chess online
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 Most unsatisfactory win?I opened my account with a hideous blunder that cost me a minor piece and led me to think ‘right, now how do I weasel my way out this one?’ I eventually decided upon a cunning plan to try and bring about a draw, involving locking all the pawns up. Of course, if you are down a piece, it’s a bit cheeky to go about making draw offers, so I decided that any offer had to come from my opponent. I therefore sent my knight on a bizarre and pointless tango behind enemy lines. After an evening or two in that exciting vein I started to expect a draw offer, but instead my opponent was moved to post the following message: THIS <BLEEP!> IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!!!! Encouraged by that comment, I sent my knight off on a fresh display of horseplay, thinking ‘a draw offer will be coming soon, sonny boy!’ But sadly, no such offer came. What did come, however, was a bravura berserker rook sacrifice that smashed open the pawn chain but did not seem to offer my opponent any discernable advantage. This was followed up by a series of kamikaze-style moves and ending in checkmate for me. Not my finest win, but it goes to show that you can give too much away in these messages. Any more? |
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ganstaman 20-Nov-10, 21:09 |
My 'issues' started early. I played ...d5 and he responded with c5, immediately releasing the tension in the center. That made it too easy to plan out my play and posed no threat to my vulnerable kingside. I was then able to win a pawn on move 19 by a combo started on move 15, and my c- and d-pawns were passed . However, here was the position with white to play: Yes, I was winning. However, if he got those central pawns blockaded, my bishop wouldn't be able to help much and it would have been difficult to get my pawns moving. So I was prepared for a long game. A few moves later, with his knight on c3, I played ...b6 and he replied cxb6. Had he not taken my pawn, I would have had a much more difficult time. That pawn he had on c5 restricted the movement of my pawn mass, and therefore also gave me less space. But after ...b6 cxb6 ...axb6, I'm so free and pawns are ready to roll. I just felt like I wasn't being tested to prove I could win with the extra pawn. Later, we get here: I just played ...d4. With another pawn to my name and no blockade in sight, this is almost a trivial win. But still, I get a little nervous when my opponent has a queen because then I have to always be worried about falling into a perpetual or something like that. Almost as if he heard my thoughts, my opponent allowed Nb5 ...Bxb5 axb5 ...Qa1+ Qf1 ...Qxf1+ Kxf1. Now the queens are off and I can win this in bullet chess. It's hard to explain why I felt unsatisfied, but I did feel as if my opponent played the moves I hoped he would instead of the moves I felt he should. And when my hopes came true, I felt like the victory was then only half-earned. |
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I'd have been glad... As for my unsatisfying win... probably this game; gameknot.com I annotated it, so happy about the combination that I was able to find at move 11, but White had a simple way to save his queen which I completely overlooked... it made the combination seem not as good lol |
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maca 21-Nov-10, 09:30 |
It's true... Regards, MaCa. |
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garos 17-Jan-11, 01:32 |
For mine down against a player quite a few points south of me. My only hope was a pawn on the penultimate rank, prevented from queening by my own queen. After my opponent delivered 10 consecutive checks, he manoeuvred me to a position where my king had two moves - one led to a two-move checkmate, the other to a three-move checkmate. Naturally, I considered resigning, but decided to press on. And he missed it. After another 10 consecutive checks, my exhausted sovereign staggered, knees knocking, to a position where he would not be checked and gratefully and warily settled down for a breather. Finally, I could get my queen out of the way of the pawn, and now I was confident of turning the tables and delivering a check or two of my own, which I was sure would ultimately prove fatal. The very next move, however, my opponent (perhaps suffering checking withdrawal) checked me again, hanging his queen out to dry, and resigned, stealing all my retaliatory thunder. It was a bit of a let-down, but a win is a win is a win, and I'll take them in any variation. It was also a great reminder not to resign too early. I may have proved I could lose it, but it was up to him to prove he could win it, and luckily, he couldn't. |
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Here's something from my OTB archives... My ooponent on this occasion was ranked far below me, must have been a good 500 ELO in it, but you wouldn't know it from the way this game went. Right from the gun he was at my throat, and I was just hanging on like Grim Death. Here's the plot: White: J Blaikie Black: I A. Dowman. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6. Now, I've never been an openings expert and knew nothing of Scotch and Goring Gambits. So I was already out of my confort zone... 5.0-0 Be7? Rather feeble, but let's get provocative. At least, i think that's what I was trying to do... 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 d3!? Trying to upset his programme... 8.Qxd3 0-0 9.Nbd2 Ng4 Heading for e5. 10.Nb3 Nge5 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Qf1 Nxc4 13.Qxc4 Kh8 Summing up: I've drawn some of White's teeth, and got the bishop pair as well. I can breathe easy... NOT! 14.Be3 f5!? 15.f3 f4!? 16.Bf2 Rf3 Getting ready to launch a K-side attack of my own. 17.Nd4 c5?! Thinking to force White back or win a pawn. White gambits the pawn. 18.Nf5 g6 19.Bh4! ... Not bad for a player whose ELO is 500 south of mine. Suddenly things aren't looking at all rosy. 19... gxf5 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.exf5 Be5 White has given up two minor pieces for Rook and pawn. With this consolidating bishop move, I thought to stem WHITE's attack down the e-file. Guess what? 22.Qf7 Qg8 23.Qh5 Bd7 24.Rxe5! ... I thought this dude was a beginner??! 24...dxe5 25.f6 Qe6 26.f7 Rf8 27.Re1 ... It is remarkable how much attack White has managed to conjure up with very little material. 27...Qxf7 28.Qxe5ch Qg7 29.Qxc5 ... For his piece, white has two extra pawns and Black has a real problem if he wants the win. 29...Rg8 30.Re2 Bc3 Threatening ...Bxf3 - just about the first real threat I've developed in the whole game so far. 31.Qf2 Qd7 32.Rd2 Qg7 Bereft of ideas - for the moment. 33.Rd4 Qe5 34.h3 Re8 35.Qf1 Bb5 Now Black was starting to get on top. I was prepared to exchange queens and try and grind out the win with bishop for two pawns. 36.Qd1 Qe1ch 37.Qxe1 Rxe1ch Now I settled myself to a long-drawn-out and difficult endgame. w 38.Kf2 Rf1# I really felt for my opponent. He was the one who played real chess in this game. |
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