I just played in a tournament today, and played quite well, despite losing one game on time in a completely winning endgame while playing the clinching (well I guess I was way winning before that) move. I beat two experts in rounds one and two (Marshall and NN), drew casually with my friend Phil (expert), then proceeded to ruin the tournament for me (another expert?! Where were the lower rated players!?!?!). I felt like I played well, and I thought the games were pretty instructive and interesting, so I will post them. Any comments or suggestions would definitely be welcome, I always love to talk out my games and analysis, I feel I learn alot! Enjoy!
[Event "Cleveland Masters CWRU Classic"]
[Site "North Olmsted"]
[Date "2007.06.24"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Marshall, Calvin"]
[Black "Rotella, Tony"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A48"]
[Annotator "Rotella,Tony"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. Bd3 O-O
6. h3 Nbd7 7. Nbd2 Qe8 8. e4 e5 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Be3 Nh5 11. Bb5 c6 12. Bc4 Kh8 13. g4 Nf4 14. Kf1 Qe7 15. Bb3 Nc5 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. Ng5 Be6 18. Qe1 a5 19. Rc1 a4 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Kg1 Qb5 22. Rb1 Rad8 23. Rh2 Qe2 24. Ngf3 Rd7 25. Qxe2 Nxe2+ 26. Kf1 Nd4 27. Nxd4 Rxd4 28. Ke2 Rfd8 29. Nf3 Rxe4+ 30. Kf1 h6 31. g5 h5 32. Re1 Rxe1+ 33. Kxe1 e4 34. Nh4 Bxb2 35. Nxg6+ Kg7 36. Nf4 Rd6 37. Nxh5+ Kg6 38. Ng3 Bc3+ 39. Ke2 Rd2+ 40. Ke3 Rxc2 {Stopped taking notation in time trouble.}
0-1
[Event "Blitz:3'"]
[Site "North Olmsted"]
[Date "2007.06.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Rotella, Tony"]
[Black "NN"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[Annotator "Rotella,Tony"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Re8 8. Qc2 h6 9. Bh4 c6 10. Nge2 Ne4 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Ng3 f5 14. O-O Be6 15. f3 exf3 16. Rxf3 g6 17. e4 fxe4 18. Ncxe4 Bf5 19. Nxf5 Qxe4 20. Qb3+ Kh8 21. Qf7 gxf5 22. Qf6+ Kh7 23. Rg3 Qe7 24. Qg6+ Kh8 25. Qxh6+ Qh7 26. Qf6+ 1-0
[Event "Cleveland Masters CWRU Classic"]
[Site "North Olmsted"]
[Date "2007.06.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Seitzer , Phil"]
[Black "Rotella, Tony"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B74"]
[Annotator "Rotella,Tony"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Rc8 11. Bf3 Nd7 12. Rb1 Nb6
13. Nd5 Nc4 14. Bc1 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 {Draw Agreed} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Cleveland Masters CWRU Classic"]
[Site "North Olmsted"]
[Date "2007.06.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rotella, Tony"]
[Black "Boor , Carl"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D20"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qb3 Qd7 9. Qxb7 Rb8 10. Qa6 Bd6 11. a3 Nf6 12. Nbd2 O-O 13. b4 Rb6 14. Qd3 e5 15. Nc4 Rb7 16. Bd2 Rfb8 17. Rfc1 h6 18. Nxd6 cxd6 19. Qc4+ d5 20. Qxc6 Qxc6 21. Rxc6 Nxe4 22. Be1 Re8 23. Rac1 Ree7 24. a4 d3 25. b5 d4 26. Bb4 Rf7 27. Nxe5 Rxf2 28. Nxd3 Ra2 29. Ra6 Rf7 30. Be1 Nd2 31. Bf2 Nb3 32. Rf1 Nd2 33. Rd1 Nb3 34. b6 axb6 35. Rxb6 Nc5 36. Bxd4 Nxd3 37. Rxd3 Rxa4 38. Be5 Re4 39. Bg3 {White Forfeits on Time} 0-1
Originally posted by zebano6. e3 Bf5? 7. Bxf6! Bxf6 8. Qb3! +/-
NO serious thoughts...
Tony vrs. NN
In the opening I prefer 6. Qc2 instead of e3 as e3 allows 6... Bf5
very nice break with f3 to open up the kingside.
IN the dragon game, why accept a draw with so much play left?
As far as the Dragon game goes, Phil Seitzer is my good friend. We go to school together and study chess together multiple times a week. Given that, we just prefer to agree to a friendly draw and not leave any awkwardness if one wins or loses. This tournament was to qualify for a bigger, more prestigious tournament into Ohio, and we both had 2 points going into that game. The half a point from the draw basically gave us both really good chances of qualifying, since the turn out at the tournament was small and no one had 2.5 like we did. He ended up winning his last round and qualifying, while I lost because I am an idiot and flagged in a won position.
Game 1 i didn't like Qe8 by black and g4 by white. What are the elos of the players?
Game 2 you played ell but you opponent made it easy while Nb8 and Ra8 were basking in the sun for the whole game.
Game 3 f5 by black. I was even more surprised by the quick draw when both players can ask questions in the resulting position.
Game 4 Your opponent should have played the QGD not the QGA. I though you were one of the King's Gambit players?
Originally posted by z00tz00t,
Game 1 i didn't like Qe8 by black and g4 by white. What are the elos of the players?
Game 2 you played ell but you opponent made it easy while Nb8 and Ra8 were basking in the sun for the whole game.
Game 3 f5 by black. I was even more surprised by the quick draw when both players can ask questions in the resulting position.
Game 4 Your opponent should have played the QGD not the QGA. I though you were one of the King's Gambit players?
1. ..Qe8, is, I believe a book move there. Black wants to play ..e5 but wants the rook on f8 for a later f5. I was very happy with the move. g4 did suck in my opinion, giving black the advantage already. The bigger crime was leaving it there the entire game and instead giving up the Be3 for the Nc5. Silly. I am rated, 1880 or something like this, but this is the first tourney I have played in a long time, and I would guess I am over 2000. White is around 2050 I think, but didn't play like it.
2. I agree. An interesting finesse in my opinion, is that normally Black plays this typical ..Ne4 idea, but waits for ..Nbd7 and 0-0 to be inserted so that instead of having to play f5, he can play ..Nf6 to protect the pawn. This is a serious difference, and really in my opinion, the losing mistake. It would have been less bad if ..h6 wasn't played.
3. I didn't think ..f5 was so bad, but you can read my post above for the drawing reasons.
4. I don't think the QGA is bad, and ..Kh8 instead of ..h6 left White only a slight edge IMO. I for a certain period, played the KG and 1. e4, but I am coming to realize I like 1. d4 alot better.
Thanks for the comments sir!
Originally posted by !~TONY~!QGA is definitely underrated, I'm thinking about giving it a shot as black.
z00t,
1. ..Qe8, is, I believe a book move there. Black wants to play ..e5 but wants the rook on f8 for a later f5. I was very happy with the move. g4 did suck in my opinion, giving black the advantage already. The bigger crime was leaving it there the entire game and instead giving up the Be3 for the Nc5. Silly. I am rated, 1880 or something like this, ...[text shortened]... 1. e4, but I am coming to realize I like 1. d4 alot better.
Thanks for the comments sir!
Originally posted by !~TONY~!Maybe I will. 🙂
Yeah it's not too bad. My only beef with the QGA is that it can lead to some pretty sterile positions if White chooses e3 or Nf3 instead of e4. There is a fairly recent book out by Rizzitano(I think), called How to Beat 1. d4 that focuses on the QGA, you should check it out.
But the e3 and Nf3 bit is the reason I haven't used it yet - if only EVERYBODY played 3.e4 in the QGA I'd be using it all the time.