Black is ok!

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This game ends a sequence of seven consecutive white victories (I was on the right side of four of those). Seven isn't really enough to be extraordinary, but it was beginning to unnerve me a little bit. Happily, the sequence ended while I was black, with a win.

The game featured a tactic that looks like a trick worth remembering. In this position black (to play) can gain the bishop pair, leave white's pawns in a mess, and best of all be fairly sure that he's unlikely to be mated before move 20.



Actually I missed the opportunity here, but was given a second bite at the cherry a couple of moves later. Answer in the replayable game below.

After this, Opponent abandoned his weakling pawns in search of some play, but I kept it all under control and I'm happy to say that even the computer gives my mopping up operation its blessing.

The game is never going to make any collections, but I'm pleased with it. It's annoying how sometimes the good moves look like the easy moves.

Comments

Tom Chivers said…
"This game ends a sequence of seven consecutive white victories..."

Interesting! Your grade with white must be wildly different from your grade with black, I'm guessing?
5 December 2007 at 10:55
David said…
Well, so far this season that's certainly true, but I'm not sure how significant this is after a grand total of only nine games.

(If my maths is correct, my 100% score with white gives me an absurdly high white grade of 196 ECF. Prior to this win my black grade was running at a distinctly disappointing 121, with only one tedious draw to show for my efforts. This game drags my black grade up to 141, I think).
5 December 2007 at 11:26
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