FM Ron Young's predictions - League Championship
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by FM Ron Young                       
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The two-week hypefest is nearing its end and soon
there’ll be nothing left but to mop up the blood. And 
blood there must be, what with the tiebreaker plan in
place. I admit that I was initially confused by how it
worked but by the time I finished reading,
everything was clear. Nonetheless, I
think I’ll pick a decision to be reached in the
regular match. 

Baltimore had their choice of color assignments and by
taking White on the odd boards, they’ve declared the
opening of Spanish torture season. Kaufman employs the
milder version with the exchange on c6 while
Charbonneau sadistically keeps everything on but
between the two approaches, they have a good chance to
come up with something worthwhile. 

Past performance suggests we may see a Caro-Kann on
board two, with which Enkhbat scored from a bad
position against Costigan, finishing with a walk-off
checkmate. Martinez will probably have to do more than
just avoid that for his team to win. Will he manage?
Maybe.

I’ve read the interviews on this site and apparently
Rohonyan has provided Miami some electronic bulletin
board material by guaranteeing victory in her game.
This once made a star of Joe Namath, so could we be in
for a remake of “C.C. and Company” in the near
future?! This almost gives me a rooting interest but I
will fight to remain objective. If anything, Katerina
is even bolder than Joe was since she is actually the
favorite and apt to be taken seriously. As Cabrera
reminded us in the semi-final, many hammers have been
broken against the English anvil and Lee didn’t even
have a guarantee to fulfill. 

Baltimore looks a little stronger overall but is
probably the underdog in a blitz playoff. But I think
they'll avoid that. I pick the Kingfishers to reel in
the crown, 2.5-1.5.