Miami Sharks Win First USCL Title
The most accomplished player in the history of the United States Chess League (USCL) finally has his crown. GM Julio Becerra once again led his team to the championship match, but for the first time, the Miami Sharks emerged victorious.
They beat the two-time champion New York Knights 3.5-0.5. The Sharks had previously lost three title matches, in 2005, 2009 (to the Knights) and 2010. The winning margin was the biggest title match rout since that 2005 loss. In the first season of the USCL, Baltimore beat Miami 3.5-0.5.
Left to right - Miguel Fonseca, Manager John Salisbury, NM Carlos Gaston Andretta, GM Renier Gonzalez, GM Julio Becerra, FM Eric Rodriguez
Neither team played specific matchups or colors - last night both teams used the exact same lineup as they did in the semifinals.
Becerra, who has far and away the most points of any player in league history, moved up from board two to board one earlier in the year, and he hasn't looked back. In the title match, he won relatively quickly, dispatching GM Tamaz Gelashvili's Dragon in about two hours.
As Yugoslavs go, it was pretty much par for the course. White tried to mate down the h-file while Black hoped his exchange sac came with more aggression.
There was no panic at the Marshall Chess Club, as GM Pascal Charbonneau pleasantly picked up a stray pawn against GM Renier Gonzalez. Soon after though, White began drifting and within 15 more moves, his pieces stumbled around on the queenside. Gonzalez didn't let up, and Charbonneau (who won on that 2009 team that beat the Sharks in the finals) couldn't find adequate counterplay.
Miami could now taste the title, as they only needed a single draw from the bottom boards to clinch. They weren't in trouble in either, so it was really just a matter of who would "settle" first.
NM Nicolas Checa, his space advantage long since dwindled away, couldn't find a breakthrough against NM Carlos Gaston Andretta.
After 85 moves of gentle prodding, the youngster realized his fate. The draw sealed it.
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Mike Klein began playing chess at the age of four in Charlotte, NC. In 1986, he lost to Josh Waitzkin at the National Championship featured in the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer." A year later, Mike became the youngest member of the very first All-America Chess Team, and was on the team a total of eight times. In 1988, he won the K-3 National Championship, and eventually became North Carolina's youngest-ever master. In 1996, he won clear first for under-2250 players in the top section of the World Open. Mike has taught chess full-time for a dozen years in New York City and Charlotte, with his students and teams winning many national championships. He now works at Chess.com as a Senior Journalist and at ChessKid.com as the Chief Chess Officer. In 2012, 2015, and 2018, he was awarded Chess Journalist of the Year by the Chess Journalists of America. He has also previously won other awards from the CJA such as Best Tournament Report, and also several writing awards for mainstream newspapers. His chess writing and personal travels have now brought him to more than 85 countries.
