The Chess Page – Page 48

Newcastle Open 2012 – Round 5

In this game I was paired off against one of the strongest players at the tournament.

I was keen to give the Smith Morra Gambit a go against a strong player to see what defence they would play. I did not expect to come up against what I did. I have played the Smith Morra Gambit numerous times and never seen the trap that I feel into in this game. It was really good to analyse the game after with Ronald and learn about the trap that can occur in the opening and think of the continuations that I might play next time if I come up against this line.

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Newcastle Open 2012 – Round 4

In this game I was up against Ian Bull, a player I played against at the Country Teams Tournament. He is a great guy and a really strong player and I was ready for a tough game. I have really enjoyed both the games we have played. In this game we played a variation of the Queens Gambit Slav but with White playing an early fianchetto on the King side. I have included the ratings we had at the time of the tournament although both of us have improved our ratings since the tournament.

I still have 2 games to put up from the Newcastle Open so keep posted for those!

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Rating – March 2012

Leave a Comment / Rating / March 9, 2012

The rating list for March has been updated on the Australian Chess Website and I have increased my rating from 1500 to 1641 which I think is a good start. The increase has been from my games in the Country teams tournament and the Newcastle Open. It is always interesting to see how your performance in tournaments effects your rating and also interesting to see the rating changes of those people you have versed.

My peak rating roughly 4 years ago was only slightly above 1600. It is really encouraging to see my rating at an all time high and I feel that I am playing even stronger than my current rating. I am hoping that with study and as much competitive play as possible (something that I find rather difficult to find time for) I will be able to get my rating even higher still. I am really enjoying chess at the moment and that is what is important and I am looking forward to seeing how much I can learn and develop over this year.

I still have a few games to post from the Newcastle Open so keep checking in to see those!!!

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Newcastle Open 2012 – Round 3

Leave a Comment / Newcastle Open 2012, Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense / March 2, 2012

This years Newcastle Open was a 6 round event. I don’t mind 6 round events but generally find that it is hard to split away from those players that are of a similar rating to you and it is harder to finish the tournament with a result that reflects your performance. This was the case in this tournament as I scored 3 out of 6 but felt I did really well in the tournament with 5 of my games against higher rated players.

In my round 3 game I came up against a much stronger opponent. I enjoyed the game and although I went away with the loss it was great to have the chance to analyse the Schliemann Defence variation of the Ruy Lopez as I had not come across this opening before (and you know how often I play the Ruy Lopez). It will definitely be an opening line I research further to make sure I am a little better prepared in the future!

In this game I thought there were a few attacking chances and therefore played very aggressively in the opening, only to find the attack was not sound. After I went down in material my opponent was able to hold on to the advantage and secure the win.

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