U.S. Chess League Week 1 Quiz
By Jennifer Shahade   
August 29, 2008
USCLlead.jpg
For more on this photo, see question nine.
Photo Betsy Dynako
The U.S. Chess League website offers all the games in a pgn file, links to live blogging, photo-blogging, weekly video updates by USCL commissioner Greg Shahade and up to the minute stats. There was even an article in the Boston Globe today profiling the Boston-New York rivalry.

Chess Life Online will offer something a bit different with our USCL quizzes. If you weren't watching USCL action live on the Internet Chess Club last week, this 9-question quiz will give you a chance to test yourself on Week 1's chess highlights. If you were following the games closely, you'll have a chance to win merchandise from your favorite team.

The first USCF member to login and post all the correct answers to the following questions will win up to $30 of merchandise from the US Chess League cafepress store. If there are no perfect entries posted by Monday, September 1, Noon EST, the entry with the most correct answers up to that point will win. Please include your email in your entry-- if you don't want to make your email public, copy your answers to [email protected]  (you still need to post your answers to win). Sorry, USCL team players and managers are not eligible for prizes.

USCL Week 1 Quiz


1. The Arizona Scorpions won the Monday night opener against fellow new-team, The Chicago Blaze.  How did team manager Robby Adamson finish off against John Burgess in the following position?

Quiz7.jpg
White to Move



2. Sam Shankland's win over Igor Schneider pulled in a 2.5-1.5 victory for San Francisco over defending champs, the Dallas Destiny. How did he win in the following position?
 
Kh8.jpg
White to Move


3.  Ilya Krasik of the Boston Blitz  won quickly in the following position against Evan Rosenberg. Coupled with Jorge Sammour-Hasbun's win on board one against GM Alexander Shabalov, this allowed Boston to defeat rivals New York Knights 3-1. What did Ilya play?

Quiz3.jpg
White to Move



4. The New Jersey Knockouts won 3-1 against the Baltimore Kingfishers, despite GM Joel Benjamin losing to league newcomer GM Sergey Erenburg on board one. Erenburg is playing White in the position below. What is White's threat? How can Black stop it?

Quiz4.jpg

5. Philadelphia loss to Queens 2.5-1.5 but Elvin Wilson won his game on board four. What's the easiest way to win in this position?
Quiz6.jpg
White to Move


6. What game is the following analysis position from?
Quiz1.jpg
Black to Move

7. The Miami Sharks scored the biggest crush of the week, winning 3.5-0.5 over the Seattle Sluggers. Readey saved the Sluggers from a sweep with a draw on board three against Blas Lugo. Readey played b3+ and the game was a draw by perpetual check after axb3 Qc5+ Kd2 Qf2+ etc. How could John have done better?

Quiz5.jpg
Black to Move


Rybka can't help you solve these questions:

8. Which were the first and last games (individual games, not matches) to finish on Wednesday night?

9. Who are the two people featured in the lead picture of this article, taken by Betsy Dynako ?