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    If it's any consolation (and it won't be), I didn't see them either.

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      Originally posted by Sam View Post
      Hmm. As a Platinum member, the only tournaments I can create are daily ones. But I note that on the Tournaments page, there is a link over on the right for Live Club Tournaments. But we have an OTF club, In case anyone's forgotten. Could Wouter, as the admin of that, set up a live tournament within the OTF Club? From my non-admin position in the group it looks like that's an option for him, because there's a page within the club for Live Tournaments.
      I had totally forgotten, I would love to get involved with this, but I am completely swamped with work right now.

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        It's unusual enough to deliver checkmate with a pawn move; now I've had it twice in this tournament, as White vs Wouter and Bored.

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          Congratulations, IT. Probably the game I enjoyed most in the tournament.

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            EEG: I enjoyed out game very much. I just couldn't see a way to dislodge that knight. And you couldn't really move your pieces without leaving at least one vulnerable.

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              So ends OTF15; many thanks for good games all round. It's no word of a lie that every one of my games presented me with moments of concern, and I could by no means afford to be complacent. A particular mention to TPC, Sam and Wouter, who had me short of good options in the middlegame.

              This is meant as an observation rather than a dig: with some of those who'd come up against me before, it felt as though you were playing the man rather than the board. There were cases of incautious opening lines, premature resignations and rejecting a strong continuation that might have played out differently had I contrived to enter under an unfamiliar ID.
              Last edited by irony towers; 23-09-2018, 18:05. Reason: credit where due

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                EEG: I enjoyed out game very much. I just couldn't see a way to dislodge that knight. And you couldn't really move your pieces without leaving at least one vulnerable.
                Indeed. Technically we were level on material with my NPP against your R but I was very much on the defensive and had no option other than to play as solidly defensive as possible and put the pressure on you to take the initiative. I practically bit your hand off when you offered the draw.

                This is meant as an observation rather than a dig: with some of those who'd come up against me before, it felt as though you were playing the man rather than the board. There were cases of incautious opening lines, premature resignations and rejecting a strong continuation that might have played out differently had I contrived to enter under an unfamiliar ID.
                ha ha, guilty as charged. I messed up the (to me very unfamiliar) openings in both our games, going a pawn down in each if I remember rightly and certainly with what felt like a disadvantage in development. I might have played on and done my best to mitigate the damage against a player who was around or below my level but it just seemed masochistic to try to rescue a losing position against a much stronger player so I resigned, as you might see it "prematurely". Ad hoc (and Etienne some of the time) will also have noticed over the last few years that I often don't have the fight against significantly stronger players.

                Edit: anyway, I enjoyed the tournament. Lots of good tough games, including the one Levin just mentioned. My favourite was probably my win as white against Sam, even though his bold attacking sacrifice play in the match - which had me fearing disaster around the corner for quite a while - would have won the neutral support over my cautious defensive approach.
                Last edited by Evariste Euler Gauss; 23-09-2018, 20:54.

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                  I am bored already. OTF16?

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                    I'd be up for it.

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                      My head is full of the lectures I have to teach this week, so I have the attention span of a gnat for other things. If one of you could be so kind to bump this thread around 6PM CEST (5PM London time, I believe), then I'll get a reminder during my dinner. I'll set up another round then.

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                        Turns out that I did end up with some time to think this evening, and I duly remembered. I have sent out some invites to OTF Chess #16; if you didn't receive an invite and want one, please let me know.

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                          Cheers, Wouter.

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                            Fuckin' A!

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                              All systems go! Good luck.

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                                I have a tendency to "give up" somewhat if I go behind on material against a stronger player, my line of thought of course being "this is hopeless, my opponent was favourite even without the advantage he/she now has". Often I resign, and even if I don't resign, my focus tends to weaken a bit. So I ought to take heart from instances where a bit of patience and tenacity leads to a reversal. Such as this nice game from a rather excellent 960 tournament that I set up. White was the weaker player (by perhaps a little more than the 100 point ratings gap shown), and compounded his long odds by blundering away a knight at move 19. But he kept going, and look what happened 12 moves later! [Edit: black's move 30 accelerated white's mating opportunity by a move or two of course, but I think from a very superficial look that black had no escape from a mate in a few moves by that stage, is that right?]

                                https://www.chess.com/daily/game/200214376
                                Last edited by Evariste Euler Gauss; 06-10-2018, 12:52.

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                                  So this morning I fucked up two of our tournament games I should have won (or conceivably could have won) because I insisted on playing on my iPhone when I'm busy setting up tonight's gig (I'm helping at at Nantwich Words & Music Festival). There was no earthly reason why I should play the moves today at all, I could easily have waited till Thursday when I've got the day off. Really, really, really irritated with myself,

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                                    A few days ago I insisted on playing on my phone when on a break at work and threw away my queen in two separate games within the space of five minutes. Again, there was no reason too.

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                                      How long did it take you to program all those moves Etienne?

                                      I feel I've benefited from some inattention this tournament. But then I also analysed a game and getting 5 Win Missed ?? moves in a row is a bit disheartening.

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                                        About 30 seconds. I was pretty sure what was about to happen. It's been a really enjoyable game, as has mine with Wouter who has been brilliant since he chucked away his knight.

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                                          Oh yes, I've had lots of fun so far this tournament. And lots of time in thought.

                                          I don't think I've received as intense an opening assault as Wouter launched at me in our first game.

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                                            Time has not been on my side this tournament. On the plus side, I just received 100 Springer books in my office with my name on the cover, so I've got that going for me.

                                            Good for the career. Bad for chess.

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                                              We have discussed the folly of playing on the phone before. I can now add "Don't play while simultaneously talking to your wife otherwise you lose two kings in a row" to the maxims.

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                                                Just got soundly beaten by Etienne, despite having been a piece up at one stage (well, a minor piece for a pawn - just 2 points net). I ran the site's computer analysis (Deep level) to see what went wrong, and as usual I don't have a clue what lies behind many of its often surprising evaluations. it was kind of a relief to see that at the point where I'd just gone a piece up my overall evaluation was just +0.78, which is nothing really (in fact lower than the overall strength scores I'd had at some earlier moves and lower than scores I had a few moves later). Etienne was consistently well ahead in the computer's view from my 19. Qb3 (which was a Mistake apparently) onwards. Overall the computer doesn't seem very impressed with either of us, as there were loads of big swings in the position evaluation scores, but of course I was substantially worse, with best move just 29% of the time compared to Etienne's 39%. My single worst move was apparently castling at move 16, which took me from +2.18 to -1.94, a shift of over 4 points, because I missed the opportunity to play the recommended 16. Nb5 instead, which I can see would have caused Etienne some damage.

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                                                  I'll have to look at that myself.

                                                  Meanwhile I had a ridiculous finish in a 10 minute game just now. Check the times.

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                                                    Currently playing a game against EEG that is quite possibly the most boring game of chess I've ever played. Twice now I've considered resigning just so I can get on with the rest of my life, however something stops me every time. I've no idea what to do next though.

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