Category Archives: angelo young
Ambush in the Desert
It’s tough having a perfect won-loss record; the pressure to keep winning and stay perfect is overwhelming. Going into last night the Arizona Scorpions were the only USCL team in that highly fraught position, but thanks to the Chicago Blaze, who handed them their first defeat of the 2010 season, the Scorpions have now been relieved of that particular burden.
We will forgive them, of course, if they don’t thank us. Continue reading
The 800-Pound Arachnid
While much of the league’s attention this year has been focused on the St. Louis Arch Bishops, the new expansion team that arrived on the scene with a roster laden with super-GMs, another team, the Arizona Scorpions, has quietly amassed a perfect 4-0 record in the opening week of the season. They’re the only team that’s won all of its first four matches. While everybody’s been talking about the 800-pound gorilla, the 800-pound arachnid has taken over.
It’s no surprise to Chicago chess fans. In addition to being 4-0 on the season, the Grand Canyon State woodpushers boast that very same lifetime record against the Blaze.
Tonight, however, they put both of those records on the line when they face the Blaze in Monday night USCL action.
The match starts tonight at 8:00 PM Chicago time. Follow it on the Internet Chess Club, and keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook. Go Blaze! Continue reading
Bad Vibes
The Blaze suffered their first defeat of the season Wednesday night, losing to the Los Angeles Vibe, a new expansion team, by a lopsided score of 3-1.
It was rough sledding most of the night for the Windy City woodpushers, who were aced out on the top three boards. Losing to their mostly higher-rated West Coast opponents were GM Dmitry Gurevich, IM Florin Felecan, and IM Angelo Young.
The one bright spot of the night was a Board 4 victory by NM Trevor Magness, making his first appearance with the Blaze this year, over NM Konstantin Kavutskiy. It was Trevor’s first USCL win, and it came at a most opportune time, saving the Blaze the embarrassment of a sweep. Continue reading
“I Can’t Get Inside His Fortress”
What was going through the mind of IM Angelo Young during that endless game against FM Steven Zierk last Wednesday night? He reveals it all here as he annotates the game.
The 97-move agon, which ended in a draw by agreement, was the last game of the night to end, and it sealed victory for the Blaze over the San Francisco Mechanics 2.5-1.5. Continue reading
With Engine Purring
Every Blaze player was a hero last night, as Chicago dropped a wrench into the crankshaft of the San Francisco Mechanics’ undefeated season, handing the Bay Area crew its first loss of the year 2.5-1.5.
The Blaze—whose season record now improves to 2.5-.5, the best start in the team’s three-year history—did it with a combination of one victory and three draws, each contribution being essential to the overall result. Continue reading
Gurevich Wins Illinois Open
Congratulations to GM Dmitry Gurevich of the Chicago Blaze, who is the new state chess champion following his victory this past weekend at the Illinois Open. Dmitry prevailed over some tough competition, not the least being his own Blaze teammates, who played well at the tournament. In all, seven of the top ten spots in the final standings were captured by current or former Blaze players.
Speaking of capturing, superstar chess photographer Betsy Dynako was on hand to record the action beautifully. We are, as always, deeply grateful for her photos and permission to post them.
Continue reading
Gorilla Warfare
The St Louis Arch Bishops are the new 800-pound gorilla in the USCL, and tonight the massive primate will park itself on our metaphorical living room couch, as the Chicago Blaze face the Gateway City team in Week 2 of the new chess season.
Having dropped their opening match to the L.A. Vibe with a two-grandmaster lineup, the Arch Bishops will come at us tonight with their much-heralded dream team: three grandmasters and the highest rated lineup in U.S. Chess League history. It’s a rare day when a grandmaster plays on Board 3 in a USCL match and rarer still when a recent national champion plays on Board 2. But that’s what the Blaze are up against tonight. Continue reading
Blaze Shines at USAT
98 players forming 23 teams showed up for this year’s edition of the US Amateur Team North held at the wonderful Crowne Plaza Hotel in Milwaukee. The spacious and nouveau hotel was an excellent upgrade for
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Young is a First Team All Star
Congratulations to IM Angelo Young of the Chicago Blaze for being named an all-star in U.S. Chess League’s first team. The league has first, second, and third all-star teams, and Angelo is Board 3, behind GMs Hikaru Nakamura…
