Hello readers,
Last time around I went in hard on the introduction. This week I’ll only mention that one of my favorite tournaments, the London Chess Classic, is currently being played, and you should check it out. The format is a knockout this year, unfortunately, but games between Caruana, Nakamura, Karjakin, Aronian (at least, from three of them) aren’t ones you’ll want to miss.
With that housekeeping completed, let’s dive into what you’re (presumably) here to see: the games from the second day of the tournament weekend. (The first day’s, you ask?
Blog Post 404 Look no further.)
Orion LE (1713) – Craig B Roll (2257) MCC Open
1. e4 c5 2. d4 {I respond to Craig’s Sicilian with my trademark (or, soon to be, anyway) Smith-Morra Gambit.} cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 {He accepts.} 4. Nxc3 {The speedy development and central control I have will soon make up for the central pawn, giving me a dynamic if equal position to work with in the middlegame. Not much more you can ask for from an opening.} Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 {Further blocking in the bishops, but an immediate e5 7. Ng5 would be extremely uncomfortable for Black.} 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Qe2 Be7 9. Rd1 e5 {At this point, necessary, since 10. e5 is dangerous.} 10. h3 {To allow Black to Bg4xf3 Nd4 would stifle my central control. It’s unallowable.} 0-0 11. Be3 {Both the best square for the bishop and, again, reinforcing d4, my one weak square.} Be6 12. Rac1 a6 {Not a direct mistake, but I don’t love it– it creates unnecessary weaknesses.} 13. Na4 {I immediately attempt to exploit them, threatening to sink a bishop or knight on b6.} Nh5 {This, though, is a real mistake, exposing a tactic. Nd7, preventing Nb6, was the correct alternative.} 14. Bxe6 fxe6 {Here, I miscalculate. 15. Nb6 is the correct interpolation– once my knight is protected, I can snatch the pawn with 16. Nxe5.} 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qxh5 Qa5 {! This is the move I missed (and really, why didn’t I throw in Nb6– it’s obvious,) threatening Qxa4 and Nf3+, each of which win substantial material.} 17. Nc5 {f4! was the best response, losing less material after Qxa4 fxe5, but it’s still a very poor position to have– I’d still be down material, it’s just that this is even worse.} g6 18. b4 {I attempt to attack the Black queen to where I can move my knight to attack it, forgetting entirely that the queen can kamikaze its way out.} Qxb4 19. Bd2 Qb6 20. Qe2 dxc5 21. f4 Nc6 22. Qc4 Nd4 23. f5 Qb5 {1-0.}
After this game, where I had a winning position, I was determined to lock it down in the next one. Suffice it to say that that didn’t happen quite to the degree I wanted it to.
Noah Gillston (1413) – Orion LE (1713) MCC Open
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 {This, as I should likely have known given my propensity for attacking play, is the Göring Gambit. Actually, it’s pretty similar to the Smith-Morra (though worse.)} dxc3 5. Nxc3 {White recaptures the pawn immediately– Bc4 is the even more aggressive continuation, daring me to go two pawns up.} Bb4 {The most sensical response, taking advantage of the knight’s awkward positioning.} 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. e5 d5 {The standard response, essentially any time e5 is played. Retreating, the only other option, is inadvisable.} 8. exf6 Bxc3+ {This is a trade I was likely going to make anyway, and I don’t think postponing it does me any particular good.} 9. bxc3 Qxf6 {I miscalculated, assuming that dxc4 gxf6 was somehow particularly damaging, maybe, although I don’t remember it particularly well. In any case, I decided (wrongly) that the logical option was to go down a piece.}10. Bxd5 {Now down a bishop, instead of immediately snatching the pawn, I decided to try to settle my situation to whatever extent possible.} 0-0 11. 0-0 Qxc3 {With my king safety secure, my foremost aim is to regain material.} 12. Bxc6 {Thankfully, apparently my opponent’s was to give it back.} Qxa1 {The position is still lost, for sure, but winning back the exchange immediately is reassuring.} 13. Bd5 c6 {Qc3 was better, due to a deep but ultimately simple tactic: 14. Bxf7+ Rxf7 15. Qd8+ Rf8 16. Qxf8+ Kxf8 17. Ba3+, winning the queen back with an extra pawn and the exchange.} 14. Bb3 Bg4 15. Qe2 Rfe8 {This time, it’s punishable by 16. Bxf7+ Kxf7 17. Ng5+, winning back the bishop, plus the f-pawn. Qf6 was the alternative.} 16. Be3 Qf6 {Finally, I extricate the queen.} 17. h3 Bh5 18. g4 Bg6 19. Kg2 h6 20. Bc2 Rad8 21. Bxg6 Qxg6 22. Kg1 Qe6 23. Nd2 {23. Nh4 was the move– it doesn’t needlessly throw away a pawn and pin all of White’s pieces in the process.} Qxa2 24. Re1 Rxe3 25. Qxe3 Rxd2 26. Qe8+ Kh7 27. Qe4+ g6 28. Qf3 Rd7 {The move was Qd5. This allows Qf6–Re8, after which the best I have is perpetual check. I was hesitant, though, to trade queens, fearing Re7 (not seeing Rxd5–Rb5.)} 29. Re8 {After White misses it, though, it’s smooth sailing.} Qa1+ 30. Kg2 Qd4 31. Re4 Qd5 32. Rf4 b5 33. Qxd5 cxd5 34. Rb4 a6 35. Kf3 Kg7 36. Ke3 Kf6 {0-1, eventually.}
Why is it so difficult for me, and for many of us, to play lower-rated opponents? I, at least, often feel that I play down to the level of my opponent despite my attempts to use my usual game, and I think it has to do with the idea that there’s somehow a safety net, if that makes sense. I think it’s the knowledge that even normally catastrophic, stupid mistakes have the possibility to be compensated for, and handed back in turn. I’m nervous, sure, but that’s because it’s a chess game; I don’t feel the same sense of danger. And that’s how, playing down, I win a blunder-ridden game, and, playing up, I lose a better position through a sophisticated trick. My theory, anyway.
There are two thoughts here that I think are interesting to me. I use the first to attempt to correct this mindset: for many of my opponents, I am the lower-rated player. The situation is reversed, and they, maybe, feel the same way that I might about my supposedly weaker opponents. I pose a threat to those I play, and my opponents always pose a threat to me. There’s no excuse to not catch a simple recapture.
Secondly, I think there are mixed reactions to playing someone lower-rated: there’s the feeling of overconfidence, and there’s the feeling of fear: that you might lose rating points if you’re caught by surprise. I think the above game was the latter, mostly. I was scared out of even considering the recapture, I was scared to transition into a won endgame– mostly, I recoiled at the sight of things that looked unpleasant, rather than conducting any real evaluation.
With the above game characterized almost entirely by my cowardice, I thought that I should attack more in the next. (I’m not fooling anyone; I would have played the same moves, the same way, but it’s somewhat comforting to be able to go back and insert some kind of narrative, even if it’s disjointed.)
Orion LE (1713) – Jed Sloan (1896) MCC Open
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 {The same Smith-Morra. If I ever play something else against the Sicilian, go ahead and unplug the robot doppleganger that’s replaced me.} Nf6 {Declined, this time, but that’s okay; there are still plenty ways to make the opening interesting.} 4. e5 Nd5 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 {Chief among them is continuing to develop rather than recapturing the pawn.} Nb6 7. Bb3 {Bg5 first is also good, attacking the dark squares before Black can defend them.} dxc3 8. Nxc3 {And now we’re in semi-familiar territory. Already, though it’s not simply better, I like White’s position: the space and development advantages are significant.} Be7 9. Bc2 {I think Ne4 is also a good option, but this sets a not-so-subtle trap–} 0-0 {That Black falls into.} 10. Qd3 g6 {Forced, dramatically weakening the Black king position.} 11. Bh6 Re8 12. h4 {Black is now facing a significant attack, it’s true, but it’s somewhat defensible if he stays calm. Nc6 or similar makes it more difficult for White.} Bf8 {Instead, he speeds up White’s attack by forcing the trade, removing a defender unnecessarily.} 13. Bxf8 Rxf8 14. Ng5 {14. h4 immediately was maybe preferable– it doesn’t allow something like d5, which would make things harder for White, exposing the decision not to castle.} Qc7 {This, though, is easily sealed off.} 15. f4 Qc4 16. Qg3 Nc6 17. Nxh7 {Now, finally, Black’s goose is cooked.} Kxh7 18. h5 Rg8 19. Qg5 Rg7 20. hxg6+ Kg8 21. gxf7+ Kxf7 22. Qf6+ Kg8 23. Bh7+ {Instead, 23. Rh8+ Kxh8 24. Qf8+ Rg8 25. Qh6# is a neater mate, but this works just as well.} Rxh7 24. Qg6+ Kf8 25. Rxh7 {1-0.}
Looking up, then, and let’s finish up this tournament, just as I did (after a rather late lunch.)
Nicholas Stevenson (1901) – Orion LE (1713) MCC Open
1. d4 f5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 g5 4. e3 {Now it’s important to be careful! gxh4 5. Qh5#} Nf6 5. Bg3 d6 6. Be2 {6. h4 is better, forcing Black into g4.} Be6 7. Nc3 Bf7 8. Qd3 Bg6 {A mistake– Qd7 was necessary here, as it protects f5 and b5 simultaneously.} 9. h4 {Here, and on the following moves, White misses Qb5+, picking up the pawn on b7.} Bg7 {g4 is better; it avoids the following sequence, in which my pieces are tied up in defending my kingside pawns.} 10. hxg5 hxg5 11. Rxh8+ Bxh8 12. Nh3 Nh7 13. 0-0-0 Nd7 {Here is a time when I feel that it’s actually useful to take stock: although White has no material advantage, he’s completely developed, with central control. I’m uncastled, four of five moves away from properly coordinating and fighting for the center.} 14. Rh1 {And when you have such a tremendous development advantage, it’s easy to make threats. During the game, I would have said I was down, but not by too much; my post-analysis thought that White is dominating was verified by a computer during a quick pass. (2.5, which seems high? Not ridiculous, though.)} Bg7 15. f3 {I prefer 15. f4, locking down the space advantage.} e5 16. dxe5 dxe5 {Opening the center is okay; it doesn’t really worsen my position due to the lack of a direct attack. In any case, it’s hard to.} 17. Qd5 Bf7 {This is the move that I staked the game on– 18. Qxb7 Rb8 19. Qxa7 in response, and I’m dead; there’s no attack whatsoever, and my hopes of castling and reorganization are over.} 18. Qd1 {With this cowardly response, though, I’m suddenly back in it: about to castle, with central control. Not winning, by any means, but it’s now a competitive game because White was scared off by the optics of Qxb7. I’m the lower-rated player for Nick, I suppose.} Qe7 19. e4 0-0-0 {Although this does look tempting, f4 simply saves the pawn, despite it appearing worse, it doesn’t offer up material.} 20. Qg1 {Which, again, White eschews.} Nb6 21. Bf2 Bh6 {This continued offer of my f5 pawn has one goal– to arrive at the position after move 26.} 22. Kb1 Nf6 23. exf5 g4 24. fxg4 Bd2 25. Be1 Qb4 26. Bxd2 Rxd2 {This one. It’s been completely unsound, because 27. a3 ends my whole attack.} 27. Qe3 {Missing the proper defence, instead inserting a blunder: in response, Nfd5! 28. Qxe5 Na4 is crushing.} Na4 {I miss it, playing the wrong move order.} 28. Nxa4 Qxa4 29. b3 Qa5 30. Ng5 {A horrendous blunder. Bf3 prevents Black’s response, and White’s up two connected passed pawns.} Nd5 {Now, though, I’m finally recouping that material.} 31. Rh8+ Kd7 32. Rd8+ Kxd8 33. Nxf7+ Kc8 34. Qxe5 Nc3+ {Rxe2 was better, maybe, but not check, and so I shied away from it.} 35. Kb2 Qxa2+ 36. Kxc3 Qxc2+ 37. Kb4 a5+ 38. Kxa5 b6+ 39. Kb4 c5+ 40. Kb5 {In time trouble for both sides, I stopped keeping score, and somehow I eked out enough checks for a draw by repetition. Don’t ask me how. ½-½.}
2.5/4, a score I’m happy with, though the play was certainly imperfect. Normal service will resume next post. In the meantime, have a nice day, and maybe post about it in
Thread 179564
Best,
Orion Lehoczky Escobar
