Fourth round: beating my first 1900+
Hi again,
here it is the fourth game at XXVII Internacional Vila de Sant Boi. After losing the third game very badly I faced Jordi Cots, a strong player (for a U1950 tournament) who was a bit delayed in the ranklist because he could not play the previous round.
I played a Sicilian with black pieces and Jordi continued a Moscow line. White took the initiative at queenside, but soon all pawns at that side were blocked and fight moved to kingside, where black did a pawnstorm attack on king position. Under attack preassure white did a tactical blunder that finished the game.
The opening
As said above, I played a sicilian game and my oponent played the Moscow line, delayed d4 and prepared it with c3. I played a fianchetto at kingside to develop my bishop towards h8-a1 diagonal so we played a sort of dragon sicilian with both sides castled kingside.
This move surprised me a bit. I expected something like Bg5, developing the dark bishop and maybe then Qd2, targeting the fianchetto bishop, while I would try to gain control of c file and take the initiative at queenside, but white plans were others.
Middlegame: short play at queenside and attack on kingside
After Rb1 I thought in how to stop white's pawn attack, and decided to move a6 and to meet a4-b5 with b5, using the extra time to gain espace in kingside. After a few moves the play at queenside had finished and I launched a fierce attack to kingside. With more espace my idea was that I'd be able to combine attack on kingside and operations in c file and create weaknesses in white field.
End of the game
Black is better, but it's not clear how I can finish the game and I don't like my pawn structure in case white player succeeds in simplify the position and enter an endgame. However, game is quickly defined by a couple of blunders.
And this was my first win against a 1900+. After four rounds I'm 2.5 points, 14th in the ranklist (from 49) and the second one in the U1800 group.
Next week I'll be back with another game. See you!
