UP Open ~ Brimley, MI. Rd. 1

Are you like me?  Debating about whether to play in the next weekend Swiss.  I decided to play this weekend.  Surprisingly, several players over 1800 showed up and I was paired on Board 1 in Round 1.

I was informed a little late that my opponent loves to attack, but I got this sense already over the board.  I was thinking that the computer would play ...Be7 here and get the knight over to the kingside to provide some cover for the king.  My idea to swing the bishop around to c7 is not bad, but I don't think my priority should actually be targeting white's errant e-pawn.  If it falls, it will happen of its own accord in due course.

A curious sideline from this game is that I stumbled upon the blog of Dana Mackenzie a few days after my game with Eric.  It turns out that Dana locked horns with Fischvogt back in 1991.  I feel like I got very much the same opponent DM described in his piece.

Lessons:

• Flexible moves can drive your opponent bananas.  If there's nothing to chew on, it might take a while for your opponent to spit out a move.
• Just like the violinist before the recital tunes her instrument, tune your mind to your opening objective.  Are you steeled to go toe-to-toe theoretically as far as you can?  Do you want to reach an original and playable position?  Finally, cross your heart and hope to die, did you prepare to play your pet opening?  Just don't screech all over the place.  All the fun should be in the middlegame, so don't show up with your muffler dragging and tail-lights blown out by move 13 if you know what I mean.
• Settle down.  SETTLE DOWN!  If you ever aspire to play chess with experts, acknowledge that the game will be decided in the endgame.  If your losses are not reaching endgames, you are playing out of your class.
• Always consider captures, and be wary of natural developing moves in the late opening.  Often the oven has been pre-heated by that point and there are red-hot tactics in the centre to consider first.
  • which brings me to my next point, put off today what you can do more emphatically tomorrow or the next day.  What I mean is, while it's great to capture back a pawn, there might be an intermezzo which allows you to recapture gracefully in two or three moves.
• Plans.  You know you need them.  If you have two plans, weigh the pros and cons carefully.  I had a plan in this game - yeah!  It wasn't the best though, and I knew better.  That little red heron on your shoulder might be eating a red herring, but it's trying to tell you something.  Remember the kingfisher, seeing through this writer's flock of metaphors, allegories and epithets, sagely reminds us "always remember King safety in your plans!"