Redmond Champs Qualifier, Round 1 – February 1st, 2025
Sometimes chess rewards you for your opponent’s mistakes more than your own brilliance. That’s exactly what happened in my recent tournament game, where my opponent kept giving me free tempo after tempo until I finally found the right moment to strike.
The Opening Setup
We went into an Accelerated Dragon after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6. I love this opening because it gives Black real counterplay chances if White isn’t careful.
My opponent chose 7.Nxc6, which is fine but not the sharpest try. After 7…bxc6 8.e5 Ng8, I was already planning my knight’s journey to h6. The key idea here is that the knight isn’t retreating – it’s heading to h6 to put pressure on that advanced e5 pawn and gain tempo.
The Tempo Gifts Begin
After I castled with 10…O-O, White played 11.Be4. I’m still scratching my head about this move. Sure, the bishop grabs the long diagonal, but it basically hands me a free tempo. In my notes, I wrote “A move I don’t understand” – and I still don’t.
But that wasn’t the end of it. After my 11…Qc7 (which turned out to be a novelty), White played 12.Bc5. Another tempo gift! The bishop pressures e7, but at what cost? White was moving the same pieces over and over while I was developing naturally.
Finding My Breakthrough
The real turning point came around move 21. I’d been playing a bit passively earlier (what else is new?) – my 14…Bg4 was particularly questionable since I was just attacking the queen for no clear reason.
But then I found 21…f5! This is the classic pawn break in these Dragon structures. It opens lines and gives Black real attacking chances. When White responded with 22.g5, I knew I had him. My 22…Ne4! landed right in the center and White’s position started falling apart.
The Final Push
After the tactics around moves 21-25, I had a winning position with active pieces and a dangerous pawn majority. We both got into time trouble (something I need to work on), but my structural advantage was too much.
As I noted in my scoresheet: “I was able to push my pawn majority, trade queens after which White resigned.”
What I Learned
This game taught me several things:
Tempo matters more than you think. White’s early bishop moves gave me free development time that added up to a real advantage.
Stay active when possible. I had chances to play more actively early on (like 10…d6 instead of castling, or 12…f5 instead of 12…Re8). When I finally chose active play with f5, it paid off immediately.
Know your pawn breaks. The f5 advance was thematic for this structure. Sometimes the right move feels natural when you understand what the position is asking for.
Time management needs work. Both of us fell into time trouble, which led to some sloppy play later on.
Wrapping Up
Chess often comes down to small advantages building up over time. My opponent kept giving me tempo in the opening without getting much in return. Once I found the right moment to open the position, my more active pieces took over.
This wasn’t a perfect game – I made plenty of mistakes too. But it was satisfying to see my Dragon come alive when it mattered. Sometimes you don’t need to play brilliantly; you just need to stay patient and wait for your opponent to give you the tempo you need to strike.
Ever have a game similar to this one? Please post in the BetterChess community comments below and share your thoughts. This is a rare case where my opponent helped shape the outcome of the game!