Here are my thoughts...
Road to 1600 Rapid, trying to improve after every game.
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WilliamShookspear wrote:
Here are my thoughts...
Hey, thanks for the input. Next time I face some kind of closed middle position opening systems like the Caro-Kann or the French, I`ll definitely try to play way more aggressively on the flanks and try to open lines. I`ve played the french a lot myself so I know it it can be very annoying to face opponents who aren`t afraid of pushing their f and g pawns liberally. Opening lines will be better for my playstyle. I think tactics are currently my strongest suit, which isn`t saying much as I still have tons to learn 
The thing with the caro is that the light-squared bishop on f5 can often become a target for you to gain tempo on with your kingside pawns. In the French, less so. If you tried something like 4. h4 in the advance French, Black would probably gang up on your d4 pawn before you could get anything on the kingside. White often does attack on the kingside in the French, but he does so after he has established his centre, ideally.
WilliamShookspear wrote:
The thing with the caro is that the light-squared bishop on f5 can often become a target for you to gain tempo on with your kingside pawns. In the French, less so. If you tried something like 4. h4 in the advance French, Black would probably gang up on your d4 pawn before you could get anything on the kingside. White often does attack on the kingside in the French, but he does so after he has established his centre, ideally.
Yeah, I`m talking about situations where both sides have developed and/or castled (though black doesn`t always castle but that is another discussion) white starts pushing the f and g pawns when you as black have a knight posted on f5 for example. This idea of pushing pawns when you can do so with tempo is definitely something I should keep in the back of my mind, as should I think about tempo and initiative more in general.
Yes, looking at ways you can wrest the initiative is an important part of a good game of chess. The other side to that, of course, is making sure you get something out of it! 
Jul 9, 2019
0
#66
Another interesting game.
One lesson I see is that players on chess.com here are very resourceful and creative in finding ways create, defend and push passed pawns. I am gradually learning to give fewer of them to my opponents, to deal with them more quickly when they get one, and try not to let them hang around very long. They look innocent at first, but they'll kill you if you let them linger.
Jul 9, 2019
0
#67
Hi Giasara - I am where you were at when you began - I just want to play and improve - and learn from others as we talk about our games - let's play
Jul 9, 2019
0
#68
TheSultan31003 wrote:
Instead of the rook sacrifice you could have played 16 Qe5 with a gorgeous double Attack threatening mate and the g7 pawn which would have been a decisive infiltration. I do not think you needed to sacrifice the rook in this position. The king was stuck in the center and was not going to be able to get away. I think calmly coordinating your pieces for the decisive attack may have been a little more sound. Thoughts?
I don't see how 16. Qe5 threatens mate. After 17. Qc7+, black has the e8 square available.
Game 36
Black
"The knight on the rim that wasn`t dim"
In game 35 I just forgot how to play chess, so let`s not talk about that one.. ahem. In this game I found some strong moves in complicated positions but ultimately I allowed my opponent to slip away unscathed. I forgot about the power of tempo moves once again.
Game 37
Black
"Iwanna fork on the table"
This game I played absolutely horribly, and I wouldn`t say it is very instructive, but I`m putting it here to show what happens when I forget how to play chess, and zone out, instead of thinking about every move. After this game I decided to take one day off chess playing to focus on studying and doing some physical activities outside. I would be getting some sun too, if there was any. Summer in northern Europe can tend to be very gray and rainy
Game 38
White
"Saving private L S Bishop"
So I took the 10th of July off to recuperate physically and mentally. I did some jogging, got a massage, and cooked a nice meal. I also decided I wouldn`t play another game till I had 2000+ tactics rating. Since I was already 1920 tactics rated already, achieving this goal went quite quickly, and I decided to dive into a game, refreshed and inspired. I faced the Blackburne-Shilling Gambit which is usually a comfortable position to play for white. I think I played very well this game, and I felt focused the entire time. Sometimes I can become too paranoid about blundering and play too stiffly, especially when on a bad losing streak, but this time I felt all the moves flowing naturally from the position.
EDIT: I wrote that I faced the Blackmar-Diemer gambit which was wrong, it was the Blackburne-Shilling gambit
EDIT: I wrote that I faced the Blackmar-Diemer gambit which was wrong, it was the Blackburne-Shilling gambit
Game 39
Black
"A fistful of pawns"
This game is my best one so far according to my own judgement. No blunders or mistakes, just straight up logical moves and logical plans the whole way. Taking a day off to de-tilt and reset really helped me.
So I started a game with the move e4 which I rarely play, and then this guy comes up with another version of the Scandinavian Defence which I don't really know how to play against. Anyway, I punished him. XD
Kevindaman123 wrote:
So I started a game with the move e4 which I rarely play, and then this guy comes up with another version of the Scandinavian Defence which I don't really know how to play against. Anyway, I punished him. XD
@Kevindaman123 That was a nice tactical game. If you play the scandi you should move the queen to a5 or back to d8. it`s never a good idea to start trying to attack with the queen alone
Game 40
White
"Overextended"
I`m not entirely satisifed with how I played this game. I played many moves which showed a lack of positional understanding and pawn structures. Pawn overextension and the added power it gives to minor pieces was big theme in this game which I failed to grasp fully and take advantage of as I was playing. I definitely need to be more alert to these things and look for opportunities to give up material to passivize my opponents position and show that rooks are not always better than minor pieces. Overall a very instructional game which I will look over again.
Giasira wrote:
Game 40
White
"Overextended"
I`m not entirely satisifed with how I played this game. I played many moves which showed a lack of positional understanding and pawn structures. Pawn overextension and the added power it gives to minor pieces was big theme in this game which I failed to grasp fully and take advantage of as I was playing. I definitely need to be more alert to these things and look for opportunities to give up material to passivize my opponents position and show that rooks are not always better than minor pieces. Overall a very instructional game which I will look over again.
@Giasira I found Game 40 to be a very nice and brief game. I however do not understand why you played 24.Ne4 immediately instead of 24.axb4 axb4 25.Ne4 because allowing your opponent to capture on a3 creates two pawn islands. Also, nice to learn how you focus on one task at a time, for instance, promoting the pawn at the end. If I were playing, I'd actually try to checkmate the black king immediately with the two minor pieces and would end up drawing due to fifty move rule. LOL XD
Game 41
White
"Repeat after me"
In this game I failed to punish my opponent for slow play in the opening, but managed to get a +1 pawn endgame, which I had no clue how to convert, so it ended up with a draw. It seems like the key to winning these types of endgames (Knight Bishop vs Knight Bishop +1 pawn advantage) is to slowly limit your opponents opportunities, effectively placing them in zugzwang, so they have to make small concessions until you`re finally able to gain the upper hand. King activity of course plays a key role. My opponent got to start the endgame with the king far more advanced than mine.
Game 42
White
"Keep calm and ignore the back-rank"
In this game I played some poor pawn moves again. It is tough for me to recognize when pushing pawns is a good idea and when it is not. I struggle in these slower openings with prolonged pawn tension in the centre, so it could be a better idea for me to open lines early to make the game more tactical. This game shows the power of just playing relatively solid chess with few blunders. It means it only requires one blunder or mistake from your opponent to gain a winning position. Of course blunders will be rarer at higher levels. The point is that you don`t need to be a chess genius calculating 10 moves ahead to climb the rating ladder, you just need to cut blunders down to a minimum.
Kevindaman123 wrote:
Giasira wrote:
Game 40
White
"Overextended"
I`m not entirely satisifed with how I played this game. I played many moves which showed a lack of positional understanding and pawn structures. Pawn overextension and the added power it gives to minor pieces was big theme in this game which I failed to grasp fully and take advantage of as I was playing. I definitely need to be more alert to these things and look for opportunities to give up material to passivize my opponents position and show that rooks are not always better than minor pieces. Overall a very instructional game which I will look over again.
@Giasira I found Game 40 to be a very nice and brief game. I however do not understand why you played 24.Ne4 immediately instead of 24.axb4 axb4 25.Ne4 because allowing your opponent to capture on a3 creates two pawn islands. Also, nice to learn how you focus on one task at a time, for instance, promoting the pawn at the end. If I were playing, I'd actually try to checkmate the black king immediately with the two minor pieces and would end up drawing due to fifty move rule. LOL XD
@Kevindaman123
Checkmating with King bishop and knight vs king is something even grandmasters can struggle with, it is arguably one of the hardest checkmates to do. I could have ended the game far more effectively had I played 39. Bg5. I didn`t care about getting two pawn islands because I was better placed to attack my opponents`s pawns so if he wanted to separate his pawns I don`t mind. The main mistake at that point in the game is that I didn`t capture back with the rook .