Okay, it’s probably about time to state what the next step is.
The next step is 1900, and then Expert. Yes, it’s well known, but it’s probably time to make that next climb up the mountain. Time to let go of the safety of the current ledge, the last few grains of the 90 minute hourglass, and strike up that ratings mountain.
I just played this game on FICS, which is a teency bit of inspiration, since I haven’t written anything else for this glorious Memorial Day weekend. 🙂
And you know what making Expert means….it means taking down a Master! Well, really the goal is to make Master, but Expert would be a huge step toward leaving the small pond, and playing in bigger and better tournaments in the Open section.
Sounds far out there, I’m getting dizzy just thinking about what that entails. But it is possible and achievable, right?! 😉
One thing that keeps smacking me in the head is that better players have an improved feel for the dynamic. This is what Katar has, this is also what IM Greg Shahade has. I watched a few of his videos on the Anand-Topalov match, and players like this, their radar goes off at the slightest whiff of a king-hunt.
When I get time, I want to solve tactics puzzles OTB, which I haven’t done in a while. Most of them involve mates and that seems to be a top priority to improve on.
LinuxGuy_on_FICS 
Very nice goals! Thinking about your post I remember the scene with Yoda and Luke on the planet when Yoda lifts the plane and I think R2D2 and Luke yells “that is IMPOSSIBLE” and Yoda says “that is why you failed”. Sooo. With this little story: the best of luck I believe you are the material to make it. 🙂
I have the same goals, except I don’t think about Master, it’s kind of too far for now. You don’t have to take down a Master to become an expert, but you have to draw with/beat an expert and it’s good enough to draw with a master, I think.
For me to realize that goal, I need to be able to finish off an opponent when I have essentially better position and better tactics, of course.
Yeah, I remember how Katar saw that attack in Petroff.
I don’t like how White played in the opening in that FICS game, I wouldn’t give up that pawn so easily.
Then very simple tactics decides, as always.
Funny that I played against the same Scotch gambit yesterday. Won, will try to post today.
White should have been trying to gambit the pawn with c3 in this game as well. The game before this one I sort of played a Scotch Gambit and won as White against the …f6 opening, but he blundered.
Once he let me secure the pawn in this game, White’s best hope was that I lose on time. I just watched the end of ‘The Thief of Baghdad’; that’s what I was here, the thief that kept that pawn and won.
It’s easy for White to think “If I don’t get the Max-Lange Attack, then I will only get something better!” Naturally, I know that White is thinking this during the game, and am using it against him.
I couldn’t believe that Jason, the H.S. kid I blunder against but can beat in blitz, won against the Master who crushed me in the last round of that one tournament months back. Even the kid I just won against in this last round for the prize-money. He won all his games on Thursday and now both of these kids are around 1880. Winning with 1.d3, hehe, that rhymes. ;-D
A jump to 1900 would be really nice, in fact it’s even possible to do all of that in just this month. 😉
Thanks, Herrahuu. With all the games I’ve been playing, there’s no reason not to take a step ahead now. RollingPawns, I am going to think of reaching Master, and then Expert won’t seem like such a big step. 🙂
Good luck with your goals and thanks for the comment. I’m not sure what game in the Petroff Rollingpawns seems to be referring to, though. Since i hardly ever get a chance to play masters , for me staying 2000+ means being consistent and virtually cutting out disastrous blunders altogether. Taking responsibility for time trouble goes a long way. Also, ideally you will be able to play opponents who are virtually all 100-200 points higher rated than you and limit your games against significantly weaker players.
Thanks, Katar!
I do play a lot of “spoilers”, and have been quite fortunate. Need to grab hold of the clock early – check. I know that I can do this because everyone I play seems to comment or be surprised at how well I can pick up the pace later on, but I know when Mark used to come to the club, he was best in time-pressure but worst for allowing it to happen – reminds me of Grishuk.
hmm, you’re probably right, I have to just “play up”. It’s been a challenge every time I’ve played equal or better rating at G/90, so I’ll have to fix this and move faster, go with gut, and spend time only where it’s a real problem.
Most of all, I have to expect good moves, anticipate and play against them quickly. Naturally, I know best moves will only seldom get played. It’s a tall order, but it’s the only way through. 😉
Hey Linux Guy!
You, Rolling pawns and Katar are my chess models!
You are the three bloggers who make consistent progress while keeping a life.
(It is why I used Katar’s suggestions of the Tarrasch defense against 1. d4 and the Open Ruy as Black)
So good luck on getting to expert. I see no reason why you won’t!
Hi TommyG (Tommydrums)!
Thanks for the vote of support! This is exactly why I want to make Expert. We have a neat group here and really should be doing this to see one another improve. If it were just me, I wouldn’t write such a silly-sounding post and be content to enjoy chess, but I think that all of us together, with the time we’ve put in both studying and playing, have a special opportunity.
If it were just me, by myself, with no chess friends, definitely I would have dropped out of chess at some point, or perhaps only played in some big weekend tournaments here and there just to occasionally touch base when I became non-plussed with whatever other stuff was going on in my life.
That’s sort of how it was in the early 90’s (1993) when I started playing tournament chess. Met some interesting people at random tournaments, but not chess-friends/buddies, per se.
Plus, back when I was a class D player for a few years (believe it or not), and right when I was trying my hardest, studying most, my rating dropped below 1300. If I had dropped out then, no one would have cared or knew I really played chess so much (other than the guys/friends who played on the benches at the two colleges I graduated from!), but now the cat is out of the bag, I am playing well, more or less, and wanting to improve. 🙂
Back when I didn’t play at tournaments for a couple years while going to DeVry, 3 or 4 years, I actually won the DeVRY chess tournament for our college two out of three years – never got the promised trophy or prize-money, but studying and playing against the guys that I played with were what kept my interest. I had a circle of friends there just because of chess. 😉
Linked at the Sixth Chess Improvement Blog Carnivàle!