It's been a while

It has been a while since my last post, and since my last game for that matter. It has been a long summer with little or no chess at times. Once again, it is time for the annual club championship tournament. I have no hopes whatsoever of becoming club champion, but I enjoy the training of playing against stronger players. This game is a bit interesting, since I was facing the same player that I played in my first OTB game. A bit nostalgic in that sense, and also a useful gauge for measuring my progress over the past year.

The position below shows a critical point of the game. My opponent wants to open up the position, and I need to make a decision about how to handle this. 

If you've clicked through the moves, you have probably seen many mistakes on both sides, and perhaps you disagree with some of my proposed lines. Please feel free to share any comments you may have about the game.

Either way, I have a few things that I take away from this game. First of all, I want to congratulate myself on the progress I've made over the past year. I am facing an opponent that has wiped me off the board a couple of times, but I managed to get a much better position. Of course, this does not change the result of the game, but it is still a merit in my book. Secondly, I need to learn when to take breaks. When playing complex games such as this one, calculating all the variations takes its toll on my cognitive ability. I spent too much time at the board, and lost focus. With a more diligent approach, I may have found better moves and at least avoided the loss, and maybe even collected a full point against a stronger player.

I will take with me those two points to the next game, which will be played on Monday. I will probably post about that game too, if it is not too painful. Wish me luck!