Dumpster Diving on a sunny afternoon - somewhere not here, somewhen not now.

[Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2016.12.12"] [Round "?"] [White "fischerrevange"] [Black "THDurham"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1761"] [BlackElo "1764"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [TimeControl "180+2"] 1. f3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. e4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} d6 {[%emt 0: 00:02]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 4. c3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bg7 { [%emt 0:00:04]} 5. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:01]} 6. Bd3 {[%emt 0: 00:02]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 7. d5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 8. Ne2 { [%emt 0:00:01]} Na6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 9. b4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nb8 {[%emt 0:00:04] } 10. O-O {[%emt 0:00:02]} a5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 11. b5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nbd7 { [%emt 0:00:10]} 12. c4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Nc5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 13. Bxc5 {[%emt 0: 00:03]} dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 14. h3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ne8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 15. Nbc3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nd6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 16. a4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} f5 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} 17. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bh6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 18. Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Be3+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} 19. Kh1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} f4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 20. Qa1 { [%emt 0:00:06]} Qg5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 21. Nd1 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Bd4 {[%emt 0:00: 04]} 22. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} exd4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 23. Nf2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 24. Qd1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 25. Re1 { [%emt 0:00:03]} Qg3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 26. Ng4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Bxg4 {[%emt 0:00: 17]} 27. hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 28. Bf1 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Rf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 29. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Rh6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 30. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Nxf3# {[%emt 0:00:19]} 0-1

1900

My blitz rating on Chess.com hit 1900 Friday night - and then it cratered. I lost 106 ELO at one point in time, about 20 minutes ago. Then I managed to win a game when an opponent walked into this:

Truly, chess is a cruel game.

There ain't no justice, Part "I Stopped Counting After the First Million Examples I Encountered"

There ain't no justice, and don't let anyone ever convince you that there is. Win games are often lost, lost games are often won.

But this isn't just an advice post, this is a practical post on how to win lost games, or even win dead even positions, using the mental attribute of perseverance and a little next level strategy. In the game presented below, I used both. To win the game, I had to unbalance the position by giving away material (not sacrificing, mind you, but by just losing material), obtaining an objectively lost position after ten moves. But I persevered and and applied next level strategy to win the game. Let me show you how it's done.

"Nothing good ever happens at 4 o'clock in the morning."

So sayeth the sports writers. Insomniac chess players know better.

Dumpster Diving: 2016 July 11

I had a fun game at 3' 2" on Chess.com this evening.After some ups and downs I got to the following endgame:

THDurham-josephmelendez589

After 45 Kg4

Here I think I'm very close to winning, though The Fish doesn't agree, thinking I merely have a slight plus. But my position is much easier to play. I'm going to get in h4, and after ...gxh4 (forced), Kxh4 my king will dance around looking to pick off some pawns. 

Another sign of Global Warming....

 ... the summer squash has come in early.

Dumpster Diving: Part Troisième

This is from a somewhat entertaining (for me) game, but what I really like is the final position.

How to win a dead drawn position when your opponent doesn't make any mistakes.

It's easy, you just run out the clock! From a Fischer Random contest a few nights ago, I give you the following. Mostly it's just a bad game by me, but after ending up deep in the soup, I put my head down and fought hard. I did actually have a win late, but my old nemesis (technical endgames) reared it's ugly head again. Finally, in a Rook + King versus Rook + King ending, I ran out his clock. There's something to be said for good time management; namely that it's better than bad time management.

Dumpster Diving: 12/24/2015 edition

Playing a three minute game online on Christmas Eve, waiting for my turn to wrap presents, I came up with the following. I missed a few things here and there, but it has a pleasant finish.

Dumpster Diving

I've played tens of thousands of games of chess on the internet, perhaps hundreds of thousands. For the most part the games are even worse than my real life games, but occasionally something entertaining pops up. Below, for your pleasure and/or ridicule, is such a game. I played my usual Catalan-style opening mess, and things got entertaining. Handles have been changed to protect the guilty.

For a game in three minutes I'm fairly happy with it, from an entertainment standpoint.

BONUS: Position of the day material!

Analysis

Position after 27 Nd6