
My USCF regular and rapid ratings reach new peaks
On the 6th, I finished the third and last round of a g60 tournament held by my local chess club. In the previous rounds, I had beaten a 1305 and lost to a 1668. In this game, I was facing a 1574 named Dave. He's the assistant TD, and practically all of our other games have been draws, and this result was no different.
However, I am a bit disappointed in myself. Although I'll be gaining a few rating points, I should have pressed for the win, as I was winning practically the entire game, and had about a +3 advantage when I accepted the draw. I guess my excuses are that I was exhausted and didn't see the piece sacrifice that would have won me the game.
Basically, I outplayed him on the white side of a Benoni, and ended up with a better structure, a superior passed pawn, and more active pieces. I knew I had to be winning, but just couldn't finish it off. Anyways, here's the game with some commentary, and I hope you enjoy.
So, my regular rating increased from 1447 to 1502 and my rapid rating increased from 1514 to 1529. I thought this was also pretty cool because this is my 6th classical tournament in a row where my rating has gone up.