Found your stack and enjoying both elements of it — I am also playing in this TNM, one of the few three-digit ratings in the field so the Open format has been full of painful (but useful?) chess lessons. I've recognized you during your walkabouts, will try to give you a quick thumbs up if we cross paths tomorrow night. Good luck Andy!
Nice escape. I would have had a hard time calculating that middlegame.
Case in point: I can't figure out why 16... Kg7 loses on the spot. I'm looking at 17 Qd2 Rh8 18 0-0-0 Ne4 19 Bxe4 dxe4 20 Ng4 Qd8, and I don't see the knockout blow (and black might have something better than 18... Ne4, perhaps 18...Kg8). If instead 18 Rxh8 Kxh8 19 Qh6+ (19 0-0-0 Ne4) Kg8, I don't see a win either (the sac on g6 doesn't seem to work). What am I missing?
I had trouble calculating it as well - rejecting 16 ... Kg7 was as much about an intuitive feel that black can't allow a quick Qd2-h6 as much as anything else. After 17 Qd2 Rh8 18 Rxh8! Kxh8 19 000 Ne4 20 Nxe4 dxe4 21 Bc4 black can't defend f7. If 19 ... Kg8, white just plays 20 Rh1 and black can't move anything: the Bb7 is tied to the d5 pawn, the queen can't leave the kingside because of the mating threats, and the Nb8 can't be developed.
Congratulations on winning this to remain with an unblemished record. I have not really gone over the game yet, just read your notes and glanced at the diagrams. I've been feeling a bit out of it the last few days.
Found your stack and enjoying both elements of it — I am also playing in this TNM, one of the few three-digit ratings in the field so the Open format has been full of painful (but useful?) chess lessons. I've recognized you during your walkabouts, will try to give you a quick thumbs up if we cross paths tomorrow night. Good luck Andy!
Yeah, it's a trial by fire for sure. See you tomorrow!
Nice escape. I would have had a hard time calculating that middlegame.
Case in point: I can't figure out why 16... Kg7 loses on the spot. I'm looking at 17 Qd2 Rh8 18 0-0-0 Ne4 19 Bxe4 dxe4 20 Ng4 Qd8, and I don't see the knockout blow (and black might have something better than 18... Ne4, perhaps 18...Kg8). If instead 18 Rxh8 Kxh8 19 Qh6+ (19 0-0-0 Ne4) Kg8, I don't see a win either (the sac on g6 doesn't seem to work). What am I missing?
I had trouble calculating it as well - rejecting 16 ... Kg7 was as much about an intuitive feel that black can't allow a quick Qd2-h6 as much as anything else. After 17 Qd2 Rh8 18 Rxh8! Kxh8 19 000 Ne4 20 Nxe4 dxe4 21 Bc4 black can't defend f7. If 19 ... Kg8, white just plays 20 Rh1 and black can't move anything: the Bb7 is tied to the d5 pawn, the queen can't leave the kingside because of the mating threats, and the Nb8 can't be developed.
Congratulations on winning this to remain with an unblemished record. I have not really gone over the game yet, just read your notes and glanced at the diagrams. I've been feeling a bit out of it the last few days.
Thanks! Feels more lucky at this point than anything else, but I'll take it.