Wednesday, May 27, 2009

May TNT Round 3

General comment: Pieces dropping everywhere.

Kaptsan - Lipnowski 0-1
White could have held the balance with 33. b3 trading his b-pawn for the a -pawn.
Yes, that trade happened in the game, but under unfavourable circumstances for White.

Nikouline-Czypinski 1-0
Black sacs a knight for some pawns, but no initiative. He soon gives one back to a little tactic and White is able to mop up. Alex prolongs the torture by missing a mate in one at move 36.

Arie Wasserman - Trevor Vincent 0-1
White loved to move his queen's knight in this game, and as a result he gets behind in development - before the sudden end.

Jim Green - Mundwiler 0-1
I am not sure if White realized he could play 15.d4. On the next move, he drops a knight.
Black also decided to prolong the game - 20...Rxh4+ 21. Bxh4 Nxh4, and after a spite check on d8, it would be mate.

Schulz-Lipic 1-0
Black sacrifices an exchange, but perhaps should have followed up with 22...Qxe3 23. Rxe3 Nxe5, with some chances of holding/winning back the exchange.

Boron-Campbell DRAW
Perhaps the worst blunder I have made in a long time. White drops a piece in a simple position.
I mixed up several lines in my mind, when I decided not to play the "normal" 11.Bxe7.
But I still would have been fine after 13.Bxe7. I kept as many pieces as possible on the board, won a pawn and eventually liquidated to a drawn ending with Black's time trouble looming.

Letain-Kernetsky 0-1
Must have been the night for calculation errors - White drops a piece early.

Lauritson-Milord 1-0
Black gets cramped behind his pawns - eventually leaving too many entry points for White's pieces.

Pottinger-Leor Wasserman 0-1
White loses a rook(it could have been just a knight, but whatever) to an unusual skewer.

Greenberg-Keer 1-0
Illegible game score.

Leah Green - Trueman DRAW
This looked like a solid draw, however White slips a bit near the end, 32...Re2 would have netted an exchange. In the final position, Black is winning; I give the method here as it is instructive- 39...Kg4 40. Rg6 Ra2 41. Kf1 Rh2 42. Kg1 Rag2+ 43. Kf1 Kf3

Rutter-Menard 1-0
White exploits the holes in Black's position.

Ott-Kumaragamage 1-0
White wins a couple of pawns early. Black missed getting one back, when he didn't find 24...Rxh3.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

In Schulz - Lipic the line 22...Qxe3 24 Rxe3 Nxe5 does not garner equality with the continuation 25 dxe5 (Rxe5 Bxe5 26 dxe5) Bc5! because White has the intermezzo 25 c5! when Black cannot defend all the pieces.

After the game, Waldemar had said he felt this line was Black's best chance and said he was almost sure I would play Qxe3, but I missed the continuation and felt I had a slightly more active position with the Queens on the board (to my dismay I was wrong...)

He said that's a psychological advantage that better players often have over weaker opponents, because when a stronger player offers the exchange of pieces, the weaker opponent will often mechanically assume that the better player is doing so because it is a good idea, or the more favourable idea.

I spoke with Waldemar the next week and mentioned the move 25 c5 as being able to break the combination and secure White the lead, but Waldemar said he probably wouldn't have seen it. Possibly due to yet another psychological factor, which is that ever present theme of the downward spiral. Going from being superior to equality is often worse than going from superiority to inferiority, because a player will close their mind to opportunities that may come up to regain the initiative.

It is much like sticking your hand in a pot of boiling water. You will immediately pull out once you feel the heat, but if you submerge your hand when the water is tepid, and increase the heat gradually, you will be more likely to get burned as your hand will not notice the change in temperature as much as if it were all-of-a-sudden.

In chess, there are many layers of thought that one must be prepared to untangle to find the truth in any position.

Chess Manitoba said...

Perhaps you are not looking far enough.
25. c5 (no exclam - it is more or less forced)...Be7 26. Rxe5 Bf6 and now 27. Rxe6 Bxd4+ 28. Kh1 Bxc5
with some chances of survival due to the d pawn.

But whom am I say ? I have been making my own blunders !