Blackpool Chess Congress - Part 3

My first game on Sunday, knowing that I needed a win, went into a pawn and opposite colour bishop ending. Twice my opponent offered me a draw, but I was two pawns up and so twice I turned him down. My problem was that my one passed pawn was blocked by his bishop, supported by his king. My king couldn't get round to his other pawns easily, and even then they could be defended by the time I got there. After his second draw offer I thought for a long time and realised that I had to push my pawn majority. This would lose me two pawns for one, but would also enable my past pawn to push on and be swapped for his bishop. If he avoided this I would have two past pawns just two squares off queening. He went for the former option, which also left my king closer to the remaining four pawns on the board. His resignation came soon after.

In the afternoon I knew that nothing less than a win would put me into the prize money. My opponent was graded 13 points higher than me, but I had to go for it. In the endgame, I had a chance to force a perpetual (my opponent would lose his rook if he didn't keep checking me), but decided to continue to play for a win. Wrong decision! I took the king the wrong way and 15 or so moves later the game was lost. I felt gutted to say the least. Needless to say, later that evening I suddenly realised that if I had played a different move I could get to a square where I couldn't be checked and thus could have won. Why is it that I always find the perfect move hours after the game has finished?

Blackpool Chess Congress - Part 2

My first game on Saturday saw my opponent opening 1.f4. A few weeks ago I had learnt a response to this in preparation to play a fellow club member - did I remember this, of course not! Instead I tried to work my way through the opening. I tried to keep things complicated, but came out of a long combination a minor for two pawns down. It wasn't enough compensation and I went on to lose. However, I enjoyed the game. I have been told since to "play for where you want to be in five years time and not where you want to be today" and that the more aggressive and attacking you are the more likely your opponent is to miss something.

In the afternoon I faced a junior from the London area. Not a good omen - he's come all the way from London and he's playing up a section. Fortunately I was white and he did seem to have to think about my opening moves. Although he spent most of the game a pawn up, I did have compensation. Towards the end I had the lovely situation of my queen being en prise to his queen. However, I ignored this and took his extra pawn (which was now past) with my rook, leaving it en prise to his rook. If he took either piece, I had a mate in two or three moves. He saw this and moved his rook to prevent this and offered me a draw. I knew that I couldn't afford a draw, either in terms of his grade or in terms of the competition, so I turned it down, taking another pawn with my queen. Yes, it was probably drawn at this point, but fortunately my opponent then blundered his other rook and resigned after my next move.

Blackpool Chess Congress

Friday saw us travelling north to the Blackpool Chess Conference - probably the largest weekend chess congress in the country. We always say that there are no easy games at Blackpool, and yet again this proved to be the case. With a grade of 101, John had to play in the intermediate section this year (under-120) whilst I stayed in the minor (under-100).

On arrival, almost the first people we met were the Isle of Man group. It was good to meet up with them again and here the progress on the Isle of Man congress.

John's first game was against a grade 112 and he managed a draw. I was drawn, again, against the same opponent as I played on Saturday morning in Exeter (and who I may be playing in an inter-club match on Thursday). This time I was white and was determined not to go pushing pawns without good reason. The result, I went the exchange up, then a bishop up, then blundered the bishop back. I turned a draw down, partly because I was cross with myself for losing the bishop, partly because I was still the exchange up, and partly because John was still playing and I didn't want to sit around waiting for him. Apparently, we went into an ending which, with best play, was drawn. I, of course, was unaware of this and eventually went on to win with under 3 minutes left on my clock. This for someone who never gets into time trouble was quite an achievement. So, as the round ended, we headed off to our hotel, rather later than we would have liked, but both pleased with our results.