Before we recap the Marshalls season to date, a lot of folks have been wondering: How is it that the Marshalls team became so incredibly awesome this year? There are lots of reasons, but one of the main ones is the club's new partnership with Chessable!
Chessable made it possible for the team to field world-class American players like GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Sam Sevian, and Gata Kamsky. If you've never given Chessable a try, we encourage you to visit their website. Their proven methods make learning and improving your game efficient and fun. Thank you, Chessable!
We are coming down the home stretch of the PRO Chess League (PCL) regular season and the Marshalls are in prime position to make some noise in the playoffs. On Monday, the team set a league record for largest margin of victory in a match, demolishing the Argentina Krakens 14.5–1.5. After splitting the first three games 1.5–1.5, the team reeled off an unprecedented thirteen straight victories. GMs Vladimir Fedoseev and Wojceich Moranda finished with perfect 4/4 scores in the match, while GM Eduardo Iturrizaga scored 3.5/4 and GM Sergei Azarov (2017 Marshall Champion!) finished with 3/4.
GM Fedoseev's play has been otherworldly. Since finishing tied for 12th at the World Rapid Championship in December, his game has rounded into peak form. He drew his first two PCL games for the Marshalls but has proceeded to win an astounding ten straight games against many of the world's best players. His performance rating of 2867 is exceeded only by GM Anton Korobov of the Germany Bears among players who have played more than a single match. If the league had an MVP award, he would undoubtedly be a leading candidate for the honor.
It was unfortunate that GM Fedoseev was unavailable for the team's first match against the powerful St. Louis Arch Bishops. After dropping that match, our team has rebounded with four straight victories. Next week the Marshalls take on the California Unicorns before a pivotal match with the Canada ChessBrahs that will finish out the season. The match with Canada is almost certain to determine who finishes second in the standings and who receives the better playoff draw. With GMs Fedoseev and Gadir Guseinov (the team's workhorse, sporting an impressive 2679 performance over four matches) playing the way they are, the sky is the limit. Oh, wait. . . doesn't the team have another juggernaut player? Yes! They do! That's right, the Marshalls other leading player is world elite GM Hikaru Nakamura!
GM Nakamura has quietly put together a 2736 performance (modest by his standards!) over three matches. The best news for the team is that he is ready to go and will play in every match from here on out. When we get a rematch with St. Louis in the playoffs, we'll be ready.
Fischer Random & Other New Tournaments
First, a quick note on tournament registration at the club:
As many of you know, the club's membership has been growing. As a consequence of this growth more and more of our tournaments are selling out. Particularly on weekends, we're having to turn away some players when we reach our capacity. The club does not give preferential treatment to entrants based on rating, membership history, royal family status, or any other factor. The only surefire way to guarantee your spot in a tournament is to register early. Our online registration opens ten days before each event. We recommend registering at least three days in advance!
FISCHER RANDOM
We felt inspired after watching FIDE's recent 2019 Fischer Random World Championship match. It's such a fantastic variant, isn't it? No opening theory or memorized lines to worry about, just pure chess knowledge through and through. Now we're BRINGING IT BACK to the Marshall! The club will host its first Fischer Random of the new decade this Friday, February 7th at 7 pm. The G/25 tournament will feature a new starting position each of the four rounds. We're even guaranteeing $350 in prizes to encourage you to play.
Can't make it to the Marshall this week? We'll hold another Fischer Random event on Friday, April 24th. If the feedback is positive, then you can be sure that this will become a staple on our calendar.
FRIDAY QUICK CHESS. . .
. . . is back beginning March 20th! Are you a person who thinks blitz chess is too fast but who also thinks that G/25 is too slow? If so, then you sure have picky taste in time controls, but you're also in luck. Our G/10+3 event will be returning each third Friday of the month.
SPICING UP THURSDAY NIGHTS
Thursday has always been our favorite night for chess, and we want to it to be yours, too! We're amping up the stakes of our monthly $350 Guaranteed Action to become the $500 Guaranteed Action! And if the guaranteed prizes don't encourage you to play, well, what can we say. Maybe you're one of the picky folks who only likes G/10+3. Or, maybe you only like to play in Quads, and have always quietly been upset that the club doesn't offer Quads on Thursday nights. "Why doesn't the club have Thursday Quads?" you ask. Oh, well we do now! Starting in March, join us for the Thursday Quads, the perfect tournament for people who like to play action chess on Thursday nights but only against people with similar ratings.
Have fun, chess players!
Lisa Lane playing at the Marshall Chess Club in 1962. There is a 1/7 chance that her favorite night to play at the club was Thursday night.
