French with a twist

It was a strange French, with a twist and the game had a twist too. My opponent was a young guy,  I lost to him before once in the team blitz tournament.  I had White, here is the game.

I was a bit better after the opening, but his 15… Bc5 equalized the game. It was pretty quiet until I played 27. e4. His Qg3 was a mistake. I calculated Rxd5 and decided that if he plays Rf2 I have Re8 and I should get a least  perpetual. It was actually only if he would play 30… Kf7 and I will answer Qe8+. The thing is Qh5 was winning. So, he went for Rf2 and then Kh7.

I saw Qg6 and after some pause realized that I am winning here after Rh8. He resigned after that.

 

Things are not what they seem

I played before with this guy and had a +1, -1 score, the loss being the last one. I knew that his rating was higher than mine, found out at home that it was 1844. I had White, here is the game.

I think playing a positional game was a really good idea in this case. I was surprised by his queenside castle ( Fritz didn’t like it either with +1.1) and decided to exploit it right away. I was having advantage until move 30. Then I didn’t go for getting a queen for two rooks with Rc6, I didn’t analyze it much. Fritz thinks it’s better than my R4c2 with -1. Then I made even a bigger mistake with 33. Qc2 where he has a win with 34… Rd2, but he didn’t play it.

Interesting that all the time I thought that I have a strong attack. I saw that he has a perpetual after 42. Qc4 with 42… Qf5+, but didn’t like the endgame so decided to try my luck. Fortunately he didn’t go for it, not seeing  43… Qg6+ as he explained later. Rb1 was a crucial mistake, I saw that I was winning right away. I was in some time trouble, having less than 5 minutes left, but managed to stay cool. After 47. Rxb6+ he resigned.

 

Even Fritz was happy

It was my first game in that club after a 3 months absence, so I was nervous a bit. It was a first round and I expected a ~1550 rated opponent, but I got ~1750 rated guy, maybe ratings were accelerated. I had White, here is the game. I had to exchange queens early and lost a right to castle because of that, but it was a best move and I felt that I am OK.

I was thinking for some time after 16…Nb6 and I am proud of myself for finding Kf4 – Fritz’s move. Then I was surprised a bit with his Rc8, but thought that my pawn structure is a bit better, so I have nothing to lose. It was almost like tricking him into it, when I offered knight’s exchange and he went for it. But still until his 28…fxg5 it was a draw, shootouts confirmed that. Then it was a matter of technique and I was able to get  a nice win after g6 and h6. By the end of the game I spent 45 minutes and he – 15.

 

Return of the prodigal son

So, after a long absence, I finally found a time and desire to post something.

I played on Monday. My opponent was my “longtime enemy”, who being essentially lower rated, nevertheless got a +2, =1 score against me. It was mostly his openings, Portuguese variation of Scandinavian was one of them, but also his street chess style of play. He had White and started with something reminding Blackmar-Diemer gambit, which I know he likes. Here is the game.

I decided to play g5 to keep control on the crucial square e4. Fritz says I could take on g4 after he played it with 1.03 advantage, but I didn’t see it. Then after e4 I tried to keep it rather safe. Fritz says that after 25. Na5 I missed 24… Qa4 25. a3 Bxa3 with Qxa3+ and Nd5 coming.

At least I saw 30… Nxe3, which turned the game in my favor. After his Bxc7 I think I kind of believed him and also didn’t have that much time, probably less than 20 minutes. So, I missed a simple defense Rd6 after the queen check and didn’t take the bishop.

Then after 36 … Rexe5 the opposite happened, he kind of believed me. The funny thing is I saw 37. Rg4 (after which the queen has nowhere to go), but for some reason I thought that it can go to h1. After his Qc4+ and exd5 I saw that his king is in trouble after  Rd2+ and Qc2. His Ka3 didn’t help as he was losing after Bf8+.  Seeing that he loses a queen, he resigned. I was really happy and thought that I played an excellent game before Fritz pointed to Rg4. Anyway a win is a win, I think I deserved it in this game.

 

 

When time is not money

Despite of the bad weather – weakened hurricane that came to Ontario, there were pretty many people at the club. I had Black and played Queen’s Indian, here is the game. I need to study better this opening and stop hesitating to play Bb4 instead of Be7, which takes I think a good square from my queen.  There were nothing special in the opening besides my opponent spending enormous time on each move starting from move 15.

The time difference was getting bigger and bigger and frankly I thought that the game is almost over, not by time, but just because of the unavoidable mistake in the time trouble. But 24. Be4 was the first sign that it will not go so easy. I had to calculate quite a lot. Then he finally made that mistake allowing me to win his two rooks for the queen.

The game was here for taking. The funny thing is that I saw Rd2 after his Qg3 and that I can take on g2, but thought that I give back my 2 rooks, not realizing that in the pawn endgame I will have more pawns, i.e. win. Then when his remaining time reached 5 minutes he started to play very fast and never went below 6 minutes (we had 30 seconds increment). We kind of exchanged roles, with him playing fast and well and me – slow and  not so well.  Still I missed another clear win after 41. Qg5 and then started to play simply bad losing material.

Definitely his revival affected me, I had not much more time than him anymore and also played mostly on increment. Eventually I lost 2 pawns and got my rook out of play. I decided to give up an exchange thinking that maybe I’ll have chances with my rook and bishop against his queen. Luckily I managed to exchange queenside pawns and suddenly he offered a draw, saying that he thinks I can build a fortress.

Shootout confirmed that, 2 games finished in a draw.

 

Eyes are afraid, the hands do

It a Russian proverb which I like to use to describe this game.

I come to the club and get a bye. I say to TD that I want to play and after some time I get paired with the guy from the middle section. He plays something like Simagin-Larsen opening, here is the game.

Then he blunders with 13. Nd2 and I see that I can win an exchange. After queens exchange I find a plan with moving “a” pawn and creating a weakness on the queenside. It is successful and I win the “b” pawn. I know he will play Be4 with the idea of sacrificing on g6, he does it. I don’t like arising complications and play protective Rg8.

After rooks exchange I also know beforehand that he will play on the kingside and decide to ignore it. But then it starts to look very dangerous. I think about moving the king and see that wouldn’t help. I feel a “cold sweat” at some point and realize that I probably lost. It puts me almost in the panic mode, my face is probably red.
He is ahead on time too, I have ~22 minutes, he has 10 minutes more.

Something inside me tells me that I have to move the passed pawns.
Then after he gets passed “h” pawn I decide to play aggressive – whatever happens.
I see his Bh7 as a bad move and suddenly the idea of closing the diagonal by rook comes to my mind. I do it after his h6, seeing that we get queens simultaneously, but I also can get another queen.
So it happens. I have a choice of playing 48… Qg6, but think that it gives him more chances for a perpetual if one of my queens is far. After 50… Kc6 he has no more checks.
I exchange the queens and the game is over.

I am happy that I won, praise his play on the kingside, etc.
At home I find that I was winning all the time and his kingside plan was wrong.
It is the first time in my chess life I had so many new queens on the board – four.

 

A time to cast stones and a time to gather them

I just played in Labour Day Open, on the long weekend, in U1900 section.

Round 1.  I had White and he played French, here is the game. I didn’t feel fresh after a very busy day before, though I slept enough. I played 12. Be3 which is 11-th choice in DB and it showed. Then I missed his Ng4, forgetting that rook after that also attacks f4 and had to give him two bishops. It was still pretty equal play until I lost a pawn.

I tried to hold the position and missed 3-fold repetition, computer told me about it at home. It was still very much defensible position when I made a decisive mistake playing Rd5. He used it and just after 10 moves I resigned.

Round 2. I get some rest, food and most important coke. My opponent plays Ruy Lopez.  I decide not to look for adventures and just play Chigorin variation, here is the game.

I don’t like his 19. Rb1 and play d5. The play opens, my pieces are better placed and he gets in trouble. After 24.Rd8 he misses the chance to save his piece and the game is practically over. Later I also miss a few forced mates, but after queens exchange he resigns ( a few moves after what I show, I just messed up the recording).

Round 3. My opponent is a man I played before and have with him a positive balance – 2:0 I think. I remember I won in Rossolimo variation last time, here it is again. I don’t like his 8… Ng8. After 11…O-O I see that Nb3 creates problems for him, though I also see f6. But he plays it only on the next move. Computer prefers 12. Qe3. Then I decide to play e6, since exf6 gives too much to him. I think I made a blunder with Rb1 (Qa5), but computer likes the arising position and says I am good. My knight on c5 looks really strong and eventually he decides to exchange it.

After a several more moves in a position that is clearly better for me (~+2.3) he suddenly resigns.

Round 4. I play with the highest rated guy in our section.  I have Black, Italian game. When I play Bf5, I see  that he can take on e7, but think that after Bxd3 he gets nothing. After Rae1 I realize that I am wrong.

Then 16… Nd5 gets me in more trouble. I find 17… Nf4 and he doesn’t see g3, which I see. I start to feel some ground under my feet and now I am missing chances not playing 19… Nd3 or 23… Nf4. I feel it, but do not fully realize how strong are my knight and bishop. The position becomes equal, but he has not much time left for making 30 moves before  the first control. He passes it, but maybe because he is still keeping some tempo or fatigue strikes him he starts to make bad moves. Then finally he plays Kg1  and I notice that his back rank is not defended. I attack his knight on b6, his Ne5 can’t save it and he gives up an exchange. I still have to demonstrate some technique against his well interacting  two knights, but exchange is exchange…

Round 5. I have White and play my favorite Rossolimo, here is the game. He plays well in the opening and neutralizes all my attempts to get attack on the kingside.

We  move into endgame, which I consider equal. He tries to get an advantage and eventually I make a bad move – bxa4 instead of b4 with a draw. I feel that I am in trouble. Suddenly I see that I can play Nd5. After he takes the knight, I think that I have a chance to win thanks to the remote passed pawn. The funny thing is it’s not a winning, but rather losing move. The game gets crazy. He misses some chances and then I do the same, missing a win twice. The game ends up in a draw.