My Two Cents
(Beat Reporter: Mark LaRocca)
Alright... Alright... So, I owe an apology to the Los Angeles Vibe. They are certainly a very tough opponent, and proved it in Wednesday night's tragic... yes, I said tragic... DRAW with our own Boston Blitz. We were well on our way to my predicted slaughter with a nice Sicilian victory by Joel Hanks as Black over Nicky Korba on board 4. For a while, I was worried. But Joel showed nerves of steel as he weathered White's very dangerous looking attack to put us up (1 - 0). And then Vadim, the endgame Maestro, took a nice opening edge down to an advantageous two Rook endgame and showed his fearsome technique... with just a few glitches... bringing home the point to put us up (2 - 0).
At this point, I was really confident of a match victory. Jorge had won a pawn as White in a Bc4... Sicilian against GM Melikset Khachiyan and was sure to bring home at least a draw. And on second board, Steven had the better part of a Queen and Knight ending as Black, as IM Keaton Kiewra was forced to take unnatural chances to try to win. No way we could lose on both top boards... Right?... Wrong! Oh the chess Gods are cruel. They let you hold the gold in your hand and then snatch it away just before you can spend it.
Oh yeah... you're probably wondering why I am not making up some silly story that makes no sense to anyone... not even me. Well, this was too serious a match to toy with... and we needed that full point to get back into things. Now, it's a real uphill climb to make the playoffs. At (2.5 - 3.5) the Blitz are in sole possession of 7th place in the Eastern division... Nope... no jokes now... we need wins. So, lets get this analysis rolling and on to our next match. Time to get serious guys...
But first, lets take some time to appreciate our bottom board wins... Joel and Vadim... thanks for showing up and giving us fans a much needed reason to celebrate... even if only for a short time.
When I entered the room before the match started, Joel was busy preparing for his game with the help of Blitz stalwart Kazim Gulamali. I was busy filming my Mockumentary of this match... for a sneak peak at the unedited footage visit the Boston Blitz on facebook or see what its like to be a Blitz fan on my facebook page.
Nicky Korba (LA) vs Joel Hanks (BOS) 0-1
A nice and needed win by Vadim over a very strong opponent... These WGM's are tough cookies...I always evaluate people in terms of food... It's just easier. Boston (2 - 0)
And now, to the final two boards to finish... What can I say... two of our best players had very good games against strong players and... well, they blew it. But, no shame in that... that's chess for ya... lets take a look at Steven's melodrama... in some ways, it was the hardest of all to endure... as he had this one in the bag... draw wise, that is.
IM Keaton Kiewra (DAL) vs IM Steven Zierk (BOS) 1-0
The only solace I can offer Steven, is you were not the only one to suffer on this night... Boston (2 - 1)
We had all thought Jorge was on his way... as a Bc4... Sicilian is in his wheelhouse... right up his alley... tactics and calculation. Of course, when it comes to endgames he is no slouch either. And I must say, I really thought the win was there. Follow me on this one will ya...
SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs GM Melikset Khachiyan (LA) 0-1
So that's that... two chance to draw... two of our top players in control of their games... Well, if you want my two cents... this game 60 time limit is the pits. Boston (2 - 2)
Time to put this match behind us... we live in the now... and the now just seems to get tougher every week as our week 7 opponent is... drum roll please... the New Jersey Knockouts (White), Wednesday, OCT. 17, 7:10 pm. at Harvard SOCH hall, 59 Shepherd st, Cambridge, MA. Be there early. And let us know what you think of our Mockumentary... be kind... it was the first time I ever used a camera for movies... I think I'm kind of a prodigy.
