SM Blitz: LauttSSK 1 Makes History

Finland Blitz Team Championship, Jyväskylä 4.–5.8.2018.

For the first time in history, LauttSSK 1 qualified to the Master's Group owing to some phenomenal performances across all 4 boards. Our team was seeded 5th, but managed to perform well enough to qualify to the master's group owing primarily to some really crucial wins against the best players.

Day 1

Team results:

1. MatSK 1 (79½/92)
   
2. Gambiitti 1 (78½)
   
3. Ladoga (72)
   
4. LauttSSK 1 (70)
   
5. TSY 1 (68)
   
6. LprSK 1 (64½)
   

The main highlight was our performances against the top teams. We more than competed with them. In fact we even beat them.

1½ vs MatSK 1 (Champion):

• Seppo got a "well earned" draw offer from Vadim Moiseenko.
• Petr outblitzed Mika Ebeling (2246) in a tight endgame.

3½ vs Gambiitti 1 (6th best team in Master's) was the highlight of our day:

• Seppo had a controversial draw with Jan Ristoja.
• Ashwin strategically outplayed international master Mikael Nouro (2339).
• Petr had a clinical victory against Markus Kiili (2184).
• Jyrki beat the super fast Kimmo Karvinen (2177).

2½ vs Ladoga (20th best team in Master's):

• Seppo drew with Roman Malyshev (2324).
• Ashwin beat Russian veteran Zhikharev Valeriy (2172).
• Jyrki sacrificed everything he had and checkmated Russian veteran Abramov Andrey (1988) with few seconds to spare, which even earned applause from his opponent.

With these crucial performances we proved to ourselves that when we really give it everything we have, we can beat the very best.

Individual results (board, score, performance):

1. Aakio Seppo (14½/23, 2074)
   
2. Kumar Ashwin (18½, 2156)
   
3. Vesely Petr (17½, 2035)
   
4. Heikkinen Jyrki (19½, 2063)
   

Board results:

1. Seppo 8th.
   
2. Ashwin 3rd, behind Toivo Keinänen and Mikael Nouro.
   
3. Petr 4th, behind Vladimir Osmolnyui, Mika Ebeling and Markus Kiili.
   
4. Jyrki 3rd, behind Kimmo Karvinen and Asko Hentunen.
   

Well done guys. That was a truly remerkable feat. A day that will live fondly in our memory for years to come.

Day 2

Day 2 on the other hand was a day that will live in infamy. It was a humbling experience to come last. But that's ok, because you know, it's not about winning or losing, it's how you play the game.

Team results:

1. MatSK 1 (70/92)
   
2. VammSK 1 (67)
   
3. TammerSh 1 (66½)
   

LauttSSK 1 (23½) was 24th.

Individual results (board, score, performance):

1. Aakio Seppo (6/23, 2143)
   
2. Kumar Ashwin (5½, 2079)
   
3. Vesely Petr (4, 1937)
   
4. Heikkinen Jyrki (8, 2033)
   

Numbers often lie, and this is one such instance. The truth is below.

Good results:

• Seppo draw against Dmitri Sklyarov (2567), Jouni Yrjölä (2375), Mikko Kivistö (2258), Markus Jouki (2263), Antti Virtanen (2246), Riho Liiva (2602), Matti Tommiska (2280); win against Jaakko Kivimäki (2087), Jimmy Wikman (2100).
  
• Ashwin draw against Eero Valkama (2242), Vesa Toikkanen (2232), Tapani Viljava (2105), Velriy Zhikharev (2172), Mikhail Andronov (2185); win against Samu Ristoja (2356), Janne Myller (2256), Jere Huovinen (2253).
  
• Petr draw against Risto Nevanlinna (2270), Jani Jääskeläinen (1961), Vladimir Osmolnyui (2171), Markku Lahtinen (2291), Tapani Sjöman (2021); win against Mikhail Yachmenev (2176).
  
• Jyrki draw against Jani Väkevä (2144), Samuli Nieminen (2279), Andrey Abramaov (1988), Risto Nokka (2154), Jyri Lammi (2051), Ville Junnila (2106), Harri Laakso (2159), Anssi Takalo-Eskola (2246); win against Juho Pelto (1884), Helge Ruotanen (2119), Kari Nieminen (2124), Oliver Wartiovaara (1769).