Our first round game features this week’s wildcard player. Remember, every 10 weeks there is a wildcard player in the event. This player is rated from 2000-2200 and under 18 years of age and is sponsored as well. This wildcard sponsor is www.chessanytime.com! Thanks to them for sponsoring, and check it out!

This weeks wildcard was Laura Ross, the highest ranked 14 year old in the nation. She would go head to head with experienced IM Altin Cela, whom I believe is in possession of two GM norms. His USCF, at only 2393, lags far behind his FIDE rating, thus she would have a difficult challenge ahead of her.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Ng4 5.Qe2 Qc7 6.Nb5 Qb8 7.d4 cxd4 8.Bf4 f6

Yes, this move looks really strange and weakening, but oddly enough, it's all theory. Just goes to show you how weird chess can be sometimes.

9.Bg3 Ngxe5 10.0-0-0

Cela was playing all this very quickly, and a quick search of the databases reveals why! Altin had played this all in a Greek open in 1996. His opponent, now a GM, continued 10...d6, and eventually Cela won.

10...d3?!

A brand new move, although it was suggested by many of the kibitzers on ICC. The idea is good, but White is later able to make fantastic use of the c-file.

Laura is up an exchange and a pawn, but she certainly can't be happy here. Look at the White Knights!! The c7 and e6 squares are ready for knights to hop in, and suffocate Black's position. With such a lag in development, huge weaknesses, and a clock ticking away, this position is not going to last long. The only thing that might save Laura is the fact that White has so many tempting continuations to choose from!

Trading queens goes a long way to ending any of Laura's dreams of counterplay.

I'm sure Cela didn't expect to be conducting a mating attack with a pair of pawns! The pawns, king and knight work excellently together to drive the king back with tempo to make a new queen, or two.