08/31/2006

Boston vs Miami - Blitz Manager Matt Phelps Reports
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by Boston Blitz Manager: Matt Phelps
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Hi everyone. This is Matt Phelps, Manager and Team Captain
for the Boston Blitz. Last year we played our matches at my home club,
the Metrowest Chess Club, and since I set up the wireless network
there, I became the de facto manager of the team. Most of my duties
were just keeping the network alive, and dealing with reconnects to
ICC when it wasn't. This year we are playing where I work, at the
Harvard Observatory in Cambridge, MA. (Thanks to the Harvard Chess
Club for acting as our official liaison, making it "legal" for us to
use one of the classrooms here.) We're tapping into the wired network
which makes my life easier; and the location much closer to the city
makes life easier for the players. In fact, Larry Christiansen walked
to the site!

The night began with the usual routine for a chess organizer/TD;
setting up the tables and chairs. I swear, that is how TDs spend most
of their time. I did get help from the official TD for the Blitz,
Philip Nutzman, a near-expert player himself who works and studies
here. Then wires were strewn about for the laptops; one per board. In
a fit of end-user-itis, I panicked when one of the laptops couldn't
connect to ICC, even though I had tested each port of our router. Was
it a bad cable? Could I get a new one in time? Fortunately, no one
else was there to witness my red face as this system administrator
made the ultimate error of "not plugging it in." Once the wayward
network cable was inserted into it's proper place, all was well.

The players all made it in plenty of time, after a few cell phone
calls to guide them to the new location. I took advantage of my lofty
position to relay the Christiansen - Becerra game. There's a lot to be
said for letting a lifelong club player sit across from a world class
GM, and make the moves of another GM. Philip relayed the Blas Lugo -
Foygel game, Vadim Martirosov took care of the computer himself
(though he first made the moves on a live board to protect him from
mouse slips), and a stalwart volunteer from last year, Mark La Rocca,
relayed the moves for the Cabrera - Krasik match-up on board 4. Later
in the evening Blitz team members Bill Kelleher and Eugene Perelshteyn
(fresh from a lecture at the Boylston Chess Club in neighboring
Somerville, MA) came, including a few spouses and even a couple of
spectators.

I won't comment on the games themselves; I'll leave that to others
more qualified, but I have a few impressions that I remember.

Larry's win was very nice. Becerra's menacing looking passed pawns
were stymied by the bishop pair vs. rook, and those raking bishops
were also attacking, trapping the black king with the help of a pawn
on g6. Larry simply dinked the h-pawn forward and there was nothing
Becerra could do to prevent it from coming down the board and
administering mate on g7. 1-0 Boston.



(Christiansen-Becerra)
Becerra resigned after 37. h4. Fritz has
White up +21.00 after h4, which is equal
to about 2 queens and a bishop. However as hard
as it tried, it couldn't see forced mate...


Ilya's position early on and in the middlegame looked butt
ugly. Apparently he agreed with my assessment judging by all the heavy
sighs and grunts he made (Note to self: Invite Ilya to a poker game!)
He admitted he was playing "the worst ever." Somehow he wriggled a
little free, then Cabrera went pawn hunting and a timely exchange sac
by Ilya unleashed his queen and bishop for the kill. Larry muttered
"Lucky Bastard," and there was much back slapping and pumping of
fists. 2-0 Boston.


(Cabrera - Krasik)
White is totally winning after 30. Rxa6, with a free extra pawn
and dominating position. Instead Cabrera fell for Krasik's
swindle by playing 30. Rxd6 Qe7!. Suddenly it's white who has
to fight for equality, as black is threatening 31....Rxc4 32. Qxc4 Qxd6,
and 31...Rxc4 32.Qxc4 Qxe3 with a powerful mating attack. Cabrera
was unable to handle the change in fortunes, and Krasik won the game, and
effectively the match for Boston.



I didn't get much chance to watch Vadim's game, but at the end he
sacked his bishop on g7, which looked like it forced a
perpetual. Apparently Marinez thought he should try to win given the
match score, and interposed his bishop instead of allowing the
repetition. It was soon lost, and then check, attack the queen, check,
mate! The match was now officially clinched in Boston's favor, but would
we be able to score the second 4-0 sweep in the history of the league?

I didn't get a chance to watch most of Igor's game either. But at the end
white got a killer passed a-pawn. I remember joking outside, after
Igor was forced to play Qa8 with the pawn on a7, that Igor had it
soundly blockaded with his queen. 3-1 Boston. Igor asked me if he
was still on the team; I told him I'd think about it.

It was an excellent start to the season, no technical glitches to
speak of, and some exciting chess!



Boston vs Miami


1. GM Larry Christiansen (BOS) vs GM Julio Becerra (MIA)  1-0
2. IM Blas Lugo (MIA) vs IM Igor Foygel (BOS)  1-0
3. NM Vadim Martirosov (BOS) vs FM Marcel Martinez (MIA)  1-0
4. Jose Cabrera (MIA) vs NM Ilya Krasik (BOS)  0-1




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