Day 56: Analysis and Hard Study
I do sympathize with Nepo because for the first half of the World Championship even though he didn't win any games he played well, then after Game 6 his top form wasn't there anymore, and that must be due to psychological reasons.
So here is the analysis of the cup game I played. A very very poor amateur game. I played the opening pretty well and only needed to play f4 and I would have almost certainly won the game.
None of this is rocket science. Making the wrong recapture in the game led to complications that led to more blunders. That early Qe2 move must be committed to memory as it pins the pawn and makes life simple for White.
I've given my opinion on the hillbilly attack before. I was doing slightly better as Black but then missed a free piece. Do not play tired.
Now for the Mat Bobula exercises:
Evaluating the position. There are three positions.
- Nepomniachtchi - Bobula 2001
- Keres - Geller 1962
- Alekhine - Capablanca 1927
For each position Mat recommends evaluating Material, King Safety, Pawn structure and Piece activity and then writing a summary.
The following is a spoiler because you should do these exercises yourself.
The following may also be flawed/incorrect, I have not seen the model answers yet.
Nepo - Bobula 2001 position:
- Material is equal
- King Safety - Both Kings are castled and safe
- Pawn Structure - White has more advanced pawns and slightly more control of the center, however Black also has a good pawn structure and can attack the center with c5
- Piece Activity - White is more active for two reasons:
1) White has rook on the d-file whereas Black's rook is inactive on a8.
2) White's bishop on f4 is slightly more active than Black's Bishop on e7,
however control of the c5 square is likely to be important and Black's bishop may be able to capture there. - Summary: White is slightly better
Keres - Geller 1962 position
- Material - White has an extra two pawns
- King Safety - White's King is safe whereas Black's King is exposed and vulnerable
- Pawn Structure - White has a couple of isolated pawns but Black's pawn structure is worse. Black has two connected pawns but they are passively placed and the pawn near the Black king is weak
- White's pieces are more active than Black's pieces
- Summary - White's position is much better and just a few more good moves should either lead to resignation or checkmate
Alekine - Capablanca position
- Material - White has an extra pawn
- King Safety - White is shielded from check by his pawns whereas Black is vulnerable to check, however neither side is likely to get mated unless a pawn is able to promote
- Pawn structure - White's three connected pawns are better than Black's three connected pawns
- Piece activity - Although Black's king is vulnerable to check it is more actively placed than White's King. On the other hand Black's king cannot move as far up the board as White's king can because of the Rooks. Also Black's King is prevent the pawn on the f-file from advancing. Both rooks are reluctant to move off the a-file because White wants to promote the pawn and Black wants to capture it.
- Summary - White's position is better, but whoever plays the better endgame is likely to win
Creating the Plan
Mat says we should ask ourselves these two questions:
Attack or Defense?
Queen's side, Center, or King's side?
In all three positions I think White is better and should attack.
In the Nepo-Bobula game I think attack in the center. d5 looks a good move to me because of the relative pin on the e-pawn
In the Keres-Geller game, attack on the King side
In the Alekhine-Capablanca game, attack on the King side but if the rook moves push the pawn on the a-file.
Reviewing the last week compared with the last 30 days
I had a run of seven straight wins in rapid games but then recently I went on a losing run. Is this just luck or has my form dropped recently? The insights feature may give some clues:
Last 30 Days: 7 wins, 3 losses, 78% average accuracy
Last 7 Days: 3 wins, 3 losses, 75% average accuracy
Day 55: Don't play tired
I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to play a rapid game. I blundered and lost and then played another game and blundered 7 times in that game. Then I played a blitz game and won that but only because the other guy left. Lesson: never attempt to play a serious game during the night. I didn't feel tired when I started playing but a few minutes later it hit me. If you're going to play in the night, play an unrated game.
Feeling thoroughly disgusted with myself today.
Notes for things to do tomorrow:
Mood: