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Style Analysis by GM Michael Rohde:
Yermolinsky's grinding style and great results in the last couple of
years have earned him the appellation "The Yerminator". Yermolinsky is
particularly adept at the transitional phases of the game; against him, a
normal middlegame can easily become a lost endgame. Yermolinsky rivalled
Kamsky in sitzfleisch, which is essentially the ability to just sit there
until the opponent drops. But to Yermolinsky, all this is happenstance; he is
just playing his regular chess. Yermolinsky impresses as being a player who
can really mobilize his inner resources and respond to the needs of the
position. Not a privileged beneficiary of the Soviet chess system, he
nevertheless soaked up a great education there, which became a springboard for
his continued success here. Yermolinsky enjoys tense positions; something is
always cooking in his games and he is equally at home in tactical melees or
strategical campaigns. Yermolinsky has done his due diligence with respect to
chess theory, and plays a wide variety of positions.
Openings: Yermolinsky has made a practice out of the Classical Sicilian as
Black and he seems especially conversant in Richter-Rauzer lines. Yermolinsky
can easily switch to other sharp Sicilian lines, such as the Najdorf or the
Taimanov. Yermolinsky also likes to vary as White, occasionally using 1 e4
although closed openings are his preference; in playing 1 d4 openings, he will
often start with 1 Nf3 and explore move order opportunities. Yermolinsky has a
wide repertoire of defenses to 1 d4 - notable among them are the King's
Indian, the Slav and the Nimzo-Indian.
Style Analysis by GM Michael Rohde: The Defending U.S. Champion, Benjamin is cool and unruffled both at the
board and in his games. Benjamin enjoys playing many different types of
positions, and is confident that he will find the logical approach to guide
him in any situation. Benjamin has a good instinctive feel for the game and
usually moves quickly, but will sometimes settle down to an unexpected long
think, following Kasparov's theory that a key element is to recognize when the
critical moments arise. Benjamin is a very good blitz player, and if a
difficult position forces him into time pressure, a common scenario is the
following: the opponent is thrashing about, trying to deliver the knockout,
while Benjamin calmly shores up his defenses, liquidates some attackers, snaps
off some material, runs away with his king, and when time control is reached,
Benjamin is up a couple of pieces ... Benjamin's excellent command of chess
theory and skilled play in the openings and early middlegames often lead him
to good positions. In such situations, a curse of strong players is the
ability to see all the defenses which the opposition has, and therefore the
need to pursue the initiative more cautiously than some others might. Benjamin
mixes his openings quite well and has a very good awareness of the critical
points in many openings, as well as the repertoires of his opponents.
Benjamin's play in the 1997 Championship, particularly his performance in the
Semis and Finals, show how well-rounded his play is in the openings and
middlegames. A very strong attacking player now, Benjamin's play as a junior
was "mature" for his age; soundness has always been his primary criterion.
Openings: Benjamin tends to prefer 1 e4 as White, although also plays 1 d4 and
has had extensive periods favoring 1 d4. Very flexible and tries to avoid
opponent's specialties, Benjamin is quite happy to play Anti-Indian or
Anti-Sicilian systems, or to engage in main line theoretical disputes. As
Black against 1 e4, seems to prefer the Taimanov Sicilian, often plays the
Classical Sicilian, and sprinkles other openings in such as the Pirc and the
French; has played just about all the openings at some time. As Black against
1 d4, standard defense is the Nimzo-Queen's Indian complex, partial to the
Queen's Gambit Accepted, will sometimes play the King's Indian or other
defenses.