Jonathan Schroer - 2009

With the departure of Lev Milman, Jonathan had the unenviable task of playing board one and up every single game. He held his own against some of the top players in the US.

Smith,Bryan (2467) - Schroer,Jonathan [C91]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (10), 04.11.2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.d4 Bg4 10.Be3 Na5 11.dxe5 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 dxe5 13.Bc2 Nc4 14.Bc1 Nd7 15.Rd1 Nd6 16.Nd2 Bg5 17.Nf1 Bxc1 18.Raxc1 Qf6 19.Qxf6 Nxf6 20.f3 Rfd8 21.Ne3 Kf8 22.Kf2 h5 23.Bb3 Rab8 24.Ke2 Nfe8 25.Rd5 f6 26.Rcd1 c6 27.R5d2 g6 28.c4 Ke7 29.cxb5 axb5 30.Rc2 Rdc8 31.Rdc1 Kd7 32.Rd2 Ke7 33.Rdc2 Kd7 34.g3 Rc7 35.Ng2 Ng7 36.Ke3 Re8 37.Rd2 Ne6 38.Nh4 Nd4 39.Nxg6 c5 40.Bd5 c4 41.f4 Kc8 42.fxe5 fxe5 43.Nxe5 N4f5+ 44.exf5 Rxe5+ 45.Kd4 Re8 46.Be6+ Kb7 47.Ke5 Nf7+ 48.Kf4 Nd8 49.Bd5+ Kb6 50.a4 Rf8 51.axb5 Kxb5 52.Rdc2 Rc5 53.Bxc4+ Kb4 54.Bd3 Ne6+ 55.Ke3 Re5+ 56.Kd2 Ng5 57.Rc4+ Ka5 58.Rc5+ Rxc5 59.Rxc5+ Kb4 60.Rb5+ Ka4 61.b3+ Ka3 62.Kc3 Rc8+ 63.Bc4 Ne4+ 64.Kd4 Nd6 65.Ra5+ Kb2 66.Rd5 1-0

Schneider,Dm (2483) - Schroer,Jonathan [C77]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (9), 26.10.2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 Be7 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Nf1 b5 9.Bb3 d5 10.Qe2 Be6 11.Ng3 a5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.0-0 a4 14.Bc2 Nf4 15.Bxf4 exf4 16.Ne4 Re8 17.d4 Qd5 18.Ned2 Bf5 19.Bxf5 Qxf5 20.Rfe1 g5 21.Qe4 Qxe4 22.Nxe4 g4 23.Ne5 Nxe5 24.dxe5 Ra6 25.g3 f3 26.h3 h5 27.Nd2 Bg5 28.Nf1 Rae6 29.Rad1 Rxe5 30.Rxe5 Rxe5 31.hxg4 hxg4 32.Rd4 f5 33.c4 Kf7 34.Rd7+ Ke6 35.Rxc7 f4 36.Rc6+ Kf5 37.cxb5 Rxb5 38.Rc4 Rxb2 39.Rxa4 Rb1 40.Ra5+ Kf6 41.Ra6+ Kf7 42.gxf4 Bf6 43.Rd6 Be7 44.Rd5 Rc1 45.a4 Bc5 46.Rd3 Ke6 47.a5 Kf5 48.a6 Kxf4 49.Rd7 Ra1 50.Rf7+ Ke4 51.Rg7 Kf5 52.Rf7+ Kg6 53.Rf4 Kg5 54.Rc4 Bb6 55.Rc3 Rxa6 56.Nd2 Ra1+ 57.Kh2 Bxf2 58.Nxf3+ gxf3 59.Rxf3 Bd4 60.Rb3 Kg4 61.Rg3+ Kf4 62.Rg8 Be5 63.Kg2 Ra2+ 64.Kh1 Kf3 65.Rg2 Ra1+ 66.Rg1 Ra8 67.Rf1+ Kg3 68.Rg1+ Kh3 69.Rd1 Ra4 70.Kg1 Ra2 71.Kf1 Kg3 72.Rd3+ Kf4 73.Rb3 Ke4 74.Kg1 Bd4+ 75.Kf1 Be3 76.Ke1 Rc2 77.Kd1 Rc8 78.Ke2 Rc2+ 79.Kd1 Rh2 80.Ke1 Rh8 81.Ke2 Bd4 82.Kd2 Rh2+ 83.Kd1 Kd5 84.Ke1 Kc4 85.Rf3 Ra2 86.Kf1 Kd5 87.Rb3 Ke4 88.Ke1 Be3 89.Kd1 Kd4 90.Ke1 Bg5 91.Kf1 Ke4 92.Ke1 Be3 93.Kd1 Rd2+ 94.Kc1 Kd4 95.Kb1 Bg5 96.Rb2 Rd1+ 97.Kc2 Rc1+ 98.Kb3 Rc8 99.Rg2 Be3 100.Rc2 Rb8+ 101.Ka4 Kd5 102.Ka3 Bc5+ 103.Ka2 Bd4 104.Ka3 Ke4 105.Ka4 Kd3 106.Rc6 Bc3 107.Rd6+ Kc4 108.Rc6+ Kd4 109.Rc7 Rb4+ 1/2-1/2

Charbonneau,P (2509) - Schroer,Jonathan [C49]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (8), 21.10.2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Qe7 9.Re1 Nd8 10.d4 Ne6 11.Bd2 c5 12.Bd3 Nd7 13.d5 Nf4 14.Bf1 h6 15.g3 Ng6 16.h4 Nf6 17.Nh2 Re8 18.c4 Nh7 19.Bd3 Bd7 20.a4 a5 21.Ng4 Bxg4 22.Qxg4 Nf6 23.Qf3 Nd7 24.Reb1 b6 25.Bf1 Rab8 26.Bh3 Qd8 27.Rb5 Qf6 28.Qg4 Ngf8 29.Ra3 Kh7 30.Qh5 Qe7 31.Rf3 Kg8 32.Rfb3 Nf6 33.Qf3 N6d7 34.Rb1 Red8 35.Kg2 Re8 36.Kh2 Red8 37.R5b3 Re8 38.Bf5 Red8 39.Qg2 Re8 40.Qh3 Red8 41.Kg2 Re8 42.Rh1 Nf6 43.h5 N6d7 44.Qg4 Nf6 45.Qe2 N6d7 46.Rhb1 Red8 47.f4 Re8 48.Rf1 Nf6 49.Qf3 N6d7 50.Bc3 Red8 51.Rf2 Re8 52.Rb1 Red8 53.Rbf1 Re8 54.Re1 Red8 55.Ref1 Re8 56.Bxd7 Nxd7 57.fxe5 dxe5 58.Qxf7+ Qxf7 59.Rxf7 Rbd8 60.R7f5 Re7 61.g4 Rde8 62.Bd2 Nf6 63.Rxf6 gxf6 64.Rxf6 Rf8 65.Rxb6 Rg7 66.Bxh6 Rxg4+ 67.Kh3 Rxe4 68.Rg6+ Kf7 69.Bxf8 Kxf8 70.Rg4 Re1 71.Kh4 e4 72.Kg3 e3 73.Re4 Rc1 74.Rxe3 Rxc2 75.Re4 Kg7 76.Kf4 Ra2 77.Ke5 Rxa4 78.d6 Ra1 79.Kd5 a4 80.Kxc5 a3 81.Re3 a2 82.Re2 Kf7 83.h6 Kg6 84.Rd2 Rd1 85.Rxd1 1-0

Schroer,Jonathan - Stopa,Ja (2471) [D13]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (7), 12.10.2009

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 e6 7.e3 Nh5 8.Bg5 Qb6 9.Bd3 h6 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Nxg3 12.hxg3 Qxb2 13.Nb5 Qb4+ 14.Qd2 Qe7 15.e4 dxe4 16.Bxe4 Bg7 17.0-0 0-0 18.Rac1 Bd7 19.Rfe1 g4 20.Nh4 Qg5 21.Qe2 a6 22.Bxc6 Bxc6 23.Nc7 Rac8 24.Rc5 Qf6 25.d5 Rxc7 26.dxc6 Rxc6 27.Rxc6 bxc6 28.Qxg4 c5 29.Qc4 Qc3 30.Rc1 Qxc4 31.Rxc4 Rc8 32.Nf3 Kf8 33.Nd2 Bd4 34.Kf1 Ke7 35.Ke2 e5 36.g4 Rg8 37.f3 Rg6 38.Ra4 Rc6 39.Kd3 Kf6 40.Ne4+ Ke6 41.Kc4 f5 42.gxf5+ Kxf5 43.Kd5 Rg6 44.g3 Rb6 45.Ra5 h5 46.Nd6+ Kg5 47.Ne4+ Kf5 48.Nd6+ Kg5 49.Ne4+ Kf5 1/2-1/2

Schroer,Jonathan - Perelshteyn,E (2534) [D91]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (6), 07.10.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.e3 0-0 10.Be2 Re8 11.b4 c6 12.0-0 a6 13.a4 a5 14.b5 Bf8 15.Ne5 Bd6 16.Nd3 Nd7 17.Bf3 Nf6 18.Re1 Ne4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.Nc5 f5 21.bxc6 bxc6 22.Rb1 Ra7 23.Qb3+ Rf7 24.Qb6 Qf6 25.Qxa5 h5 26.Rb6 Bc7 27.Qb4 Bxb6 28.Qxb6 h4 29.h3 g5 30.a5 f4 31.N3xe4 Qg6 32.f3 Bf5 33.a6 Ra8 34.exf4 gxf4 35.Kh2 Rg7 36.Re2 Kh8 37.Ra2 Rag8 38.Qb2 Bxh3 39.Kxh3 Qf5+ 40.Kh2 h3 41.gxh3 Qxh3+ 42.Kxh3 Rh7# 0-1

Becerra Rivero,J (2557) - Schroer,Jonathan [C88]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (5), 28.09.2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.d4 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.e5 Ne8 11.c3 dxc3 12.Nxc3 d6 13.Bd5 Rb8 14.Be3 Bb7 15.Ba7 Ra8 16.Bxb7 Rxa7 17.Bc6 dxe5 18.Rxe5 Qd6 19.Rxe7 Qxc6 20.Qd5 Qb6 21.Ne4 Nf6 22.Qc5 Qxc5 23.Nxc5 Rd8 24.h3 a5 25.a4 bxa4 26.Rxa4 Nd5 27.Rd4 Raa8 28.Re1 c6 29.Rc1 Nb4 30.Rxd8+ Rxd8 31.Nb7 Rd2 32.Nxa5 Rxb2 1/2-1/2

Schroer,Jonathan - Vovsha,E (2484) [A41]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (4), 23.09.2009

1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Bg4 3.c4 Bxf3 4.exf3 Nd7 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 Ngf6 8.d5 0-0 9.Be3 c6 10.Qb3 cxd5 11.cxd5 Qa5 12.Qxb7 Rfb8 13.Qc6 Ne5 14.Qa6 Qxa6 15.Bxa6 Rxb2 16.Rab1 Rc2 17.Rfc1 Rxc1+ 18.Rxc1 Ned7 19.Ne4 Nxe4 20.fxe4 Rb8 21.Rc8+ Rxc8 22.Bxc8 Nc5 23.Bxc5 dxc5 24.Ba6 g5 25.Kf1 Bd4 26.Ke2 Kg7 27.g3 g4 28.Bc8 h5 29.h3 gxh3 30.Bxh3 c4 31.f4 c3 32.e5 Bf2 33.d6 exd6 34.exd6 Bxg3 35.d7 Bh4 36.Kd3 Bf6 37.Bf5 h4 38.a4 Kf8 39.d8Q+ Bxd8 40.Kxc3 Bc7 41.Kd4 Bxf4 42.Ke4 Bg3 43.a5 Ke7 44.Kf3 Kf6 45.Bh3 Ke5 46.Bf1 f5 47.a6 Kd4 48.Bh3 Ke5 49.Bf1 Be1 50.Bh3 Ba5 51.Bf1 Bc7 52.Bh3 Bd6 53.Bf1 Kd4 54.Bh3 Ke5 55.Bf1 Kd4 56.Bh3 f4 57.Bf1 Kc3 58.Ke2 Kc2 59.Kf3 Kd2 60.Bh3 Ke1 61.Bg2 Kd2 62.Bh3 Kd3 63.Bf1+ Kd4 64.Bh3 1/2-1/2

Schroer,Jonathan - Benjamin,Joe (2575) [E62]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (3), 14.09.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 d6 6.0-0 c6 7.Nc3 Bf5 8.b3 Ne4 9.Bb2 Nxc3 10.Bxc3 Be4 11.Qd2 e6 12.Qe3 d5 13.Bh3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 f5 15.Qd3 Nd7 16.f3 a5 17.Kh1 Qg5 18.Bg2 Qh5 19.Qe3 Rfe8 20.Qd3 Nf6 21.e4 dxe4 22.fxe4 Rad8 23.Rad1 c5 24.Bf3 fxe4 25.Bxe4 Ng4 26.Qe2 Rf8 27.Bf3 Rxf3 28.Rxf3 Nxh2 29.Kg2 Qxf3+ 30.Qxf3 Nxf3 31.Kxf3 b6 32.Ke4 cxd4 33.Rd3 e5 34.c5 bxc5 35.Bxa5 Ra8 36.Bb6 Rxa2 37.Bxc5 Re2+ 38.Kf3 Re1 39.Kf2 Rc1 40.b4 e4 41.Ra3 e3+ 42.Ke2 Rc2+ 43.Ke1 Be5 44.Ra8+ Kf7 45.Rf8+ Ke6 46.Re8+ Kd5 0-1

Perelshteyn,Eugene (2534) - Schroer,Jonathan [D15]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (2), 09.09.2009

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.c5 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.gxf3 e5 9.dxe5 Nfd7 10.f4 Nxc5 11.b4 Na4 12.Nxa4 Bxb4+ 13.Ke2 bxa4 14.Qxa4 Be7 15.Rb1 0-0 16.Rg1 Qc8 17.Qc2 Nd7 18.h4 Qc7 19.h5 Nc5 20.f5 Ne4 21.f6 Qxe5 22.Rxg7+ Kh8 23.fxe7 Rfb8 24.Rxb8+ Rxb8 25.Rxf7 Qxh5+ 26.Rf3 Ng5 27.Qf5 Qxf3+ 28.Qxf3 Nxf3 29.Kxf3 Kg7 30.Bh3 Kf7 31.Ba3 Rb7 32.Kf4 1-0

Schroer,Jonathan - Kritz,L (2589) [D13]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (1), 31.08.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 a6 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Bf4 Nc6 7.Rc1 Nh5 8.Be5 f6 9.Bg3 e5 10.e3 Nxg3 11.hxg3 Be6 12.Qb3 Qd7 13.a3 Rd8 14.Na4 Bg4 15.Be2 e4 16.Ng1 Bxe2 17.Nxe2 Na5 18.Qc2 Nc4 19.Nf4 b5 20.Nc3 Nb6 21.Ng6 Rg8 22.Nxf8 Kxf8 23.Rxh7 Kf7 24.Qe2 Rc8 25.Qh5+ Kf8 26.Ne2 Rxc1+ 27.Nxc1 Qc8 28.Qd1 Nc4 29.Qc2 Kf7 30.Ne2 Rh8 31.Rxh8 Qxh8 32.Nf4 Qh1+ 33.Ke2 g5 34.Nxd5 Qxg2 35.b3 Qf3+ 36.Ke1 Qh1+ 37.Ke2 Qh5+ 38.Ke1 Qh1+ 39.Ke2 Qf3+ 40.Ke1 Qh1+ 1/2-1/2

Oleg Zaikov - 2009

Oleg's lifetime Cobras record speaks for itself.

Stats as of Dec 2009
Rating	2376
MVP Pts	31.5
Lifetime Score	24.0/40 (60%)
Performance Rating	2485

After a slow start this year, Oleg reeled off four straight victories and a cool 2700+ performance in the final rounds to help Carolina save face. Included in this run is his Week 7 Game of the Week versus Daniel Fernandez (2475). It took a game of the week by legend Boris Gulko to defeat Oleg in round 3. Oleg has been involved in a total of four "Game of the Weeks" in the 08' and 09' seasons.

Oleg will be missed greatly and we all wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Zaikov,Oleg - Bartell,T [E70]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (10), 04.11.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0 5.h3 c6 6.e5 Ne8 7.f4 d6 8.Nf3 Nc7 9.Be3 Nd7 10.c5 b6 11.cxd6 exd6 12.Bc4 b5 13.Bb3 Nb6 14.Ne4 d5 15.Nc5 Nc4 16.Bc1 f6 17.Bc2 fxe5 18.fxe5 Bf5 19.Bxf5 Rxf5 20.0-0 Qe7 21.Qc2 Raf8 22.b3 Bxe5 23.dxe5 Qxc5+ 24.Kh1 Rxf3 25.gxf3 Qd4 26.Bh6 Rf5 27.bxc4 Rh5 28.Qd2 Rxh3+ 29.Kg2 Qh4 30.Qf4 Qxh6 31.Qxh6 Rxh6 32.cxb5 Nxb5 33.Rab1 Kf7 34.a4 Nc3 35.Rb7+ Ke6 36.f4 c5 37.Rxa7 d4 38.f5+ Kxe5 39.f6 1-0

Zaikov,Oleg - Lapshun,Y [A44]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (9), 26.10.2009

1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 d6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Be2 a6 7.a4 Bg5 8.Bxg5 Qxg5 9.Nf3 Qxg2 10.Rg1 Qh3 11.Rxg7 Qh6 12.Rg3 Nf6 13.Nd2 Qxh2 14.Nc4 Ke7 15.Qd2 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 Qh1+ 17.Bf1 Qxe4+ 18.Re3 Qd4 19.Qa5 b5 20.axb5 axb5 21.Qxa8 bxc4 22.Qb7 Kf6 23.c3 Qg4 24.Ra8 Qg8 25.Rxb8 Qxb8 26.Qxd7 Rf8 27.Bxc4 Kg7 28.Qf5 Rg8 29.Rf3 Qc7 30.Bb5 Qe7 31.Rg3+ Kh8 32.Bd3 Qh4 33.Qxf7 Rxg3 34.fxg3 Qxg3+ 35.Kd2 Qh2+ 36.Kc1 Qh6+ 37.Kc2 Qh2+ 38.Kb1 Qh6 39.Qxh7+ Qxh7 40.Bxh7 Kxh7 41.b4 e4 42.b5 e3 43.Kc2 1-0

Zaikov,Oleg - Krush,I [E07]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (8), 21.10.2009

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.c4 e6 5.b3 Be7 6.Bb2 b6 7.0-0 0-0 8.d4 Bb7 9.Nc3 Nbd7 10.Qd3 Rc8 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Qc7 13.Rad1 Rcd8 14.Nc3 a6 15.Rfe1 Rfe8 16.Qc2 h6 17.Ne5 Bd6 18.Na4 c5 19.Nxd7 Nxd7 20.dxc5 Nxc5 21.Qc3 f6 22.Nxc5 Bxc5 23.Bxb7 Qxb7 24.b4 Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Bf8 26.Bc1 e5 27.Be3 Rc8 28.c5 bxc5 29.bxc5 Qb5 30.h4 h5 31.Qd2 Qc6 32.Qe2 Qe6 33.Qxh5 Qxa2 34.Qf5 Rc6 35.Rd8 Qe6 36.Qb1 f5 37.Qb8 Qe7 38.Re8 Qf6 39.Bg5 Qf7 40.Be7 Kh7 41.Bxf8 f4 42.Re7 1-0

Fernandez,Dani - Zaikov,Oleg [B99]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (7), 12.10.2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.Rhe1 Be7 12.Qg3 b4 13.Nd5 exd5 14.exd5 Kd8 15.Qe3 Nb6 16.Nf5 Nbxd5 17.Qd4 Bf8 18.Be4 Kc8 19.Nxg7 Nxe4 20.Ne8 Qc5 21.Qxh8 Ne3 22.Re2 Nc3 23.bxc3 bxc3 24.Nxd6+ Kc7 25.Nc4 Nxc4 26.Qxc3 Qa3+ 27.Qxa3 Bxa3+ 28.Kb1 Bf3 29.Rd8 Ra7 30.Re7+ Bxe7 31.Bxe7 Bxg2 32.Rd4 Kb6 33.Bb4 Kb5 34.c3 Rc7 0-1

Esserman,M - Zaikov,Oleg [C46]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (6), 07.10.2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 f5 4.d4 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.Nxd5 Nxd5 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Qxg6+ Kd7 11.Bxd5 Nxd4 12.Bg5 Qe8 13.Bf7 Qe5 14.0-0-0 c5 15.c3 Kc7 16.cxd4 cxd4 17.Kb1 Bf5 18.Rc1+ Kd7 19.Qf6 Bg7 20.Be6+ 1-0

Zaikov,Oleg - Lugo,Bl [D44]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (5), 28.09.2009

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.exf6 gxh4 10.Ne5 Qxf6 11.a4 Bb7 12.axb5 Bd6 13.Nxc4 Bb4 14.Qb3 Qe7 15.Na5 Bxa5 16.Rxa5 Nd7 17.Be2 c5 18.d5 Nb6 19.dxe6 Bxg2 20.Rg1 h3 21.Na4 Qxe6 22.Qc3 0-0 23.Nxc5 Qf5 24.Ra1 Rfe8 25.Rd1 Nd5 26.Qg3+ Kh8 27.Qd3 Nf4 0-1

Schneider,Dmitry - Zaikov,Oleg [B80]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (4), 23.09.2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f3 e6 7.Be3 b5 8.g4 Bb7 9.Qd2 Nfd7 10.0-0-0 Nb6 11.Bg5 Qd7 12.Bd3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.Rhe1 Rc8 15.Kb1 Nc4 16.Bxc4 Qxc4 17.Re3 b4 18.Ne2 h5 19.h3 hxg4 20.hxg4 Rh2 21.Rd3 e5 22.Rc1 a5 23.b3 Qe6 24.c4 bxc3 25.Rdxc3 f6 26.Rxc8+ Bxc8 27.Qxa5 fxg5 28.Qa8 Kd8 29.Nc3 d5 30.Nxd5 Qa6 31.Qxa6 Bxa6 32.Rd1 Be2 33.Rd2 Rh1+ 34.Kb2 Bxf3 35.Nb6+ Kc7 36.Nc4 Bb4 37.Rf2 Bxe4 38.Nxe5 Rb1# 0-1

Gulko,B - Zaikov,Oleg [A29]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (3), 14.09.2009

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.0-0 Be7 8.a3 0-0 9.b4 Re8 10.d3 Bf8 11.Bb2 Bg4 12.h3 Be6 13.Ne4 f6 14.Nc5 Bxc5 15.bxc5 Nd5 16.Qc2 Qd7 17.Kh2 a5 18.Rab1 a4 19.Ba1 Na5 20.e4 Ne7 21.d4 Bb3 22.Qc3 exd4 23.Nxd4 Nec6 24.Nxb3 Nxb3 25.Rfd1 Qe7 26.Rd5 Ra5 27.Rxb3 axb3 28.Qxb3 Qe6 29.Qxb7 Rxa3 30.Bb2 Rb8 31.Qxb8+ Nxb8 32.Bxa3 Qa6 33.Rd8+ Kf7 34.Bc1 Qb5 35.Be3 Na6 36.e5 Nb4 37.exf6 gxf6 38.Be4 Kg7 39.Bf5 c6 40.Be6 h5 41.Rd7+ Kf8 42.Bf7 1-0

Zaikov,Oleg - Shmeliov,D [A70]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (2), 08.09.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 exd5 6.cxd5 g6 7.e4 Bg7 8.h3 0-0 9.Bd3 Nh5 10.0-0 Nd7 11.Re1 Ne5 12.Be2 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Qh4 14.Bxh5 gxh5 15.Be3 f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Qd2 Rf7 18.Bf4 Bd4 19.Nb5 Bxh3 20.Nxd4 Rxf4 21.Ne6 Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Qg4+ 23.Kh2 Qh4+ 24.Kg2 Qg4+ 25.Kh2 Qh4+ 26.Kg2 1/2-1/2

Enkhbat,T - Zaikov,Oleg [A58]
USCL 2009 ICC INT (1), 02.09.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.g3 d6 8.Bg2 Bg7 9.Nf3 Nbd7 10.Rb1 0-0 11.0-0 Qa5 12.Bd2 Rfb8 13.Qc2 Nb6 14.b3 Qa3 15.Bc1 Qa5 16.Bd2 Qa3 17.Bc1 Qa5 18.Rd1 Ne8 19.Bd2 Qa3 20.Bc1 Qa5 21.Bb2 Nc7 22.a4 c4 23.b4 Qxb4 24.Nd4 Bb7 25.Nc6 Bxc6 26.dxc6 Qa5 27.Nb5 Nxb5 28.axb5 c3 29.c7 Rc8 30.Bxa8 Nxa8 31.Bc1 Qxc7 32.Be3 Nb6 33.Bd4 Bxd4 34.Rxd4 e5 35.Rd3 d5 36.e3 Qc4 37.Rc1 d4 38.exd4 exd4 39.Rcd1 Qxb5 40.Rxd4 Kg7 41.Rc1 Rc5 42.Qd1 Nd5 43.Re4 h5 44.Qd4+ Kh7 45.Re5 c2 46.h4 Qc6 47.Qe4 Kh6 48.Re8 Qb5 49.Qe5 Nf6 50.Qf4+ Kg7 51.Rb8 Qe2 52.Rd8 Re5 53.Qd2 Ng4 54.Rxc2 Qf3 55.Rc3 Qf5 56.Qd4 Qb1+ 57.Kg2 Qb7+ 58.Rf3 Qe4 59.Qxe4 Rxe4 60.Rd2 Re7 61.Ra2 Rd7 62.Rfa3 Rb7 63.Ra7 Rb5 64.Re2 Rf5 65.f3 Nf6 66.Ree7 Nd5 67.Reb7 Ne3+ 68.Kf2 Nd1+ 69.Ke2 Nc3+ 70.Ke3 Nd5+ 71.Kf2 Nc3 72.Rd7 Ne4+ 73.Kg2 Nc5 74.Re7 Nd3 75.Rad7 Nc5 76.Ra7 Nd3 77.Ra3 Kf8 78.Re3 Ne5 79.Ra8+ Kg7 80.Ra7 Kg8 81.Rc3 Rf6 82.Ra5 Nd7 83.Rc7 Nf8 84.Ra8 Kg7 85.Rcc8 Nh7 86.Rh8 Rb6 87.Rag8+ Kh6 88.g4 Rb2+ 89.Kf1 1-0

It's only a flesh wound.

Hyper-Accelerated Swiss Gambit

With an 0-3 start, it would be easy for the Cobras to throw in the towel. But since no one on the team can speak Spanish, there has not yet been a cry for "No mas." Player/Manager Craig Jones held a closed door meeting after Monday's loss, and sources say he instructed his team that his "Hyper-Accelerated Swiss Gambit" strategy has worked to perfection, and that a "torrent of tactics and novelties" are about to be unleased on the league. So before the league writes off the defending Eastern League Champions, a closer look at sporting history and other international conflicts reveals that all is not lost.

In 1982, not one but two NFL teams made the playoffs with a 4-5 record. Sure, the season was shortened due to strike, but there remains some chance that USCL Commissioner Greg Shahade may not be able to renew the USCL Players Association Collective Bargaining Agreement before the season ends. Or perhaps he will even adopt the ridiculous logic of Major League Baseball in 1981, which allowed the 50-53 Kansas City Royals into the playoffs due to their slightly-above mediocre second half record? With all this in mind, perhaps a couple of wins would be good enough to sneak Carolina into the post season. (And don't forget, in 2006, Carolina pulled out all the stops in posting a 4-6 regular season mark to get in, aided by FM Matt Hoekstra's fiber-optic freeze gun, which paralyzed his opponent's right hand in time pressure.)

This season, the week two loss to longtime nemesis Boston hurt the team, dropping Carolina to 0-5-1 lifetime against the Blitz. But the Cobras can draw inspiration from France, who went 0-5-4 against the Huguenots, and that was before GM Maxime Vachier-Legrave had even learned to move the pieces.

Ten years after the NFL's strike-shortened season, the San Diego Chargers made the playoffs after beginning 0-4. A year after that, in 1993 the San Jose Sharks began 0-8-1 before rebounding to play in the spring. And the history of chess in North Carolina is surely as storied as the history of hockey in California.

The Cobras wrap up the northeast corridor beginning of their season with a week four matchup versus Queens, who is also scuffling after an 0-2-1 start. Lead Pioneer blogger and board four WFM Elizabeth "Lizzie" Vicary will no doubt be licking her lip gloss at the chance to get off the schnide both personally and as a team, but a team of Cobra supporters plan to unleash a flurry of in-game New Yorker and Economist articles to Vicary's inbox, in a manoeuvre Carolina supporters are calling the "The Seymour Hersh - Hendrik Hertzberg offensive." Vicary's conclusions and metaphors will likely be over the heads of most chess fans, but Tarheel agents hope her multitasking skills are as unrefined as the Carolina Panthers' passing game.

Long memories create long seasons. The Cobras, 2009 Part Deux, begins next week. And anyway, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

- Mike Klein

Week 2 - Computer Analysis

Rybka 3 on Intel i7 overclocked to 4GHz - 3 minutes per move

Jones,Craig (2275) - Krasik,Ilya (2252) [D45]
Boston vs Carolina Internet Chess Club (2), 09.09.2009

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 dxc4

6.Bxc4 b5 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.0-0 Bb7 9.e4 b4

10.Na4 c5 11.e5 Nd5 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Bb5+ Nd7

14.Bg5 Qa5 15.Nd4 a6 16.Bxd7+ Kxd7 17.a3 score +0.58)

(17. Rc1 score = +0.74 = 74% of a pawn)

(17. f4 h6 18. Bh4 g6 19. a3 Rc8 20. axb4 Bxb4

21. Rf3 Ke8 22. Nc3 Qb6 23. Ne4 Kf8 24. Bf2

score +0.37 = 37% of a pawn 26 ply search).

17. ... Rc8

18.Qf3 score = + 0.32

(18. Qb3 or ab +0.58)

18. ... Ke8 19.axb4 Qxb4 20.Rfd1 score = +0.08 8% of a pawn

20. ... h6 21.Qh3?? score -1.39 = white down 139% of a pawn

(21. Be3 g5 22. Qg3 Bg7 23. b3 Rg8 24. Rac1 Rxc1 25. Bxc1 Qa5

26. Bd2 Qc7 27. Nf3 Ne7 score +0.09 = 9% of a pawn for white)

21. ... hxg5

22.Qxh8 Nf4 23.f3 score = -4.25 white down approx 4.25 pawns

(23. Nc3 score = -1.39)

23. ...Rc4 24.Nb3 Rc2 25.Nac5 Rxg2+

26.Kh1 Ng6 27.Qh3 g4

28.Nxa6?? score= -9.32 white down more than a queen

(28. Rd8+ Kxd8 29. 29. Nxb7 (29. Qxg2?? Bxf3 30. Qxb3

fxg4 score= -2.48)

28. ... gxh3 29.Nxb4 Bxb4

30.Rac1 Rxb2 31.Nd4 Nxe5 32.Rb1 Bc3 33.Nb5 Bxf3+

34.Kg1 Rg2+

Week 1

Hi Everyone!

Week one was tough but some bright spots here and there.

First our new location in the Perkins Library was well liked by everyone!

It's a Great location!

On the playing front we had high expectations for the match and I think we felt we would win it so losing comes all the more difficult.

Cobras go down 3-1 to the Baltimore Kingfishers.

Jonathan Schroer did a great job preparing for and then playing his 2650ish level player who is a “nasty strong”, as I heard someone describe him, German GM Leonid Kritz. Jonathan played the opening better and reached several winning positions and the game eventually ended in a perpetual for Kitz who was lucky to escape. I was just informed by the league that Jonathan Schroer has won the upset of the week prize!! Great Job Jonathan.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 a6 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Bf4 Nc6 7.Rc1 Nh5 8.Be5 f6 9.Bg3 e5 10.e3 Nxg3 11.hxg3 Be6 12.Qb3 Qd7 13.a3 Rd8 14.Na4 Bg4 15.Be2 e4 16.Ng1 Bxe2 17.Nxe2 Na5 18.Qc2 Nc4 19.Nf4 b5 20.Nc3 Nb6 21.Ng6 Rg8 22.Nxf8 Kxf8 23.Rxh7 Kf7 24.Qe2 Rc8 25.Qh5+ Kf8 26.Ne2 Rxc1+ 27.Nxc1 Qc8 28.Qd1 Nc4 29.Qc2 Kf7 30.Ne2 Rh8 31.Rxh8 Qxh8 32.Nf4 Qh1+ 33.Ke2 g5 34.Nxd5 Qxg2 35.b3 Qf3+ 36.Ke1 Qh1+ 37.Ke2 Qh5+ 38.Ke1 Qh1+ 39.Ke2 Qf3+ 40.Ke1 Qh1+ Game drawn by repetition 1/2-1/2

Since I was the only board where we had an advantage rating wise it was expected that to have success I have to win. I used too much time in the opening (thinking and dealing with computer connectivity issues as well) so after 4 moves had lost 40 minutes ugh! The gamed went back and forth but not dramatically so and I finally reached a solid ending edge (-.48 rybka) only to immediately blunder a pawn and thinking back had I not thrown away so much time in the opening, very foolish, maybe the ending would have been different hard to know. I was able to work up counter play in an ending and then missed a fairly simple win on move 39. See if you can find it! After this the game is level and I try everything I can to win a dead drawn ending probably reaching a lost ending at one point but eventually it was drawn… not good the 4^th board is where points have to be collected..

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.e5 Ne4 7.Qxd4 f5 8.Bf4 Nc6 9.Qe3 d5 10.exd6 e5 11.Bg3 Qxd6 12.Na3 a6 13.Rd1 Qc5 14.Qxc5 Nxc5 15.h3 Na4 16.Rd2 Bf6 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.Bxe5 Bxe5 19.Re2 Nxb2 20.Rxe5+ Kd8 21.0-0 Re8 22.Rd5+ Kc7 23.Bb3 Re2 24.Nc4 Nxc4 25.Bxc4 Re4 26.Bb3 Be6 27.Rd2 Re8 28.Rfd1 Re7 29.Kh2 Bd7 30.Bd5 R4e5 31.Bxb7 Ba4 32.Rb1 Bb5 33.Bf3 Re1 34.Rbb2 Rc1 35.Rbc2 Ree1 36.Kg3 g5 37.Bd5 h5 38.c4 h4+ 39.Kf3 Bd7 40.Rxc1 Rxc1 41.Rd3 g4+ 42.Kf4 Rf1 43.Rd2 g3 44.Kf3 Bc6 45.Ke3 Bxd5 46.cxd5 f4+ 47.Kxf4 Rxf2+ 48.Ke3 Rxd2 49.Kxd2 Kd6 50.Kc3 Kxd5 51.Kd3 Kc5 52.Kc3 Kb5 53.Kb3 Ka5 54.Ka3 Kb6 55.Kb4 a5+ 56.Kc4 a4 57.Kb4 a3 58.Kxa3 Kc5 59.Kb3 Kd4 60.a4 Ke3 61.a5 Kf2 62.a6 Kxg2 63.a7 Kxh3 64.a8Q g2 65.Qf3+ Kh2 66.Qf4+ Kh3 67.Qf2 g1Q 68.Qxg1 Black stalemated 1/2-1/2

Oleg’s game was a very well played hard fought. Reviewing it with Rybka today the level of play was exceptionally high. Until move 45 both players are playing either top moves or near top moves the entire way with white maintaining a normal slight edge but black is fine. I think at this point time pressure kicks in and the play just becomes “edgy” for both sides. Blacks 46^th...Qc6 appears losing to Re8 but this is very difficult to find and is not played. After 46...f6 the game retains is character of white having a slight edge but hard pressed to demonstrate.

Whites 47^th Qe4 is inaccurate and now Oleg has Nb4 but in time pressure saying these things may not mean much it’s just too difficult finding the right solutions. After 47...Nb4 white has to find 48Qf4! Or black takes over the advantage. After Qf4 the position seems dead equal.

Time pressure just takes over and for the next several moves both players miss chances.

By move 51 its = but still tricky for both sides. 51...Qd3 set white tricky problems but Oleg’s Qe2 is fine. Blacks 52^nd is the moment of truth. If Oleg finds 52...Ne4! he may very well have won it’s a difficult position for white to face practically with the threat of Rf5 looming but if white plays correctly its just equal. After Whites 53^rd Qd2 black loses the c2 button and faces a probably hopeless task for the next 35+ moves finally going down on move 89.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.g3 d6 8.Bg2 Bg7 9.Nf3 Nbd7 10.Rb1 0-0 11.0-0 Qa5 12.Bd2 Rfb8 13.Qc2 Nb6 14.b3 Qa3 15.Bc1 Qa5 16.Bd2 Qa3 17.Bc1 Qa5 18.Rd1 Ne8 19.Bd2 Qa3 20.Bc1 Qa5 21.Bb2 Nc7 22.a4 c4 23.b4 Qxb4 24.Nd4 Bb7 25.Nc6 Bxc6 26.dxc6 Qa5 27.Nb5 Nxb5 28.axb5 c3 29.c7 Rc8 30.Bxa8 Nxa8 31.Bc1 Qxc7 32.Be3 Nb6 33.Bd4 Bxd4 34.Rxd4 e5 35.Rd3 d5 36.e3 Qc4 37.Rc1 d4 38.exd4 exd4 39.Rcd1 Qxb5 40.Rxd4 Kg7 41.Rc1 Rc5 42.Qd1 Nd5 43.Re4 h5 44.Qd4+ Kh7 45.Re5 c2 46.h4 Qc6 47.Qe4 Kh6 48.Re8 Qb5 49.Qe5 Nf6 50.Qf4+ Kg7 51.Rb8 Qe2 52.Rd8 Re5 53.Qd2 Ng4 54.Rxc2 Qf3 55.Rc3 Qf5 56.Qd4 Qb1+ 57.Kg2 Qb7+ 58.Rf3 Qe4 59.Qxe4 Rxe4 60.Rd2 Re7 61.Ra2 Rd7 62.Rfa3 Rb7 63.Ra7 Rb5 64.Re2 Rf5 65.f3 Nf6 66.Ree7 Nd5 67.Reb7 Ne3+ 68.Kf2 Nd1+ 69.Ke2 Nc3+ 70.Ke3 Nd5+ 71.Kf2 Nc3 72.Rd7 Ne4+ 73.Kg2 Nc5 74.Re7 Nd3 75.Rad7 Nc5 76.Ra7 Nd3 77.Ra3 Kf8 78.Re3 Ne5 79.Ra8+ Kg7 80.Ra7 Kg8 81.Rc3 Rf6 82.Ra5 Nd7 83.Rc7 Nf8 84.Ra8 Kg7 85.Rcc8 Nh7 86.Rh8 Rb6 87.Rag8+ Kh6 88.g4 Rb2+ 89.Kf1 Black resigns 1-0

Ron’s games was a slightly unusual exchange Caro but seemed normal with white having a small edge through most of the early going. Though Ron’s 12 Qc2 is fine with white maintain a small edge the computer shows a very elegant idea. (can comps be elegant??) 12Nf1 Nf4 13Bf4 Qf4 14 Ne3! And white maintains a decent small edge with tricks on d5 looming.. A very interesting idea.14...Rd8 15Qb3! E6 16 Ng4 and white has an edge. Through move 16 it’s either equal or white has a tiny advantage. I am not sure what is whites correct 16^th move is but more important than a given move is finding a plan and that is even less clear to me. Eventually black will play e6 and rab8 and b5 a5 rec8 etc with a clear plan. The position is fine for white but finding what to do in this position is unclear so from a practical perspective it’s tough. 16 Ne5? Is just a easily overlooked tactical mistake I certainly didn’t see what was wrong with it specifically though I didn’t know if in general it was good. Black has a nice tactic and GM Kaufman finds it. 17..d4! a very nice shot. The point is seen with 18cd Qc2 19. Bc2 Bh6 picks off an exchange.

Ron put up a bitter resistance and at times I thought we would see some Simpson magic but Kaufman put out all the brush fires before they could get roaring...

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.h3 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.Re1 0-0 9.c3 Qc7 10.Bg5 Re8 11.Nbd2 Nh5 12.Qc2 Nf4 13.Bxf4 Qxf4 14.Re3 Qc7 15.Rae1 Bd7 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 d4 18.R3e2 dxc3 19.bxc3 Rac8 20.c4 Red8 21.Nf3 Be6 22.Qb1 Rxd3 23.Qxd3 Bxc4 24.Qe3 Bxe2 25.Qxe2 e6 26.Qe3 b5 27.h4 h5 28.Rd1 a5 29.Qe4 b4 30.Rd4 Bh6 31.g4 Qc2 32.Qb7 hxg4 33.Rxg4 Qc6 34.Qxc6 Rxc6 35.h5 Rc2 36.hxg6 Rxa2 37.Rh4 Bg7 38.gxf7+ Kxf7 39.Rc4 b3 40.Kg2 b2 41.Rc7+ Kg6 42.Rb7 a4 43.Rb6 Kf5 44.Rb5 a3 45.Nd4+ Kg6 White resigns 0-1

We will reload for next week when we face what some say is the strongest team in the league Boston should be a lot of fun!

If you live in the Triangle area and want to come analyze the games while they are being played please do!!

Craig Jones

Craig Jones Predicts....

Battle of the Managers East vs. West

Craig Jones Carolina, Cobras manager
Vs.
Leo Martinez Arizona, Scorpions manager

Our prediction contest goes a step further predicting results of every individual game.
We agreed that making predictions about ones own team was not smart..
Stay Tuned for what the winner receives or loser must do!!

Boston wins 3.5-.5
Queens Pioneers Boston Blitz
GM Alex Stripunsky: 2628 GM Larry Christiansen: 2662 draw
IM Eli Vovsha: 2539 GM Eugene Perelshteyn: 2588 perelshteyn wins
FM Andrei Zaremba: 2398 SM Marc Esserman: 2461 Esserman Wins
Shaun Smith: 2038 Andrew Wang: 2136 wang Wins

Dallas 2.5-Miami 1.5
Miami Sharks Dallas Destiny
GM Julio Becerra: 2615 IM John Bartholomew: 2499 Beccerra Wins
FM Bruci Lopez: 2480 IM Daniel Ludwig: 2543 Ludwig wins
NM Eric Rodriguez: 2290 FM Keaton Kiewra: 2365 drawn
Miguel Recio: 2164 NM Nelson Lopez: 2218 Lopez Wins

Match drawn 2-2
San Francisco Mechanics Seattle Sluggers
GM Josh Friedel: 2612 GM Gregory Serper: 2592 Friedel wins
IM David Pruess: 2418 IM Eric Tangborn: 2455 Drawn
IM John Donaldson: 2408 FM Michael Lee: 2384 Drawn
NM Yian Liou: 2149 NM Joshua Sinanan: 2284 Sinanan wins

New York Knights New Jersey Knockouts
New York Knights win 3-1
GM Giorgi Kacheishvili: 2666 GM Joel Benjamin: 2641 kacheishvilli wins
GM Pascal Charbonneau: 2560 IM Dean Ippolito: 2535 Charbonneau wins
NM Matt Herman: 2275 NM Victor Shen: 2305 Shen wins
NM Yaacov Norowitz: 2354 Arthur Shen: 2107 Norowitz wins

Philly wins 2.5-1.5
Philadelphia Inventors Tennessee Tempo
GM Sergey Kudrin: 2602 GM Alex Shabalov: 2624 Drawn
IM Alex Lenderman: 2638 IM Ron Burnett: 2380 Lenderman wins
IM Bryan Smith: 2528 FM Peter Bereolos: 2329 Smith wins
Rahul Swaminathan: 2135 FM John Bick: 2260 Bick wins

Arizona wins 3-1
Arizona Scorpions Chicago Blaze
GM Alejandro Ramirez: 2601 GM Nikola Mitkov: 2554 Ramirez wins
IM Levon Altounian: 2538 FM Florin Felecan: 2430 Drawn
FM Robby Adamson: 2354 IM Mehmed Pasalic: 2346 Drawn
David Adelberg: 2160 Trevor Magness: 2138 Adelberg wins

Introducing the 2009 Carolina Cobras

Reports of the Cobras’ demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to team manager NM Craig Jones. The Chapel Hill based chess teacher, a big fan of Mark Twain quotes, also reminds the league that “a lie gets halfway around the world before truth can get its pants on.” In addition to obscure literary references, Jones has cobbled together a statewide rabble of chess talent to help defray the loss of Cobra veteran GM Lev Milman. The former top Cobra waited until after the season to get his GM title and Jones thanked him for his good play, his dedication, and his sandbagging while on the team.

IM Jonathan Schroer, the longtime number-one active player in North Carolina, will supplant Milman on board one. Jones called Schroer a “fantastic theorist” while others have been known to call him a “rook-and-pawn endgame masochist.” At a chess camp this summer, a peak into Schroer’s preparation revealed Adgestein-esque boots from the defensive back position and also an instense devotion to the fledgling sport of Chinet-plate Frisbee.

Jones once again signaled for the righty on board two – Duke University wunderkind FM Oleg Zaikov. Though many Blue Devils spend four years popping no-dose in the mornings and doing keg-stands at night, Zaikov has been invaluable to the team during his tenure. In Jones opinion, Zaikov was the second most valuable player in the league last year. Though on hiatus from most over-the-board tournaments, Zaikov was paired up 12 consecutive weeks last season but still scored +1.

Board three will be the usual home of FM Ron Simpson, who is coming off a long winning streak in the 2008 campaign. He has been experiencing a mid-life chess renaissance over the last few years, thanks to some unconventional methods. Simpson has an arsenal of game preparation techniques, including visualization, meditation, and voodoo. Trust me – you do not want to give this man your height, weight, and hair color.

Rounding out the “big four” of what the French call “Les Serpents,” is Jones. Like longtime Atlanta Braves captain Chipper Jones, the Cobras have benefited from his leadership over the years (but without the catcalls of “Larry, Larry” when the Cobras face the New York teams).

Two new faces to the team will be Charlotte-based chess teachers FM Mike Klein and NM Chris Mabe. When asked why he plucked these two players from down Interstate-85, Jones said that at his captains draft, Nakamura and Shabalov were already taken. Klein adds nothing more than levity to the team (and a strange desire to play Ng5), but Mabe brings a rising geothermic geyser of talent and a healthy pre-match preparation technique. Mabe is a past winner of the World Open under 2200 section and recently broke 2300. He is also a pool shark but Jones has informed him that league rules prohibit slapping a twenty down on the board before matches.

Raleigh area NMs Carlito Agner and Udayan Bapat (who recently achieved the title) ensure that the Cobras are one of the few teams who post a roster of eight masters. Some would say this is like having five of the same color in poker, but since when are chess players good at poker anyway? Cobra assistant manager John Timmel, who has been with the team since inception, will return as an alternate.

Jones admitted that the team is the lowest-rated in the league but he reminded others that the Cobras were within a whisker of winning the pennant last year. He had his team doing two-a-days during training camp to prepare for next week’s match against the Baltimore Kingfishers; no one has given him a good reason yet why they are named after an Indian airline.

The team, as always, will play matches in the Duke University Student Union, also known as “The House that Trust Funds Built.” Check back each week for updates on the team that promise to be full of puns on the words “venom,” “uncoil,” and “fang.” Don’t be rattled – it’s just another season of Cobra-Kai chess.

- Mike Klein