2012 US Chess League -Manhattan Applesauce Roster and Expectations

The Roster for the 2012 Manhattan Applesauce is built from a core from our previous year and a group of young masters.

We have the following members on our team:

GM Vladimir Romanenko

IM Eli Vovsha

IM Dmitry Schneider

IM Farai Mandizha

IM Lev Milman

FM Oleg Zaikov

NM Andrew Shvartsman

NM Andrew Ryba

NM Alex King

Shaun M. Smith

We have started the year with two drawn matches.  We felt like we could have won both weeks, but drawing two of the strongest teams in the league is not a bad way to start.

Given our line-up options' strength and flexibility we believe we have a shot to win the entire league this year.

We have GM Romanenko leading the way and we feel that he can beat any top player in the league.  We also have some of the top board fours available with NM Alex King and NM Andrew Ryba leading the way.  And with a core of other top players we feel like we can hang with any team in the league.

This week we are matched up this Wednesday on www.chess.com with the strong New England team.  We feel like we have an advantage on boards 2 and 3 and will need to hold on either 1 and 4 to have a chance to win.  We will present a blog after the match with team photos, game analysis, and puzzles. Check back to our page on Thursday.