I missed an EASY win (Played on FICS 10.21.20)

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. e3 d5 6. Be2 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Bxg7 Kxg7 9. Nc3 Nb4 10. d4 Bf5 11. Rc1 Qa5 12. a4 Rd8 13. O-O N8c6 14. Bc4
e5 15. d5 Bg4 16. h3 Bf5 17. g4 e4 18. gxf5 exf3 19. Qxf3 Ne5 20. f6+ Kh8 21.
Qf4 Nbd3 22. Qh6 Rg8 23. Bxd3 Nxd3 24. Ne4 g5 25. Rc3 Ne5 26. f3 Rg6 27. Qh5
Nd7 28. Kh1 Rag8 29. Rg1 Nxf6 30. Rxc5 Qb4 31. Nxf6 Rxf6 32. Rb5 Qe7 33. d6
Rxd6 34. Rbxg5 Rxg5 35. Rxg5 Qxe3 36. Qxf7 Qxg5 37. Qf8+ Qg8 38. Qxd6 Qxb3
39. Qf4 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Qg6+ 41. Qg4 Qxg4+ 42. fxg4 Kg7 43. Kf3 b6 44. Ke4 a6
45. Kd5 b5 46. axb5 axb5 47. Kc5 Kf6 48. h4 Ke5 49. Kxb5 Kf4 50. g5 Kg4 51.
Kc5 Kxh4 52. Kd4 Kxg5 53. Ke3 Kg4 54. Kf2 Kh3 55. Kf3 h5 56. Kf2 Kh2 57. Kf3
h4 58. Kf2 Kh3 59. Kf3 Kh2 60. Kf2 h3 *

DRAW

30 ...Qb4?  30 ...Qxc5 out right wins a piece!  God ******!!  You see, this is why you GO OVER YOUR GAMES.  I still need to buy an engine.  I'm just using my mind to analyze my games.  I need something more powerful.. like.. Fritz 17 on 8-core processor.  Too bad I'm poor.  I actually need to book another appointment with Turzo (IM) to go over the last few games I've posted here on my blog.

There will be another day!

- Lizzi

Another Game Analyzing the K.I.D. - Hernandez vs Jones 1952

 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 Nbd7 7.O-O
e5 8.Be3 Ng4 9.Bg5 f6 10.Bd2 exd4 11.Nxd4 Nde5 12.f4 f5
13.fxe5 Nxh2 14.Kxh2 Bxe5+ 15.Bf4 Qh4+ 16.Kg1 Bxf4 17.Nf3 Be3+

My First Blindfold Game To Go Into an Endgame (Lichess.org)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. h4 O-O 5. g3 d6 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bb5 c6 8. Bd3 Nc5 9. O-O Nxd3 10. Qxd3 b5 11. c4 Bb7 12. Nc3 c5 13. cxb5 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Be4 15. Qc4 h6 16. f3 hxg5 17. fxe4 Nxe4 18. a4 Nxc3 19. bxc3 Rc8 20. Nc6 Rxc6 21. bxc6 d5 22. c7 dxc4 23. cxd8=Q Rxd8 24. hxg5 Bxc3 25. Kf2 Bxa1 26. Rxa1 1/2-1/2

Thoughts for May 30, 2020

I don't ever remember the Chicago Open being canceled.  It has been a long tradition of mine. Well, it was canceled this year (2020).  I had hopes of getting my rating into the next rank this year.  I'm currently in Class B.  I was hoping to make it to Class A.  That surely won't happen in 2020.  How sad :( 

I'm still practicing blindfold chess at lichess.  I had the thought today, "Why don't I just focus on getting better at regular chess instead of trying to play blindfold everyday?".  The truth is, solely focusing on blindfold chess can throw off your game.  It requires a totally different mode of thinking.  In blindfold chess, a large part of success is being sharp with your short-term memory and focusing on tactics rather than strategy. At least from my experience this is the case.  If I improve my non-blindfold game, then my blindfold game will improve.  Generally, the stronger the player, the stronger his blindfold game will be.  Most Grandmasters can play just as strong blindfolded as they do regularly.  I will still practice blindfold, just not so much.

Do you want to know what makes a great chessplayer a great chessplayer?  An unusual mind.  It doesn't take so much a brilliant mind, just unusual.  Something about great chessplayer's minds is a talent for remember chess patterns (moves) on a 64 square board.  This implies at least three talents:  pattern recognition ability, a powerful memory and spatial awareness.  But having a powerful memory is one thing - being able to remember pieces (and how they move) on a 8x8 square board is quite another.  I have the spatial ability and a powerful memory (actually photographic), but it's just not designed for remembering so many patterns on a 64-square board.  Can I get improve that time of memory?  Not really, but what I can improve is the literal memorizing of pieces on the board simply by studying my mistakes over and over until my mistakes are engrained into my mind.  Some people need to work hard at memorizing their mistakes, some don't.  It's mostly concerning natural talent.

I dedicate about 1 -3 hours of study and play per day towards chess.  If I really want to improve, I probably need to dedicate more hours than that, daily.  Here is where passion comes in!

- Lizzi

 

2017 Mark Oestreich Memorial Round 2

[Event "2017 Mark Oestreich Memorial"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.03.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Bumpas, Stan"] [Black "Terlizzi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D94"]  [PlyCount "57"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Bg4 8. h3 Bd7 9. O-O c6 10. a4 a5 11. Qe2 e6 12. b3 Na6 13. Ba3 Re8 14. Rad1 Nc7 15. e4 b5 16. axb5 cxb5 17. Nxb5 Nxb5 18. Bxb5 Bxb5 19. Qxb5 Nxe4 20. Qd3 Nf6 21. Ne5 Nd7 22. Nc6 Qb6 23. Ne7 Kh8 24. d5 exd5 25. Qxd5 Ne5 26. Rfe1 Rad8 27. Bc5 Rxd5 28. Bxb6 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 1/2-1/2 '/>

2017 Mark Oestreich Memorial Round 1

[Event "Mark Oestreich Memorial"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.03.18"] [Round "1"] [White "Terlizzi"] [Black "Bean, John"] [Result "1-0"] [PlyCount "111"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d4 e6 5. d5 Na5 6. e4 d6 7. Be2 e5 8. O-O Be7 9. Nd2 O-O 10. Nb3 b6 11. Nxa5 bxa5 12. f4 Nd7 13. f5 Bg5 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. Rf3 Nf6 16. Rg3 Qf4 17. Qd3 Ba6 18. Rf1 Qh4 19. Qe3 Kh8 20. Rh3 Ng4 21. Bxg4 Qxg4 22. b3 f6 23. Rg3 Qh5 24. Rff3 Qh6 25. Qe1 Qh5 26. Rh3 Qf7 27. Qh4 Qg8 28. Ne2 Bc8 29. Ng3 g5 30. Qg4 Rf7 31. Rh6 Rb8 32. Ne2 a4 33. Rg3 Qg7 34. Qh5 Rbb7 35. h4 Qg8 36. hxg5 fxg5 37. Rxd6 Qf8 38. Rh6 Rg7 39. Rxg5 Rxg5 40. Qxg5 Rg7 41. Qh4 Qg8 42. Qf6 Qf7 43. Qxf7 Rxf7 44. g4 Rg7 45. Rh4 Bd7 46. Ng3 Be8 47. f6 Rg5 48. Nf5 Kg8 49. Nd6 Bd7 50. Nf5 Kf7 51. Rxh7 Kxf6 52. Rxd7 Rxg4 53. Kf2 Rxe4 54. Nd6 Rd4 55. Rxa7 Rd2 56. Ke3 1-0 '/>

One of My Better Games on ICC (played 06.24.2016)

This is one of my better victories on The Internet Chess Club (ICC). I have kept this game in mind for a while and finally decided to share it here on my blog. I played purely positional. Usually I played for dynamic games that involve a lot of tactics, but this win was a little different and I am very proud of it! Enjoy!

[Event "ICC 15 0"] [Site "Internet Chess Club"] [Date "2016.06.24"] [Round "-"] [White "Terlizzi"] [Black "TwoEqualsOne"] [Result "1-0"] [ICCResult "Black resigns"] [WhiteElo "1591"] [BlackElo "1645"] [Opening "English opening"] [ECO "A10"] [NIC "EO.64"] [Time "16:42:52"] [TimeControl "900%2B0"] 1. c4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O b6 8. d5 Nb8 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Bg5 Nd7 11. Qd2 Ba6 12. Rac1 Nge5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. b3 Rc8 15. f4 Nd7 16. Bg4 h6 17. Bh4 f5 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Bf3 Nf6 20. Ne2 Nd7 21. Nd4 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Bb7 23. Rfe1 Rf7 24. Bh5 Rg7 25. Re6 Qf8 26. Rc3 c6 27. Rg3 Rxg3 28. hxg3 cxd5 29. Bxe7 {Black resigns} 1-0'/>

Round 3 Victory 8.16.14

I finished the tournament 2.5/3 and tied for second place. This game (Round 3) was definitely one of my better games. Enjoy :)

[Event "Southern Illinois Summer Open"] [Site "?"] [Date "2014.08.16"] [Round "3"] [White "Terlizzi"] [Black "Colvin, Mark"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "1598"] [BlackElo "1705"] [PlyCount "47"] [SourceDate "2014.08.16"] 1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 d6 3. Bc4 e6 4. O-O Bg7 5. d4 Ne7 6. Ng5 O-O 7. f4 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nc3 c6 10. Nxd5 cxd5 11. Bb3 Nc6 12. c3 h6 13. Nf3 Na5 14. Bc2 Nc4 15. Ne5 Kh7 16. Qe2 Nd6 17. Rf3 Bd7 18. Rg3 Nf5 19. Rh3 Be8 20. g4 Ne7 21. g5 Nf5 22. gxh6 Bxh6 23. Ng4 Rg8 24. Nxh6 1-0 '/>

Southern Illinois Summer Open Round 2 (Draw)

This was a tough game I played against an old timer that ended in a draw. I feel I played a little too passively.

[Event "Southern Illinois Summer Open"] [Site "Salem Illinois"] [Date "2014.08.16"] [Round "2"] [White "Terlizzi"] [Black "Fathauer, Terry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "1598"] [BlackElo "1688"] [PlyCount "87"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nxd4 Nc6 4. e4 a6 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Nc3 Be7 8. Be3 Qc7 9. f4 d6 10. e5 dxe5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. fxe5 Qxe5 13. Bd4 Bc5 14. Bxc5 Qxc5 15. Kh1 O-O 16. Bd3 Bb7 17. Qe2 Qg5 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Qb5 20. c4 Qc5 21. Rad1 f5 22. Bc2 Rad8 23. Qxe6 Kh8 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Qxf5 Qxf5 26. Rxf5 g6 27. Rf2 c5 28. h3 Kg7 29. b3 Bc6 30. Kh2 Rd6 31. g4 Bd7 32. Kg3 a5 33. Be4 Bc6 34. Bxc6 Rxc6 1/2-1/2 '/>

Play to Win

[Event "ICC"] [Site "Internet Chess Club"] [Date "2013.12.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Misticknights3"] [Black "Terlizzi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A21"] [WhiteElo "1787"] [BlackElo "1859"] [Annotator "Terlizzi"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700%2B45"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 4. Bg2 Bxc3 5. bxc3 c6 6. Nf3 d6 7. O-O O-O 8. Rb1 e4 9. Nd4 d5 10. Ba3 Re8 11. Qb3 a6 12. c5 Nbd7 13. Qa4 Ne5 14. Rfc1 Nc4 15. Rc2 Nxa3 16. Qxa3 Ng4 17. Nb3 a5 18. d4 e3 19. f3 Bf5 20. Rbc1 Bxc2 21. Rxc2 Nf6 22. Rb2 Qc7 23. Nc1 Nd7 24. Bh3 g6 25. Bxd7 Qxd7 26. Kg2 f6 27. Nd3 g5 28. Rb6 g4 29. f4 1/2-1/2 ’/>'/>

I was both happy and a little disappointed at the result of this game. My opponent had a strong rating at 1787 ELO. I feel that I outplayed him during the game and had a significant advantage but on the other hand I was really tired and ready for the game to end. I was starting to get nervous that I was going to ruin my advantage. His knight could have been tricky. However, at move 29 my opponent offered a draw and I accept. Ergo, I was both pleased and displeased at the result. When you have a three point advantage on your opponent then you have to play to win because I feel in a way it was somewhat of a loss for me due to a lack of confidence. In chess, the only way is to play to win.