recent seasons is where they will really have to step up their performance. The addition of another more recent UMBC recruit, IM Sasha Kaplan, may likely be a step in that direction as if he can combine with their top veterans playing well, Baltimore unquestionably has it in them to beat any team in the League.
Like
most
teams,
another
key
to
the Kingfishers' success may lie in whether
their underrated players can come through for them in the clutch.
Most
notably in this regard for Baltimore is IM Ray Kaufman,
a
player
who
has
definitely
struggled in past years. But with his
current rating being more than a hundred points more than his league
rating, he can without a doubt be a very valuable asset to the
Kingfishers if he can manage to play to his full potential, especially
given the number of strong lineups they have with him on Board
Three. Another potential trump lies in NM Ian Schoch,
another player who has had sizable rating gains in
recent times and who may hold down the bottom board in many
matches. If these players can translate their recent success to
the League, 2010 may be the year when the very first USCL Champions
finally manage to hoist the crown once again. |
