This opponent made some mistakes hanging pieces, but he did a nice job of making me uncomfortable at every turn. Once he stops hanging pieces he'll be very formidable, because he has some nice intution for cramping his opponent and tying up their pieces.
[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.09.12"]
[White "alkim"]
[Black "KyleMayhugh"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "999"]
[BlackElo "1286"]
[ECO "B15"]
[Opening "Caro-Kann defense"]
[TimeControl "1800+10"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
Opponent plays the Two Knights' Variation against my Caro-Kann, of which I am still a very clumsy practioner, according to MCO.
4. Bd3 dxe4
Now we're off book.
5. Bxe4 Nxe4
6. Nxe4 Bf5
I'm just pushing pieces here. I tried to think things through, but I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do.
7. Nc3 g6 8. Nf3 Bg7 9. Bf4 O-O
My bishops are looking pretty powerful right here, I like this position.
10. O-O Qb6
11. Re1 Qxb2 12. Qd2 Qxc2 13. Qxc2 Bxc2 14. Rxe7 b5
Up a pawn after that carnage, but now have some forced moves to try to hold on to that advantage.
15. Bd6 Na6
16. Rb7 Rfe8
His rook, bishop and d-pawn are combining to make my life miserable deep on my side of the board. I am very cramped and can't mount an attack.
17. h3 b4 18. Na4 Bxa4
He hangs the knight.
19. Rc1 b3 20. axb3 Bb5
I decided I needed to give back a pawn to buy some space.
21. Rd1 Re6 22. Ba3 Bf8 23. Ng5 Rf6 24. d5 Bxa3
He hangs the bishop
25. Ra1 Bc5
26. Ra5 Bxf2+
resigns
0-1
I'm getting a little better at taking my time. Total time used: 833 seconds (13 minutes, 53 seconds), or 35 seconds per move, including the opening. Need to keep improving that.
New rating: 1286
I have to go to work here in a minute, I'll annotate this tonight. Suffice to say this was one of the most enjoyable games I've played in quite some time, even though I spent most of it convinced I was going to lose. My opponent played very well.
The computer found a lot to dislike in both of our games, but this was a wickedly tricky position, so I don't feel too bad.
[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.09.12"]
[White "KyleMayhugh"]
[Black "micej"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1303"]
[BlackElo "1314"]
[ECO "E20"]
[Opening "Nimzo-Indian defense"]
[TimeControl "1800+12"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 h6
Bd2 is apparently not one of the many varieties of valid Nimzo-Indian lines :( Qc2 is recommended here.
5. a3 Ba5
Mistake. IIRC, this is called the Noah's Ark trap.
6. b4 Bb6 7. c5 d5 8. cxb6 axb6 9. e3 O-O 10. Nf3 Nbd7
11. Bd3 c6 12. O-O b5 13. e4 Re8 14. e5 Nh7 15. Qc2 f5
16. exf6 Ndxf6 17. Rae1 Rxa3
I'm not sure this was a good idea in retrospect, giving away the pawn for an extra "attacker" that doesn't really help the attack.
18. Bxh7+ Nxh7 19. Qg6 Nf8 20. Qg3 Qf6
21. Ne2 Re7 22. Ra1 Ra6 23. Rxa6 bxa6 24. Ne5 Bb7
He has defended exceptionally well to this point and I'm just not getting anywhere with this attack.
25. Nf4 Kh7
26. Nh5 Qf5 27. Nf4 g5 28. Nh5 Ng6 29. f4 gxf4 30. Bxf4 Qxh5
I should have been more willing to exchange queens to keep my material advantage. Crafty agrees.
31. Nxg6 Rg7 32. Be5 Rxg6
Poorly played and now I'm down material, though he has a very exposed king.
33. Qd3 Kg8
Crafty says Rf7+ is much better.
34. Rf3 Qg5 35. Rg3 Qc1+
36. Kf2 Rxg3 37. hxg3 Qb2+ 38. Kg1 Qxb4 39. Qg6+ Kf8 40. Qxh6+ Ke7
Crafty says his move offers mate in 6, but I don't think I would have gotten that even with more thought.
41. Qf6+ Kd7 42. g4 Qe7 43. g5 Ke8 44. Qh8+ Qf8 45. Qh5+ Kd7
46. Qh7+ Qe7 47. g6 b4
g6 is the winner for me in this game, I think. Crafty continues to hate everything we do, but for this level I'm quite comfortable with g6 here.
48. Qxe7+ Kxe7
I was in the car on the way to a work thing today when I slapped my head and realized g7 would have been much, much, much better here. Accomplishes the same thing without sacrificing the bishop. But either way, he can't stop the pawn and that's a winner, whether pretty or not.
49. Bd6+ Kxd6
Actually, d'oh. Kf6 leaves him up two pawns with opposite-colored bishops on the board. I'm at best hoping for a draw at this point. Thanks, crafty, for pointing that out and raining on my parade.
50. g7 Bc8
51. g8=Q Bd7 52. Qg3+ Ke7 53. Qb3 a5 54. Qa4 c5 55. Qxa5 cxd4
56. Qc5+ Kf6 57. Qxd4+ Ke7 58. Qxb4+ Kf6 59. Qf8+ Ke5 60. g4 d4
61. Qd8 Kd6 62. g5 d3 63. Qa5 e5 64. g6 e4 65. g7 Be6
66. Qc3 Kd5 67. Kf2 Kd6 68. Ke3 Bd5 69. Qd4 Ke6 70. g8=Q+ Kf5
71. Qgxd5+ Kg6 72. Q4xe4+ Kf6 73. Qdf5+ Kg7 74. Qeg4+ Kh8 75. Qfh5#
1-0
New rating: 1303, and very hard earned!
This one was pure tactics, but also quite ugly and would have been slapped around quite horrifically by a player better than either of the two at the board.
[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.09.12"]
[White "DrIli"]
[Black "KyleMayhugh"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1279"]
[BlackElo "1318"]
[ECO "D10"]
[Opening "QGD Slav defense"]
[TimeControl "1800+10"]
1. d4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. Bf4 Nf6
Here's me stumbling around in that c6, d5 stuff again, trying to pretend like I know what I'm doing with openings. We are already into non-standard opening territory by move 3 (and I transposed my two pawn moves on 1 and 2).
4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6
6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Ne5 Qb6
Here is where things got interesting. I was fully aware of the fork here. But I felt like two pawns, stronger chances in the center and a queen running amok behind his defenses with a vulnerable king was worth it.
8. c5 Bxc5 9. dxc5 Qxb2 10. Ne2 Qb4+
11. Qd2 Qxc5
I was even able to gobble a third pawn and make us technically even though in a very interesting position.
That queen looks very juicy now and I want it.
12. Nd4 Ne4 13. Qc2 Qa5+ 14. Kd1 Nc3+
And I get it. Discovered attack combined with check and the queen is mine. From here, I just need to be very careful.
Thanks tactics-trainer!
15. Qxc3 Qxc3
16. Rc1 Qa5 17. Nb3 Qxa2 18. Nc5 Qxf2 19. Nxb7 f6 20. Nxc6 Bg4+
Mate forced next move anyway and he resigns.
0-1
New rating: 1318, four points off of my all-time high. If I'm reading my ICC history right, I've won my last seven standard games. I'm due for an epic bad streak any second now.
Edit to add:
I'm not supposed to play computers, according to my own rules, nor should I worry too much about ratings. But my old buddy SlowFlo was sitting there 200 points above his normal rating, meaning beating him was worth a full +12 and I only needed four to get a new high. The way to beat him is tactics, and my tactics are sharper than ever right now, so it was a trivial win.
New rating: 1329, an all-time high. Now the losing can begin.
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