12 Boards at Once: 9 Wins, 2 Draws, and the One That Got Away.

Dear Chess Friends!

I'm excited to share the recording of my recent simultaneous exhibition on Chess.com, where last Sunday I played 12 games at once against players from all over the world. Instead of my usual workshop, I wanted to give you a real‑time look at how a master thinks during a game – the decision‑making process, the intuition, the recovery from mistakes, and the constant fight against the clock on twelve boards at the same time. The final score was 9 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. And I'll be honest with you about that loss: it was nobody's fault but my own – I moved too quickly, chose a careless move order in the opening, and simply hung a rook. Even a master gets punished for rushing! Below you'll find 3 annotated games that show the most instructive moments of the event.

Watch the full simul recording here, and let's dive into the games.

About the Simul

Playing 12 games simultaneously is a real test of concentration, time management, and pattern recognition. You don't have the luxury to calculate every line deeply – you walk from board to board and very often you must trust your intuition and your experience. My opponents were rated roughly from 1300 to 1700, and the games went from sharp gambits to quiet positional battles. I won 9 of them, drew 2, and lost 1 – that last one entirely because I played too fast and got the move order wrong, dropping a rook right out of the opening. It was an honest reminder that the clock and your own hand are sometimes more dangerous than the opponent. The three games below show different sides of the fight: punishing greedy opening play, surviving sharp complications, and converting a clean material advantage with technique.

Game 1 – A Gambit Rewarded (White vs. 1301)

• 11. Qd5! – I decided to try the Smith‑Morra Gambit, where White gives a pawn for fast development and the initiative. My opponent defended well for a while (6...a6! is a very useful move), but then he started to grab and to loosen his position: 8...b5 was already inaccurate, and after 9...Bg4 both the knight on c6 and the pawn on f7 became my targets. I played 10.Bxf6 Bxf3 11.Qd5!, a double attack the black pieces could not parry. After 11...Ne5 12.Bxe5 Bh5 13.Qc6+ Qd7 14.Qxa8+ I won the rook, and the rest was a clean finish: 15.Qxa6 dxe5 16.Qxb5+ Qd7 17.Qb8+ (here Black resigned) 17...Qd8 18.Ba4#.
• Lesson: In an open gambit position, development and the initiative are worth more than a pawn. Don't get greedy – every loosening move like ...b5 or a careless ...Bg4 can hand your opponent concrete targets.

Game 2 – Winning the Messy Battles (White vs. 1604)

• 6. e6!? – Against the Caro‑Kann I went into the sharp Tal Variation (4.h4 and 5.g4) and offered the typical pawn sacrifice 6.e6 to slow down Black's development. This is exactly the kind of double‑edged position where, in a simul, both players make mistakes – and we both did! I will be honest: I missed the simple 13.Qb5+, trading queens into a winning endgame, and later my 15.c3?? even handed the advantage back. But I kept posing problems on the board. After a long fight my opponent cracked with 22...Nd3??, a complete blunder of a rook. From there I was up a rook for a couple of pawns, and I converted carefully – trading down to avoid complications – until 45.f6 forced resignation, as the pawn promotes.
• Lesson: Sharp openings in a simul are a fight of nerves. You will not play perfectly – I certainly didn't – so don't panic after an inaccuracy. Keep creating problems for your opponent and let technique decide once you win material.

Game 3 – Punishing a Premature Knight (Black vs. 1396)

• 13... Nb4! – In an English Opening (a reversed Sicilian) I developed solidly, with the small but important prophylaxis 6...Nb6 so as not to overload my position. The game was completely equal until White rushed his first active move with 13.Nb5??. I answered 13...Nb4!, hitting the queen on c2 and the knight on b5 at the same time. After 14.Nxc7 Nxc2 15.Nxe8 Rfxe8 I had won material, and then I simply traded pieces to convert: 16...Nd4, exchanges on d4, and after 30...Bxa4 I was a clean piece up. The rest was technique – I even missed a nicer 27...d3+! – but the win was never in doubt, and the game ended with checkmate after a long king march.
• Lesson: Don't rush the first "active" move just because it looks aggressive. 13.Nb5?? walked straight into a fork. Patience and solid development – and the willingness to simplify once you're ahead – win far more games than flashy ideas.

"A simul reminds you of the most important lesson in chess: you don't need to play perfectly. You only need to play better than your opponent on each board, and to stay calm when one of them goes wrong."

What I Learned from My Loss

It would be easy to brush the loss aside – it was only one board out of twelve – but I think the honest games teach us the most. I didn't lose to a brilliant attack or a cheater. I lost because I was walking quickly between the boards, I trusted my hand instead of my head, and I played an inaccurate move order that dropped a rook before the middlegame even started. The lesson is the same one I give my students: speed is never an excuse for skipping the basics. Even when you are confident, even when the position looks familiar, take that one extra second to check what your move actually allows. I will certainly remember it in my next simul!

And if you'd like to train exactly these skills – spotting the forks, sacrifices, and tactical patterns that decided every game above – I have good news: this Friday a brand‑new cycle of my group lessons begins, “Mastering Tactical Vision for Club Players.” It's designed for players around 1300–1700 who want to stop missing tactics and start finding them, working together step by step, week after week. You can see all the details and join here: https://chesslance.com/mastering-tactical-vision-for-club-players/

Spots are limited, so don't wait too long if you want to join this cycle.

Have you ever played in a simul – as a participant or as the exhibitor? Share your experiences and questions in the comments below!

Best Regards,
FM Viktor Neustroev