Redmond Champs Qualifier, Round 2 – February 1st, 2025
Sometimes chess humbles you in the most frustrating way. You get a winning position, make one careless move, and suddenly you’re fighting for a draw. That’s exactly what happened in my second game of the day, where I had to learn the hard way that winning positions mean nothing without proper technique.
A Quiet Opening with Bite
I went with 1.e4 e6 2.d3, heading into what’s sometimes called the King’s Indian Attack setup. It’s not the sharpest opening, but it leads to solid positions where you can outplay your opponent if they’re not careful.
After 2…d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.Ngf3 Bd6 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 O-O 7.O-O Re8, we had a typical French Defense structure. Both sides were developing naturally, but I was already eyeing some pressure down the center.
The critical moment came early: 8.Re1 dxe4 9.dxe4 e5. Now we had a closed center, and the real battle would be about piece activity and pawn breaks.
Building the Pressure
Things started going my way after 10.Nc4 Be6 11.Nxd6 Qxd6 12.Qxd6 cxd6. We traded queens, which might seem drawish, but I actually preferred this endgame. My pieces had better coordination, and my opponent’s pawn structure was slightly damaged.
The key move was 13.Bg5, pinning the knight and creating some real pressure. My opponent played 13…Nb4, trying to trade pieces and simplify, but I felt confident in my position.
The Critical Blunder
Here’s where I made my first serious blunder: 14.Re2. I was trying to be clever, keeping the rook flexible, but this just wasn’t the right square. As I noted in my analysis, this deserved a question mark.
Much better was 14.Bxf6 gxf6, and if my opponent tries 14…Nxc2, then 15.Bg5 f6 16.Bd2 gives White a clear advantage. I was too focused on keeping pieces on and missed the simple, strong continuation.
After my mistake, my opponent found 14…Bc4!, and suddenly the position was much more complex. The bishop was perfectly placed, eyeing my rook and controlling key squares.
The Tactical Sequence
What followed was a sharp tactical sequence: 15.Rd2 Nxe4 16.c3 Nxd2 17.Nxd2 Nc2 18.Rd1 Be2 19.Rc1 Bd3. My opponent was fighting hard, and the position was getting messy.
Then came the moment that should have decided the game: 20.Be4 Bxe4 21.Nxe4 d5. My opponent played 21…d5, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was a huge blunder that just hung the d-pawn.
I grabbed it with 22.Nd6, and suddenly I had winning positions again. The knight on d6 was a monster, controlling key squares and giving me a clear advantage.
Throwing It Away
Here’s where proper technique should have taken over. After 22…Re6 23.Nf5 h6 24.Bd2 Ra6 25.Rxc2, I was up a pawn with great piece activity. This should be a straightforward win with careful play.
But then I got careless. On move 32, I played f3, and as I marked in my notes, this was another blunder. I was trying to improve my king position, but this just created weaknesses and gave my opponent counterplay.
After 32…h5 33.b4 Ra3, my opponent was suddenly very active. The rook on the third rank was annoying, and my advantage was slipping away.
The Final Scramble
The rest of the game was a complex rook and pawn endgame where both sides had chances. I kept trying to make progress with moves like 34.Nd5 and 35.b5, but my opponent’s activity was enough to hold.
By move 38, we’d reached a position where neither side could make progress, and we agreed to a draw. A frustrating result when I’d had real winning positions earlier.
What I Learned
This game taught me several important lessons about technique and position handling:
Don’t get fancy when simple works. My 14.Re2 was trying to be clever when 14.Bxf6 was much stronger. Sometimes the obvious move is obvious for a reason.
Convert advantages quickly. When my opponent made that blunder with 21…d5, I got winning positions but failed to convert them. In endgames, technique matters more than tactics.
Stay focused when ahead. My 32.f3 was careless and gave my opponent the counterplay needed to draw. When you have winning positions, don’t create unnecessary complications.
Activity trumps material sometimes. Even though I was up a pawn, my opponent’s active rook was enough to create a fortress I couldn’t break.
Looking Back
This draw was more frustrating than my loss from the previous round. At least in that game, I was outplayed fairly. Here, I had real chances to win but let them slip through poor technique.
It’s a good reminder that chess rewards patience and precision, especially when you have winning positions. You can’t just rely on tactics – you need solid technique to turn your advantages into points. Something I clearly need to work on before my next tournament.
The position after my opponent’s massive blunder should have been winning, but technique and endgame knowledge matter just as much as finding the right moves in the middlegame. Back to the drawing board for some endgame study.