Categories
Chess

Chess Challenge – Day 23 – ELO: 822

Training

  • Tactics, Chess King Elementary 1 (30m)
  • Chessable reviews (43m)
  • Puzzle Rush: 22 (5m)
  • Game (33m) & Analysis (10m)

Game 27 – 19.03.2024 – W – win

  • 3. Considered “abandoning” my opening and playing e4 or Bg5 → would have been good (c4 and Nc3 are also good options). Cost me about 0.4 EV
  • 4. Briefly considered d5 which is the best move (taking is also fine as are c4, Nc4, a3), cost me about 0.2 EV
  • 9. f4 is better, didn’t play it because I was afraid of Qxe3+ but we are +0.53 after Kh1
  • 11. Nd2 best move, thought about it (after opponents takes it’s actually best to go Nb5 because we can go to d6 with check!)
  • 13. Nb5 again a great option
  • 15. Massive blunder (N en prise), better Nd2 or Na1 and we are fine. Thought about those moves and then “forgot” I had moved the defending Q and moved the N…immediately saw it after I played the move
  • Time pressure mounting now as well, down to 2:45 here
  • 18. Blunders the Ra1 (opponent didn’t see it, neither did I during the game)
  • 20. Back in an ok position after opponent didn’t see the free rook again. Best move f5 but I blunder the Q with my move…and opponent blunders the Q right back to me
  • Under 20 seconds at this point
  • 22. Qa5 or Rg3 or Rd1 good options, as is g5
  • 23. Rd1, f5 or Qb4+ all good options; too focused on defense
  • 24. f5 remains the best move until move 28
  • 28. Trading down here via Bd1 seems fine
  • 33. Qxd5 would be M5, alternatively get a rook to the open c file
  • Missed better mating opportunities (Rd2) at the end because I was looking too much at defending
  • Lots of blunders, but played on to win (because opponent blundered Q)
  • Time was also an issue
Categories
Chess

Chess Challenge – Day 22 – ELO: 805

Training

  • Tactics, Chess King Elementary 1 (30m)
  • Chessable Reviews (20m)
  • Puzzle rush (11)
  • Game & Analysis

Game 26 – 18.03.2024 – W – win

  • Accuracy 87%, 1250 rating
  • 4. c4 by far the best (check line); otherwise Bb5 to pin the Nc6 or Nbd5 to protect the Nf3
  • 11. Everything developed; +0.27
  • 16. c4 for take more space in the center (~0.4 better)
  • 17. Blunder, opponent didn’t see Qh6 (complicated sequence of doubling rooks to win the Q that is pinned to the K because Qh6 pins the pawn e3). Alternatively Qc5 also wins material. Better: R{e,f,g,d}1 → almost dead even endgame
  • Better to just take the pawn gxf4 slightly better than exf4
  • 23. Rd8+ is better (I did consider it)
  • 38. Just keep pushing the pawn
  • 43. Bc5 is M3 (instead of M7)
Categories
Chess

Chess Challenge – Day 21 – ELO: 792

Training

  • Tactics, Chess King Elementary 1 (30m)
  • Dojo Talk Openings (40m @ 1.5x speed)
  • Game & Analysis

Game 25 – 17.03.2024 – B -win

  • Accuracy 87.9%, 1250 rating
  • 4. c6 or Nc6 are better here (but I stuck with my opening system which is ok)
  • 11. Bc5 or Bd6 are better
  • 12. Bc5 better
  • 13. Directly Rd8 then castling to the other side is better
  • 14. Taking is a mistake, %he8 and a couple of other moves (Bc7; Kb8; Nd7) are ~-0.5 while taking is ~0.0
  • 18. Rxg3 best
  • 24. Rd2 best (protected by Ne4); a6 or Kc6 also good
  • 26. Bd8 best (attacks h4 and frees the B to become active)
  • 32. b3; Rg2+ or Nc5 best moves
  • 33. Nxh5 best
  • 35. Bg5 best; f4 also ok
  • End could have been played more accurate but overall ok to get the win safely