It was a battle of the unbeatens on table 2 between the Beasts of the Southeast and Our Rx: Mate in Four named in deference to their board 1′s profession of family doctor. Here they are at the beginning of the round…  It was a hard fought battle that came down to the last. On board 1 Haskel and Nardendrea  agreed to an early draw.

Then, on board 2 it was a battle between longtime master Larry Storch and 2008 National K-12 Scholastic Champion, Toby Boas. They have played several times before and their most recent encounter Toby won. This time they played a queen’s gambit exchange variation that proved too difficult for either player to find a clear advantage. So, they agreed to a draw.

On board 4 it was a battle between the old guard and the new. Adam Miller, from Sarasota Florida, is a very accomplished junior. He has won many state and national scholastic titles. He was playing Steve Chakhis has won the USATS several times in the past 20 years. It is said that having Steve on your team is like having a lucky charm.  He has played on more winning teams than almost anyone. The game was mostly even throughout until the end when Chakhis played some great moves to gain a clear advantage and Miller had misplayed the position. So, Chakhis picked up a full point on board 4.

At this point Our Rx: Mate in Four was leading 2 points to 1 with one game still going on.

On board 3 there was a battle between long time foes, Lucas van Beuzekom and Dalton Perrine. They first played each other when they were under 10 years old.  They always play long and complex games, and this one proved no less. After a mistake coming out of the opening, Lucas played hard and was very resourceful to force Dalton to play some of his best chess in a while. As they game progressed, the position become ever more complicated. As Lucas’ clock dropped below the 5 minute mark, Dalton still had 27 minutes on his clock. Dalton, showing the maturity of a seasoned pro didn’t rush his moves. Instead he took his time and used over 15 minutes to plan his next series of moves. There may have been some opportunities for Lucas, but the position was complex and his time was low. Dalton played very well to force Lucas to resign with only 19 seconds left on his clock. This tied the team match at 2 games each.

The top team, led by Javad Maharramzade had another strong performance. After their decisive victory tonight they are in clear first place with 3 point.

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