The 64 - Bullet Train - August 15th, 2021 Sunday Recap
And turn around for us indeed it has. That's three in a row now, a winning streak for US Chess in regards to the LCPAL Season 4 Open Bullet Tournament. The bullet train remains on the tracks, in fact it is cruising down that track and that hunk of metal is greased and humming.
But first, Sunday kicked off with an international friendly against Bulgaria in the Blitz time format. With Nations League and LCWL currently on hiatus, it behooved the Americans to stay tactically sharp during this Blitz/Rapid down time, so these friendlies are fun and also productive. To quote Tyrion Lannister...
"My mind is my weapon, and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge."
As someone who has kind of exclusively transitioned into the 2/1 format, these friendlies help keep us sharp and the Americans sure did look sharp on Sunday, winning the match 10.5 - 5.5. Despite being a friendly, a win is still a win even if it isn't taken all that seriously. I won't highlight any games in this match, but I will post a glimpse into my game with the white pieces.
Let it be shown, especially to all you 1.e4 players, nothing strikes fear into your opponent more than the Queen's Pawn Opening. It left my adversary so baffled that he or she sat at their computer completely dumfounded and failed to muster up a single move for the next two games.
But let's not bury the lead any further, let's get to the match everyone has been waiting for...
As previously hinted at, US Chess took down Team Nicaragua via a landslide. Just like in the friendly, our opponent put up a score of 5.5 but only in this match, US Chess put up a 26.5 burger. If our points against is an average of 5.5 points per match, we are going to be primed for success. But even with the blow-out, the match didn't even really seem that close in retrospect. It was an extremely skewed affair ratings wise and most of the matches never really had a chance to be all that competitive.
It's hard to call attention to a game without feeling like we're picking on the other team, but at the end of the day, you have to just play who is paired up and across the board from you. So in that regard our game of the week goes to PaulMartins4. Usually there are diminishing returns when continuously cloning the same sample, not unlike a worn-out VHS recording. Maybe there's a decrepit ear or a lazy eye. I don't know what happened to the first three PaulMartins but PaulMartins4 seems to be the apex product. He took down PunisherAlfil, who after Sunday should change that user name to PunishedAlfil.
Let's take a look at the game with the black pieces.
He opens with the Alekhine's defense and in just a matter of five moves, that knight went from g8 to b6, a horse just as well-traveled as Paul Revere's (a little US history for the US chess club), but it was the other knight that struck the big blow with a family fork on move 21. From that point on, Paul exchanged the queen for the two rooks in a grand act of simplifying. The rest of the game was just an easy clean up, eventually sacrificing the exchange and effortlessly promoting leading to an inevitable check mate. With a 98% game score and all that horse-power you displayed, I award you one "Knight Virtuoso Award" by way of a "Chess Artistry" badge.
Here are the standings after eight rounds of play...
https://livechessleagues.com/s4/bullet-open-tournament/
With the win against the winless Nicaragua, US Chess has leaped from 6th to 5th place, essentially securing a playoff spot with just a couple of weeks left to play. I must say, with many member's apprehension towards Bullet, it feels good to see signs of success and the table is being set for a potential deep playoff run.
But until then, take advantage of all that Chess.com has to offer. Do your puzzles, take your daily lesson and hit those drills. See you next week for some more live matches!
And, if you too are interested in participating in US Chess Live Matches, here's a link to the US Chess Club main page -
https://www.chess.com/club/uschess
- where you can find all the information on how to link up as well as all upcoming events. The club and matches are FREE to join and open to ANYONE who wishes to participate. You do not need a USCF rating! Just join the club and registration for Match Play opens one hour before the scheduled time, just like all other tournaments in the Live Chess tab. It's as simple as that!
