100 games
Well, thats 100 games on chess.com and what a ride it's been. Started off good enough, got really patchy in the middle and terrible at the end.
played 100: won 42, lost 55 and 3 draws. rating 1310
It woud seem that during these 100 games I failed to put what I had learnt into practice.
You see I started playing chess when I was at primary school. I have no Idea who taught me, I like to think that a chess Deity came to visit me in my sleep and bestowed upon me the ability to pin and fork at will. Unfortunately if this is true, that deity decided to make me a dodgy player with no real strategy or aim. I got away with this for years. Playing friends occasionally over the years I reckon I was quite good amongst my peers. then i moved to Newcastle and find that I get beat more than not. Stubbornly I refused to take on learning even when directed to great video tutorials, or excellent chess blogs. You see I wanted to do it intuitively, I didn't want all the rules and strategies in my head, i just wanted to wing it like i have always done, you know..."put away your opening book Nimbus, use the force" after all snatching victory from the jaws of defeat was my speciality.
I guess all my years of chess blaggery have come to a grinding halt on chess.com. All my bad habits are now slapping me in the face as I realise that most people actually have some idea of what they are doing, some even know what I am going to do before I do it. Ouch! Thanks for the humbling Kohai, Easyglider, Inthetoon.
It is time to do some learning, to stop believing that somehow chess skills are just going to appear, stop believing that everyone else is just going to blunder me the game when it was obvious that I was the one doing the blundering.
Time to learn the Indian defence, the english opening, time to see the board, to study the immortal game, to Fianchetto my bishop etc.
I'm off for a hundred more games and a read of the chessopedia (oh I never knew Ray Charles was into his chess)
See you on board.
Ojx
I would like to say thanks to all at chess.com for a great site. Keep up the great work. As soon as I have the money I will be upgrading my account. ;)
