A Record to Remember

A big hello to all chess players and fans!  I’m glad you’re here!  Today (as you’ve probably guessed by the title), I’m going to tell you about a few records that I have just recently broke and how to break some of your own records as well.

When I started to play chess in November 2015, I had one idea in mind…make 1600 by January 2016.  Since that day in November, I have gone from 803 to 1339 increasing my rating by 536 points and putting me only 261 points away from my goal!  The struggle over 1300 was the most exciting time in my (and I’m sure many others) chess playing career.  So, on to my first point!

Chess.com member Commander_Scott, which I’m sure many of you have heard or seen, had to leave the site for a while due to health conditions and other complications.  The group “Civil War Memorial Chess Club”, which he faithfully attended to, hosted a Team Match in honor of our commander.  I was matched against chess.com member Navarro50 who at the time was rated between 1423 and 1450. 

The first game is as follows…

This win scored the first point for our team and left us trailing by 1 point.  It also shows the importance of the ability to plan a strong attack.  Navarro50 failed in this and his mistake (as you can see) was fatal.  I spent about 40 (sometimes more) seconds on each move analyzing different lines and positions.  And I guess all the time paid off!

Now, with no more “wasted time” I’ll hop into the second game of the Match…

This game shows the importance of knowing endgame techniques.  Although I made a huge blunder, the game still moved into my favor as Navarro50 ignored some basic skills needed to “play winning chess”.  To sum it all up, STUDY YOUR ENDGAMES!

I am glad that you have made it all the way down to the bottom of this blog and I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have playing and writing it!  If you did, go ahead and leave a comment!  Until next time, put on your game-time face and play some winning chess!