Musings from the 7th Rank

The Heavy Atom

Within the space of a few moves the master had spun a dark vortex that encapsulated all my pulsating chess knowledge in the space of four squares.

1. c4 Nf6
2. Nc3 e5
3. g3 d5
4. cxd5 Nxd5
5. Bg2 Be6
6. Nf3 Bd6
7. d4

No matter how long I stared at the position her truths would not be revealed to me.  Instead, my thoughts were sucked out of my head and kept streaming into the board.  The time continued slipping away but I was determined to win the battle for a concrete thought. 

7. … Nc6
8. O-O O-O
9. Ng5 Nxc3
10. bxc3

Nothing materialized.

Finally I broke free of the trance and played a move at will.  A mistake.  A fatal one.

The way to continue is to place the Bishop on the vulnerable b1-h7 diagonal. 10... Bf5 11. e4 Bg6.

A few more moves later I resigned.  The hideous spider emerging from her web and laying eggs around my King.

10. ...Bc4?

11. Qa4 Bxe2?
12. Qc2 f5
13. Qxe2 Qf6
14. Qh5 h6
15. Bd5+ Kh8
16. Nf7+ Kh7
17. Ng5+ Kh8
18. Ne6 Rfe8
19. Bg5

I learned something.  Instead of staring into the abyss, I need to learn to skip stones across it.  And to select my stones carefully.  There are many polished stones of various sizes by the seashore.  It was only when I reached for a piece of broken glass, I knew what I was holding, and decided to launch, that I thoroughly detached myself from reality and into practicality.  Time gentlemen, time.