The Chess Mind

Jorge Sammour-Hasbun, for his win in the finals against IM Davorin Kuljasevic. It was the culmination of a great year for him in the U.S. Chess League, and his win pushed the final match into a blitz playoff. Unfortunately for him and his Boston Blitz teammates, the Dallas Destiny went on to win that playoff and the 2007 league crown, but Sammour-Hasbun's fine game netted him a very nice consolation price - a $1000 award.

The second place game was from the previous week of the playoffs and featured Dallas IM Drasko Boskovic's feisty win in a topsy-turvy battle with Miami GM Julio Becerra. This game won the tidy sum of $500. Ironically, this game received two first-place votes, while the GOTY didn't win any; the problem was that Becerra-Boskovic also received two eighth-place votes while no one voted Sammour-Hasbun's victory a place lower than fifth.

Sammour-Hasbun vs. Kuljasevic can be replayed here, Becerra-Boskovic here. The judges reports are here and here, respectively. And stay tuned for my coverage of these games on ChessVideos.tv.