I beat Josh Waitzkin
I just played my first long game, against none other than Josh Waitzkin. And I won! Well... I did not play the real Josh. I played his AI personality on chessmaster - at the age of 8.
Still, this AI is rated at 1600, and I won. So my conclusion is that my a priori estimated rating seems fairly accurate.
The game in its entirety is provided below along with annotations I made during the game. I have also had Houdini 1.5 analyze the game for me to spot my mistakes. I have not made any extensive post-game annotations, but I have learned something about my game.
The diagram shows the position after 22...Nxc4. If you want a simple exercise, you can try to find the best move for white. I didn't.
Well, I did find the best move, but only after I had made 23. Qe2. I simply did not invest enough time, and just went for a move that seemed to work.
Apart from this mistake, I did a few more in the endgame, but with the only consequence that it took a little longer to get through.
I was pleased to learn that I did not make any horrid blunders. Sure, I made quite a few mistakes, but nothing devastating. That's reassuring. I was also pleased to find that I actually managed to use my time quite well. Usually, I would blitz out moves, and have 40 min on the clock when realizing I have lost the game. Not so this time.
I have learned a few things to take with me.
- Strategy: I need to get better at finding plans.
- Double check: Always consider alternative moves, check for tactics and forks.
- Endgame: I need to brush up on my technique and probably do some endgame exercises.
My first long game is finished. I feel satisfied with having beaten a player for whom I have the deepest respect. Thanks for the game, Josh.
