Once again I feel I must choose a game between two of the lower rated
players as the game of the week, but I think the nature of the
game does warrant it. FM Privman made the rather dangerous choice to
castle queenside despite the open b-file and long diagonal, and NM
Krasik decided to attempt to take advantage with 17... Rxe4!?. A very
difficult position arose which sparked tons of debate about the best
possible line for both players and no one was really quite sure who was actually
winning. After all after 22. Bb2 both of Black's Rooks and a Knight
are hanging along with his Queen having the potential to get trapped with
Ra1 so it's pretty easy to discern that we had an unusual position. Once
the middlegame fireworks finally ceased we wound up with a materialisticly
even ending which seemed to favor FM Privman, but NM Krasik slowly but
surely improved his position until he was better and then brought home
the point with the nice idea 45.. Rb5! to which there was no answer. A
very important win (and a fairly big upset I think given the fact that
NM Krasik was at a fairly significant rating disadvantage and had the
Black pieces) for the Blitz for sure, taking them to 3-0 and atop the
division while putting the Knights, who dominated the regular season last year,
in the unenviable position of being 1-2 and in danger of having a very
disappointing season if they don't turn things around soon.
(Privman - Krasik) after 17.Bd4-c3
Krasik uncorked the shocking 17...Rxe4!?
Other Candidates:
GM Larry Christiansen (Boston) - GM Pascal Charbonneau (New York)
This was once again a very nicely played game culminating very
similarly as to last year with GM Charbonneau managing to squeeze the full point
out of an endgame that most felt was drawn. The middlegame
unfortunately didn't have quite the fireworks of the game above (or as
their game last year), and that along with the fact that this big win
for GM Charbonneau failed to save the Knights from a disappointing defeat
convinced me to choose Privman - Krasik over this game.
IM Alejandro Moreno Roman (Miami) - FM Todd Andrews (Tennessee)
This game had a very wild middlegame which was hotly debated online.
On 21... Ne5 many initially thought that FM Andrews was going to force
the exchange of queens leading him into a probable better endgame,
but IM Roman squashed that notion with 24. Qh3! and then once again
after 27... Qb7+ it seemed like White might have to play 28. Kh3
allowsing 28... Nxg5+ and 29... Qf3+ giving Black counterplay, but IM
Moreno suprised the crowd again with 28. Ne4! which at first glance to
spectators seemed rather dangerous putting his Knight into the pin, but
the keeping of the threat of Nh7+ was simply too strong, and FM Andrews
could find no answer. A nice win for IM Moreno Roman and Miami both of whom
had started the season off on the wrong foot.