I want to dedicate this game to RollingPawns, because he knows what it is like to work and then be too tired to play chess, particularly the longer the game goes on, as I have done on so many occasions as well.

On this occasion, it was the role-reversal, as I didn’t have to go to work today and Paul looked fresh, but was not as fresh as me and this explains the result of this game I feel more than for any chess reasons. He destroyed me post-mortem, is a class above mine, and was a good sport about the game (and I am sure he had to work today), but this game was to reward the more alert player (as G/90 usually does).

RollingPawns is my long-time friend, and the real reason I still have this blog. He has to work before his games, but he has always been a more solid and classier player than I have been; I am lucky to have him as a friend. I am also fortunate to currently be in a position where I can sleep and exercise before a game.

At the end of the game, I traded to deliver checkmate, but it proved to bee too awkward with time running out and his bishop milling about, so instead I finally settled on the obvious trade of rook for bishop and g-pawn since I have the right bishop to queen the a-pawn with. I delivered checkmate with but 5 seconds remaining on my clock, to his 44 minutes.

I heard this song today and did think of great chessplayer’s whose talent wasn’t fully rewarded, such as Rudolf Charousek, who died around the age of 26, and even of Capablanca, who never got his deserved rematch, even though he was probably the greatest natural talent the game has ever produced. As for the lovely Eva Peron, whose smile reminds me of my last girlfriend, she lived to be a mere 33 years of age.

Round 3

I looked at so much analysis during this game that I was very tired by the time it finished.

My original plan was the winning 16.Qd3 with the idea of Nb5 (I didn’t see I was losing the c-pawn at first, but then realized it didn’t matter about the pawn if Nb5 comes after …Bxc5, and then realized that the position was very deep), but I didn’t appreciate it deeply enough, tactically, and my tactical skill level wasn’t there to see what I needed to see at the end of the lines I was looking at.

I looked at many, really all of the lines involving 16.Qd3. I also looked at 16.Nd4 Bxc5 Nb5 (one of the knights). Josh liked 16.Rb1 supporting this same …Bxc5, Nb5 idea (but it’s not as strong as 16.Qd3). I just now looked at two continuations with Fruite where White just gets tactically freaky at the end, and Black is up a pawn or two in those lines at some point, yet way down score-wise. I did look at c6 and b7 pawn pushes, but it has to happen in conjunction with the pieces, uber-tactically.

With this win for Josh, I basically made him an Expert level chess-player, rating-wise, and it was well-deserved on his part. I had 9 seconds at the end of the game, and he was under a minute!

Round 3

Another Wednesday, another round in which I had Black, and just like last week played solid but missed my chance, which was 15…d5! instead of 15.Ne7c6?!

After this, I somehow manage to blow this endgame, and luckily my opponent returns the favor. I had this exact same pawn structure and lost to Barry Hepsley a couple years ago. 52.Kh6 wins in this game, and the critical move is to play 57.Kxc6 after which b5 creates a passer, but he played 57.Kxa6? which is 0.0 according to Fruit. In the other game, Hepsley played Kxc6 and won. It’s weird, I instantly knew which move was the draw and which was the win without knowing why, other than because I was recalling the previous game at that moment. Strange, huh?

Of my approx 1,000 rated games 70 have been draws, or 7%, so I am working on trying to draw as Black, but I guess am just a little to focused on the draw perhaps. Two draws lately as Black, a solid result.

I’ll try to update this post with games that have not been posted from last month and this month.

Round 2, May Thursdays – Corrected game score for last few moves of game.

Round 4, May Thursdays

Round 5, May Thursdays

June Mating Game – Round 2

….and one win

June Mating Game – Round 1

In faux-mockery of Paul Anderson’s recent blog-post. ;-p Here are two games I haven’t published here which ended in checkmate, same opponent.

Round 4 May Wednesdays

Round 2 June Thursdays

Round 1

Hadn’t played Ken in a long time. particularly as White. He is a solid player, but perhaps you can guess by the title what went awry.

Round 1

I spent 20 minutes playing 4.dxc, was going to trade queens. I didn’t realize that after 4.Bd3 Nc6, 5.Nf3 Bg4, 6.d5 Ne5, White has 7.NxNe5! BxQd1?, 8.Bb5+! In the line played I was simply going to trade queens.

Finished the game with 23 minutes to his 8.