Chess in Boone, NC (part 2)

I just got back from Missouri where my basketball team dropped our season opener.  I found out a couple of weeks ago that I'm a lot closer to finishing the M.Div. program that I originally thought, so I've been scrambling to think through what I'm going to be doing in the near (and distant) future.  I am fortunately finding more time to play chess, though, as I slowly but surely get the rest of my life figured out.

The long awaited part 2 from my trip to Boone (find part 1 here) finally arrives!  As black, I started out well, and went through the whole game with superior pawn structure, along with an extra pawn, which should have won the game.  Ultimately, however, a major tactical blunder secured victory for my good friend Shannon, who was actually concerned that I wasn't in full form given my lack of foresight coupled with the fact that I had a bizarre case of hiccups that lasted that entire day.  There is no room for excuse, though, for those wishing to push themselves to become better players, and so let us begin my lesson in humility.

And so remember friends, beginning well is important, but not so much as following through, knowing how to utilize the advantages and imbalances that exist at the end.

-BRO