USATS Round 3

My round three game included a long grinding slog, followed by a brief tactical sequence that left me on top ... and culminated in ignominious defeat when I tried to exploit my advantage too quickly. There's not much to point out other than the point I went wrong.

Todd Durham, 1733

Bill Langford, 1650

Here I played 28...g5. I had just won White's h-pawn and I wanted to crack open the king-side before he had a chance to regroup for defensive operations. The problem is that I was the one that needed to regroup - winning the pawn had ruined the coordination of my rooks in particular. Furthermore, his pieces are ideally placed to attack if the position opens up. Dumbdumbdumb. Or as Connor likes to say, "Derp." My move isn't bad in and of itself, but it was the wrong plan, and once I realized things were going wrong I lost my resolve and did not find better defensive options.

I was very upset with myself after the game, and went for a short walk outside. It was a short walk as I wasn't dressed for it and didn't know the area. I could have walked five miles that night just to start calming down. C'est la vie.

The whole game below the fold.