Note that you can play over these with the help of a great tool called chesspad.
This was my second time at the club's annual chess tournament. I hadn't played a game against any strong opponents since last year's event. My games showed my lack of practice! Here are my games:
[Event "Vandal Chess Club 2015 Fall Invitational"]
[Site "U of I"]
[Date "10/10/2015"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Staab"]
[Black "Mythreya (age 7)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "1340"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Marshall variation"]
1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 e6 3.d4 d5 4.dxc5 Bxc5 5.exd5 exd5
[Site "U of I"]
[Date "10/10/2015"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Staab"]
[Black "Mythreya (age 7)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "1340"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Marshall variation"]
1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 e6 3.d4 d5 4.dxc5 Bxc5 5.exd5 exd5
I have now isolated blacks Q pawn. If I can eventually take that out I should be able to win.
6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Qxd7 8.O-O Nc6 9.Re1+ Nge7 10.Bf4 O-O 11.Nbd2 Ng6 12.Bg3 Rfe8 13.Nb3 Rxe1+ 14.Nxe1
6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Qxd7 8.O-O Nc6 9.Re1+ Nge7 10.Bf4 O-O 11.Nbd2 Ng6 12.Bg3 Rfe8 13.Nb3 Rxe1+ 14.Nxe1
I thought this was better than Qxe1 because he would have played Re8 and taken the open file with tempo.
14...Bb6 15.Nd3 f5 16.Qf3 Nd4 17.Nxd4 Bxd4 18.c3 Bf6 19.Re1 Ne7 20.Be5 Rf8 21.g3 Bxe5 22.Rxe5 Rf6 23.Qe3 Kf7 24.f4
Qxa7? Nc6 forks. [24.Nc5 Qc7 25.Ne6 h6 [25...Qc6 26.Ng5+ Kg6 27.Rxe7 would have won for me.]]
24...b6 25.Nb4 Rd6 26.Qd3 Re6 27.Qd4
24...b6 25.Nb4 Rd6 26.Qd3 Re6 27.Qd4
[27.c4 looked good to me after my move.]
27...Rxe5 28.Qxe5
[28.fxe5 gives me a passed pawn but I wasn't confident I could keep it.]
28...Qb5 29.Kf2?
[29.b3 a5 30.Nc2 Qd3 31.Ne3 Qd2 32.Nxf5 Nxf5 33.Qxf5+ Ke7 34.Qe5+ seems much better.]
29...a5 30.Nc2 Qxb2 31.Qe2 Qxc3 32.Ne3 d4 33.Qc4+ Qxc4 34.Nxc4 Nd5 35.Ne5+ Ke6 36.Ke2 Nc3+ 37.Kd3 Nxa2 38.Kxd4 b5 39.Kc5 b4 40.Nc4
27...Rxe5 28.Qxe5
[28.fxe5 gives me a passed pawn but I wasn't confident I could keep it.]
28...Qb5 29.Kf2?
[29.b3 a5 30.Nc2 Qd3 31.Ne3 Qd2 32.Nxf5 Nxf5 33.Qxf5+ Ke7 34.Qe5+ seems much better.]
29...a5 30.Nc2 Qxb2 31.Qe2 Qxc3 32.Ne3 d4 33.Qc4+ Qxc4 34.Nxc4 Nd5 35.Ne5+ Ke6 36.Ke2 Nc3+ 37.Kd3 Nxa2 38.Kxd4 b5 39.Kc5 b4 40.Nc4
At this point the score fails. We played a few more moves and black had a queen coming so I resigned. Lots of bad mistakes by me in this endgame. We had planty of time but both of us played too fast. I was way out of shape for this game.
0-1
The next game I was way too beat up by the 7 year-old and played too passively against Rachael.
[Event "Vandal Chess Club 2015 Invitational"]
[Site "U of I"]
[Date "10/10/2015"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Rachael"]
[Black "Staab"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40/03"]
[Opening "Sicilian (Nimzovich-Rossolimo & Kan)"]
1.e4 c5
I don't know Scicialian but I like Queen pawn openings better so I did this. Probably should have stuck to what I know.
2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 d5 5.Be3 dxe4
I was intimidated at the complexity and felt trading off the pawns was simplest.
6.Nxe4 cxd4 7.Nxd4
This left white with a big advantage as my pawns were my protection and could have been traded off after more development.
7...Bd7?
Way too passive.
8.Bc4 Nf6 9.Qf3 Be7 10.O-O-O Ne5?
[Site "U of I"]
[Date "10/10/2015"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Rachael"]
[Black "Staab"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40/03"]
[Opening "Sicilian (Nimzovich-Rossolimo & Kan)"]
1.e4 c5
I don't know Scicialian but I like Queen pawn openings better so I did this. Probably should have stuck to what I know.
2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 d5 5.Be3 dxe4
I was intimidated at the complexity and felt trading off the pawns was simplest.
6.Nxe4 cxd4 7.Nxd4
This left white with a big advantage as my pawns were my protection and could have been traded off after more development.
7...Bd7?
Way too passive.
8.Bc4 Nf6 9.Qf3 Be7 10.O-O-O Ne5?
White has massive momentum and I am cramped. This move was a waste of time I could not afford. I think I should have done Qc7 and follow with o-o-o.
11.Qg3
this was right where White wanted to be anyway.
11...Nxc4?
A poisoned bishop. This sealed my doom. Better might have been Ng6 and o-o, What has such a developmental advantage and space that her game was playing itself.
12.Qxg7 Rg8?
An outright blunder but my rook would have been gone. I might have survived longer with Nxe4 [12...Nxe4 13.Qxh8+ Bf8 14.Bh6 Qe7 15.Rhf1 O-O-O]
11.Qg3
this was right where White wanted to be anyway.
11...Nxc4?
A poisoned bishop. This sealed my doom. Better might have been Ng6 and o-o, What has such a developmental advantage and space that her game was playing itself.
12.Qxg7 Rg8?
An outright blunder but my rook would have been gone. I might have survived longer with Nxe4 [12...Nxe4 13.Qxh8+ Bf8 14.Bh6 Qe7 15.Rhf1 O-O-O]
This last game I finally won, having warmed up from the previous 2 but it was as much luck as skill.
[Event "Vandal Chess Club 2015 Invitational"]
[Site "U of I"]
[Date "10-10-2015"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nick"]
[Black "Staab"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A06/06"]
[Opening "Nimzovich-Larsen attack"]
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.e3 d5 3.b3 c5 4.Bb2 Nc6 5.Be2?
I think this turned out to be too passive for white. Better would have been to get the pawns in the center first.
5...e6 6.O-O Bd6 7.d4 O-O 8.c4 b6
Nearly symetrical except for what's B on e2 which is less strong than my B on d6. Not much of an edge but it begins to grow.
9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Qd2
[10.Qc2 followed by Ra-d8 was probably better.]
10...Rc8
[Site "U of I"]
[Date "10-10-2015"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nick"]
[Black "Staab"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A06/06"]
[Opening "Nimzovich-Larsen attack"]
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.e3 d5 3.b3 c5 4.Bb2 Nc6 5.Be2?
I think this turned out to be too passive for white. Better would have been to get the pawns in the center first.
5...e6 6.O-O Bd6 7.d4 O-O 8.c4 b6
Nearly symetrical except for what's B on e2 which is less strong than my B on d6. Not much of an edge but it begins to grow.
9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Qd2
[10.Qc2 followed by Ra-d8 was probably better.]
10...Rc8
It will turn out that getting my rooks in place now makes the difference later.
11.cxd5
opening up the position before his rooks are ready.
11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 e5
11.cxd5
opening up the position before his rooks are ready.
11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 e5
This was a gamble. I couldn't calculate all the lines but I felt I had to block the a1-h8 diagonal to stop him from running the show.
14.Qd3 e4 15.Qd4 Re8
The rooks now make all the difference.
16.Bc4 Be5
Shut off that diagonal again.
17.Qd2 Qd6
Block that essentially isolated pawn for further exploitation. Also threatening to take the pawn on h2 but not really as g3 would cut it off.
14.Qd3 e4 15.Qd4 Re8
The rooks now make all the difference.
16.Bc4 Be5
Shut off that diagonal again.
17.Qd2 Qd6
Block that essentially isolated pawn for further exploitation. Also threatening to take the pawn on h2 but not really as g3 would cut it off.
18.g3?
[18.Nb5 this probably would have unwraveled me.]
18...a6
whew, he didn't see that move soon enough and now I am safe.
19.Ne2 b5 20.Bxe5 Rxe5 21.Bxb5 axb5 22.Qa5 Rxd5 23.Qe1 Ba6 24.Rc1
[18.Nb5 this probably would have unwraveled me.]
18...a6
whew, he didn't see that move soon enough and now I am safe.
19.Ne2 b5 20.Bxe5 Rxe5 21.Bxb5 axb5 22.Qa5 Rxd5 23.Qe1 Ba6 24.Rc1
A little late to try to get the open files.
24...Rcc5 25.Kg2 g5
takes away f4 from the knight. I feel pretty confident now.
26.Nd4 b4
discovered attack on the rook.
27.Qxb4?? Bxf1+ 28.Kxf1
24...Rcc5 25.Kg2 g5
takes away f4 from the knight. I feel pretty confident now.
26.Nd4 b4
discovered attack on the rook.
27.Qxb4?? Bxf1+ 28.Kxf1
he then resigned before I could take his rook with check and threaten his queen at the same time.
0-1
0-1