I broke 1500 on chess.com today, after a string of good games. A friend of mine started playing recently, and I've been encouraged to actually play a little more, rather than just do tactics problems and book study.

The extent to which I've studied some openings really hasn't mattered yet. I seem to encounter a lot of wacky stuff leading to open, crazy positions, like in the latest game I played: http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=765136403

had a chance to smash GM Simon Williams in a weekend tournament



I'm totally winning here, g5 is probably the simplest win. I played b5?! (still winning) Rc5 Kd2 and somehow went on to lose in time trouble

almost full game, I'm probably still winning in the final position here but did not record the rest of the game

http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=90954

yeah that's gross - although I don't get b5, especially when he's in a world of hurt

Yeah I thought he had no moves and g5 bg5 would be messy as he is hitting e3. Figured I could just queen a pawn, and missed rc5

o man, playing a GM and u missed g5 here?? threatens hella nastys bro, ouch

How does the game play out if he plays g5?

White threatens Rh8+ and Rg4+ and will win material (at least an exchange) by force.

After that, the queenside pawns will promote...

Most likely g5 Bxg5 Rh8+ Bh6 Rg4+ Kh5 Ng3+ Rxg3 Rxg3, with a much more pleasant version of the game

I'm really happy as this is the line that I was seeing - after knowing that g5 was good, as I'm not sure I see it in game... but then I don't play GM's.

I've always wanted to win a game in which I underpromote for a legitimate reason.

In this recent losing position, it was a last trick unlikely to work (not that legitimate after all), and my opponent instantly snapped off my knight:



1. ... d1=N
2. Qxd1

Variance: it was bullet - I won on time

That's pretty funny

Congrats on the wife's talent! However, much more love goes to you for commenting on an amazing game - GM Volkov vs GM Socko (Rilton Cup, Stockholm, Jan 2014) (those who're in a hurry can jump to 12:44 where the main action starts). Many thanks for discovering it! (Though there's the only candidate for the quasi-killa move, it's indeed very hard to calculate all the variations OTB and go for it...)

Thank you for the nice words

15|10 isn't a time control that I ever play, so when I actually did, yesterday, I had to be a derpyderp and wade into a thicket of calculation-intensive variations that I'd need 5–10 minutes per move to play well.

http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=91390

Mistake #1: I spent about a minute on move #10 deciding whether to castle queenside and go for the Yugoslav or castle kingside and play the Classical.

Mistake #2: I tried to make 18. Ng5 △ Nxe6 work when I couldn't calculate a clear win, when I intuitively felt it wouldn't work, and when I usually need 10+ minutes of thought to calculate moves like this well.

Of course, by then I was already in time trouble and missed both 25. c4 and the fact that the "combination" I played on moves 26 and 27 is totally unsound, because after a move like 27...Rf4, taking the knight is impossible in view of 28...Re8 and back-rank hell.

I thought Black played pretty well for his rating (~1400), but I'm ashamed of myself.

A couple of comments:
I'd be tempted to play 5.Qxd4 Nf6 6.e5 to try and punish his move order.
8.f3 is absolutely no-no, combining Be2 and f3 is almost always a bad idea. 8.a4/8.f4 (intending Bf3)/8.g4 are possible, even castling since 8.0-0 b5 9.a4 b4 10.Nd5 looks way risky (nxe4 bf3).
Black's next few moves are not in line with a6 as now he goes for a normal Dragon setup instead of playing b5/Nbd7/Bb7. He could have played his setup without a6 so it's a semi-lost tempo now.
12.-Be8. Oh dear. 12.-Ne5 going for the c4 square, then b5 later on. Bd7 can go to e6 as well.
On move 18 once you see that Nce7 hits c4 you should probably abandon the Ng5 idea for a move. I think building up with 18.Rfe1 looks best.

Thank you. I don't know the opening at all.

I found this excellent and amusingly titled chess documentary The Love for Wood that I thought others would enjoy.

It features Jan Timman and various other strong Dutch players like Donner and Max Euwe.

The Love for Wood lol

Seems like a good documentary, although the title could really use some work.

Yeah or at least have The Love For Wood be a totally different genre. ;-)

managed to luckbox my way into another win against an expert by not playing too many blunders: http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=91559

wp, you clearly loved your wood there

Hahahahaha

I'm a little embarrassed that I don't get the joke

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just referring to the posts right above very smooth if you're not even expert level, looked like 2200 level play there