Micro-Swiss Game #2: crazylasker vs. -waller-
So, played another slow chess game today!
I was Black, as in the last edition, and this time up against crazylasker, a strong player with a mid-1600s standard rating. The opening was the "sideline" of the Dutch Defence with 2.Nc3 and 3.Bg5, which everybody seems to be playing round about now! I'm not aware if there is a reason for this sudden trend - more likely it is just a statistical trend.
Anyway, I was well enough prepared in this variation, and my opponent was thinking much more in the early stages. Then, on move 13 my opponent played a speculative sac of a knight for two pawns! Objectively bad, but the compensation was that my king was not in an ideal spot wandering around the central files. However, I managed to defend successfully, and even managed to bring the game to a short tactical conclusion moments later.
Although the game lasted only 22 moves, I was pleased at playing only 1 inaccuracy by the site computer's reckoning (well, 2 - but I dispute the computer's harsh treatment of 1...f5!). The inaccuracy came a couple of moves after the sac - at a typical point where there are many ways to try and defend - the "correct" move not at all obvious.
Here's the game:
I was really pleased with the way I handled this one. Any chessplayer who has been on the end of one of these speculative-type sacs will know that objectively being better is small comfort sometimes, when the king position is shaky and a false step could lead to instant death! Good game to crazylasker, he set me some problems to solve indeed. And thanks for reading!