Day 7 of Road to 2000 USCF
Hello, future GMs! 2 days in a row?? I know, right?
Today, my game was from late last year on a warm October morning. I had been prepared to play a 4-round Game/40 tournament, and felt confident.
A poor habit, or perhaps mindset I've always had, and perhaps due to overconfidence is my gross underperformances against weaker players. I typically will play worse on average against them, whether out of fear of losing to someone weaker, or my own overestimating of their capabilities. This game, at least early on, highlights that well.
If you are similar in that way, I hope this game can serve as motivation to always push for a win, even if the position feels like a wasteland, because if your opponent is a couple hundred points weaker than you, that's likely for a good reason.
So, let's get into my game with the Black pieces:
