Poor Decisions

Fifteen years ago, more or less, I was analyzing a game with another member of the Spokane Chess Club. We were looking at his game, examining missed opportunities. His opponent stopped by to interrupt our discussion of what should have happened with the authoritative, "but that's not what happened", proceeding to show us anew the errors that we were striving to correct. Both players were rated about 1400. The one with whom I was analyzing subsequently climbed to the mid-1600s before falling back to a plateau near 1500. After a few more poor events he fell to his 1400 floor and then started climbing again just before COVID-19 shut down OTB play. The other player briefly peaked more than a decade ago over 1500, but is nearly always between 1370 and 1420. I remember the interruption because the actual result of a game is usually less interesting and less useful than what might have happened. I believe the interrupter holds himself back through his refusal to study the possibilities.

Last night I beat a difficult opponent and won a small cash prize for finishing second in the club championship. Notably, I was never worse through the course of a 58 move game. This was the conclusion reached when I entered the game on my iPad late last night with a weak engine running.

However, I was equal more than once after having had a clear advantage, and I once seriously considered a line that would have left me worse. This roller coaster of clear advantage followed by slight advantage and equality became clear as I analyzed the game more deeply this morning. Through the course of the game, I made a series of poor decisions. I did not correctly assess the positions that I saw an opportunity to create through tactical operations, opting instead for a seemingly safer course that, in fact, squandered the advantage.

White to move

My opponent could have played 15...d4, leading to this position. I then intended to play 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.Bxd4. Much better for me would be 16.Nxd4.

Instead of 15...d4, my opponent played 15...Bb4.

White to move

I overlooked 16.Nxd5! Nxd5 17.Qxd5 Qxd5 18.Bxd5 with a substantial advantage for White.

Instead, I played 16.Bd4.

After a few moves.

White to move

I spent six minutes contemplating 21.Bxe4 dxe4 22.Ne6! (or Nc6? when the queen has options and my knight will almost certainly retreat to b4) 22...Bxe6 23.Rxd8 Raxd8 24.Qc2.

Black to move

Analysis Diagram

This position should be winning for White, although play clearly may be difficult. I mistakenly believed that 22.Nc6 was the better line and spent more time trying to find some clarity there, ultimately rejecting 21.Bxe4.

A few moves later:

White to move

I played 24.a3, and after 24...Qb6 25.Qe3 Rfe8 26.Rd3, my opponent could have equalized with 26...Rac8. I considered all too briefly--using only a minute off the clock--24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Nxe6 fxe6 when White has the upper hand.

After 26...Nf6, instead of the equalizing opportunity, I made another hasty decision.

White to move

27.Rb3

I considered the better 27.Nxe6, which forces queens off the board, and then I can play Rc7.

After 27...Qa7, I played 28.Nxe6 (three minutes thought), but 28.Rc7 would have been better.

The queens came off and my game was starting to look as though it was headed towards a comfortable endgame for me.

White to move

31.Kf1 and I have a clear edge, but even here, 31.Rc7 is better.

My opponent struggled to get some counterplay, eventually leading to a rook ending where I had more pawns and more active rooks.