While it's always important to look for improvements in your wins (for example on move 12) as well as your losses, I think that for improving players it's also important to take some pleasure in good play (it's always great to see the engine agreeing with your choices over multiple sequences). Even more important, though, is seeking to remember and emulate the factors that led to that good play, for use in future games.
26 June 2016
Annotated Game #160: Focus and accurate calculation
In this last-round tournament game, I was able to elevate my level of play significantly when compared to the earlier games, which I attribute to a better level of focus on my part. Correct application of opening principles (countering in the center on move 4, for example) led to me having a comfortable position as Black in a Slav Defense. After a minor misstep on move 12, I was able to recover and accurately see the best continuation, including the most effective in-between move (14...Nxe3). Most importantly, I was able to concretely parry the temporary initiative that my opponent generated, then find the tactical refutation to his too-aggressive play. I was pleased to be able to continue the accurate play afterwards and correctly ignored his kingside attack while setting up my own fatal blow.
While it's always important to look for improvements in your wins (for example on move 12) as well as your losses, I think that for improving players it's also important to take some pleasure in good play (it's always great to see the engine agreeing with your choices over multiple sequences). Even more important, though, is seeking to remember and emulate the factors that led to that good play, for use in future games.
While it's always important to look for improvements in your wins (for example on move 12) as well as your losses, I think that for improving players it's also important to take some pleasure in good play (it's always great to see the engine agreeing with your choices over multiple sequences). Even more important, though, is seeking to remember and emulate the factors that led to that good play, for use in future games.
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Nice game. 27...d3! was a great move.
ReplyDeleteThanks. This game I was significantly more focused - "in the zone" than in the others and it showed, with my ability to pick out quality, non-obvious moves like 27...d3. Now I just need to work on getting to that mental state more often, as it's been pretty hit and miss.
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