Saturday, September 27

Mechanics Fix Sharks for Dinner


The US Chess League franchise from San Francisco showed its strong potential during weeks 4 and 5, first earning a hard-fought tie against the consensus favorites Dallas Destiny (4.5 MP, 15.0 GP), and then crushing the struggling Miami Sharks (1.5 MP, 7.0 GP).  The Mechanics (3.0 MP, 10.5 GP) moved above .500 midway through the season, and into third place in the competitive Western Division.  In each match, Daniel Naroditsky calmly kept board 1 under control while Siddharth Banik took care of business on board 4.  Incredibly, Siddharth improved his nearly flawless league record to 8.5-0.5!  Team veteran Andy Lee held a critical draw versus Dallas, while teenagers Yian Liou and Cameron Wheeler brought home full points in the rout of Miami.  Not intimidated by his Grandmaster opponent, Yian seized the center and eventually ensnared a knight on the seventh rank (see game above). 

The Mechanics return to action on Tuesday night against the Arizona Scorpions (2.5 MP, 9.5 GP) in a pivotal battle for third place in the West.  Games start at 9:00pm on ICCGood luck!

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