Activity, Activity, Activity
And the Genie said: "I grant you but one wish, and one wish only. Name what chess trait you most desire ...".
I quivered beneath his gigantic torso, meekly suggesting "Activity ... oh Great One".
With that, the Genie disappeared. Who is to know if my wish will be granted.
Some games you play have more twists and turns than Snakes and Ladders. I annotated one such game in my blog entry
https://www.chess.com/blog/blohmoremoney/indiana-jones-versus-the-boulder-of-connected-pawns-on-the-6th
Subsequently, GM Bojkov kindly reviewed my game and highlighted two really key ideas that I'll take away (in addition to the endgame concepts).
The Life of the Ruy Lopez Light Squared Bishop
My opponent here played 12. ... a5 which appeared a novelty. The reason this usually isn't played is because the knight at c6 is best to occupy this square.
I never really appreciated the appropriate moment to play a4 in the Ruy Lopez. But thus, if Black himself plays a5 then the pawn on a5 takes away from the very square the Black Knight on c6 would like to go to (to drive the Bishop away). Hence this is the moment to strike with a4, when Black has played a5.
One can't stress enough the ideal placement of the Bishop along the a2-g8 diagonal, and it should be a priority to maintain the Bishop.
Converging Lines: Unleash the Beast
I didn't consider the possibility of unleashing my Bishop with c5, for I felt it more important that the a1 Rook be activated. But this was a critical position because my Bishop can be eternally doomed with c5. I need to see activity or appreciate it with priority.
This is a critical moment, a skill in its own right to learn to recognise. Like Eminem said ... One Shot
