So why did that happen? You may have noticed that all of the previous games in this tournament ended in draws for me - some rightly so, others due to my squandering or simply not pursuing an existing advantage. I was determined not to have a draw in the last round, which while understandable was simply the wrong mental attitude to adopt going into the game. One cannot just impose one's will on the chessboard. Your opponent always gets a vote and focusing on your desired outcome (a win) simply wastes mental energy and distracts you from what the goal should be, which is to play well and thoughtfully in every position. Point taken.
27 September 2017
Annotated Game #180: At least it wasn't a draw (?)
This last-round tournament game is a thankfully rare example of how poor attitude can lead directly to an otherwise undeserved loss. I get a small advantage out of the English Opening versus a King's Indian Defense setup, getting two open files on the queenside that my pieces should have done more with. Instead, I miss a great tactic on the long diagonal on moves 19 and 20, then play too passively in response to an unexpected central pawn advance. This leads almost immediately to unwarranted panic on my part, due to lazy (or nonexistent) calcuation, and a rapid implosion. The turnaround is sharp and totally psychological.
So why did that happen? You may have noticed that all of the previous games in this tournament ended in draws for me - some rightly so, others due to my squandering or simply not pursuing an existing advantage. I was determined not to have a draw in the last round, which while understandable was simply the wrong mental attitude to adopt going into the game. One cannot just impose one's will on the chessboard. Your opponent always gets a vote and focusing on your desired outcome (a win) simply wastes mental energy and distracts you from what the goal should be, which is to play well and thoughtfully in every position. Point taken.
So why did that happen? You may have noticed that all of the previous games in this tournament ended in draws for me - some rightly so, others due to my squandering or simply not pursuing an existing advantage. I was determined not to have a draw in the last round, which while understandable was simply the wrong mental attitude to adopt going into the game. One cannot just impose one's will on the chessboard. Your opponent always gets a vote and focusing on your desired outcome (a win) simply wastes mental energy and distracts you from what the goal should be, which is to play well and thoughtfully in every position. Point taken.
21 September 2017
Annotated Game #179: An IQP lesson
This game is almost completely characterized by my strategic struggle against Black's isolated queen pawn (IQP), a normal result of the Tarrasch Defense. The notes speak for themselves, with the key (wrong) choice made by me on move 24, thanks to a deflection tactic that makes my chosen sequence of moves lead to a very drawish position, rather than maintaining my positional advantage. I could also have done a bit more with my knights, but that was the key strategic error and another (IQP) lesson learned.
02 September 2017
Annotated Game #178: Patience is a virtue...which I lack
Analysis of this next tournament game, along with the previous ones, helps highlight one recurring flaw in my play: lack of patience. This is a common fault in Class players, often reflected in the idea that each single move has to "do something" big. Here, as in Annotated Game #176, when there is no obvious immediate breakthrough, I get frustrated and acquiesce to a draw. Fixing this conceptual flaw in my play should bring better results over time.
The game itself contains some interesting ideas (not just psychological ones), including alternatives for Black on move 9 and move 12. As part of the analysis process, it's very useful to see how modern engines (Komodo 10 in this case) help evaluate plans, not just individual moves; for example, it consistently highlighted the value of the b8-h2 diagonal and building up pressure on it through the variations on moves 12 and 15. I also like the idea of the knight retreat on move 19, getting out of the way of the pawns and playing a more maneuvering type of game. Finally, it was worth looking at the different options towards the end of the game, for both dynamic and maneuvering play, to continue working my positional advantage.
The game itself contains some interesting ideas (not just psychological ones), including alternatives for Black on move 9 and move 12. As part of the analysis process, it's very useful to see how modern engines (Komodo 10 in this case) help evaluate plans, not just individual moves; for example, it consistently highlighted the value of the b8-h2 diagonal and building up pressure on it through the variations on moves 12 and 15. I also like the idea of the knight retreat on move 19, getting out of the way of the pawns and playing a more maneuvering type of game. Finally, it was worth looking at the different options towards the end of the game, for both dynamic and maneuvering play, to continue working my positional advantage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)