I started this tournament with two losses but finished off with 3 wins in a row, including a nine move win against James Coons (1921) in round 4. I have a bye in the last round, due to my road trip.
I think that using my performance rating in the last 10 rated games is a pretty good indication of current form. I am currently at 1973. This is a link to my performance in the last 10 rated games. Once this tournament is rated I should be around 1840.
Click here for my games
Black to play
Round 4 Me vs COONS, JAMES J(1921) WIN
Black to play
Round 3 Me vs WALKER, ARLEN P (1849) WIN
Check out the e-file!
Round 2 COONS, JAMES J(1921) vs Me LOSS
Got a great position but then blundered a vital pawn 24...Bc8??. Even a pawn down I was not in bad shape, but had to play 26...Qf6 (after 25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Bxd5)
Black to move
Round 1 Me vs VELIKANOV, ALEXANDER (1830) LOSS
I was out played in the opening and middle game
Why, as white, do you keep playing Pawn to e3 before you develop your QB? Never mind what Colle said - it is simply anti-positional. That dark-squared B is a liability in almost all your games.
ReplyDeletegame two, move 29, you blunder. 30.Bc6 and the rook falls. Man, you need some serious work on tactics. Come on, I mean, 60+5 controls where you have enough time to consider all variations and you blunder like that. Don't play a move just to play or because you don't know what to do. You gotta focus better in every single move. If you have no idea at all, consider opponents threats and weakneses in his position and how you can exploit it.
ReplyDeleteMove 31 - Your opponent is pawn up. If you want a draw you should exchange pawns, not pieces. Remember that. And when you have extra piece, exchange pieces, not pawns. Maybe you can write that down on a sticky note and bring it to your tournaments to remind you this important concept.
Move 36 - that was your last chance to counter, Qg4 is the solution.
Boy, it sure is a tough crowd in here.
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck, Ivan.
I'm sorry if I am that tough crowd. No hard feelings. I just wanna help you out.
ReplyDeleteYou played in Waukesha? Geez, there are hardly any people who even know how to SPELL it correctly! Are you a Wisconsinite? You posted at Susan Polgar's blog with an inquiry about Eric Moskow's progress toward his IM - I want to know too. And about the sponsorship money that will now (we hope) flow into USCF because SP has been elected to the EB.
ReplyDeleteI don't know diddly squat about getting to 2000 - my ELO is about negative 400 and I'm content to let it be so, although it does urk me on occasion to continually lose to Crusader Scott over at redhotpawn. Oh well, that's chess.
We've got a blog too (is there anyone out there who doesn't have one now) - for Goddesschess, best darned alternative chess site on the internet you'd ever want to read.
Janet Newton a/k/a JanXena a/k/a Alpheta over at Chessville (I'm everywhere, darling!)
I have been living in Milweaukee for the past three years or so, before that I spent a couple of years in Iowa and before that about 15 years in Dallas TX
ReplyDeleteWaukesha is a suburb of Milwaukee