PRO Chess League - Week 3 Recap: Rio Grande Defeats San Jose Hackers

IM hellokostya

Updated: Feb 1, 2017, 2:54 AM | 2

It was a hard fought match, but ultimately the San Jose Hackers (2-1) succumbed to the Rio Grande Ospreys (2-1) 7.5-8.5 for the Hackers' first loss of the season. Despite our strong lineup, the Ospreys played fantastically overall and deservedly won the match. I was able to stream coverage of the match on Twitch, which you can see here, featuring commentary by NM Teemu Virtanen and NM Christopher Yoo of the San Jose Hackers:

Full recap:

The trouble started early, with the Hackers losing the first two rounds by a total of 5.5-2.5, a large deficit to overcome at halftime. But the Hackers almost managed, thanks to a 3-1 victory in Round 3, bringing the score to 5.5-6.5 in Rio's favor. The decisive game was Teemu's stunning upset over GM Vladimir Belous (Board 2 for Rio) who overpressed in a very double-edged position:

Check out the final moments of this game in this highlight clip:

This brought the Hackers within a point of at least saving the match, meaning 2.5-1.5 in Round 4 would do, and totally possible. But alas it was not to be, GM Belous was able to grind down our own GM Cristian Chirila to effectively clinch the match in Rio's favor:

The last game to finish was that of IM Guillermo Vasquez (RIO) against GM Zviad Izoria (SJ). With the Ospreys having already scored 8.5 points, this game was only relevant for season tiebreaks. Nevertheless, it contained quite a bit of excitement until the very last move...check it out!

Next Wednesday (Feb 1st) the Hackers will be taking on the San Diego Surfers (3-0), who are currently leading the Pacific division. Make sure to tune in for the battle between Northern & Southern California!

The San Jose Hackers are a professional chess team in the Pacific Division of the PRO Chess League, sponsored by Bay Area Chess. To connect with the Hackers, please visit our Facebook, Twitter, and Official Site.

PRO Chess League - Week 3 Recap: Rio Grande Defeats San Jose Hackers

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