Friday 15 June 2007

Game 2

SaltofLife Vs. JimGrange
2nd Match Game.








The second game ended in disappointment for me as Salt took the lead in the match on the White side of an Exchange Spanish. Play was evenly balanced until Black lashed out with the rash 15)...h5?!, the intention being to inhibit the expansion of White's pawn majority. But the weakness created on the g6 square and the h5 pawn itself was too high a price to pay. Salt played energetically, making full use of my weaknesses, but play I was able to fight back with 21)...g5!, after which play was becoming more even. At move 24 I came up with the xorrect defensive idea, bringing the Bishop to f7, although this plan was one tempo too slow. Fritz was delighted to point out to me that the non-human move 24)...Be6!! drew immediately, as the Bishop gets to f7 with the tempo (and the game!) spared. If anyone is playing for a win in the resulting positions, it is black. Following a miscalulation of a series of exchnages, Black could only watch idley as White pushed his f-pawn to the Queening square, and Black capitulated.

A few positives to take from this game, and the match is starting to heat up! I am getting confidence from these games, even though they haven't gone my way yet! The 3rd game is set for Monday 25th June at 19:30 UK time (14:30 server time).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Would 11...Qc5 be playable with the idea of 0-0-0 to follow? It seems it might give black more time to get fully developed while white defends the pins...as there is no dark squared bishop, swapping the queens seems to remove the downside of f4 for white (opening that dark sq'd diagonal)
boozehound

MiroslavR said...

Both games are interested. I observed the second game and I think that you didn't use your time properly.

Miro

Jim Grange said...

Thanks for the comments guys.

Booze - thats an interesting suggestion, and keeping the Queens on seems logical. 11)f4 was a novelty, and I should have spent more time assessing it. However, after 11)...Qc5!? 12)Kh1 O-O-O 13)Nb3, the Queen is a little squeezed for squares to go to, and white has since improved his position. However, I amy give it a go if Salt repeats this line (doubtful). Thanks!

Miro - you are totally correct, time useage is one of my weaknesses. Over the board I am fine and sit at the board for most of my time making good useage of it, however internet games I find it harder to concentrate and sink deeply into the positions. I have a board in front of me, so I can simulate the game as if it were OTB, which helps somewhat. I also find at my level, because Im not as good as Salty or people that are 2000+, I actually find it hard having things to think about! Any help or ideas would be greatly welcomed!

Jim.

MiroslavR said...

Hi Jim,

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to your problem, because I can't concentrate well on Internet games either.

Miro