Philly Open Day 2
I had a cheese steak of a second day at the 2014 Philadelphia Open. By that I mean I actually had a Philly cheese steak on the second day. And it cost me some 150 rating points in playing ability.
Am I the only one who's calculations get bogged down in the grease catcher when I eat the wrong things before playing? I mean, I've been beaten silly at the board by an opponent munching on a greasy pizza slice. It didn't hurt that guy's game.
If you don't know a Philly cheese steak from a hoagie, check out the link above and you'll understand why I lost both of my games that day.
Round 2
Lessons Learned
- Don't be so quick to capture a pawn--even a center pawn. If two pawns are hanging, one should have a bit of time before needing to make the capture. Rapid development and king safety so often trump small material edges.
- Maybe because of my cheese steak induced coma, I only gave my opponent's threats superficial analysis. I didn't rush my moves. But, I was too infatuated with my own possibilities. I should have spent more time asking Why? and ensuring I had sufficient counters to all the reasons he made his moves.
Round 3
Lessons Learned
- Don't play on auto-pilot, even on move seven to a kid wearing sports glasses. When playing an unfamiliar opening those early moves are so important as you try to define positive imbalances and position your pieces to enhance those imbalances.
