Now...Why Did I Have To Go And Do THAT?!
Chess players, no matter if they're beginners, amateurs, or even Masters, are supposed to learn from their mistakes right? Figure out where you goofed, either through a post-mortem or through engine analysis, depending on if you play OTB, online, or offline. Right? That's how it's usually supposed to go. Pick yourself up with the new knowledge that you just gained and move on to the next one. Easy...right?
Earlier this week, I put up a blog where I included a game where i basically blundered on move 9 or so had resigned out of pure fricking embarrassment. It was a Friend Mode game on Fritz 17, but that didn't matter. What mattered were the emotions afterwards that I felt; embarrassment, bewilderment, and just pure stupid shock.
That leads me to the three games I played today, but not Friend Mode, pure 5|2 Blitz. Now, some history here. I've never played a TIMED game either on Fritz 12 or 17. My last timed game was on Chessmaster 10 eons ago as I was climbing the ranks in that game. Those were more traditional time controls, as close to FIDE WCC time controls as I could get.
Now, I said this last blog and I'm saying it again; I'm not a great chess player. I'm probably not even a good...alright, decent chess player and the illness I suffer from makes it hard to concentrate and think as it is, let alone playing blitz chess against an unfeeling, unemotional machine. I know I'll never play OTB. I know I'll never play Daily or LIVE Chess here. I'm fine with that. I play for the enjoyment, but I don't like feeling inadequate or a caveman patzer...which is exactly what I did in the third of three games I played just a few minutes ago.
Earlier in the day, I actually managed a draw in 5|2 as black in a D27 QGA Classical Main Line game, an opening I actually know a good bit about, and I was thrilled that I managed my first non-loss in a Non-Friend Mode Fritz game. I felt like holding a block party. That wasn't how I felt just now.
I've already analyzed the game using F17, so the PGN is going to include that same analysis. So here it is...
The killer for me right out of the starting gate was 1. b4, so that alone threw me off my game. 1. e4 or 1. d4...fine. That I can do, but 1. b4 was the last thing I expected, and that's not an opening I have any study for.
As you can see, there's a couple of "Huh?" moments in this game for me. One of them came with 7... Bd7? instead of 7... 0-0 like I initially wanted to do. The kicker was 19... Bd7? (yes...that same move again) which basically led me to a self-mate in 6. PFFT!!!
I don't know what's worse; that error the other day or this, either way, I'd like to make a blog one day on this thing where I'm hooting and hollering about a win, not another "hide in the closet" moment like I had the other day and today. Must be old age.
As always, be kind in the comments, although you probably have aching ribs from laughing so much at my inadequacies in chess. It is what it is.
-Mark
