2021 Chess.com Daily Chess Championship
Thursday 7th January 11:25pm AEST
I WON MY OTHER GAME AGAINST MASTERCARD117!!!!
I am absolutely over the moon. I have defeated user MasterCard117 (2028 rated) as both black and white. These wins mean I have secured my place in Round 2. My current tally is 21W/0L/0D. Thank you to everyone who has followed along my journey.
Here is the game as well as my analysis. Note my tactic heading into this game was to force a draw, however as the game progressed into the end-game, I soon realised I could win. I used the chess.com openings as much as I could.
In the below game, I played a very common "drawn" line in the Berlin Defense.
Thursday 7th January 12:40am AEST
Sircamos vs Mastercard117 full game analysis
I have provided my analysis/thoughts on my important win over Mastercard117 below.
Wednesday 6th January 2:58pm AEST
BIG WIN OVER MASTERCARD117!!!!
I have been very busy over the last few days so I havent had time to post, however there has been some significant updates:
1. I have WON my game as white against MasterCard! Below is the final position. After the position from the previous blog update, I went on to sacrifice the exchange back for a winning position. This is my biggest win ever - on any time control. I am over the moon, as this win brings me 1 step closer to qualifying for the next round.
I will post my full analysis on the game later this afternoon, however here is the link to the game:
2. I am in a rook pawn end game against MasterCard in the other fixture. This game is currently live and I have 11 hours to make a move. I am up a pawn, however I am trying to trade pieces without letting his king get too active.
3. I am in some close positions in other games, and will post my analysis later
4. LADDER UPDATE:
Despite my win over MasterCard, we are on equal points as he has won some important fixtures, including a big win over Rooknrules, who seems to be higher skilled than 1200 rated.
Monday 4th January 4:18pm AEST
Sircamos (1537) vs MasterCard117 (2028) - ....or not?
However, MasterCard has opted for Qxd5. I now have a very interesting move which I have spotted, and I will have to analyse very carefully. 24.Qd1!? not only defends the c2 square, but attacks the knight on e8 which is pinned. It also makes room for Nd2 now, forking queen and rook.
Monday 4th January 4:03pm AEST
Sircamos (1537) vs MasterCard117 (2028) - DISASTER 
I have made a huge blunder! He will now play Rxc2 or Qxc2 and it appears my game as white is over. Perhaps I should have gone for the safer option in 20. Rf1.
Monday 4th January 3:30pm AEST
Sircamos (1537) vs MasterCard117 (2028) position update and thoughts
We are officially out of theory in both games. I have posted my current position as white against MasterCard below. Black has just played 19...Qf6!, attacking my f3 pawn and creating future checkmate problems on b2. He is also threatening Rc8 some time in the future, which looks scary. Now I must come up with a defense. Here are my thoughts:
a) 20. Bg5 (attacking the queen) runs into 20...Qxf3, which looks bad for me as my e pawn will soon be captured.
b) 20. Ng3 (attacking knight and leaving pawn defended if knights are traded) is no good, as black can respond 20...Qxf3
c) 20. Bh6
- 20...Bxh6 21. Qxh6 Qxf3 22.Nd2 (forking queen and rook) Qxe2 23.Nxc4 bxc4 24.Rg5. Here I am 2 rooks for a rook and 2 minor pieces, and am also down a pawn. However I am threatening Rg1, which is hard to stop for black.
- 20...Qxf3 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qxd6. Looks good for me i think as capture on e4 is met with Nd2
d) 20. Rf1. Passively defending the pawn, however also threatening f4 some time in future. I am choosing between c or d; passive or all in. I am going to play option c). I hope I have not missed anything.
Sunday 3rd January 9:35pm AEST
Two more wins!
My games against user rishabh7738 (1246) have now finished and resulted in wins, bringing my tally to 8W/0D/0L.
Here is my analysis of my game as white. In this game, I had the advantage from the beginning, as my opponent made 2 early blunders and I forced an end game where I was 2 pawns up.
Here is my analysis of my game as black. Overall I missed a few big chances, however managed to find a solid move to win the game.
Sunday 3rd January 2:30pm AEST
Sir Camos (1537) vs MasterCard117 (2028) Update
This has been one of my slower fixtures. My tactic in both games is simple - keep the game as simple as possible and following opening moves from the "Openings" tab, while understanding the ideas behind these moves. (Disclaimer: this is legal). Both games are still in opening theory.
The links to both games are here:
Note: As I am posting live game analysis, I have locked comments.
Sunday 3rd January 2:25pm AEST
Tournament Update
I remain undefeated in all games, picking up another win against KaladinLirin (853) bringing my tally up to 6/0/0. I am also in a completely winning position in my games against rishabh7738 (1246), although admittedly he has caused me some difficulty. However I am proud of finding a winning move in the endgame as black (see below).
The game was traded down to a relatively equal end-game where I was down a pawn, however I found 25...Rxf2! which swung the game back in my favour. However the most critical moment was on move 27, where white played b4??, trying to push the bishop away and also discouraging Rxf2. However, what he missed was 27... Bxf2+ 28 Kh1 28...Bd4!, winning the bishop.
Saturday 2nd January 6:23pm AEST
Tournament Update + puzzle from earlier win
Mazzetticapital (398) has timed out in both games, leading to 2 wins. This brings my tally up to 5W/0D/0L.
Meanwhile, I was quite proud of this below game as white against KaladinLirin (862). I challenge you to find the absolute best move for white. Please leave your guesses in the comment section. There are many wins - I believe I found one of the more creative moves.
SPOILER: I played 20.Bxc5! with the idea of 21. Qh6 winning the game.
Saturday 2nd January 6:18pm AEST
MasterCard117 (2028) vs Sir Camos (1537)
In my game as black, I have tried the Berlin Defense against the Ruy Lopez, with the aim of trading pieces and getting a draw. However, MasterCard117 has played 8.Qe2, refusing the trade of queens and putting the ball back in my hands. I replied with 8...Nd4, forcing trade of knights and putting my queen in the centre of the board. This has all been played over 60 times in master games.
Keep track of the game here: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/298399650
Saturday 2nd January 5:20pm AEST
Sir Camos (1537) vs MasterCard117 (2028)
The big game. Currently, I have won 3 games, an am in a winning position in 2 games. The others are relatively even. In this game, as white, the game has transposed into a Sicilian Accelerated Dragon, which is one of my weaknesses. I will reply 8...d6 with 9. f3, securing the centre.
Keep track of the game here: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/298091530
Saturday 2nd January 5:00pm AEST
My First Win!
My opponent, LA2005 (1008) tried to counter 2.Nf3 with 2...f6? I consider this the absolute worst reply. It not only opens up the king side, but allows me to play 3.Nxe5! which is already winning for white. The point is, after 3...fxe5 4.Qh5+, black cannot block with 4...g6 due to 5.Qxe5+, forking the king and the rook. Also, after 4...Ke7 5.Qxe5+ 5...Kc6 6.Bc4+, black's best response would have been 6...d5, opening up his light square bishop to help with the defense.
Note to prevent this king hunt altogether, black could have played 3...Qe7. However this puts his queen in an awkward position after recapturing the pawn.
Saturday 2nd January 4:00pm AEST
Introduction
So Round 1 begins, and the games get swiftly underway! I am the 2nd seed in my group, with most players ranked around 1100-1200 elo. The key to getting through this game will be my match against user MasterCard117 (2028 elo), who holds the first seed in my group. I will be looking to snatch a draw in both fixtures, and win the other games against lower rate opponents.
The matches began at around 8pm AEST on the 1st January 2020 (Sydney, Australia). I had just finished my family dinner when I checked and noticed I had 22 games to start!
My strategy for this tournament is to consistently play Ruy Lopez as White, and Nimzo-Indian against 1.d4 as black. These are my strong points, and I will be looking to play these openings as often as possible.
I will be giving live analysis of my game against MasterCard117. This is a must-win (or draw).
Buckle up and join me as I try to finish 1st in the group and make it to Round 2!
