USCL Season

Hi Everyone!

It's been quite a while since I've done an article, so I figured I would write one about my debut season in the US Chess League. I played for the New England Nor'easters, primarily as a Board 4.

I will be posting all 4 of my games from this season, with some analysis and thoughts about the moves. Hope you enjoy!

The Nor'easters defeated Philadelphia 3-1 that week, doubling our record from the 2014 season! We then played the formidable New Jersey Knockouts Week 2, and I played the young master Aaron Shlionsky. 

After a long break, I come back to play in Week 9 against the Manhattan Applesauce, a match crucial to determine the 1st place in the division. My opponent on Board 4 is the underrated Akira Nakada, who I play twice this season, both with wild games. 

So the Nor'easters finish the regular season with a record of 7.5-2.5, good enough for first place in the division, first-round bye in the playoffs, and doing 15x better than the previous season. Our first match in the playoffs came against the Manhattan Applesauce, who we played in Week 9, and they decided to play the exact same lineup, with colors reversed. Now I play Akira Nakada with black, and with the playoff match on the line, there is a lot of pressure. 

The Nor'easters ended up losing the match 1.5-2.5 to Manhattan, who will be playing in the USCL Finals Tuesday December 1st. 

Thank you to the Nor'easters for having me on the team this year for my USCL debut, and I hope to play again next year!