A good start for the season

Team Captain IM John Donaldson writes: Today we got off to a good start by defeating a strong Dallas team 3-1. Vinay was the first to score when he sacrificed two pawns in the opening against GM Panchanathan. Black's ...b6 was played a few times before but somehow the GMs Queen was soon in big trouble. Mark Pinto won a huge game with the Najdorf against Keaton Kiewra who is closer to 2300 in strength instead of 2200. This makes Mark 3.5 from 4 over two seasons. Well done Mark! Next week we play another division rival in Miami. Last year we beat them twice during the regular season but then lost a heart breaker 2 1/2 - 1 1/2 in the playoffs. Miami has strengthed their team over the offseason so it should be a tough match.