I started blogging my unrated club games beginning with the final meeting of 2011. This one will showcase the games I played on the first Tuesday of 2012. Unfortunately, I managed to lose all 3 games (this just means I can learn a lot from all 3!). The first game was a theoretical contest in which I could not recall the theory. In game two, I exercise a lot of pressure on the opponent's king and my opponent does not have much space to work with, but in time pressure I almost literally hand the game over to him. In game three, I have overwhelming pressure in the center and on the queenside (albeit, with some small inaccuracies) but I suddenly hang a piece for zero compensation!
My first game is against H.H. (See previous blog for introduction of player)
My next game is against D.S.. D.S. is a very positional-style player. The two of us will occassionally try to surprise the other in the opening and we do prepare for each other and the other opponents at the club. His USCF rating is still provisional, so his rating is very inaccurate and should be significantly higher.
The final game of the night was against J.P.. J.P. is a knowledgable, attacking player who tends to avoid main-line continuations. When I am white against him, the opening tends to be a Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense that morphs into a K.I.D.-style game (at least by the pawn structure). This game, I was Black and had expected the opening (a Closed Sicilian / Grand Prix Attack). I thought the previous game was a disappointment, due to my pressure - but this game puts the icing on the cake for my day at the chess club. Fortunately, J.P. was grateful that I kept the notation of the game and was happy to go over the game immediately following the result.
I never like having a perfect 0-3 record for the evening (who would?) but hopefully I can learn something from this night. Feel free to leave any comments!
