The Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers were confident going into the Webster Windmills match following the very narrow loss against the St. Louis Archbishops. After the first round, a Pawngrabbers victory was almost assured as they were already up 3.5 - 0.5. Webster came back hard in the second round, however, making the score 4 - 4. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife as both teams kept vying for the lead until the score ended in a completely even 8 - 8.

The Pawngrabbers had this to say:

This back and fourth match with @WebsterWindmill has ended in a final score of 8 - 8. Our players brought it back in the final round to take back that point and tie one of the best teams in the Division. #nervesofsteel #FearTheFist pic.twitter.com/YCCdFnW1PW

— Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers (@pghpawngrabbers) March 7, 2019

While a victory is, of course, always preferred, the Pawngrabbers were still able to hold their own against the team ranked third in the Atlantic Division with a few great games an upsets thrown in for good measure.

Match Highlights

The game of the week contender from this match comes from GM Awonder Liang in his game against IM Brian Ramirez during the first round of the match. GM Liang utilizes the full scope of his pieces ability to pull off a dominating victory against his opponent.

GM Liang never let his control of this game go, despite playing down the exchange after his sacrifice on move 17 of this 56 move game. With this game, GM Awonder Liang demonstrates his brilliance for all the world to see. 

Current Standings

While a draw with the Webster Windmills was a favorable outcome going into the match, unforeseen events elsewhere in the Atlantic Division recontextualize the result. 

The unexpected victory of the Miami Champions over the St. Louis Archbishops means that the Pawngrabbers are now 3.5 points behind the Champions in the standings and are in the relegation zone.

Off the Board

Shortly before this week's match, the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers' General Manager Isaac Steincamp announced his retirement. In his announcement, he gave this heartfelt response about his time working with the team:

At the end of the 2019 PRO Chess League season, CM Isaac Steincamp, who has worked as the Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers' General Manager for the past three years will be leaving the team to pursue new endeavors. 

Next Week: Battle Royale III

The third and final battle royale of the 2019 regular season will take place on Tuesday, March 12th. Now competing to not get relegated, the Pawngrabbers will have to place higher than the Champions in this event to secure a spot out of the relegation zone. Watch all 7 teams of the Atlantic Division go head-to-head live at: