The Win Streak Breaks

Everyone! My winning streak has sadly been taken! And not only that by a former opponent from another one of my articles. My pride, my dignity, my very humanity slipping away from me! To lose to a 1300 rated club player my heart sank, tears started pouring out of my eyes over the board before the game was over-- Okay I'm pulling your leg a little. I didn't decide on the spot that game to try to force someone to resign because they felt bad for me. I wouldn't have accepted their pity anyway! I was determined in that game, to snatch defeat from the hands of a draw! But you'll have to continue reading if you want to know the full story.

But before we go into a loss, I have to show you the first game where I devoured a person's soul, and I sucked the life force right out of them!

I had two missed opportunities here, I could have got punished for being a greedy pawn grabber! Which I honestly probably should have. I would have been a lot happier from a certain point of view if this was the game I lost. As I had the black pieces and was immediately put in a disadvantage. Not to mention there was about three or four times where I forgot to hit the clock, I think in total I lost about three minutes to that overall. Very poor by me! I wasn't feeling like I was in the greatest form anyway today. Though in my library, I have named every OTB game I have played so far, and this is the first one I have named this "Poor Sport."

I'm lowkey doing some therapy here dudes. So this dude, in the final position (the final position is slightly wrong I end up taking his knight on b4 but that part of the game wasn't to instructive to look over so I didn't try to hard to amend the err with whatever move I jotted down incorrectly.) This dude. Okay first off, he was using a program which annotates games, which theoretically I have no problem with. I wasn't going to fuss about it, but I would prefer my opponents annotate the game like everyone else, as I think it's good experience to amend any errors you make with notation. Even being an active chess.com member for years I'm still learning things about notation! But this dude, he was the type very similar to kids from Jeff High that I help while volunteering, there were several points he'd just hold a piece. HOLD IT, off the board. Like nowhere near the board, lowkey bout to ask this boy if he tryin to give piece odds sort of off the board. For a minute or two at a time, before making his move. And he had the audacity, to go to the guy and have him warn me about moving a piece with a different hand than the one I hit the clock with. The utter audacity. I let my intrusive thoughts slip out. And gently told him. "If there was a 5 minute penalty for that, in this position you still would have ZERO chance of surviving." (i had 6 minute, though let's be honest with the delay if there was a 5 minute and 50 second penalty I'd still win just as easily.) I understand that there is a certain procedure and etiquette, but it already seemed like he was fine doing things that could bother his opponent like holding a piece off the board while calculating for a prolonged period of time. Idk. Only nice thing I can say is he let me finish off my notation with his program. When he paused the clock to get the guy to warn me I thought he was resigning. The level of petty that is, well honestly if I did something that petty in such a lost position I wouldn't sleep comfortably at night. I'd be dying to crawl out of my very skin. It'd be different if I hit the clock before properly moving or something, but I thought it was exceptionally whiny.

This is the game that took me down. Part of my problem this game was that I played to fast. And Jillian if you are reading this, you played a fantastic game! While Na5 was considered dubious by the computer solving it over the board would have drained minutes off my clock and I think it was a very interesting practical try, and it ended up paying off because I didn't end up going with Ne5 but I did calculate it, I just wasn't convinced that giving up the pawn and sacrificing it was worth it. I also am a bit mad at myself and not being more objective. I saw I could push the pawn and exchange bishops earlier on, but I thought I kissed my winning chances goodbye if I did so. Chess.com's new feature saying how players performed for a specific game thought I played like a 2200 and you a 2350! So you did great. I lost my objectivity and should have accepted the draw, or at the very least not allow Nc4. Which was a brilliant move by you that won the game. I think had I slowed down a bit, maybe I would have flagged you, but I got hyper focused on playing quickly, and once I lost a piece well, it was over. I got a bit cocky too after last week I really doubted you would hold the tension as well as you did in this game. I'm honored that my first lost in Brownsboro could be by your hands in a long positional grind. Also thank you for not commenting on me hitting the clock with a different hand. I think I accidentally did early on in the game, and from thence forth made sure the pencil I had stayed in my other hand to prevent me from making such err again.

It sucks to say that I snatched a defeat from the jaws of a draw but alas it happens. I hope we get to rematch, it would be funny if only the black player wins in our games, considering thus far both times the black pieces have prevailed. Though two games is hardly a big sample size, anyway congrats on your victory. I don't know if you won all three rounds but if you did congratulations, and while it sucks losing when a draw was on the table I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Not to let this woman win but because I did think there was serious flagging chances had I kept equality and prevented Nc4. But alas, C4 as Ben Finegold has warned me for years, was explosive. What to do, I don't like losing to 1300s but I have to keep in mind club players are different than online and just because they are low ranked doesn't mean that "1300" or such in USCF is like a 1300 online, some of them have put up meaningful resistance. And I think a loss so early on is good, as if I kept on winning it'd give me the wrong idea. IF I want to get good at chess OTB to be seriously competitive in any capacity, I have to face the fact that quick games, and once I start classical games are nothing like the chess.com pool. In the chess.com pool of players I've proven myself. But players at these clubs play at a higher level, the barrier to entry is more, meaning even the weak players the fact that they are THERE and not at home says a lot about their urge to fight. And it's a lesson I won't forget. I also tried to analysis the game and I think the main take away is after being hit with a move like Na4, I need to spend more time and try to refute it over the board. 25 minutes isn't a huge amount of time but it isn't a light amount of time either. Thanks for the game!

There is nothing to say about this game other than HORRIBLE time management by me. While I'm cool about losing round two now, right after the round my mouth was foaming, with one thought revenge. And the victim was this little kid. My first ten moves I had spent less than ten seconds, just to see that I won his bishop, I wasn't even really looking at the board. One thing was on my mind, and that was how I WASN'T under any circumstances going to lose another round tonight. And losing some online games on time, today for the first time in a long time on Rapid had me ready to throw a board at this young-- No I'm kidding. I haven't lost it, I was ready to shake his hand and see him tip over his king after blundering his bishop in such a sad way. I debated whether or not even inputting the rest of the moves in the pgn as there is nothing to analyze really. What am I supposed to say? Don't blunder a bishop and don't imitate your opponent's speed? He played fast trying to match me, in the opening while I was going fast I still was being responsible, had he hit me with something completely unfamiliar I would have slowed down. But I had to get revenge. It was the only option, and that guy just happened to be the person who took my wrath after getting slaughtered by Jillian. Who I almost called Julian lol. It reminds me of that quote. "There is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal/grandmaster." And it was clear after last round this time there would be no survivors.

My brother also came with me again today and lost against the person I had played and beat in twelve moves being funny and saying that he would be a grandmaster. I think my brother just needs practice, as if I were that kids parents I'd be looking into a checkers club for the kid instead... I kidd, one bad game doesn't show a person's strength, if you look through my online games there are plenty where I play like a absolute bozo. He did end up winning a game, I wish I had another clean sweep, but ultimately these tournaments are baby steps and it's not the wins that form greatness. It's all the times you get shot in the leg and say, "I'm going to fight another day." I might not have won every battle, but the war, the war is long. And so is my endurance, even when things look like they might never get better. Within three weeks, winning 8 out of 9 games I don't think is that poor of a performance. And after one win streak ends, as good ol Sinvicta from youtube would say "Another win streak begins!" Hope you all found this analysis/recap of my Monday entertaining and found it somewhat insightful. I stuck to only 1.d4 today, I don't know if my lack luster performance means I need to switch it up, or if I should study more as a lot of what I know is theory I haven't studied in-depth in years. You never fully forget the ideas, but I know I'm not as sharp as I used to be (from the theory side, from the playing side my intuition has developed where I can get away with that to some extent.)

See you again soon, God Bless.