San Francisco
Mechanics![]() |
Being
in
an
area
with
both
many
titled
players and plenty of strong up and
comers has undoubtedly been a big key to the Mechanics being one of the
most successful teams in league history, having made the playoffs in
every season.
One
effective
strategy
San
Francisco
has
generally
employed
is
finding
a
very underrated player to play on the bottom board, with All Stars US
Junior Champion IM
Sam Shankland and
recent US Cadet Champion NM Yian Liou both
having served in that capacity in earlier years. It would have
been natural to think that they might try to find another such weapon
for 2010 with Liou's current rating now being much higher than in
2009.
However, after his tremendous first season, San Francisco has chosen a
slightly different strategy, having him on the roster, again
in a position where he will likely play the majority of the games on
Board Four for them.
While this choice is entirely logical from looking at his
first season's results, his now much higher rating will require the
Mechanics to make some rating sacrifices on the other boards to
continue to employ him on the bottom board. But with them having
another long time up and comer, FM
Daniel Naroditsky, along with a new such recruit, FM Steven Zierk,
to
use
in
the
middle
boards,
likely
any
extra
rating
points that they
might be accustomed to having to utilize in those locations will be
well
compensated by those players' rapid improvement.
While the power of youth has served the
Mechanics well over their earlier seasons, the question that may well
be plagueing the team, even this far ahead, is whether they can locate
a
solution to their apparent draw odds curse, having been knocked out of
the postseason in four of their five seasons despite possessing that
advantage each time. If so, given that no other team has ever
showcased another way to stop the San Francisco team, 2010 may well be
the season where they achieve what they probably feel is their long
overdue second Championship. |
