Black is OK! Blaze is OK! Sharks are OK!

There's a famous opening book by the Hungarian Grandmaster Adorjan titled Black Is OK!  Adorjan advocates the opening philosophy popularized by Fischer: don't grovel for the draw, don't play to equalize, but try to win from move one!

Even though White typically scores 56% of total points in master play, the player of the Black pieces won all four of tonight's games, and in tonight's U.S. Chess League match, the Chicago Blaze drew the Miami Sharks, 2-2.  Now could someone please explain what this means for the Blaze's playoff hopes?

St. Louis 2½ - Chicago 1½

The sleep-deprived Hikaru Nakamura led St. Louis to victory, as the other matchups were drawn.

Board 2: GM Mesgen Amanov (Chi) - GM Ben Finegold (StL) ½-½
Board 3: IM Michael Brooks (StL) - IM Florin Felecan (Chi) ½-½
Board 4: WIM Cindy Tsai (Chi) - Spencer Finegold (StL) ½-½

More coverage to come...but not tonight!

Tonight's Big Showdown (starting time corrected)

No, not that one. (Our office manager has tickets for tonight's White Sox-Red Sox tickets that she can't give away!)

The Philadelphia Inventors (hmm, "cheesesteakheads"?) and the Chicago Blaze face off tonight at 7:15 p.m.  Really, I have to have a sit-down with whoever dreamed up this schedule!

The games begin at 7:15 p.m. Chicago time.


Follow the action on the Internet Chess Club (subscription required). 


Or stop by the North Shore Chess Center at 5500 West Touhy Avenue, Suite A, in Skokie.