It's 2026 ... I'M BACK - ROAD TO 2200 Part 1
I'm back to tournament play after a few years! Of course I've still been playing and teaching online. But there's a big difference to playing on a digital board versus playing on a real board, with real plastic or wooden pieces. With a real clock you hit with your hand. Being in a tournament hall with real people. This is REAL chess. Rated, OTB tournaments.
I came into the tournament in the 4th round, so 5th round is next week. After that, I should be able to start in a real tournament from the beginning.
With all that being said, my first game back was rough. I took it down a line I am fairly familiar with (if you've followed my blog for a while, you know I love the Catalan since I watched Anand and Kramnik play their World Championship match way back in 2008). However, we ended up in a weird position where I missed the move ...a5! My opponent played extremely accurately and started an aggressive queenside attack, opening up lines and making his pieces active. I ended up down a pawn and with no good activity. Good job by my opponent (1845 Elo) for playing solidly and accurately (over 90% accuracy! vs my 85%).
Things I've learned from this game:
1. Go more in depth with Qb3/Qb6. This ...a5 move is ever-present in the position and you better be sure you know what you're doing if your opponent finds it.
2. My time lagged behind a little, but only about 10 minutes. I think I handled the time pressure pretty well and allocated my time accordingly.
3. I played accurately, and had the bishop pair. But the bishop pair only really works in an open position. In a closed position, the knights can still dominate, as they did.
Overall, I'm happy with this game, even though it's my first loss when I come back. But it doesn't depress me. I always tell my students that every game you learn from is actually a win. And I learned alot. This is the start of my journey to 2200. I am committed to getting a real norm as a National Master. And I'm ready to put in the time to achieve it.
