The Joy of Winning a Tough Game - 2

My winning streak against the Level 4 Personality of NagaSkaki continues. Now it is 2/2.

Obviously, it is not as easy as the previous level. I get very fatigued after about twenty-five moves, and my brain shuts down for the day after the game. But I am sure this level will help me improve from where I am.



Suggestions are welcome.

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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

The Joy of Winning a Tough Game

My mind is comfortably numb after this 30 min game against the Level 4 Personality of software NagaSkaki. I had only 30 seconds on my clock when the game ended in my favour. My brain is in no condition to play another game today.



I think I got lucky. Let me know whatever you guys think.

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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Sweet Victory Kills My Losing Streak

In the last couple of weeks I'd been playing miserably. Terribly bad form. I even lost easily won games from winning positions.

After what seemed to be forever, a little clarity of mind seems to have returned. I enjoyed this game.

Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.
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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Don't Try This!

I believe I have hit a new low with this game!

This post is a perfect example of how to lose a winning game.

The title says it all. You don't want to play like this. Trust me... It really hurts.

I'm posting this as a reminder to myself. You may refer this when you want to refresh your memory about how not to play. But don't dwell too much on it, because bad style is infectious.

You've been forewarned. Here goes...



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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

My K-p Game!

During the last several months I had concentrated on gaining a bit of experience with positional play, and had therefore only played Reti/KIA/Q-p systems as White.

My opponent had mostly been the Level 3 Personality of the software NagaSkaki, against which I saw some consistent improvement in my game over the period.

Today, a friend who was going through my PGNs gave me a bit of an advice: "You have become comfortable with this level, so now you are not learning anything new. If you really want to improve further, either move on to the next level, or try a different style against the current level."

That made sense. So today I tried my hand at a K-p opening against Level 3, and I sweetly surprised myself with a victory!

I am not sure if I played well or not (that is for better players to tell me), but I enjoyed this open game a bit more than my closed games; I could see more targets; there was more danger; I took more risks...

But hey, a win is a win!




Do let me know what I could have done better.

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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Where Was I Wrong?

This was a tough game. I enjoyed the challenge. I played with a decent  plan of controlling the center. Of course, I lost. But what exactly did I do wrong?



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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Practicing The QGD: Game 1

Thanks to IM Jeremy Silman's interesting article, I've decided to take up the QGD as my opening against everything except 1. e4. I plan to gradually improve my understanding of this opening by playing it.


My goals: 
a) To be able to play the QGD with confidence against strong opposition
b) To simultaneously hone my positional understanding.

Okay, then. Here's my first game in the series.

Key Moves:


7. Ne5 - I didn't understand the purpose behind this move. I guess it was to hit the d7 where I'd like to develop my N/b8. Since there was no immediate threat, I decided to solidify my pawn on d5.

10. ...Ba5 - Because I thought if 10. ...Bxc3 11. bxc3, then White could nicely take charge of the b-file.

14. e5 - At this point I couldn't find a comfortable home for my Knight. I thought of taking the path f6-e8-d6, but I couldn't analyze in depth the possibility 14. ...Ne8 15. Bh6 Ng7. So I gave up that attempt. What I did play was obviously worse.

15. f3 - I think this was a mistake. My opponent allows my Knight to expose his King before bidding the world farewell.

18. Bh6 - This insatiable hunger for material marked the beginning of my opponent's end.



All constructive advice that could help me get closer to either/both of these goals is always welcome (please note: I can digest only descriptive advice).

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Many thanks.
Prady.
Fun at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Slight Improvement

I have begun seeing a slight improvement in my style of play these days. Of course, I'm still too far from my goal. But I believe I'm on the right track with less fear and more confidence. I'm finding it easier against the level of challenge I have been facing, as in the following game. I plan to take on the next higher level soon.



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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Blunders

Too many mistakes. The result is obvious.



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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Moriatti

Today I'd like to share one of four games I played on Chess.com against nick Moriatti. This was short and sweet (short for me, and sweet for my opponent). I'd be glad of any suggestions for improvement.




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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Playing Against a Novice

When I had learned the game a few years ago, I had naturally suffered many a losses against better players. Each loss would nibble off a bit of my self-esteem, and as many as four losses in a row would leave me utterly disheartened and unwilling to play another game for the next few months.

There were times when I thought that my opponents had mastered some mysterious formulae that ensured that I would blunder my way to their advantage. I also imagined that those formulae bordered on the occult, and were available only to members of some mysterious society. Of course, now I know how ludicrous that sounds.

Playing against a novice today, I saw reflections from my past. I felt very sad when my opponent blundered away his pieces starting with an exchange of his Queen for my Bishop as early as on move 7. Time and time again I wanted to ask my opponent to take a move back and reconsider his options. But I played on.

I will not say I did a great job; I still have a long way to go on the path of improvement. But I'm willing to teach my opponent (or any novice) whatever I have understood thus far.

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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

The Thirteenth Move

I was not happy with my thirteenth move in the first game. I had a choice between 13...f6 and 13...Nf6. I had played 13...Nf6 because it threatened the enemy Queen. But I felt terribly uncomfortable after playing it. Imagine my delight when my opponent allowed me to pull off a back-rank mate!

After the game my opponent claimed that he was distracted toward the end. He did not tell me what he was distracted by, but requested a rematch. I agreed with two conditions: a) that we play the same colors again, and b) that our first twelve moves, and his thirteenth move, remain the same. I wanted to try 13...f6 this time. It was agreed.

Even after the second game, I thought we both could have played much better. However, my opponent has left without any comments. He seemed to have a terrible headache.

Below are both games.

First game (13...Nf6):



Second game (13...f6):



Do let me know what you think.


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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

Another Oversight, Another Loss.

In this game, 18...Bf8 would have saved me. Did I commit any other serious mistakes?



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Many thanks.
Prady.
More links at http://www.facebook.com/groups/195960723787552/

What If It Hadn't Been So...?

In this game, my opponent hanged his Queen at one point, and then resigned. Wonder how the game would have proigressed if it hadn't been so (it looks drawish, but I'm really not sure).



Many thanks.
Prady.

Scandinavian - First Attempt

This was my first attempt at center-counter gambit. Most of the material I read said that 3. ...Qa5 is the best choice, so that's what I played in this game.


Did I play well?


What could I have done better?





Feedback welcome.


Many thanks.


Prady.

Dave-Prady-01-Apr-2012-1

I strongly feel I could have played this much better, so I'm not proud of the victory. I'm just glad I didn't end up losing.





Many thanks.
Prady.

Prady-Dave-01-Apr-2012-1

Don't go by the result of the game. Please do let me know if you think I could have done much better at any point. 

Many thanks.

Prady

Opponent on Self-destruct Mode

What do you do when your opponent decides to self-destruct? As long as you don't go down with him, allow it, of course!


This is my first game in more than seven days. And I was given the Black pieces. When my opponent invoked the self-destruct option in his belt, I had to be very careful not to return the favor.


All is well that ends well.

Many thanks.

Good Game

I enjoyed playing this game. And I'm sure my opponent enjoyed it too.

I was very nervous when chess.com matched me against a much higher rated opponent for a 30/5 game. I was 1203 and my opponent was about 1543. My nervousness continued until the sixth move.

After my opponent played his sixth move, I was comfortable. On the thirteenth move, my opponent gave me just what I wanted. On the fifteenth move, I gave my Knight for my opponent's pawn. On the seventeenth move, my opponent resigned, and my rating jumped up by 39 points. By the way, my Knight and my opponent's pawn were the only casualties in this war.

Morning well-begun! Looking forward to a good day. :-)

Prady.

Clarity of Thought

Everything makes perfect sense when he explains it.
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_pos_tact/pos_tactical_solution_two.html

Goal for 2012: Practice thinking like that.

Don't Play Like This!

Note to self: Please don't play like this in future!

Don't Play Like This! - Chess.com

Prady.

Evaluate My Style

Had posted the following content in my chess.com blog two days ago, hoping to find some answers. I haven't found all the answers yet, but the kind sargentboomstick helped me realize that I was going blind. I thank him for taking time to evaluate my game.


Am posting the same article with the game here, with fair hopes that someone else might be able to help out in other directions.


--- From my chess.com blog ---


I've finally decided to stick to 1. d4 (or a non-committal 1. Nf3 to later transpose into a Q-pawn game) when I play White. It seems strange that I wasn't very comfortable with Q-pawn openings a few years ago, but now I somehow feel comfortable only with such (even though my theoretical knowledge of openings is very limited, and I play simply by trying to follow general principles).


Question 1: What might be the reasons for the change of heart?


Question 2: Is such change of attitude normal (in general)?


Question 3: Is it a good sign in my specific case?


Now (as opposed to about four years ago) I notice a gradual shift in my style:


a. I play lesser reactive moves (and I realize at once whenever I think of one).


b. I consider each move as a potential step toward victory/defeat, and do my best not to waste any. Thanks to Jeremy Silman, "Every move is like gold."


c. I now see holes on the board! And every time I see one, I have this uncontrollable urge to put my Knight in it. Thanks again to Jeremy Silman, my Knights have begun working smarter.


These three factors (among a few others) have given me more confidence. So much so, that I feel a strange kind of satisfaction even when I lose.


Question 4: I know this means I am gradually beginning to appreciate positional style of play. But does it actually imply I am improving strategically?


On the other hand:


d. Now I don't seem to get as many tactical shots (forks, skewers, discoveries...) against my opponents as I used to before.


Question 5: Is this normal? Or am I losing my tactical vision? Update: Not normal! Certainly going blind! See update on Question 6 for (shameful) details.




Below is my latest game. 


Question 6: Though I won this, and though I don't think I played too bad, why do I still have this gnawing sensation that I should have done much better? Update: Because I did not see simple stuff like 26.Re8!! or 35.Rh8+! during the game. Thanks to sargentboomstick for the answer.


Have added a few more questions in my move comments. Hope somebody would be kind enough to help me find these answers.





--- End of blog post ---



Welcome all answers, suggestions, constructive criticism.


Many thanks.
Prady.

ChessManiac Shared Game

Played this game an opponent at chessmaniac.com:

ChessManiac Shared Game