Getting an A in speed chess.

It was a good week for me last week. I played in my first Indiana competitive chess event and got a draw against a player rated 1914. I was playing the black pieces in a 15 minute a side game. I could have played a little cleaner and taken home the win, but I still need work on controlling my nerves in speed games. I allowed too much countreplay when the time crunch hit. It did feel pretty good though to play strong chess against a player 350 points my senior. Hopefully this is a sign of my growing chess strength. I am currently trying to get my new chess club listed on the Indiana chess website so I can get some people to show up. I have a feeling though that the chess community in the city is not very large, or very active. I do have my laptop back now, so I can at least start training for hitting master. I have to begin work on my chess book as well. This will help me solidify my knowledge as I attempt to make a book for the everyday person to learn chess. I am a player built from the ground up, so once I get better, I will be able to share this knowledge with other people to expedite their learning.

Death of a tourney, rebirth of an addiction.

My idea of playing in the 2009 US Open is looking like it will have to be terminated due to financial constraints. Although this is dissappointing, it is definitely not the end of my chess aspirations. I have had the opportunity to play more chess games over the board with people at the laundromat. The competition of course has not been of too high a calibre, but it has really rejuvinated my excitement about chess. Unfortunately for me, the abstract world of online play has dulled my competitive spirit. There is just something special about the dynamic of sitting right in front of someone and battling it out. My game recall is just about to it's full previous capacity. I am almost able to retain a full game score of 20+ moves in my head and replay the game later. This is to me a strong signal that I am playing more meaningful chess. It seems like some sort of magic trick to see someone recall a game, but it is really nothing more than remembering ideas of development and piece interaction. I myself have been suprised at my move retention, but it is quite logical and not that impressive when you actually consider it. After this weekend, I will only have four more weeks of working triple shifts on Fridays into Saturdays. I think I will allocate more time to the study of chess once I drop the Friday overnight shift. There is going to be an extreme difference in my energy level throughout the week, so I will be able to pour more energy into my passions instead of scraping little bits of energy into just 'making it' through the week. Ultimately, I think I can bring myself to expert standard by the end of 2009, which I would consider a 75% or higher score against Fritz at 2000+ ELO over 10+ games.

No effort, no progress

I am wasting 2009. My life is really bumming me out lately. I need to get on track if I want to play in the Open this year. It is too good an opportunity to waste. I will start my study schedule on Monday.

Mediocre.... at best.

Damn. I just cannot get my chess game to congeal. I feel like I'm just on the brink of a real chess breakthrough. I am excited to get crankin on my 2009 chess studies. The training games are going alright, but my effort has not been up to par. I've completed 18 games so far, so I have to cram in 12 more by years end to get a decent sample for my ELO start value. Currently the computer evaluates me at around 1550 or so. My set rating will be lower due to the one draw and one win that are both in a losses for the computers calculations. I plan on coming out of it with a high 1800's rating. By December 2009 I will be at a solid 2100+. In the USCF system, I will be an Expert by the end of 2010. Two years for expert, and the remaining 3 years I've allotted will be for the push to Master. Master at 35 years old is where I'm headed.

Some fun at Chess.com

Here is a nice little miniature.

1. d4...e5
2. dxe5...Nc6
3.Nf3...f6
4.exf6...Nxf6
5.e3...Bc5
6.Be2...d5
7.O-O...O-O
8.Nc3...d4
9.exd4...Nxd4
10.Nxd4...Bxd4
11. Bc4+...Kh8
12.Nb5...Bxf2+
13.Kh1...Nd7
14.b3...Qf6
15.Ba3...c5?
16.Nd6...b6?
17.Qd5...Rb8
18.Bb2!...Qxb2??
19.Qg8!...Resigns

ELO rating

Well, I've completed ten training games at tournament time controls against Fritz 6 with a rating setting of at least 2050. I have scheduled 20 more games to be completed by years end so that I can have a control rating to start with for 2009. After 30 games, Fritz will give me a classification. My calendar is printed out for the 2009 training sessions. I will really limit the amount of computer play I do and focus more on book study and computer training programs. I will also be starting a chess club in Indianapolis if I can secure a venue. There is a library close to my apartment, but I don't know if they will want me to pay a fee for using a room once a week. So not a terrible amount of progress, but I've got things planned out so I can approach 2009 in a more professional manner.

Game 7

Well, I've accomplished damn near nothing as far as chess is concerned. Somehow, not even $2000 and national recognition can inspire me to friggin study. I must be some special sort of jerk. It's the weekend again which means tons of hours at work, so I've got my next training game set for Monday night.