Fromper's new 2008 improvement thread

[Abba]

I ended up gaining 12 points this past weekend, and recorded my 2nd draw over a 2300+ player (2385). I actually started with 2.5/3 after ripping apart a master in about 25 moves in round 3. Sadly I was left to play black against a 2450 IM and a very strong 2300 local player and ended the tournament with two losses and finished with 2.5/5.

My goal is still to hit 2300, but at this point I'll be very happy when I reach that 2200 milestone. 42 points to go, so if I stay focused I may reach it sometime in 2009!

[ketchuplover]

Way to go Abba What was the time control?

[Abba]

First two rounds were G/75.

The last three rounds were 40/2 , SD/60.

[bjphillips]

Hi Fromper,
You might be rusty but you might also be fresh having given yourself a chance to gain a little perspective. Perhaps the break will prove to have been a good thing.
Good luck!

[Octal]

Fromper:
If you feel nervous about losing, just cheat. Play the actual games (without computer help), but after each game make sure it gets recorded as a win, however that may be done; whether it is from bribery, trickery, or theft.

[Fromper]

Originally Posted by bjphillips

Hi Fromper,
You might be rusty but you might also be fresh having given yourself a chance to gain a little perspective. Perhaps the break will prove to have been a good thing.
Good luck!

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping. It was only a two month break from playing. Hopefully, it won't hurt. I just hope I remember the move orders correctly for some of the sharper lines in my opening repertoire.

I actually played a game online this week at a time control that wasn't quite blitz speed, but is still much faster than I usually play. It didn't go so well. I need to review the whole thing, but I know I blew my last drawing chance in the endgame with a stupid blunder. But with more time, I don't think I'd have made that mistake. I tend to play better OTB than online anyway, especially at a slow time control.

I've also done a few puzzles this week to get my brain back into it. I'm hoping to have time for at least one more online game tonight and/or tomorrow before the tourney starts.

Knowing my past history when playing after a break, I figure I'll probably start badly during the tournament and play my best on Sunday once I'm fully "warmed up". I'm just hoping I don't get totally humiliated at this one, especially since I'm not playing up a section.

Originally Posted by Octal

Fromper:
If you feel nervous about losing, just cheat. Play the actual games (without computer help), but after each game make sure it gets recorded as a win, however that may be done; whether it is from bribery, trickery, or theft.

I really hope you're joking.

--Fromper

[planetchess.org]

And?

[Fromper]

Originally Posted by planetchess.org

And?

???

The tournament is today through Sunday. Nothing to report yet, since it hasn't started yet. I'll let you know how it goes.

--Fromper

[Fromper]

Well, I drew the first game. It was against a friend of mine from the local club who's rated about 250 below me. We've played a few times in the past, and I've always won. He's improving though, so it's usually a tough game, and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep beating him forever.

He plays the English as white, so I played the Tarrasch Defense against him as black. I think I had a winning position in the middle game, but he found a very good defensive move that I overlooked. He could have had an endgame where I had a rook and four pawns against his bishop and six pawns, which is probably better for him. But he didn't know how to play the endgame, so he was satisfied forcing me to repeat the position three times for a draw.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the quality of the moves I played all game, with the exception of overlooking that one defensive move, but that was a tough one to spot. However, my method for finding those moves was awful. My thought process is hazy at best. I spent way too much time thinking and would have been in serious time trouble if we'd played out the endgame. I'm definitely not playing well right now. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my head back into the game before I lose too many this weekend. There's two games each on Saturday and Sunday, so I figure I'll probably continue to play lousy on Saturday and finally be "warmed up" enough to play well by the time Sunday rolls around. So my prediction from before the tourney started still stands in that respect.

--Fromper

[ketchuplover]

I know what you mean about hazy thought process. Do you have a mental checklist of things to do before you move?