Week 5 of the PRO Chess League featured inter-league play between the forty-eight teams across the world. The matches took place on a Saturday to make it easier to accommodate time-zone changes, which resulted in a 10:20am start time for Carolina. The Cobras were paired with the Amaravati Yodhas, another young team based out of India. With both teams sporting comparable rating averages, one could predict a close and interesting match.
In our first legitimately tight match of the season, the Cobras defeated Amaravati by a score of 8.5-7.5. Carolina's lineup included FM Robin Cunningham and NMs Peter Giannatos, Daniel Cremisi, and me. It was a balanced effort by the four of us, as no player scored more than 2.5 points.
This week's game analysis will be a little bit different from past weeks. Instead of featuring everyone's best or most exciting game, I thought it would be interesting to show all of our games from the last round, as we attempted to clinch the match. The first three rounds had produced a 6-6 score, making the final games extra tense. None of us wanted to let the team down by losing our final game. I'm hoping that my analysis below will shed some insight into some of the unique considerations that go into team matches as opposed to individual chess.
NM Daniel Cremisi kicked off the final round with an effortless win as black. Anyone who has played Daniel would not be shocked to learn that his opponent flagged while Daniel still had over two thirds of his time remaining. Daniel has been a strong rapid player the entire season, and he came through again this week with a score of 2,5/4. His game featured a series of blunders by his opponent, which Daniel easily exploited.
Since Daniel's game finished first, the rest of us were all under significantly less pressure. Our goal remained to play solidly, and make sure not to lose. Draws essentially were as good as wins.
FM Robin Cunningham scored a solid 2/4 in the match. His last round game was relatively mundane, ending in a quiet rook ending draw after many of the pieces were exchanged early. Knowing that the most important thing was to avoid losing, Robin played with as little risk as possible.
NM Peter Giannatos scored 2.5/4 for the Cobras, and it could have been even more if not for a round two swindle in a time pressured ending. His last round, like Robin's, was the epitome of cautious flexibility, as he maintained a solid position while preserving chances to press depending on what the team situation required.
With the team score at 8-7, I needed to draw my last game for the team to win the match. I had only scored 1/3 in the first three rounds, as my play had been highly inconsistent. After am interesting struggle, I managed to draw the game below, clinching the match for the Cobras.
The narrow victory gives Carolina a 2-3 record on the season. Our next match is Wednesday, 2/15 at 6:45pm against the Atlanta Kings.
I hope you enjoyed this recap! Until next time,
LM Aaron Balleisen
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