My last three losses were not due to any horrendous blunder. Merely I've been losing it in the end game and not playing it correctly. I have good tactics, good positions in the middle game but once the position quiets down to the endgame, my soft under belly is exposed.
At least I have a clue as to where I should focus some extra study time. Here is a sample from the weekend of good times with the high octane Chess loser and kindred spirit. We sure had a good time. We'd help center each other prior to the start of each round.
7 comments:
I think you totally outplayed black.. too bad it got away in the endgame!
nice game.
to me, several times it looked like you were really losing bad, then honestly looking like you were winning good, then losing bad again, then winning once more with the kingside phalax of pawns, then finally losing again. ouch. we all have these games.
thank you. dk
"The person that makes the next to last mistake wins the game"
Can't remember who said that...
its always fun when you see your own play improve... Even better to see good in games where you were defeated.
I'm huge on an incremental and systematic approach to improving my chess. Its refreshing and encouraging to see others with the same view.
Cheers!
Some comments:
I think you could have drawn this game as late as move 53. 53.Ra7? Drawing (I think) was 53.Rf2. Protect that pawn, so you can exchange rooks. I'm not sure if you could achieve a Philidor, because your king was cut off. But by protecting the pawn you give your king some time to get back into a defensive position. 53.Rf2 Rg4 54.Kd3 54. Rxf4 55.Ke2! This move lets your king get back, and his rook is pinned to his king. Thus, you're going to trade rook no matter what, and his king doesn't have opposition. 52...g5 what else is there? 56.Rxf4 Kxf4 57. Kf2 =. Did you think that the K+P vs. K ending was lost? Is this why you didn't go there? If you take one lesson from this game, it should be
how to learn when to exchange down into K+P vs. K endings. Know exactly when you can win or draw these things. This is a bite you can chew and swallow.
This is one line. Who knows if you could have drawn in all variations, but... I also agree that Kg2-h3, was the best plan earlier. Your rook was behind the passed a-pawn, and that was enough to keep it from queening.
Black also made some mistakes in the opening when he let you gain a few tempos (...Bb4+). In general, I thought that you did not play aggressively enough in the middlegame.
Cute tactic (Nxd5), but tighten the screws instead. In the end you didn't win the pawn, because Black got counterplay (rook on 7th, etc.).
Howard
@anon: thanks for the support.
@DK: Yes, the game did feel like a roller coaster. The cold slap in the face at the end was not too hard.
@Chessaholic: Google had no answer either. I think i saw it in Larry Evan's Chess Catachism or something like that years ago.
@DanB, I am working on consistency these days. My play has been all over teh map. I am consciously trying to approach each game with the same mindset. So far so good.
@howard: You are no doubt spot on. At the least I should have drawn that endgame. Knowing when to exchange the rooks to a favorable K + P endgame is critical for forward progress at my level. I really don't know why I tried to march my king over to the a-pawn. I knew the Rook could hold the pawn.
Earlier, instead of hte cute Nxd5 move, I would have been better off keeping the pressure with the thematic Rfe1 since I was already putting a lot of pieces on that square. The "thrill" of an interesting central pawn grab with tactics overcame my senisble need to build up the pressure. As a result, it allowed Black to come in on my c-file.
HI blunderprone i just herd that ed lafferty is serously sick with cancer. is he o.k or are we going have a funeral for him that is ed Lafferty.he is a member of the merowest chess club.
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