Chessbrahs, Arch Bishops Clash In PRO Chess Monday-Tuesday
This week's PRO Chess League dodges, ducks, dips, dives and dodges as it moves to Monday and Tuesday to accommodate many player conflicts with Tata Steel and Gibraltar. The Eastern and Central Divisions play on Monday beginning at 7 a.m. PT while the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions play on their usual Tuesday beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Each match is sure is sure to be exciting, but we quickly preview three matches to keep your eyes on.
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Arch Bishops vs. Chessbrahs
Things begin with what's already one of the most anticipated matches in the PRO Chess League. The Chessbrahs and the Arch Bishops are tied for the league lead with 41.5 points (10 points per match won plus one point per game won).
The Arch Bishops will again field Fabiano Caruana (7/8) and Wesley So (7/8) in their top two slots while the Chessbrahs have attempted to improve their lineup with the division-leading scorers Ivan Saric (8/8) and Eric Hansen (7.5/8) remaining, but Robin Van Kampen and their alternating board four shifted out to bulk up their third and fourth boards.
Whoever wins, it's sure to be a thrilling match that will likely have post-season ramifications. As many fans will recall, these two teams were previously involved in likely the most exciting PRO Chess League match ever in a multiple-overtime semifinal showdown in 2017.
San Francisco Mechanics vs. Seattle Sluggers
After getting a bit walloped (11-5) by the wallabies (correction: Kangaroos) last week, the San Francisco Mechanics have let out their anguish with an impressive display of melancholy and alliteration.
Many mishaps made massive massacre mourns Mechanics maudlin manager: https://t.co/bjb1ntDF5p #prochess
— SFMechanics (@SFMechanics) January 18, 2019
Time for self-reflection has encouraged them to make a significant upgrade on board one by adding the Chinese grandmaster Wang Hao. He'll be immediately tested by fire in their matchup against the Sluggers and Hikaru Nakamura.
Wang Hao joins the Mechanics.
The Sluggers also suffered a painful lost last week against the Dallas Destiny. This week the biggest rating difference between the teams is on board four. Will FM Ladia Jirasek make the difference with some critical points?
Moscow Wizards vs. Estonia Horses
The Moscow Wizards already had two streamers in their lineup, GM Vlad Dobrov and IM Mikhail Lushenkov. Now they have added a third with former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk.
This is Kosteniuk's first time playing in the PRO Chess League, but she's quite familiar with speed chess on Chess.com, having played regularly in Arena Kings. Both teams lost by just a half-point last week, and this week their average rating differs by only two rating points. It's sure to be a competitive match and our Russian fans will certainly want to watch the first-person perspective on stream.
Watch all the PRO Chess League action on Twitch.tv/chess, Twitch.tv/prochessleague, and Chess.com/tv.
I'm the Head of Community for Chess.com. I earned the National Master title in 2012, and in 2014, I returned to my home state of South Carolina to start Strategery: Chess and Games. In late 2015, I began working for Chess.com and haven't looked back since.
You can find my personal content on Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube where I further indulge my love of chess.
