Chess Skills: Limiting Blitz

30 October 2013

Limiting Blitz

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a blitz junkie, and also that from time to time I attempt to use online blitz as a learning tool. Today I managed to limit myself to four games of blitz.

I had a hunch that my first opponent was using some kind of assistance after his abysmal opening play (mine, too, was horrid). His defense seemed quite accurate and he was taking a long time for each move. Once we got into the endgame and he was under one minute, his play deteriorated. He lost on time. As is often the case with such suspicions, post-game engine analysis reveals that I missed the correct moves.

Suspect (1765) -- Stripes (1743)
Live Chess Chess.com, 30.10.2013

1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5 3.d5 exd5 4.exd5 d6 5.c4 b5 6.b3 Nf6 7.Bb2 g6 8.Nd2 Bg7 9.Bd3 0–0 10.Ne2 Re8 11.0–0 Nbd7 12.f4 Ng4

I should have seen 12...Nxd5

13.Qc1 bxc4 14.Nxc4 Qh4 15.h3 Ndf6 16.hxg4 Nxg4 17.Rf3

Black to move

17...Rxe2! wins.

17...Qh2+ 18.Kf1 Qh1+ 19.Ng1 Nh2+ 20.Kf2 Nxf3 21.Nxf3 Qxc1 22.Rxc1 Bxb2 23.Nxb2 Bb7 24.Nc4 Rad8 25.Ne3 Re7 26.Bc4 Kg7 27.Nh4 Rde8 28.Re1 Re4 29.g3 Rd4 30.Nef5+ Kf6 31.Nxd4 Rxe1 32.Kxe1 cxd4 33.Kd2 h6 34.Kd3 g5 35.Nf3 Kf5 36.Nxd4+ Kg4 37.fxg5 hxg5 38.Nb5 Kxg3 39.Nxd6 Ba8 40.Nxf7 g4 41.Ne5 Kh3 42.d6 g3 43.Ke3 g2 44.Kf2 Kh2 45.Ng4+ Kh1 0–1

In the second game, I had a nice position which I badly misplayed.

Viper (1712) -- Stripes (1734)
Live Chess Chess.com, 30.10.2013

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 Bxc5 6.Ne2 Nc6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.Ng3 Bg4 9.Qe1+ Qe7 10.Qc3 0–0 11.Bg5 Bb6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qxf6 gxf6 14.c3 Rfe8 15.Nd2 h5 16.h3 h4 17.hxg4 hxg3

White to move

18.Bb5 a6 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Nf3 Re2 21.Rab1 Kg7

21...Bxf2+ should have been obvious. This position bears some resemblance to Mayet -- Anderssen.

22.Nd4 Bxd4 23.cxd4 gxf2+ 24.Rxf2 Re4 25.Rbf1 Rxd4 26.Rxf6 Rf8 27.Rxc6 Rxg4 28.Rf5 Rb8 29.b3 Re8 30.Rxa6 Re2 31.Rf2 Re1+ 32.Kh2 Rh4+

White to move

White now has a clear advantage.

33.Kg3 Rh5 34.Ra7 Re3+ 35.Rf3 Rxf3+ 36.gxf3 Re5 37.Kf4 Re6 38.Rd7 Ra6 39.a4 Rb6 40.Rxd5 Rxb3 41.a5 Ra3 42.Kg4 Kg6 43.Rd6+ f6 44.a6 Ra4+ 45.f4 Ra5 46.Kf3 Kf5 47.Ke3 Ra3+ 48.Kd4 Kxf4 49.Rxf6+ Kg5 50.Rb6 Kf5 51.Kd5 Ra5+ 52.Kc6 Ke6 53.Kb7+ Kd7 54.a7 Rc5 55.a8Q Rc7+ 56.Ka6 Ke7 57.Rb7 1–0

Stripes (1726) -- Sharp Attacker (1746)
Live Chess Chess.com, 30.10.2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.d4 d6 5.Nf3 Nxe4 6.Be2 Bf5 7.0–0 Nd7 8.c4 0–0–0 9.b4 h6 10.a4 g5 11.Be3 g4 12.Nfd2 Nxd2 13.Nxd2 h5 14.b5 h4 15.c5 g3 16.fxg3

Black to move

More than the bishop on e3 is in trouble, but I was let off the hook.

16...hxg3 17.Rxf5 Rxh2 18.Bg5 f6 19.Bf4 Qh7 20.Rh5 Rxh5 21.Bxh5 Bh6 22.Bxh6 Qxh6 23.c6 Nb6 24.a5 Nd5 25.cxb7+ Kb8 26.b6 cxb6 27.axb6 Kxb7 28.Rxa7+ Kxb6

White to move

An instant after my move, I saw the refutation.

29.Qa4

29.Qa1 protects my weakness, while threatening the checkmate that I sought.

29...Qe3+ 0–1

The final game was relatively easy, or so it seemed.

Stripes (1733) -- Unlucky (1669)
Live Chess Chess.com, 30.10.2013

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nd7 3.c4 c5 4.Be3 cxd4 5.Bxd4 Ngf6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.f3 0–0 9.Nh3 Nc5 10.Nf2 b6 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.b4 Ne6 13.Be3 Rc8 14.Nd5 Qd7 15.Qd2 Nxd5 16.cxd5

Black to move