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Game of the Week: Race to the Finish

Game of the Week: Race to the Finish

ijgeoffrey
| 6

For my first Game of the Week, I am featuring a recent tournament game. It is from a chess.com thematic tournament, featuring my favorite opening as black: the Schliemann Defense, Jaenisch Gambit.
The gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5?!) is a response to the Ruy Lopez, and it seems to be debated as to whether or not it is valid. I have never personally seen it played in a master game, and I have met very few players who actually use it. I believe it has been used by masters though. The only concrete thing I can tell you about it is that in my own experience, it works out in my advantage almost every time. I rarely lose a game in which I use this gambit.
I came on strong early in this game, shoving pawns down my opponent's throat, and pulling a couple tactics which won me large amounts of material. Near the middle of the game, I made a blunder which cost me some material, but I was far enough ahead that I still had a winning endgame. In a risky endeavor, I intentionally let my opponent come dangerously close to promotion, hoping to checkmate before that could happen. It paid off in the end.
Enjoy! And please feel free to share your thoughts below!

 

As an intermediate-level player, I hope to provide a point of view on chess that is relatable and fun. Please check out my blog intro here!

Once a week, I post an analysis of one of my own games. I personally believe that self-analysis is critical to the development of the chess player. You can read my story (as relates to analysis) in my article, Why Analyze? 

In addition to my weekly game analyses, I also occasionally post my thoughts on some chess-related topic, such as resignation or stalemate. If you have a topic you would like me to see me write about, please message me with your idea. I would love to hear from you! happy.png

I also have a standing invitation to all members: send me your games! I analyze my own games all the time, and I would be more than happy to analyze some of yours. Now because of the time involved, I cannot commit to analyzing every single game I receive, but I will definitely look over every game I get, and I will do my best to do a full analysis and post it to my blog. 

Sincerely,

Isaac
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