New England vs. Miami for the USCL Finals (Revised)

Last night saw the US Chess League Semi-Finals, with one tough match and one easy one. Miami didn't have too much trouble dispensing with Arizona, 3-1, but Boston vs. "New England" (i.e. Boston 2) was a real battle. Boston won on board 3 and New England on board 4 without too much trouble, but there was plenty of drama on the top two boards, brought about by Boston's need to win the match outright. (New England had draw odds for the match based on their better regular season record.) On board 1, Christiansen (BOS) had some winning chances against Shankland (NE), but it was far from clear that he could win. [DM: This next sentence is a revision.] On board 2, Sammour (BOS) missed a win against Hungaski (NE) early in the game, and although the subsequent ending was about even Hungaski pushed and was rewarded when Sammour was faced with the loss of the exchange or mate. With heroic play Christiansen managed to win his game after all, but at this point it was too late: New England advanced with the 2-2 tie.

The final match will be on Saturday, November 20.