#BCM2 - Pulpofeira vs. MSC157

A rematch battle of the first clash. The rules either stay the same (24 games, first to 12.5 and time control 15|10) or we slightly modify it. I'm the currect BCM (Botvinnik Championship Match) champion and Pulpofeira has a right to play against me again. 

Some stats from previous battle:

•   MSC157   | (1844) | (+10-5=6)
• Pulpofeira | (1502) | (+5-10=6)

The match will be updated in the link below. Track the thread to stay tuned!

STANDINGS

Best of luck to you guys in your match!
 

No! Only to me!

Pulpo, do you have time today at 23:00 CEST? Just saw the opportunity. :)

What the heck is CEST?!

Damn, you are spamming all threads with this!

It's called self promotion, and it's how you make the big bucks. He's probably gonna get a cut of the PPV buys for this one.

Nice!! You already got my big bucks. 

Congrats to MSC for winning Match 1 (I had no idea it was over already)

Go PULPOFEIRA!!!

Thanks, Itzhak! Hey, you should take a look at our last game... https://www.chess.com/forum/view/game-showcase/msc157-vs-pulpofeira-match?page=28

Congrats MSC on winning the first match and Go Pulpo in the second!

I don't really have anything to say, I just wanted to track this thread and I couldn't find the checkbox in V3. And by the time I noticed it I'd already typed this anyway, so it seemed a pity to waste it.

Unbelievable 21st game! 

I can't blame you for losing it though, Pulpo... it's tough when the opponent applies such relentless pressure to your position. ...Qa4 is a very crafty move - with echoes of a famous game, Rotlewi - Rubinstein (check it out) - checkmating on a2 when any piece defending on b2 would be pinned. 

For me, several of your choices in that game were strange - first and foremost, the queen-side castling - the king looks immediately too exposed on that wing. 

Then - taking the c4 pawn - I would play Qxc7 that that point - which almost forces him to exchange queens. The only way for him to avoid it is by playing Queen to e8, at which point we go Rook h to e1, with all of the army (+ an extra piece) active, and the poor queen has to move again...

After the following ...Qb5 or ...Qa4 I would play Kb1 and Be5 and expect to win pretty simply. 

A bit later he plays ...c5 - and here, nothing is wrong with simply taking the pawn! This is because you're also attacking his queen when you do that. You later play pawn to c6 - which both keeps the c-file closed for him, and is a menace in its own right...

Then he plays bishop to g5, check - a great opportunity to CHOP that bishop off the board! So he takes with the queen, another check. You play f4! and on ...Qxg2, your own queen will come to c2, look his queen in the eye, and tell her that her 'big attack' is over. 

You are left with a MONSTROUS bishop on e5, doubly protected, unassailable, with no adversary, and moreover - it's an EXTRA bishop. 

Should I continue :-) ?

DId you see this? :P 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN9qb5IIpaM

Central European Summer Time. Forget it. It's just "normal" time. :)

Are you available right now? Quite late though, not sure if you're capable of playing :)

Thanks everyone for wishes (to Pulpo). Our ratings are much more closer this time :) 1653 vs. 1603 :)

Me vs. solskytz coming up soon! 

<MSC157> Very amusing!! You were recording and filming as you were playing - a novel approach. 

I wouldn't do that probably - rather keep my concentration for the game. Maybe this is part of the reason of your unfortunate choice of playing ...d5 :-) !!!! dropping e6 and c6 in one fell swoop, and requiring a heroic effort and a series of inexplicable miracles to get back to the game and finally clinch the match!!!! :-)

I watched the first minute now and I love the concept. Maybe I'll watch more later :-)

Move 28, white could have played Bxa3! Rxa3 Qe8+ +- (game 21) 

Robert's ratings are considerably higher than mine are in blitz and bullet - so he'll probably steal many points from me on the "standard", where he is rated lower for the time being. 

He is the statistical favorite to win this match - but it shouldn't be a one-sided affair, as happened with CP6033.

Robert is probably the ideal opponent for me - stronger, but not too much so. 

Lol, thanks solskytz. I haven't played standard for a llooonnnggg time. My USCF is 2100--FIDE unrated but should correspond to about 2000. What's your FIDE?