T88 (T4545 League)

This last season I was able to win 5 of my 6 games in the ICC T4545 league. I was on Board 3 most of the season, with my only loss coming on Board 1. I want to share with you my game from the first round of the playoffs. It is also the first time my team has been able to advance to the playoffs. We tied 2:2, but did not advance because the tiebreak this week was to throw out Board 1, which we won. Ugh.

The take home for me from this game is to castle earlier, even into the Bg5 pin. It doesn't always spell trouble, but I'm learning to discern. Without castling, it was better to keep pushing pawns, rather than Nh4. Also, my calculation regarding taking the Bishop on e5 was spot on, so that is improvement. Anyway, T89 is right around the corner starting on July 6. Likely my Fixed Rating (for T4545) went up so I will have to play Board 2 or 1. That is a very tough assignment in this league, but definitely helps me improve.