[ad_1]
A damaging efficiency by the College of Missouri (Mizzou) within the 2023 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) has positioned the three-GM staff atop the lead after two weeks of play. Board two GM Mikhail Antipov surged to 4/4 whereas Mizzou’s board one GM Grigoriy Oparin scored 3.5/4 as their staff confirmed an 11.5-4.5 outcome over GM Awonder Liang‘s College of Chicago (UChicago).
Within the different broadcasted match of the day, Columbia College (CU) posted a 10-6 victory in opposition to Yale College (YU), with famed blitzer GM Brandon Jacobson (4/4) being the standout for his staff
Week three of the CCL will start October 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 20:00 CEST / 11.30 p.m. IST.
Week one’s report highlighted how the CCL’s fall season is affected by prime chess gamers and the way holding the occasion on-line implies that groups should not restricted by geographical boundaries. By way of the format, the 5+2 time management creates the potential for main upsets and fast-paced motion.
On Saturday, the highest division continued with 4 matchups, two of which had been broadcast reside on Chess.com’s YouTube channel due to match sponsor SIG.
YU 6 – 10 CU
After shedding their match in opposition to Saint Louis College by a hefty rating in week one, CU regrouped and bounced again to dispatch YU, protecting their season alive. The groups seemed comparatively equal on paper, with GM Nicolas Checa and Jacobson representing YU and CU respectively on board one. NM Linden Lee and FM Aristo Liu had been destined to conflict on board two.
A 3-1 rating in spherical one gave CU a head begin with the decisive upset occurring within the sport between Lee and Kevin Xu. Lee, the brother of the 13-year-old prodigy IM Alice Lee, was unable to repel Xu’s kingside assault within the King’s Indian Protection with out shedding a pawn.
Spherical two noticed a number of video games with score mismatches transpire, and there have been no shocking outcomes as YU and CU drew 2-2. CU’s Akash Kumar got here inside a whisker of confirming one other 3-1 outcome for his staff however suffered an unlucky mouse slip with 20 seconds on the clock, permitting Lee to snap up his rook and win the sport.
A second 2-2 outcome within the subsequent spherical meant that the rating heading into spherical 4 was 7-5 in favor of CU; thus every staff was nonetheless capable of win. With each staff’s megastars having pulled their weight and sitting firmly on 3/3, it was time for the board-one showdown between Checa and Jacobson.
One thing has to present as GM Nico Checa meets GM Brandon Jacobson, with each gamers on 3/3! https://t.co/ixRyHSzrQR #CCL pic.twitter.com/4WCQJshnUB
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) September 30, 2023
A posh King’s Indian Protection was the battlefield for the GM duel and, suffice to say, the sport was packed to the brim with thematic concepts and tactical wizardry. Our Sport of the Day has been analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao under.
Upon Checa’s resignation, the board-two pairing between Lee and Liu completed concurrently in favor CU, thereby confirming its victory. The ultimate rating stood at 10-6, however the match total was nearer than the scoreline suggests.
UChicago 4.5 – 11.5 Mizzou
Following a robust begin in opposition to the College of Virginia in week one, Mizzou continued to say themselves as one of many season favorites, this time scoring a convincing win over UChicago. With three titled gamers on their staff—GM Liang, GM Praveen Balakrishnan, and FM Kapil Chandran—it appeared unlikely that UChicago can be on the receiving finish of any large scores; nevertheless, Mizzou confirmed little mercy to the previous CCL champions.
Wins for every of Mizzou’s three GMs in spherical one acquired them off to a 3-1 begin, with the important thing conflict between Balakrishnan and GM Raja Harshit being gained by Mizzou’s board three. An ominous signal for UChicago was Balakrishnan’s incapacity to win a chunk up in opposition to a resilient Harshit, who, thrust his king up the board and bamboozled his opponent within the endgame.
In the meantime, Antipov shocked Chandran with a move-17 bishop sacrifice which secured an early lead for Mizzou.
17…Bd3!! is a game-ending stunner from Antipov — if the queen takes the bishop, it is checkmate on f2! https://t.co/ePoCJGg8ub #CCL pic.twitter.com/vjlLxycUEs
— CollegiateChessLeague (@CollegiateChess) September 30, 2023
Spherical two was the tightest of the match, and the groups break up the factors 2-2, with each staff’s boards one and two choosing up respective wins in opposition to their opposition’s boards three and 4. For Antipov, the second spherical was a chance to point out off his positional prowess, and he was capable of utterly paralyze Miles Brown on the white aspect of the Sicilian Protection: Accelerated Dragon, Maroczy Bind Formation.
Seeking to ramp up the depth in spherical three, Mizzou produced a “knockout” spherical, dispatching UChicago by the utmost rating. WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova picked up her first level of the match for Mizzou with a splash of hope whereas down a chunk to start the bloodshed.
Not even Liang might put a cease to the demolition as he fell by the hands of Antipov whereas UChicago’s different GM, Balakrishnan, was floor down by Oparin.
For Oparin, this was his most medical sport of the match. When his opponent waved the white flag, Chess.com’s Sport Assessment was fast to spotlight his 98.3 CAPS rating and a 3700-performance score!
With the results of the match wrapped up at 9-3, staff Mizzou was capable of chill out within the fourth spherical and coast to an 11.5-4.5 outcome however not earlier than a distressing mouse slip, 22.Re6??, befell Harshit and prevented him from ending on a excessive.
Regardless of the slip, Harshit might take solace in the truth that his staff had gained the match by such a convincing margin and propelled themselves to the highest of the leaderboard. Mizzou is sizing as much as be a prime contender in Division One so far and is actually a staff value watching.
All Video games | Week Two
The CCL is the premier on-line chess competitors for school college students. The CCL Fall Season is a staff occasion that began on September 23 and includes a $25,000 prize fund.
Earlier experiences:
[ad_2]