STC Open Round 8 - A loss to look at!

I was up against a strong player in this game, and hoped to hold on for a draw. Alas, it was not to be. I got through the opening reasonably unscathed, but then missed a couple of good chances in the middle game and dug myself in a big hole.

As always, your insights are welcome. I used the Slow Chess Blitz program for analysis. I like its ability to show multiple lines. I'd still like a way to show the "why" of a particular line. It's not always obvious why a particular move is not selected (e.g., in the analysis of 15. ... Bd7 below, what's wrong with 17.RxQ?).

More tactical study is required!



















[Event "STC Open 2006"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2006.04.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "thingummywut"]
[Black "RBHawkins"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1847P"]
[BlackElo "1632P"]
[ECO "D37"]
[TimeControl "3600"]

1. d4 {[%clk 1:00:00]} d5 {[%clk 1:00:00]} 2. c4 {[%clk 0:59:43]} e6 {[%clk
0:59:48]} 3. Nc3 {[%clk 0:59:34]} Nf6 {[%clk 0:59:34]} 4. Nf3 {[%clk
0:59:11]} Be7 {[%clk 0:59:06]} 5. Bf4 {[%clk 0:58:33]} c5 {[%clk 0:57:23]} 6.
dxc5 {[%clk 0:57:38]} Bxc5 {[%clk 0:57:09]} 7. e3 {[%clk 0:56:21]} Nc6 {[%clk
0:55:39]} 8. a3 {[%clk 0:55:07]} O-O {[%clk 0:53:46]} 9. Qc2 {[%clk 0:52:57]}
b6 {[%clk 0:51:55]} 10. Rd1 {[%clk 0:52:34]} Re8 {[%clk 0:47:30]} 11. cxd5
{[%clk 0:50:59]} exd5 {[%clk 0:46:03]} 12. b4 {[%clk 0:49:34]} Be7 {[%clk
0:43:41]} 13. Nxd5 {[%clk 0:49:15]} Nxd5 {[%clk 0:42:07]} 14. Qxc6 {[%clk
0:48:53]} Be6 {[%clk 0:40:37]} 15. e4 {[%clk 0:47:08]} Bd7 {[%clk 0:37:59]}
16. Qxd5 {[%clk 0:46:38]} Be6 {[%clk 0:35:54]} 17. Qxd8 {[%clk 0:46:28]}
Raxd8 {[%clk 0:35:37]} 18. Rxd8 {[%clk 0:45:39]} Rxd8 {[%clk 0:35:22]} 19.
Be2 {[%clk 0:45:37]} Rc8 {[%clk 0:33:33]} 20. O-O {[%clk 0:45:15]} Rc2 {[%clk
0:32:30]} 21. Nd4 {[%clk 0:44:17]} Ra2 {[%clk 0:31:56]} 22. Nxe6 {[%clk
0:43:51]} Rxe2 {[%clk 0:31:06]} 23. Ng5 {[%clk 0:42:14]} h6 {[%clk 0:29:53]}
24. Nf3 {[%clk 0:41:47]} Rxe4 {[%clk 0:29:11]} 25. Re1 {[%clk 0:41:35]} Rxe1+
{[%clk 0:28:13]} 26. Nxe1 {[%clk 0:41:31]} Kf8 {[%clk 0:27:02]} 27. Nd3
{[%clk 0:41:18]} Bf6 {[%clk 0:25:49]} 28. Bb8 {[%clk 0:41:09]} a6 {[%clk
0:25:13]} 29. Ba7 {[%clk 0:41:06]} b5 {[%clk 0:25:05]} 30. Kf1 {[%clk
0:40:22]} Ke8 {[%clk 0:24:36]} 31. Ke2 {[%clk 0:39:21]} Ke7 {[%clk 0:24:12]}
32. Ke3 {[%clk 0:39:18]} Kd6 {[%clk 0:23:54]} 33. Bd4 {[%clk 0:39:00]} Bg5+
{[%clk 0:23:33]} 34. f4 {[%clk 0:38:57]} Bf6 {[%clk 0:23:09]} 35. Bxf6 {[%clk
0:38:54]} gxf6 {[%clk 0:23:04]} 36. Kd4 {[%clk 0:38:53]} f5 {[%clk 0:22:52]}
37. h4 {[%clk 0:38:49]} f6 {[%clk 0:22:36]} 38. Nc5 {[%clk 0:38:48]} Kc6
{[%clk 0:21:42]} 39. Nxa6 {[%clk 0:38:45]} h5 {[%clk 0:21:19]} 40. Nc5 {[%clk
0:38:42]} Kd6 {[%clk 0:21:03]} 41. Nd3 {[%clk 0:38:38]} Kc6 {[%clk 0:20:45]}
42. Nf2 {[%clk 0:38:36]} Kd6 {[%clk 0:20:38]} 43. Nh1 {[%clk 0:38:35]} Kc6
{[%clk 0:20:01]} 44. Ng3 {[%clk 0:38:33]} {RBHawkins resigns} 1-0

STC Open Round 7

I think this is a bit more interesting game...maybe the most fun I've had since beginning this effort! I made a deliberate effort to play more aggressively, and watch for tactics. This time it worked out fine, but there were many chances for it to come out badly. Perhaps that's the nature of the game?

I thing MDLM might be on to something. All the focus on tactics really does make a difference. I've been putting in a lot of time on the tactics server. Now I think I may actually spend a little time getting on a real Circles routine. This stuff seems to work!

I have done a little bit of 'analysis' and I'd be interested in your comments on what I missed.


















[Event "STC Open 2006 rated standard match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2006.04.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "wilkhell"]
[Black "RBHawkins"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1549P"]
[BlackElo "1539P"]
[ECO "A10"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
1. c4 {[%clk 1:00:00]} d5 {[%clk 1:00:00]} 2. b3 {[%clk 0:59:42]} e5 {[%clk
0:59:31]} 3. e3 {[%clk 0:59:37]} Nf6 {[%clk 0:58:32]} 4. cxd5 {[%clk
0:59:20]} Nxd5 {[%clk 0:57:59]} 5. Bb2 {[%clk 0:59:16]} Nc6 {[%clk 0:57:04]}
6. Bb5 {[%clk 0:59:09]} Bd6 {[%clk 0:56:24]} 7. e4 {[%clk 0:57:23]} Nf4
{[%clk 0:54:54]} 8. Bxc6+ {[%clk 0:55:22]} bxc6 {[%clk 0:54:26]} 9. Qf3
{[%clk 0:55:14]} Qf6 {[%clk 0:50:18]} 10. Ne2 {[%clk 0:54:57]} Qg5 {[%clk
0:45:54]} 11. Nxf4 {[%clk 0:54:47]} exf4 {[%clk 0:45:23]} 12. e5 {[%clk
0:52:38]} O-O {[%clk 0:40:22]} 13. exd6 {[%clk 0:52:26]} Re8+ {[%clk
0:40:10]} 14. Kf1 {[%clk 0:52:12]} Ba6+ {[%clk 0:39:32]} 15. Kg1 {[%clk
0:52:01]} Re1# {[%clk 0:39:24]} {wilkhell checkmated} 0-1

STC Open Round 6

Here is the transcript of my Round 6 game in the STC Open tourney. I've switched to the ICC Chessviewer applet to see how it works. This was an interesting game. My initial overall assessment is that there are (at least) a couple of things I need to work on:

• End game tactics -- I had a winnable game until near the end


• Time management -- I lost on time with ~10 minutes left on my opponent's clock

Other comments are (hopefully) embedded below.
















This browser is not Java-enabled.

FICS STC tourney game

A draw in my game in Round 5 of the STC tournament. Here's the game (more analysis will follow when I get a minute):

Lichte (1590) vs. RBHawkins (1767) --- Mon Apr  3, 20:04 CDT 2006
Rated standard match, initial time: 60 minutes, increment: 0 seconds.

Move  Lichte                  RBHawkins          
----  ---------------------   ---------------------
  1.  Nf3     (0:00.000)      d5      (0:00.000)   
  2.  g3      (0:02.692)      Nf6     (0:05.625)   
  3.  Bg2     (0:01.411)      e6      (0:07.063)   
  4.  O-O     (0:01.262)      Be7     (0:13.235)   
  5.  d3      (0:05.134)      c5      (0:10.516)   
  6.  Nbd2    (0:04.305)      O-O     (1:25.938)   
  7.  e4      (0:07.398)      dxe4    (2:49.234)   
  8.  dxe4    (0:55.965)      Nc6     (2:45.671)   
  9.  Re1     (1:50.365)      Qc7     (3:27.406)   
 10.  e5      (2:44.193)      Nd5     (1:11.656)   
 11.  a4      (5:37.254)      Rd8     (6:00.453)   
 12.  c3      (6:37.971)      Bd7     (10:59.109)  
 13.  Nc4     (3:22.589)      Na5     (3:55.469)   
 14.  Nxa5    (4:55.602)      Qxa5    (1:00.421)   
 15.  Bg5     (7:14.690)      f6      (7:20.922)   

This was a small blunder and should have cost me a pawn (e.g., 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qe2 Qc7 19. Qc4 Nd5 20. Ng5 Re8 21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Qxd5+). Better would have been 15. ...Bc6, which I also considered.

 16.  Bf4     (9:42.237)      Nxf4    (3:24.828)   
 17.  gxf4    (0:34.799)      Bc6     (3:49.141)   
 18.  Qe2     (1:13.818)      f5      (2:26.360)   
 19.  Ng5     (1:45.839)      Bxg2    (1:08.094)   
 20.  Kxg2    (0:04.889)      Bxg5    (1:31.344)   
 21.  fxg5    (0:11.104)      g6      (0:22.203)   
 22.  Rec1    (1:44.815)   
      {Game drawn by mutual agreement} 1/2-1/2

All in all I'm reasonably happy. Other than move 15, I don't see any major blunders, which was my main objective going into the game.

Building a base continues

The last week has been devoted to:

1. Getting into a tournament with STC Bunch on FICS that will give me an excuse to actually play regularly


2. Sprucing up openings (first 5-6 moves) using BookUp to avoid surprises


3. Getting into the habit of doing tactics problems

While I haven't been as diligent as I would have like to be, I'm satisfied with my progress. It's a reasonable beginning. I need to keep this in balance or else my interest is likely to burn out too quickly.

I'm finding that even a small amount of tactical practice has a significant effect...at least on my performance on the Tactics Server. I can see things much more quickly that I could when I started. May be my imagination? I have my first STC tournament game tonight, so we'll see if it translates into a game situation as well. I'm going to focus on avoiding major tactical blunders.