Class C Tournament Tactics

Right you are- the knight should go to c4 and I spent the next four moves maneuvering it there by Nf8-d7-b6-c4. Thus I obtained a clearly superior minor piece, and a few moves later was rewarded with a tactical opportunity. White has just moved his queen from f2 to d2. My knight now aspires to an even higher calling:

So the first half of the tournament went quite well, although my 2.5/3 score immediately reminded me of my last tournament, when I only managed one win out of my last three games and missed the prize list. After every game I told myself not to lose my focus, and before every game my grandma wished me luck, while my uncle told me to give it my best effort. This all sounds pretty corny, but all three mantras ended up helping me tremendously. I knew I was in good enough form that if I kept my effort and focus sharp I wouldn't get blown off the board.

It was in this determined frame of mind that I drove back to the hall after an early dinner, listening to my lucky songs in the car and making sure I was ready for the game. My opponent was also at 2.5 and I wasn't taking anyone lightly. He gave up a pawn pretty tamely within ten moves- I assumed it was a gambit and gave it back for better development. On my fifteenth move I spotted a tactical opportunity, after which the last 57 (!) moves were a purely technical phase during which I finally realized my advantage for an exhausting win despite my opponent's tenacious defense.

Black has just responded to 14. Rd2 with ...b6. Why is this a mistake?

Here's a quick one- I missed the knight fork Nf7+, winning the rook. I was really upset with myself during the game for not seeing it, but I realized during analysis that Black would respond Kf6, taking my pawn and forcing me to mate with bishop and knight (I joked after the game that if I lost my pawn I would just take an elevator to the top floor and jump off rather than try to remember the technique). Still, the fact that I didn't even consider this fork shows how tiring tournament chess can be- this happened around 11 PM and I had already played four hours in the morning and five at night. So moral of the story: it's a bad sign when you start missing simple tactics. Proceed with extreme caution if that happens...

The next game, the fifth round played on Easter morning, was probably the most important game of my short career in retrospect. Please pardon the probably unwarranted hyperbole. But it was important- I played on board 1 against the leader (I was 1/2 point behind), we both played a decent game, the struggle lasted over six hours (the longest of my life by far), and with my win I assumed the lead and broke the 1600 barrier in live ratings.

Before the game, my opponent had been playing wonderfully and stood alone at 4-0. I was already starting to feel the effects of the long games at dinner the night before, so I tried to get sleep and rest up for my big shot at the leader. My opponent employed an unusual setup out of the opening- six pawns on the third rank after 12 moves, but I didn't have any big advantage until we began operations in the center. My 17th move was Nxd5, which my opponent answered with 17...cxd5?. My thought during the game was that this was a rather serious mistake for at least two reasons, one of which will be shown in the puzzle.

For those few (nonexistent?) souls who have bravely followed part or all of this series, there are possibly multiple lessons to be learned for those who seek improvement. The first is that tactics matter! I love playing over Capablanca's endings/middlegames (my first chess book was Chess Fundamentals) where he executes beautiful positional squeezes and wins by a pawn at the end, but I always have to remind myself that there are serious tactical calculations behind every move. Another lesson is that games at the C level are frequently decided by tactics and oversights/blunders because players of my caliber make lots of small mistakes and some large ones. Another lesson is that I am personally capable of making some horrendous blunders and frittering away some big advantages! I have found some truly awful moves in my time.

Case in point- I was a clean pawn up in the game mentioned above and my opponent had several idle minor pieces. I managed to simplify into a materially even rook endgame, after which I lost a pawn and began to despair over the fate of my tournament. We had been playing for about four hours, and my position had been slipping for a while. I hoped it wasn't beyond saving. My pawns were scattered, my opponent was about to activate his king and possibly win another pawn with his rook... I got up from the table, walked around, and returned to find that my opponent had let me off the hook! This position is from the move before. My opponent played 41...Rc4, offering a rook trade, cutting off my rook's defense of the c-pawn, and threatening Re4 winning the e5 pawn. How should I respond? Please remember, as I did, Edmar Mednis' exhortation from his top-notch book Practical Rook Endings: ACTIVATE YOUR ROOK AND KEEP IT ACTIVE!

The following puzzle is the last real tactic of the game. I played Kg4 and Black played ...h5+. Where should I go with my king?

After round 5, I was exhausted- six hours was the longest game I had ever played. I had been constantly eating and taking in liquids to stay alert, and I crashed in the back seat of my car for 45 minutes before staggering back into the tournament hall for the last game. It was the first time in my life that I had been in first place by myself. Game 6 started so placidly that I offered a draw at move 20. My opponent declined, as he was 1/2 point back, and it became clear that I had played too passively and was facing the loss of the exchange. Through a period of intense calculation that took all my remaining mental strength, I turned the tables. Can you find the moves that saved the game for me? Hint: my major pieces are coordinated, and White's aren't. Position after 31. Na5:

Here's a couple more quick ones from my earlier days in Class C and below. I only spent six tournaments between 1400 and 1600, but I did find a few more problems in my personal game collection. Maybe I should start a new collection of "Class B Tournament Tactics"! They're even more challenging and interesting :)

One more from the same tournament:

In the Avalos, C. (1560) vs. Clemens, K. (1330) game. Why not 3. Nc3 f4

Thanks for your question. I don't have an engine in front of me so this is all my own analysis on my phone: If 3...f4, then 4. Nxd5 attacking the queen. If 4... Qxh5 to recover the piece, 5. Re2 saves the rook and threatens Nxc7, gaining a tempo. Basically it's a good habit to think of forcing moves, but here it doesn't grab a pawn and lets the initiative slip away IMO- feel free to add your own analysis. I'll look at other queen moves when I get around to it.

EDIT: If it doesn't win material, we should look at the possible weakness of e4- neither of us would have been good enough to find this plan at the time, but now I would (as White) find a way to put a knight on e4 and start doing Positional Things

Avalos - Clemens is actually a bit tricky. 3.Nc3 Bxa2 4.Nxf5 is a counter-desparado that seems stronger than the game continuation; however, 4.Nf3! seems even more challenging, when it is not so easy to prove a clear advantage with the Nxe5 tactic coming next. It is very complicated and White may be able to accurately defend. On the other hand, 3...Be6! appears to be stronger than 3...Bxa2 in view of 4.Nf3 b4 and White's knight is sidelined to a4 or b1 while Black has ideas of building an attack with ...Bd5 followed by an advance of ...f4 or ...e4 on the kingside. I think it is close to a clear advantage with the conditions for a strong kingside attack, but not a clear win of material. This appears to be stronger, since the attempt to win material gives White more counterplay and invites complications.

That is some great analysis- thanks for your thoughts. I didn't even see the counter-desperado idea, and my opponent didn't even see the original desperado idea, so he resigned after ...f5! I think after the move 4. Nf3 you gave it's about the same as after Nxf5 because Nxf5 leaves the e5 pawn isolated and it just looks especially weak to me. I'll have to look at your suggestions of Nxf5 and Nf3 a little more closely, but I like 3...Be6 a lot- gaining a tempo to kick an enemy knight to the side of the board seems like a great idea and is in line with what I imagine my style to be when I'm playing well. In my state of fatigue and nervousness I wouldn't have found any of this during the tournament!