I like 17...Qa5+ Qa7 just doesn't allow the mobility I like to keep in my queen.
I've actually been thinking about what role blunders/mistakes should play in my feelings towards the game for a couple weeks now. Please allow me to verbalize my thoughts for the first time. I think blunders and mistakes are a natural part of the game. Most of my games break one way or the other on a blunder or a couple mistakes. If I'm playing a lower rated player, s/he almost always blunders at some point and I eventually win. The same is true of me when I play higher rated individuals. So I am left to conclude that blunders and mistakes are pretty much the norm in club play.
~~~When Your Opponent Blunders the Game Away? Do you feel bad about the win or for your opponent (having to lose the game)?
I have been losing some games due to a good deal of blunders on my part; I'm not making excuses as to why I lose, but when you give pieces away, well, it's not fun or something that you care to remember. Anyway, this week I have won a few games in return due to my opponent's blunders...I guess it just evens out, however sometimes I feel bad that I win in such a way (especially if my opponent was winning).
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~~~It's not as if my opponent played a completely terrible game (he managed to win a pawn with a quick attack), but the first blunder really lost the game for him; ofcourse the second blunder actually ended the game for him.
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