Live blog: Week 1 game.
16:30 It’s a good 30 minutes before the final match of Week 1 is expected to be played, me vs. Wahrheit. As the crowds tailgate outside and the fans start buying “RLP” foam fingers, I wait in the crappy visitors’ locker room (having the Black pieces), going over last-minute strategy and warming up. Having the #1 seed, the drunknknite vs chessloser game got the good announcing team of John Madden and Al Michaels. No one cares about the mediocre seeds, so we get Emmitt Smith and Bob Dole to cover our game.
In a pre-game scrimmage with a 1900 rated player, I had a fairly easy draw. Which means I shouldn’t have a problem with a mere 1671. (Yes, I’m hoping my opponent reads this before we start and starts shaking from intimidation.)
17:03 There’s been a delay, as the field is still not ready after a major snowstorm. Talk about “icing” the players.
I wonder how long I can keep up the cheesy (American) football analogy?
17:12 Gorckat’s stopped by the locker room and told me he got tickets for the Mascot’s mom, so I will have to look for her in the crowd. She’ll be rooting for me. Thanks, gorckat! (The Mascot is actively rooting against me, even going so far as buying one of the aforementioned RLP foam fingers.)
17:21 RLP starts with d4. I counter with my typical turtle defense (King’s Indian).
17:24 With f4, RLP chooses an aggressive setup. I hate it, and never remember how I’m supposed to deal with it, and possibly castle into a crushing attack. With c5, I try to break up his center. Maybe I can sac with b5, but don’t really know how to get good compensation.
17:24 7. … Bd7? What did I just do? Now I have to try to get b5 in without sacing, which I guess was the point.
17:33 I screwed up. I have no clue what to do.
17:42 RLP saves my bacon. Or, if he has a pretty finish, I at least want to see it.
17:49 Now, when I said “saves my bacon”, that was relative. I’ll only be down a pawn in a losing position instead of a piece in a losing position.
17:58 Second time I’ve played a move then half a second later: “NOOOOO!!!!”
18:04 Desperately hoping for perpetual check. Won’t get it.
18:15 If this were a football game, it would have been about 21-3. Wahrheit punished my mistakes efficiently, minus the going up a piece. (I may even be wrong there, but don’t have Fritz or anything on this laptop to double-check. Probably should work on getting something sometime.)
