USCL Finals: New York Knights vs. San Francisco Mechanics

 

      As Greg Shahade noted, despite my being wrong on nearly every predicition throughout the season, the finals match between these two teams that I predicted at the beginning of the season has finally come to fruition (hopefully silencing some of my detractors).  Though I did predict this team match, the lineups each team has chosen to field are actually quite different than my preseason guess.  Let's take a look at each board and see what I think is likely to transpire in each encounter.

 

 

Board 1 of IM Friedel vs. GM Charbonneau is the one game that I did anticipate early on.  I felt based on GM Charbonneau's amazing first season (in particular him getting the better of this personal encounter during that season) that he'd have the edge even with Black.  Based on this season though, I definitely have to second guess that at this point as IM Friedel has really had an amazing season and is undefeated with the White pieces and though GM Charbonneau has once again had some very good wins, I don't think anyone can deny that he just hasn't been as consistent this season.  Taking all of that into account as well as their earlier meeting this season where IM Friedel barely escaped with a draw, I think this game is a toss up.

 

Board 2 of IM Krush vs. IM Pruess pits another player who hasn't lost with White in two seasons having them at the helm.  Like GM Charbonneau, IM Pruess despite playing some very good games like he did in Season 1, hasn't been quite as consistent this season while IM Krush especially coming off her great win in the Semis really I think has been the epitome of consistent.  With the White pieces I think she has to have the slight edge here.

 

Board 3 we have IM Zilberstein vs. FM Hess.  As IM Friedel noted, FM Hess's plan of getting a worse position in the opening and then crushing his opponent in the middlegame has been a very good one recently.  If I were to give IM Zilberstein some advice, I would open with 1. a3!! just as FM Zaikov did in Week 4 vs. New York, which might well throw off FM Hess's strategy altogether (and as that game showed, it's a VERY effective strategy!).  In all seriousness though, both of these players have been playing well recently, but IM Zilberstein like the top two boards is another player who hasn't lost with White this season so he has to have a small edge.

 

Board 4 pits Herman vs. NM Shankland.  I don't think anyone can argue that both of these players are on fire, but since theoretically you're not supposed to fight fire with fire, I'm really not sure where this puts this game, but I think toss-up is probably the safest guess.

 

 

    This match, just as I felt the Championship would be whoever was in it, seems to a very even one on paper.  I did predict New York to be the one to prevail at the beginning of the season, but it's very hard to overlook the Mechanics undefeated 8.5-1.5 regular season.  Also, since Greg Shahade has ordered me to attend the match live at the Mechanics abode, and I don't want to be lynched while I'm there, I have to guess that San Francisco will take this 2.5-1.5 (plus that way between this and my preaseason prediction, I'll have to be right somewhere despite my attempts to get every prediction wrong over the whole season).