Narbonne 2008 Round 1 - Lesson 1

i've just finished playing in a 7-round open. in the first round i was paired against an IM rated 2370. i didn't last too long but there are still some lessons to be learned.

we got a fairly standard position out of the 4.Ng5 variation of the two knights defence. i am black and my opponent has just played 13.Re1



here i ignored the saying "if you see a good move... look for a better one". i found the idea of playing f5 irresistible (followed by the pawn fork e4). first i played 13...Nxc3 and after 14.dxc3, i struck out with 14...f5

clearly, i should have thought things through more. why would an IM allow this? if you play it through you'll see that white gets a big attack (and gets the piece back).

However, 13.Re1 wasn't such a great move. if i had played 13...Nb4 i would have lasted longer, enjoying a nice middle-game. white's bishop on d3 is tied to defending c2. if white tries to force the issue with 14.a3 then black can play 14...Nxd3 and whether or not queen's are exchanged, white would have to play cxd3 at some point, when my other knight on a5 can jump into the 'hole' on b3.

i was guilty of underestimating and overestimating my opponent at the same time. i underestimated him by not looking deeper into the f5, e4 pawn pushes, and i overestimated him by assuming that Re1 was a natural, un-punishable developing move.

the lesson?: play the board and not the opponent. it doesn't matter whether the person sitting opposite you is much higher rated or much lower rated. you should always think your plans through carefully (especially if they involve committal pawn pushes!) and you should always question your opponent's move, however natural it looks.