GM Arthur Bisguier vs. FM Steve StoykoI left before the conclusion of Round 3, when Kenilworth Chess Club's A-Team played Arthur Bisguier's team on Table 5 at the 2007 US Amateur Teams East. I did my job on board 4, winning in 15 moves with the Urusov Gambit so that everyone else could take an early draw and get some rest. Our board 2 was still playing when I left, with a clear edge over his opponent--who knows the draw is his for the asking. Barring disaster, therefore, we should be 3-for-3 and have a shot at advancing to the top table by the time I play again tomorrow morning. Expert Bob Rose and I are sharing board 4 duties (I'm the morning person and he's the night owl), with NM Ed Allen on board 3, NM Scott Massey on board 2, and FM Steve Stoyko (smiling in the picture above) on board 1. We feel more confident this year than in previous years, but winning any tournament requires as much luck as skill....
Kenilworth has three teams entered. Our Kenilworth CC B-Team has had some tough pairings, playing the team of GM Perelshteyn and GM Dzinzichashvili in the first round. As third board Greg Tomkovich put it: "You know you are in trouble when Dzindzi is Board 2!" But, despite losing on the top boards (as expected), they managed to win on Boards 3 and 4 to get a team draw -- only to be rewarded for the effort by being paired with GM Yudasin's team in the second round! Needless to say, their first board, NM Mark Kernighan, is not likely to take home a clock....
We also have an unrated team this year, the Kenilworth CC Rookies, headed up by Jim Cole. They began paired against college students, then played some high school kids, and this round expect finally to get a point against the grade-schoolers. But they are having lots of fun.
More news and games in my next post.
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