Realms Beyond Chess Tournament #5

[Gustaran]

Gustaran - Zakalwe (draw)

I haven't looked at the computer analysis yet, but when revisiting that position today, I started regretting my draw offer. The Ra1+ followed by f5 idea looks pretty promising but I guess you should be able to find a safe continuation. (Or at least, I hope so. )

To put your mind at ease: After the continuation

31.Kh2 f5
32.Re3 the evaluation is -0.19, so the draw offer was not a mistake.

However, there is an intriguing line:

32...f4
33. Re2 f3 and now the only move that keeps the balance is
34. Re3

because if

34. gxf3?? Qg6! and mate in 6.

Then again, after 34. Re3 there are way for black to go wrong as well, so I guess the discussion "what could have happened"
becomes less relevant the further you look ahead.

[darrelljs]

Gustaran - Novice (draw)

That game was fun to follow. I don't recall ever having a personal game where the only power piece left at the end were the Queens.

Darrell

[Gustaran]

Novice-Gustaran

I wonder if opening theory has become too important when I have to play a recommended deviation on move 18 of a Tarrasch Ne2 sideline...

Gustaran-ipecac

I am up a pawn in the endgame, so unless I am going to blunder it is either going to be a win or draw for me.

Zakalwe-Gustaran

Mistake on move 7: I got opening lines mixed up, 7...Be6 has never been played before and this early in the game there is usually a good reason for that.

[Gustaran]

This tournament is not going well for me. Against equally rated opposition, I am now at three draws and one loss.
Todays draw against ipecac showed a rather poor handling of an endgame with an extra pawn by me. Just one example:

Gustaran-ipecac

The final position is a draw of course:

44.Qxf4 Rxf4+
45.Kxf4 Kd6
46.a6 Kc6
47.Ke5 Kb6
48.Kd5 Kxa6
49.Kc6 Ka7
50.Kxc7 =


Instead of 40. Qa7? I would have retained good winning chances after

40.Qc8! and if now 40...Rc4 (40...Rxa4 41.Qf8+ Ke6 42.Qe8+)
41.Qf8+ Kg6 (41...Ke6 42.Qg8+ Kf6 43.Qxc4)
42.Qg8+ Kf6
43.Qxc4

and White wins.

Ah well, you can't win them all. Good game!

[ipecac]

So I was planning to do one post for each round, but since I'm still alive in my game with zakalwe:

ipecac-Jkaen:

ipecac-Gustaran: I got an advantage out of the opening, but I couldn't find a way to press an attack. Na4-Nc5 wasted too much time.

novice-ipecac : 12...Nf4 was bad. Nuff' said.

Jkaen-ipecac: I shouldn't have traded queens, it made things too drawish and you should have been able to hold had you not blundered.

Gustaran-ipecac: I realised too late that Bologan's gambit was flawed. I was pretty lucky to escape with a draw

[ipecac]

This tournament is not going well for me. Against equally rated opposition, I am now at three draws and one loss.
Todays draw against ipecac showed a rather poor handling of an endgame with an extra pawn by me. Just one example:

Gustaran-ipecac

The final position is a draw of course:

44.Qxf4 Rxf4+
45.Kxf4 Kd6
46.a6 Kc6
47.Ke5 Kb6
48.Kd5 Kxa6
49.Kc6 Ka7
50.Kxc7 =


Instead of 40. Qa7? I would have retained good winning chances after

40.Qc8! and if now 40...Rc4 (40...Rxa4 41.Qf8+ Ke6 42.Qe8+)
41.Qf8+ Kg6 (41...Ke6 42.Qg8+ Kf6 43.Qxc4)
42.Qg8+ Kf6
43.Qxc4

and White wins.

Ah well, you can't win them all. Good game!

Yeah, good game! I was concerned about 31 Qc4! which looks like a instant win.

[novice]

Sorry for taking my time in all three games - It's partly due to real life constraints, and partly because I'm a slow thinker.

[ipecac]

Sorry for taking my time in all three games - It's partly due to real life constraints, and partly because I'm a slow thinker.

That's certainly fine with; I take my time when I need to as well.

[Gustaran]

Sorry for taking my time in all three games - It's partly due to real life constraints, and partly because I'm a slow thinker.

OUTRAGE!!!

If you don't play faster and blunder a piece, how am I supposed to win our game?

[novice]

If you don't play faster and blunder a piece, how am I supposed to win our game?

Novice - Gustaran

I found the position hard to evaluate, so I wasn't sure if you needed me to blunder or what. Your passed central pawns were pretty scary, and I almost went for a perpetual around move 25. But after some reflection I couldn't really see exactly how black was supposed to stop white's h-pawn.

For never having moved, except through castling, I'd say my rooks did a pretty good job.
Anyway, good game, and commiserations on your tournament result. I suspect there could be a bit of a rating point deficit in the player pool.

Thoughts on my other games:
Ipecac - Novice

I failed miserably in formulating a plan from move 11 onwards. The knight on a5 is an embarassment. Ipecac took advantage and is hacking me to bits. I'm trying to create some complications to survive.

Zakalwe - Novice

I was worse out of the opening, but managed to neutralize white's initiative with some cheeky moves culminating in a queen trade. I still had preserved my only opening plus of a queenside space advantage, and was allowed to sacrifice a knight for two connected passed pawns. Now white is the one who's poorly coordinated. Looking promising, I'm hoping there's nothing concrete that causes me to lose.