In what can only be considered a move of Steinbrenner-esque proportions, it would appear that the New York Knights have secured the services of free agent GM Pascal Charbonneau for the upcoming US Chess League season. Pascal was named league MVP in 2005 after leading the Baltimore Kingfishers to the first ever USCL championship.
While final team rosters are not due until August 20th, the Knights' preliminary line-up includes Charbonneau at the top. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, though it's worth keeping in mind the league's strict salary cap (i.e., no one has any money!).
As for the Boston Blitz, their preliminary roster includes five names:
As for the Boston Blitz, their preliminary roster includes five names:
- GM Larry Christiansen - Larry will again be leading the Blitz into action
- IM Igor Foygel - An original member of last year's team, Igor was unable to play in any of team's matches due to family circumstances
- FM Steven Winer - The Blitz introduced their "Secret Weapon" late last season to take Foygel's place on the roster
- NM Charles Riordan - The current BCC Champion had a solid season in 2005, playing mostly on Board 3
- NM Ilya Krasik - Last season there was much talk about Ilya being of master strength. Now he has the initials to prove it
Several names from last season's roster are missing. In particular, newly minted GM Eugene Perelshteyn was the Blitz's most consistent performer last year going 2.5-0.5 with a performance rating 247 points above his USCL rating. Others on last year's squad but not on the 2006 preliminary roster are IM Josh Freidel, FM Bill Kelleher, and BCC president FM Paul MacIntyre.
Disclaimer: BCC Weblog provides independent coverage of the United States Chess League. It is not affiliated with the USCL or the Boston Blitz.
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