3rd Annual CFC Chess Tourney!!

Well, my friends, you are officially screwed:goodjob:
I just discovered conditional moves - analysis board option.
Now I might actually start thinking ahead more than just two or three moves.
Tremble ye all!
:evil:
 
Well, I lost a heartbreaker to Yeekim. The game was a lot of fun, I simply didn't go deep enough calculating the endgame. I felt like a beginning, missing a couple of basic knight maneuverers that left me having to reassess everything. The final one left me dead in the water.

All this from a pretty dominating middlegame position. Maybe this is how grapplers feel when they have a guy all pinned down but then he slips out & turns the tables, leaving them no choice but to submit!

I'm in a do-or-die with the rest of my games. I have to beat Sashie & Yeekim both (and Riffaraff) in our final matches or I'm not going to advance (no draws allowed). Even if I win both the three of us will all be tied (and all 1-1 vs. each other), in that case I'm not sure what will happen. If Riffaraff beats (or draws) with me or Sashie this won't happen.

I'm having chess.com analyze my server but it won't be ready for 10 minutes or so & I have to give up the comp to my GF for awhile (and take care of a few things). Comments on the game welcome (however painful they may be :undecide: ).

Big ups to Yeekim for playing a sharp endgame!

Game
 
Even if I win both the three of us will all be tied (and all 1-1 vs. each other), in that case I'm not sure what will happen.
I dug around on the site and found out that in this case, we all shall have same score and same tiebreak score - and we'll all advance - or so it says here:

http://www.chess.com/tournaments/help.html#tiebreak

Anyway - I am really surprised I managed to pull this off. Especially considering my nightmarishly cramped position in the middlegame. And thank you for the trophy! That is my second one already! :hatsoff::trophy:

For those who are interested in tactical puzzles, imho white had his last chance to get at least a draw (i.e. to queen its pawn one turn before black) after my 38. Nxa3.
Let's see if anyone finds the correct path for this :D
 
@Narz: That did look pretty painful. My analysis is that you didn't use enough time to analyze your moves.

@Yeekim: After 38...Nxa3 the line I would have played is 39. Ne7+ Kd7 40. Nd5 c4 41. Nb4 but this is probably still a loss, I do not see any way to play that gives white any good chances for a draw.
 
@Narz: That did look pretty painful. My analysis is that you didn't use enough time to analyze your moves.
I agree. For example, on move I considered Ne6+ instead of RxR but I rejected it because of Ke8 which gets the king back in time to defend the g-pawn. If I'd taken a bit more time I would have realize Ke8 isn't even possible. :blush: :crazyeye:
 
@Yeekim: After 38...Nxa3 the line I would have played is 39. Ne7+ Kd7 40. Nd5 c4 41. Nb4 but this is probably still a loss, I do not see any way to play that gives white any good chances for a draw.

Not what i meant. However, I lied a bit - if black plays right, white still comes in second, but black has no way to use his tempo and take queen by checking king.

My idea was: 39. g4! Nc4 40. gxh5 - and black knight is too late to stop that pawn, as e5 square is still controlled by white's f-pawn. Black's a-pawn still gets in first, but black has no decisive advantage from there, so decent chances for a draw.
If, however, black plays 39. hxg4, white counters with 40. h5 g3 41. Nh4! - black's g-pawn is thwarted and white's h-pawn comes in first, following which white can as minimum force draw with eternal check from c8-b8 That was the variant I originally had in mind.
 
Not what i meant. However, I lied a bit - if black plays right, white still comes in second, but black has no way to use his tempo and take queen by checking king.

My idea was: 39. g4! Nc4 40. gxh5 - and black knight is too late to stop that pawn, as e5 square is still controlled by white's f-pawn. Black's a-pawn still gets in first, but black has no decisive advantage from there, so decent chances for a draw.
If, however, black plays 39. hxg4, white counters with 40. h5 g3 41. Nh4! - black's g-pawn is thwarted and white's h-pawn comes in first, following which white can as minimum force draw with eternal check from c8-b8 That was the variant I originally had in mind.

I looked at 39. g4 (which does not deserve an exclamation mark) and I didn't see anything special about that move. Let's take a look.

39. g4 Nc4 40. gxh5 black is indeed not stopping the h-pawn but in such a forcing line you cannot stop halfway into the line and declare a result. 40... a3 41. h6 a2 42. h7 a1=Q 43. h8=Q Qd1+ 44. Ke4 Qd5# Apparently white cannot simply rush his pawn to queen as it leads to mate. This line does not work for white. So let's check out the other one you had.

39. g4 hxg4 40. h5 g3 41. Nh4 and here you claim white will queen first. Let's see if that is correct. 41... Nc2+ 42. Ke4 (42. Kd3 Ne1+ 43. Kd2 g2 44. Nxg2 Nxg2 and black's knight will be able to prevent white's pawns from queening while black's king forces his pawns through) a3 43. h6 a2 44. h7 a1=Q I think we have disproved your remark that white's pawn queens first but it does get to queen second. White is alive and while black is much better perhaps there is some chance for a draw. But black is not forced to play this line. Let's consider a better one.

39. g4 Nc2+ 40. Kd3 (40. Ke4 d5+ 41. Kd3) Ne1+ 41. Kd2 hxg4 small but significant differances from the previous line. On principle black is better because he has a passed pawn on each side of the board. White usually cannot stop both threats. Even if white also has two passed pawns they are next to eachoter and are easier to stop. If you take a look at this position I'm sure you'll come to appreciate that black is indeed winning in this exact position as well. If not, post your line here and I'll take a look at it.
 
I looked at 39. g4 (which does not deserve an exclamation mark) and I didn't see anything special about that move. Let's take a look.

39. g4 Nc4 40. gxh5 black is indeed not stopping the h-pawn but in such a forcing line you cannot stop halfway into the line and declare a result. 40... a3 41. h6 a2 42. h7 a1=Q 43. h8=Q Qd1+ 44. Ke4 Qd5# Apparently white cannot simply rush his pawn to queen as it leads to mate. This line does not work for white. So let's check out the other one you had.

39. g4 hxg4 40. h5 g3 41. Nh4 and here you claim white will queen first. Let's see if that is correct. 41... Nc2+ 42. Ke4 (42. Kd3 Ne1+ 43. Kd2 g2 44. Nxg2 Nxg2 and black's knight will be able to prevent white's pawns from queening while black's king forces his pawns through) a3 43. h6 a2 44. h7 a1=Q I think we have disproved your remark that white's pawn queens first but it does get to queen second. White is alive and while black is much better perhaps there is some chance for a draw. But black is not forced to play this line. Let's consider a better one.

39. g4 Nc2+ 40. Kd3 (40. Ke4 d5+ 41. Kd3) Ne1+ 41. Kd2 hxg4 small but significant differances from the previous line. On principle black is better because he has a passed pawn on each side of the board. White usually cannot stop both threats. Even if white also has two passed pawns they are next to eachoter and are easier to stop. If you take a look at this position I'm sure you'll come to appreciate that black is indeed winning in this exact position as well. If not, post your line here and I'll take a look at it.

:blush:
It has effectively been demonstrated that my analyses was half-assed at best (yeah... I originally rushed through this in few nail-biting minutes of terror).

Well, if I ever feel in danger of becoming too cocky, I'll be sure challenge you to a match ...that is, should our friend WhiteEagle over here fail to chastise me properly.:mischief:
 
Major internet trouble, sorry guys >.<

I'll move soon enough. MY phone won't load that site though (I am posting this from my phone)
 
It was just a bad Ethernet cable! :lol
Luckily I figured it out before they had to send out the cable guy :D
 
Narz said:
I have to beat Sashie & Yeekim both (and Riffaraff) in our final matches or I'm not going to advance (no draws allowed)

Based on our game position, I've half a mind to just offer you a draw. But then again you're playing 3 games and our game is my last in the group, so... :mischief:

But the game position is dull, so unless one of us slip I think it's going to be a draw.
 
Narz said:
You should join our largest team game yet BTW if you can handle an extra game.

On Sunday, I returned to campus one month early from vacation after only 10 days at home (which adds to a total of 21 days spent at home for the entire year :() hoping to start some serious work on my dissertation as well as meet my former boss for my last paycheck. Then the former boss rescheduled to next week, and my fieldtrip was postponed for two weeks due to transportation holdups. So I'm frustrated to be wasting precious holiday time alone in the entire dorm, with nothing to do but play games, watch 8-inch 4-channel TV and surf the net.

Yes, I can handle an extra game :)

EDIT: FWIW I don't see any win for either side in our game. It's all about maintaining the pressure until one of us cracks :lol:
 
How does the Tie break system work?
If there's a tie th player who's beaten the higher rated player in the tournament gets to advance. If two (or three) players have the exact same record they both (all) advance.
 
Unfortunately I think you're right. :cry:

That's why I haven't moved yet. I'm searching for a win, breakthru, something but I just don't see it.

I took a look at your game and for the love of my life can't understand why your refrained from taking Sashie's a-pawn, instead playing 26. Bf6. Probably just demonstrating my stupidity here, but ~5 minutes of glancing at the board did not reveal this to me.

EDIT: Also, I'd kindly ask group No 1 to pick up the speed a bit. I am deliberately being tardy in my last game, because it seems the round 2 can't start anytime soon... :sad:
 
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