USATE 2012 wrapup: Happy endings

Posted on by Derek Slater

UPDATE 3:

Crosstable’s up!

 

UPDATE 2: USchess.org has a writeup of the grand finale – the last game going, among all 1300 players, was Hess v Goletiani on board 1, table 1, winner-take-all.

And Hess won. Great drama!

UPDATE 1: The New Jersey chess federation has posted a prize list (as a download). One team – one of the Tebow ones, the 17th seed at 2185  – finished alone on 5.5.

Three teams are listed on 5 points: Master Maters, Go Ahead Mate My Day, Three-and-a-half Masters, and our friends Caro-Cain Defense.

We (Shmelov Sox) lost Best Massachusetts Team on tiebreaks to Won for All and All for One.

—–  [original post] —–

Round six:

Goletiani v Hess, USATE 2012

That’s the top table – Goletiani’s team (the ones who beat us in round 4) versus GM Robert Hess’s team, with (I think) his brother on board 4. Sorry it’s a crappy picture.

On table 3, Martirosov’s Massachusetts team squared off against IM Fluffybunny (David Vigorito)’s Massachusetts squad.

I’ll have the results posted here as soon as they’re available, along with some additional observations. (Like the answer to the burning question “who is Ted McHugh?” and much more.) But for the moment:

My team finished at 5-1, with top boards Denys (6-0!!!) and Anya (5-1) killing their last-round victims quickly. I had my fourth draw in a row – bleh. Matt, um, I couldn’t watch Matt’s final game <grin>. Huge congratulations to Denys.

Were you there? Hope so. It remains the best tournament on the calendar, whether you play well or poorly. If my updates sound a little grumpy, it’s all said with the utmost affection. Great time, great people.

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While we wait for updates, let me take one more chance to point you to my wife’s IndieGoGo project video: http://www.indiegogo.com/myfreshlocal

It’s about accelerating the growth of healthy local food systems. Thanks.

25 thoughts on “USATE 2012 wrapup: Happy endings”

  5. i was there. it was not the last game, 100% not. it was among the last four or five. it was the last decisive game, but a rather remarkable game down, was it, at table 8 or so was last–i saw it. i have been in recent contact with hess, about a piece i am writing on another matter. stay tuned.

    nice to see you again. what can i say? derek is basic. as basic as can be. but in a very solid, decent way. he is basic in a very high level way. that is derek. its like quiet protein–necessary and near ubiquitous.

    PS the game between hess and Goletiani was indeed epic, thats for sure. he is one cool customer. more said on this, latter.

  6. David, great seeing you there and catching up a bit. I agree on tiredness! Still recovering.

    I guess I got carried away by Al Lawrence’s breathless recap of the last round :)

  7. In case the crosstable means you are closing the book on this post and do not plan to answer your own question:

    One of the strongest chess players ever to come out of Scituate MA, Ted is a tricky, tactical, player. His style (and opening repertoire) reflects the influence of John Curdo, one of his chess heroes. Having cut his chess teeth in Harvard Square in the 1980’s, Ted is an accomplished blitz player and an equally effective (albeit infrequent) trash talker. Ted’s family and work commitments have kept him from becoming an even stronger player. However, he is quite a strong player as it is, as his 2300+ rating and wins over GM’s clearly attest.

    1. Cool. The origin of the post was that I kept seeing him (yet another 2300 I’ve never heard of) locked in battle against GMs etc on the top boards. He beat Kekelidze and got Hess as his reward :) Didn’t know he was a Mass native.

      I wish my other commitments kept me stuck at 2300!

    2. I note Jack Peters is from Scituate along with Ed Ahola and poker great John Fanning.

  8. I emailed one of the TDs. We finished 15th overall. There was Hess’s team with 5.5, then *seventeen* tied at 5.0.

    Despite my last round debacle, I ended up gaining three (3) whole rating points! As usual, it seems afterward like the whole thing never really happened.

    Bob Oresik of BU and Boylston Club fame took many pictures, including a couple of rare ones of our whole team. https://picasaweb.google.com/111141559718823650525/AmateurTeamEast2012

    Just wait ’till next year!

    -Matt

    1. Wow, REALLY bad tiebreaks.

      I left too many game points on the table and was the only person on our team to lose rating points.

      Oh well, next year I will have completed my re-re-transformation into an aggressive tactical player. (Hold your breath!)

  11. Congrats guys! I am looking at my team’s plaque from 2010 right now. If the 2012 prize system is similar, you will get a single plaque that you can rotate across your team on a quarterly basis for the rest of eternity. Much better than clocks! :)

    Seriously, though, great result. Hope you have a chance to defend your title next year. (Where do you go from Sox? “Gym Shorts”?)

  15. I am kinda jealous that you people actually get to play chess at boards with other people and stuff… :) I really miss the fellowship part. Here in the wilds of Alaska I played a porcupine last week. He won a pawn in the opening but I ground him down in a queen ending when my more advanced passer beat his two laggards. What a loser! Also, Part II of the Best of Chess Blogging
    is now posted!

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