I'm Back

I'm in Hawaii now. Life is good.  Follow my new blog lizzichess2.blogspot.com   It is more about my life.  This site is more about chess.  Yes, I will still be posting here.  Take care. 

Beating an Expert-Rated Computer (LIVE G/15)

 

My Greatest Online Checkmate

Magnus Carlsen GIVES UP THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

 Yeah, so this isn't really news anymore... Carlsen announced that he will no longer be defending his World Chess Championship title over a week ago.  I thought it was a bit of an insult to the chess community, but I realized that he shouldn't have to play if his heart isn't in it anymore.  Carlsen stated that it is simply an issue of motivation.  He doesn't care if he wins the Championship for a sixth time or not.  He did make it clear however that he is still going to chase his goal of reaching 2900 ELO.  If he does this, it will be the first time in chess history.  

I was never really a big fan of Carlsen, but this still disappointed me a bit.  This guy is five years younger than me, and if he is losing his chess passion what does that say for me now that I am coming up on 40.  I don't even have the National Master title.  I don't even think I should pursue it any more.  I'm probably just wasting my GD time.  I'm too old.  

This is life.  It's like they say, "all good things come to an end".  When I hear of the word "nostalgia",  I immediately think of the 1990's.  I was so happy.  

I played a game of chess today for the first time in a few days.  I haven't really been interested much because of my thoughts regarding the Carlsen thing.  

It was a wild game, and I made one final blunder in the endgame that sealed my fate.  

WHAT ON EARTH POSSESSED ME TO PUSH MY a-pawn UP ONE SQUARE                         (move 42 ...)!!!!!!!!!???????????????????????????

 [Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.08.04"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Aaapl"]
[Black "ShallowCal"]
[Result "1-0"]
[CurrentPosition "8/8/8/PK6/1p3k2/8/P7/8 b - -"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "C26"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Vienna-Game-Falkbeer-Variation"]
[UTCDate "2022.08.04"]
[UTCTime "04:38:35"]
[WhiteElo "1738"]
[BlackElo "1531"]
[TimeControl "1800"]
[Termination "Aaapl won by resignation"]
[StartTime "04:38:35"]
[EndDate "2022.08.04"]
[EndTime "05:35:56"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/53326798697"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. f4 Nc6 4. fxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Nf3 d6 8. Qe2
dxe5 9. dxe5 Ng4 10. Bf4 Qb4 11. O-O-O Qxf4+ 12. Kb1 Be6 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. Rxd5
Ne3 15. g3 Qe4 16. Rd3 Bc5 17. Bg2 Qa4 18. Rxe3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 O-O-O 20. Ng5 Nd4
21. b3 Nxc2 22. Bh3+ Kb8 23. bxa4 Nxe3 24. Nxf7 Rhf8 25. Nxd8 Rxd8 26. e6 Re8
27. Re1 Nd5 28. Kb2 c5 29. Rf1 Ne3 30. Rf7 g5 31. e7 Kc7 32. Be6 Kd6 33. Bb3 c4
34. Bc2 Nxc2 35. Kxc2 Rxe7 36. Rxe7 Kxe7 37. Kc3 Kd6 38. Kxc4 Ke5 39. Kd3 h5 40.
h3 h4 41. gxh4 gxh4 42. Ke3 a6 43. a5 Kf5 44. Kf3 Kg5 45. Ke4 Kg6 46. Kf4 Kf6
47. Kg4 Ke5 48. Kxh4 Kf4 49. Kh5 Kf5 50. h4 Kf6 51. Kg4 Kg6 52. Kf4 Kh5 53. Ke5
Kxh4 54. Kd6 Kg4 55. Kc7 b5 56. Kb6 Kf4 57. Kxa6 b4 58. Kb5 (58. Kb5 Ke4 59. a6
b3 60. axb3 Kd3 61. a7 Ke3 62. a8=Q) 1-0

NOTICE:
it turned out... my opponent only had 7 seconds left on his clock when I resigned.  Yes, I would have won if I just played on.  

always be aware of BOTH YOU AND YOUR OPPONENT'S time

Quick fyi:  

word on the street is that chess streamers are fading out/quitting.

Another fyi:

Bill Wall has possibly the most extensive chess website in the World.  His article on Bobby Fischer is DEEP

BILL WALL'S CHESS PAGE  (Google it, I don't want to provide the link because it is not currently secured,  For the consideration of my readers, I never link to websites that are not secured),  

There will be another day!

- Lizzi

 

First Game in ~ 3 months (CHESScom)

 [Event "Live Chess - chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.05.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Cal"]
[Black "masmas8"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "1800"]
[WhiteElo "1521"]
[BlackElo "1463"]
[Termination "Cal" won by resignation"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 Bb4+ 4. c3 Bd6 5. Bg5 Nf6 6. dxe5 Nxe5 7. Nxe5 Bxe5 8.
f4 h6 9. fxe5 hxg5 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. Qf3 Qb6 12. Bc4 O-O 13. b3 g4 14. Qe2 c6
15. Nd2 d5 16. exd5 Bf5 17. O-O-O cxd5 18. Bd3 Be6 19. Kb2 Rfc8 20. Rc1 a5 21.
a4 Qd6 22. Rhd1 Rcb8 23. Bb5 Bd7 24. Nc4 Qc7 25. Bxd7 Qxd7 26. Nb6 Qc6 27. Nxa8
Rxa8 28. Qxg4 Rb8 29. Qf4 Ra8 30. Rf1 b5 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 32. Rf3 1-0

Never a better way to start the day than a victory at the board!

Lizzi

STL $5 Satellite (Round 3)

 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Be7 7. Qd5 d6 8.
Qxf7+ * 1 - 0

STL $5 Satellite (Round 2)

 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. d3 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. f5
Qc7 9. O-O g6 10. Qe2 Ng4 11. h3 Ne5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Qf2 gxf5 14. Qxf5 e6 15.
Qh5 c4 16. Be3 b5 17. Rf6 cxd3 18. cxd3 b4 19. Ne2 Qe7 20. Raf1 O-O-O 21. Qxf7
Qxf7 22. Rxf7 Bb5 23. Ba7 Bd7 24. Bb6 Re8 25. Rc1+ Kb7 26. Ba5 * 1 - 0

STL $5 Satellite (Round 1)

 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. exd6 cxd6 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. Nf3 Nc6
8. O-O g6 9. Ng5 Qf5 10. c4 Nb6 11. Na3 Qd7 12. Qf3 Nd8 13. c5 Nc8 14. Nc4 Bg7
15. cxd6 Nxd6 16. Ne5 Qf5 17. Qb3 Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qxe5 19. Bd2 Qf5 20. Rac1 Ne4
21. Qa4+ Nc6 22. Nxe4 O-O 23. Ng3 Qd5 24. Bc3 Qg5 25. Rfe1 Rfe8 26. h4 Qd5 27.
Qf4 e5 28. Qh6 Ne7 29. Rxe5 Qd6 30. Rd5 *1-0

MegaMind Championship 10.16.2021 (Round 3, Win as Black)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Bd3 O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3
Nbd7 9. c3 Re8 10. Re1 e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Rd1 Qe7 15.
Nd2 e4 16. Bxe4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Qxe4 18. Qxe4 Rxe4 *

And I finally win a game.  I requested a half-point-bye for the 4th and final round and left for home in not a very good mood.  We shall go on.

All three of my opponents were very young kids rated at the beginner level.  I'm a bit rusty to say the least.

- Lizzi

MegaMind Championship 10.16.2021 (Round 2, Loss as White)

 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 d6 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8.
Nc3 O-O 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. Qxd5 c6 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qh6 Bf6 13. Qe3 c5 14. Bc4 Bd4
15. Qf3 Be5 16. Bh6 Qh4 17. g3 Qxh6 18. Qb3 Bh3 19. Rfe1 Bg4 *

I blundered my dark-squared Bishop on move 16. and it was all over from there.

- Lizzi

MegaMind Championship 10.16.2021 (Round 1, Loss as Black)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 g5 6. Bg3 h5 7. h3 Nxg3 8. fxg3
Bd6 9. Ne5 Bxe5 10. dxe5 c5 11. Nc3 a6 12. g4 h4 13. Qf3 Nd7 14. O-O-O Nxe5 15.
Qf2 b5 16. Ne2 Bb7 17. e4 Qa5 18. Kb1 Nd7 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Nc3 O-O-O 21. Nxd5
exd5 22. Qxf7 d4 23. Bd3 Rhe8 24. Bf5 Qc7 25. Rhe1 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 c4 27. Re8 Rxe8
28. Qxe8+ Qd8 29. Bxd7+ Kc7 30. Qxd8+ Kxd8 *

I forgot how to play the Trompowsky and immediately overlooked the standard reply of 3.Bf4 with ...c5 instead of ...d5 !!  

I let my opponent get after my King.  I blundered a piece.  I lost.  The kid was rated around 1000 ELO

This is what happens when you go long periods of time without playing, my friends!

- Lizzi

Upcoming Tournament

 I'm going to play in the Megamind G/30 USCF rated chess tournament this weekend on Saturday, 10.16.2021.  It will be my first chess tournament in well over a half a year.  I did this strictly out of boredom.  But, who knows what may come out of it?  Maybe, I'll make some new friends or meet a girl.  IDK.  Or maybe I'll even win all three rounds and get first place (this has happened before).

This tournament is at the Saint Louis Chess Club.  It is their first standard rated Over-The- Board tournament since all this Corona shit started.  Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.  It's a 36-player tournament, I'll upload my games here at my blog.

I took lessons from the Iranian Chess Queen - Derakshani.  She's younger than my step-sister and is already an International Master.  She gave me some good general tips for guidance.  One thing she told me that really hit me, "I don't think chess players ever really quit playing chess".  Amen!  We all go long periods of time without playing but almost always come back to the game!  

Wish me luck!

I Lost !!!

[Event "rated standard match"]
[Site "Free Internet Chess Server"]
[Date "2021.10.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "cterlizzi"]
[Black "kamenozrout"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1853E"]
[BlackElo "2121"]
[ECO "C44"]
[TimeControl "900"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. c3 Nf6 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8.
fxg7 Rg8 9. Qe2+ Be6 10. Ng5 d3 11. Qe4 Qd5 12. Qxd5 Bxd5 13. Nxh7 O-O-O 14.
Nf6 Rxg7 15. Nxd5 Rxd5 16. Bf4 Rxg2 17. Bg3 Ne5 18. Nd2 f6 19. Rd1 Ng4 20.
Ne4 Rf5 21. Nxc5 Nxf2 22. Bxf2 Rfxf2 23. Rb1 Re2+ 24. Kd1 Rd2+ 25. Ke1 Rxb2
26. Rxb2 Rxb2 27. Rf1 b6 28. Na6 Re2+ 29. Kd1 Rxa2 30. Rxf6 Rxa6 31. h4 Ra1+
32. Kd2 Ra2+ 33. Kd1 Rh2 34. Rf4 b5 35. Rd4 Rc2 36. h5 Rxc3 37. h6 Ra3 38. h7
Ra1+ 39. Kd2 Rh1 {cterlizzi resigns} 0-1

I had several winning chances here...