The original post was devoted to the game where I had an isolated pawn, here I had the same opponent but we reversed the roles, here is the game. He had White, played Italian game and went for the variation with an isolani. I prepared for it, but not enough. He missed 14. Rxe6 with an advantage. Then it was a critical moment when I could take on a2. I decided that it looks too risky with my kingside getting under attack and my rook and knight out of play. Houdini kind of confirmed that saying that with one pawn it was equal and if I would take another one, I would lose.
After exchanging queens I saw that all my difficulties are behind. I missed 3-fold repetition after 44… Rd6, I would claim it having less time at this moment. Then I decided to play on the kingside. When I had about 5.5 minutes and he 7.5-8 minutes he played Rf3. I quickly took the rook, thinking that exchange is OK. The thing is he blundered, after h3+ he loses the rook. I didn’t notice it and he too.
Then something interesting happened. I stopped writing the moves and started to play faster. He also reached 5 minutes and then it looked like he lost “the time initiative”. His time became equal to mine and then he got behind. On the board there was some meaningless maneuvering. I thought that I don’t want to win on time, being in this drawn position and not knowing how to win, it would be not legal by the way. Anyway when I had about 3 minutes 20 seconds and he about 2.5 minutes I offered a draw. He looked kind of surprised, so I said: “You have less time, but it’s up to you, of course”‘. He thought for a moment and agreed.
When I came home, of course computer pointed to h3+. It kind of stuck in my head for a half of Friday, the only excuse I have is that I was playing blitz at that moment. From the positional point of view I think the game demonstrated all the advantages of isolani in the middlegame – playing on open verticals and strong knight on e5. It also showed that d5 was a nice square for my knight.
December 11, 2011 at 8:34 am
Sorry, so caught up in my head about bills and stuff, forgot that you might have played a game on Thursday.
My impression of this game is that you should have played it out to the end, not worry about rating points but just see what happens. If I were him, I would definitely agree to a draw based upon the position, but if I were you I would play out my initiative first. For example, ..Ke6, then can trade g-pawns and then get your knight and especially king more centralized. If ..Kd5, it could hold c6 and attack d5. ..a5 and ..b6 can hold back his pawns and kick his knight away. It’s White who would get stymied in time-pressure, not Black.
h3, I saw that in your notes that you were kicking yourself over not finding h3. If you remember, I missed Bf7+ winning the unrated guy’s queen in my game last week, so I can tell you that that will stick with you a while and you probably won’t miss the deflection for at least another year. hehe.
I thought you played the opening rather aggressively with …d5 instead of 0-0 right there, but there isn’t much of a reason not to at our level anyway. I liked how you outmaneuvered him, but he should have played RxBe6, yes. I did not spot that either, but White at G/90 should be playing with some bravery too.
16.Ng5 was a weak move for a critical moment in the game, but a natural-looking one to play. e4 is White’s strongpoint, and he should be building on that. Even 16.Re3 is perhaps possible. After 16.Ng5, maybe 16..h6 is possible to fight for initiative (17.Ne4 Nh4).
22..Kh7 seemed right, and looks much stronger, but he skillfully took advantage of your 22..Qd5?!. I like 22…Kh7, 23.Nf7?! Qd5. Black can still win this endgame against the isolated pawn.
As always, you were really good at spotting your opponent’s threats (
), but perhaps that also contributed to your being tentative about continuing the game (?). I have begun to believe that endings are important win or lose, time-trouble or not. Unfortunately, they almost always have to be blitzed out at this time-control, but I still feel that they are important to be played out, or the initiative to be played out, even though computer vs. computer is likely only a draw. 
December 11, 2011 at 9:09 am
I’ve done post-mortem with other 1950+ rated players, and my instincts at endgames are usually better than theirs. They win games in this part of the game, but I could even draw losing or win against them.
Like you say, you had the time advantage. I should have gotten mated in my last endgame, but opponent didn’t have time to figure out what should have been an easy mate. That is where his weaker rating saved me.
December 12, 2011 at 12:01 am
I didn’t see how I can win in such a short time, even if he loses d5 pawn, so my win would be just on time and I didn’t want that particularly in this case.
d5 is a theory move and I liked the fact that my opponent would get an isolani, but you should be prepared that it could also give him a somewhat better piece play and I wasn’t ready for that. Be6 looked like winning tempo, I saw even before it that my kingside was undefended and the next move was Ng6, but that was late.
Ng5 was a provocative move, because if I play h6, then Nxf7! and he wins a pawn in all lines after Bxg6, I saw it.
December 12, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Okay …h6 doesn’t so work, so play ..Qd7. There is nothing to be afraid of there, simply keep developing as Black. ..BxNf3, you do not want to give this bishop up for a Nf3. You have to say in your mind that Ng5 is bad, therefore I will LET White do what White wants. The only way to refute mathematical proof is to allow the person to create the proof, let them do it, and their own design will do them in. I’m not a math person, but that’s the sort of analogy.
I’ve stopped studying chess. Now I have devil-may-care attitude toward ratings points. When there is nothing else to play for, their is still your beliefs.
42..a5, then ..b5 (threatening ..a4), and if Rf3..Re7. Keep sticking White for moves. A lot of A players/Experts, that is their whole style to stick you for moves from equal positions. I wouldn’t write it off.
December 13, 2011 at 2:00 pm
RollingPawns, how’d you do yesterday, did you play?
Actually, I don’t care how you did, you always play well and your games are very interesting.
December 13, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I have to stop caring about my results as well and just enjoy playing and doing my best. Rating points just aren’t worth the hassle, otherwise. I don’t play on FICS or study, so I guess I am doing a good job of not caring.
December 13, 2011 at 11:49 pm
Qd7 is OK, if Ne5 then Qd6. Computer stays cool and recommends 16… c6. Frankly I panicked a bit as all these pieces were looking at my kingside and exchanged the bishop.
I have to see at least a little advantage in order to stay in the game and I don’t see it here. It’s just me.
42… a5 43. Rc5 a4 44. Ra3 Nb6 is fine and sticking, still drawish to me.
I didn’t play yesterday. I even was in the club – my daughter played a postponed game earlier, but after playing a few blitz games I realized that I am not in a good shape – I had a long trip day before. I had enough games with lower rated lost/drawn and points lost just because of these things, so I pulled the plug and went home after she finished. It’s a first time I did it, GMs do it all the time actually, so what the hell.
Thanks for the support.
December 14, 2011 at 11:03 am
I like 12…c6 instead of Nc6. Now if 13.Ne5, then ..b5 anyway, and if 13.a4, then ..a6 followed by ..b5, axb cxb, Bd3 Bb7, and Black can start taking advantage of long-range diagonals on the kingside now that White’s dark bishop is off of the board (and ..Rc8 is possible if desired). I really like this line for Black, trading dark bishops on d2 followed by …Nc6-e7, very strong and probably theory as well. Contrast this with later in the game where you can’t find as much initiative with that.
I understand about the chess burnout thing or not feeling up to it. I should have won my game against Alex easily, even blitzing, up a rook and another exchange, well really two rooks if I play Kb2. But that was the lesson. The king is involved in most winning tactics, yes, but the king is worth about 4 pawns as they say. So if someone is attacking your king, then your king is getting it’s full value defending itself. So if I had defended correctly, I am really up two full rooks and 4 extra “pawns” around my king just because my king is acting as it’s own defender. So really I could have been up about 23 points around there if he had sacked his rook for just the a2 pawn.
December 14, 2011 at 4:45 pm
I looked at some tactics today. I get it, everyone is focused on rating points, I’m just saying nearly everyone is.
December 19, 2011 at 12:21 am
Sorry, I disappeared, was very busy.
12. Nb6 is not a good move, I see, c6 is better, computer likes it.
10. Na5 is even better, than Nce7, I actually noticed during the game that I could play it, but one move later. After 11. Qa4+ Nc6 12. Qa3 Be6 White is only 0.07.
You theory about the king sounds funny, but I am not sure you can apply that 4 pawns estimation not just in the endgame.
Chess burnout it is, I played too much lately and getting eventually into a non-losing streak didn’t want to screw it up.
December 20, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I forgot how much energy that it takes to play a game of chess, particularly a well-played game, after work, let alone cramming it into G/90 and only drinking one weak cup of coffee in the morning. It’s a wonder that I can still push the pieces.
Man, a rating is not as important because in this situation a weaker player can win if they simply play harder, faster, want it more. It’s not the same thing as playing a 40/2,G/1 on a Saturday morning.