Chess Tournament RB #4 Lurker Thread

[Jkaen]

Regoarrarr-Jkaen

If I was him I would be asking why I don't just quit. I am hoping I can either force him into an error or let him blunder, but running out of time. Think the white flag will wave soon.

[regoarrarr]

One thing I've noticed is that it's very easy to mis-step just as you leave the book theory. Not just because you're leaving the beaten path, but also because you sometimes lack a full understanding of the position that you're in, if you've just been following the book moves without really understanding their motives.

This is actually what caused my (first) in our game. I was looking at the database, but was accidentally on the wrong move and wasn't paying attention.

I am trying to use the databases to help me learn the whys of certain opening theories, but I'm not sure they're helping me much.

They are, however, as Zakalwe mentions, keeping me (mostly) safe through the opening game.

[Jkaen]

Novice - Jkaen

Blindly following a database in this game without thinking properly has led me into a problem area I am now going to struggle to get myself out of. Novice will not make any mistakes in the execution as he is currently just reading off a winning move list

[regoarrarr]

One thought that I just had responding to darrell and novice's thoughts about 9 games being a lot - could we run a multi-round tournament? Maybe 3 brackets of 3 people each, or 2 brackets of 4-5 people? That would limit the games while still achieving many of the same fun parts. You have to be a Diamond member to create multi-round tournaments I think but it looks like both novice and Jkaen are

[regoarrarr]

regoarrarr-gustaran
http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=82625974

Ugh - trying to come up with move 24 is tricky. I have all of my pieces trapped guarding c2 (though he also does). Best I have is Nb3. That threatens his a-pawn, so his likely response is b6, but I then would have the option of Na1, freeing up a rook that is now defending c2)

Obviously I'm already a pawn down to someone 500+ points better than me, so my chances are grim in any case

regoarrarr-novice
http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=82625968

Was not considering him pushing his a-pawn down so far (11... a4) and it's put me in an awkward spot. Only safe spot is Na1, which I don't like particularly - definitely on the defensive here

regoarrarr-rowain (2)
http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=83069056

Talk about major blunder! 5... f5 led to 6. Qh5+ which I can not defend well. I see no option but 6... g6, which is going to lose my rook for his knight. Sending the king otu to e7 would lead to Qf7+ and put my king on the run

regoarrarr-darrelljs
http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=82625970

On move 24 right now, I am feeling okay in my attempt to break my 4 game darrell losing streak. Currently even, and I feel that I am positionally slightly ahead. I think I am going to swap a knight for bishop (Bxf5), which will keep him from having 2 knights in the endgame as well as double his f-pawns. Plan would be to follow that up with Rd3, pinning his knight to his queen. Also want to consider Nc5

regoarrarr-pindicator
http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=82625966

Feeling okay in my game with pindicator as well, even as of the end of move 22. I offered a rook trade on move 22 which he declined. Now that I moved my queen out of d1 (21. Qh5), I have freed up my pinned knight on b3. So I think Nc5, forking his bishop and e-pawn. Natural response would be Bd7 at which point I think I could move my other knight to b3

[Gustaran]

Gustaran-Zakalwe

This is a really irritating position. It shows that all chess rules should be taken with a grain of salt.

Zak has a backward pawn on an open file, which usually would be considered "bad". But since I can only attack it with my rooks and Zak can easily defend it with one knight, at the moment it has almost no effect. Added to this, I have a space advantage, which is great but won't win the game by itself either.
Now the correct plan would be to inflict a second weakness and use my greater mobility to attack it, but frankly right now I am not really sure how to do that without creating weaknesses in my camp....

[MJW (ya that one)]

novice vs mjw

Well I dropped my queen. I could have prevented this if I played ...BxN so I wasn't trapped. I'm probably just going to resign on move 26...

mjw vs gustaran

I expected him to play ...ne4 right away. I had no good way of stopping it so I castled. Now I have to think what to do next...

[pindicator]

Well i just ruined my tourney

Was playing one game, looking at a move and thought "oh, i don't want to do that, he can just X-Y-Z." So i exit analysis mode and then submit that exact move without thinking.

Told myself it was just one game, oh well. Just move on. So i go to tge next game and look at candidate moves in analysis mode. Oh, there's one i want and one i clearly don't. Guess which one i submit? I'm not making any more moves today, if i'm not going to take my own advice

[Cyneheard]

regoarrarr vs. Cyneheard

http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=82625960

Well, I screwed up a while back by misreading the opening book - I saw that being aggressive with my king led to a "1-0" position, forgetting that I'm black.

Then rego helpfully blundered a Knight with 15. Ne4. Although he could have done 16. Rxf6 Bxf6 17. Qxe4+ to get two knights for his rook, instead of 16. Qd3.

Sorry for the slow pace - I don't really have a good window in the morning, and don't want to try to play over lunch at work. That breaks Gustaran's rules about phone-moves.

Gustaran vs. Cyneheard

http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=82625988

13. ... Nxd4 should be VERY interesting.
I think his only option is 14. Qxd7 Rxd7 15. Rxd4 Rxd4 16. hxg4 - it's a bit ugly, but 2 rooks vs. rook/knight/bishop endgame with a messy pawn situation should be drawing???

[darrelljs]

Is there no way to undo a move? It seems only fair in that case, like a civ misclick.

Darrell