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Not Sure If Brilliant Sacrifice or Horrible Blunder

Not Sure If Brilliant Sacrifice or Horrible Blunder

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The following game was one that I played in the 2011 NC Open. I had the black pieces and going into this round I had 2.0/3. This being the 4th round, I needed to produce a win if I wanted any chances at a cash prize.

At the time, I remember feeling like I had just played some crazy sacrifice like Bobby Fischer. It is crazy what the younger and lower rated version of myself was thinking. Well, we all grow up eventually and in the meantime we have embarrassing moments like those.

Nonetheless, I actually submitted this game to Lev Alburt for his column in Chess Life titled: Back to Basics. I had completely forgotten about my submission in late 2011. It wasn't until May 2012 the day before my birthday that I looked in Chess Life to find my game published. I didn't even realize it until about the 10th move because I thought the game was familiar so I looked at the player's names and there was my name.

Here in all of it's 15 minutes of fame is the game with updated analysis:

 

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David Blackwelder
Charlotte, NC
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My name is David Blackwelder. I started playing tournament chess at the age of 22. I have worked my way from the 1200s to a peak rating of 1844 (December 2021). Those are my United States Chess Federation (USCF) ratings. My short-term goal is to reach a rating of 2000 which will earn me the Expert title. My long-term goal is to get the National Master (NM) title at a rating of 2200. As an adult they say it is near impossible, well I don't believe that. Therefore I am creating blogs and videos to help other adult players improve their chess. Thanks for following me!