Garage Days 3 Result

This was my best tournament result for quite some time. I came in third place behind Gauvin and Bidari.

A few years ago I played Backgammon, but I eventually quit the game because I wanted to play a game with more skill like chess. Just the other day I was listening to a ChessFM lecture where IM John Watson was interviewing a guest (cannot remember his name). Some of the discussion centered around the elements needed to become champion. They mentioned it was important to have luck. Most Grandmasters will tell you that luck plays a part in this game.

In most of my tournaments (blitz or classical), I usually finish in the bottom half of the field. It's not that my play is that bad. Usually I get decent positions and blow it. However, in this tournament I came in third and it was all because a little luck at a few key points. With a small amout of luck I finished in the top half. Hey! Maybe I should update my book on chess quotes by adding, "Luck is a core skill in chess!" Maybe I should go back to Backgammon!

I lost the first game to Chad Gauvin in a 1 min blowout. But he's a great player, so no big deal. On a personal note I must admit to a romantic encounter or two that lasted shorter than this game.

Then, I played Chris Reynolds. Besides Chad Gauvin, Chris made matters very difficult as we both played trench warfare. He let me seize the open file and I obtained a very slight advantage. Was it enough to win, I don't know. I agreed to a draw rather than try to drag it out and win on time.

Next, I played Alfred Walker. Here's the game from what I can recall.

Alfred and I reached this endgame:

Next up I played Andrew. I was lucky he opened my rook file and missed my mate threat on the next move.

Here's my fifth round game over Ryan Phillips. I cannot remember all of the moves because I didn't keep a record of the moves. Following are the opening moves (best I can remember). I belive Ryan played a slightly inferior line and I got a slight advantage. But even with that Ryan is a very dangerous opponent with great tactical vision. Even with an inferior line he came dangerously close of bringing "home the point."

Following the inital moves, the game became quite tactical and I sacrificed a knight for two center pawns, and this was probably very dubious play. If anything, it left the position unclear and I was left the the more active position.

Near the end of the game we reached the position below. No doubt about it, Black has the advantage, but having the advantage and being able to execute is an entirely different matter.

This will probably be the last game that I win against Ryan. He has fantastic tactical vision, although he's been absent from the club for some time. There's no substitute for over-the-board play though. With a few games Ryan will return to form and once again should return to the over 2000 rating mark.

To see the games/positions go here: http://paulmcgaughsblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/garage-days-3-result.html