2012-12-05 Nowell-Santoro 1-0

60 minutes + 30 seconds per move.

It seemed to me that I had a good position from the opening, went a pawn up with 22. Bd6, then had to defend some threats but went on to win without ever being in real danger.

Fritz disagrees, giving a score of about -1.5 from about move 17 to 29. Then he says White shouldn't exchange the bishops, because it gives Black a big attack with ...Rb8 and ...Qa5. Well, I didn't see that and it seems my opponent didn't either. Again, I thought I was doing pretty well, specially after 37. Nd5 when I was fairly confident that I would be able to deal with the advancing pawns. Again according to Fritz, my confidence was premature. Black should save his bishop with 38...Bf3 and the game is level. Instead he moved his queen so that he would be able to retake with the pawn, and also threaten the pawn on f2; but this allows White to go up either two pawns or, as in the game, a knight.

Once again, time was a factor. Black had less than a minute left and was relying on the 30 second increment from around move 40. White had about ten minutes more, but it was 6:00 I had a lesson to teach at 6:15, so once again I had to send a text to the school to warn them I would be a little late. And of course I was worried that this distraction well into the third hour of play would lead me to throw away a win with a blunder.

But that didn't happen. I got to school a quarter of an hour late, and my boss asked what had happened. I told her I had been playing chess, which she had guessed, and that I had won, and she congratulated me, saying that such a delay was well worthwhile. I'm lucky to have such an understanding boss. Thanks, Orsola!