USCF Rating Progress Graph... from Class C to Class A

I gained a whopping 120 rating points this past weekend.  Here's my updated USCF rating chart.

The Expert Title is now in reach.

57 tourneys!

Congratulations !

Could you share what you think were the most important ingredients to get theses results ?

If you were in India, you would be between 1700-1800.

cshuenss:  Yea, but considering my age (51), that's nothing.

I didn't even start playing in tourneys until I was 30.  Also, for many, many years, I had to work weekends, which made entering most tourneys all but impossible.  

For someone who starts entering tourneys, say in their 20s, and who can enter an average of just five each year, they will have about three times as many as I do, when they reach their 50s.

hicetnuc, I wish I knew the ingredients! 

These results are over a span of 20 years.  For too many years I couldn't enter many tournaments at all... I had to work on the weekend.  So this truly has been a long journey.

But I think it's a combination of playing and studying.

If all you do is study, you'll get better... but you won't be applying the knowledge you've learned, and the lessons learned won't sink in as well.

If all you do is play, you'll also get better... but if you don't know why you won or lost, you'll keep repeating the same mistakes for a long time.

To some, the right combination is 50-50... study as often as you play.

For others is 80-20 or even 20-80.  Everyone has to decide for themselves what is the best combination for them. 

Most players I know like to play.  I'm probably the opposite.  I can have as much fun, or more, studying the game than actually playing.

Aye, nice game - I especially enjoyed the light-squares bishop ballet

May I ask where your interest for the Torre comes from ? It's not very popular these days, or is it ?

Well Played sir. 

I have couple of questions:

1. On16th move (16.hxg3) why you chose to capture knight with h pawn rather than f pawn? I have seen this move more than once but generally don't understand it. See in the above game. 17-g8 diagonal was blocked so there was no threat of black's bishop annoying your king  in the absence of 'f pawn' and you could get f file open by 16.fxg3 so why open h file for black' Q and rook to start counter play?

2. Instead of 38. Rd5, why not 38.Qxc5 bxc5 39.Rxe7+ ?

Ed. I too started playing tourneys in my 30s, and my present rating looks to be close to yours (although I peaked at 1982 in 2012). Expert is indeed in reach! Those last 100 or so points are tough, though.

In my city, at present, the top players are all mid-1900s. To rise over 2000, one must leave town for tournaments, beat those who come from far away, or completely dominate the locals.

My graph's peak, and some reflection on the next steps, can be viewed at http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-time-for-reflection.html.

hicetnunc,

No big interest in the Torre.  I just happened to play it this round.  Putting my pawns on dark squares and then getting rid of that dark squared bishop by exchanging it has its merits.


king,

Normally you capture towards the center.  Intuitively, this position didn't seem to deviate from that norm.

fxg3 would be a slight mistake.  Black still has his dark-squared bishop and there could later be tactics along that open a7-g1 diagonal.

But more importantly (probably) fxg3 would weaken the e-pawn a bit, because it then becomes an isolated pawn and then never could be supported by a future f3, if needed.

I checked with Stockfish and hxg3 is indeed the preferred move, with a White score of -0.46 or so.  But if fxg3 is played, White's disadvantage climbs to almost -1.00.

Instead of 38.Rd5, Stockfish prefers Rxe7 now!  If Black captures the rook, White then plays 39,Qe5+ and gets his material back, with Rxb8  with a better position.

Just about anything wins at this point.  White's advantage is overwhelming.  Suprisingly, Qxc5 and then Rxe7 is just not as strong.


Ziryab - your blog looks like a great read... too good to read here at work!  I'll check it out in detail tonight.  Thanks.

Thanks Ed for explaining.. I think I now get the point why some people prefer hxg3 ather than fxg3. :)

Good game.

Congratulations Ed, keep your eyes on the prize. Cheers, John C.