The Grinder
Before I post my latest tournament game, I'd like to mention that I am not a positional chess player in the slightest. In this tournament both of my losses came from over-agressive speculative play designed to turn a slow position into a tactical one.
This game was played in the final round. My chances of finishing in the money were already shot (thanks to an extremely strong turnout rather than my own play) but I needed a win if I was to expect any rating boost from this tournament.
Playing black, we end up in the closed Ruy Lopez; not a bad line for black but the last thing I want to play against a 10 year old prodigy who could have settled for a draw.
Thankfully I managed to find some interesting ideas and the game never looked like a draw. It is full of tiny little innacuracies (and an unfortunate game ending blunder) but is definitely worth a look.
Enjoy!
"The ability to work hard for days on end without losing focus is a talent. The ability to keep absorbing new information after many hours of study is a talent." - Garry Kasparov