States Chess Cup Recap: Week 1

 

Hello Chess Friends!

This is my States Collegiate Chess League recap, a chess tournament where colleges compete against each other in four-player teams(online in 15 | 2 rapid games). I registered as an unrated USCF player, and played against multiple strong players online. These are some recaps of week 1 where I played in the U1800 section as an unrated player.

The tournament goes like this: Four players on the team each face each and every one of the players, I (as a fourth board unrated), went against the first board, then second, then third, and then fourth, and then so on in each of the matches.

And so on, it makes sense. The teams go against each other, and hopefully one of them wins due to point advantages.

Week 1

 

The first week of the States Collegiate was an interesting one. Me and my teammates were all in the zoom meeting, and once they allowed us to challenge one another, the match started. Our roster was a 2141, 1630, 1142, UNR, and the opposing team was 1908, 1742, 1400, 1385.

I was going against a 1900 USCF. He seemed pretty strong, and I challenged him and we began our game.

Game 1: 1900 Unnamed vs Paul Sun  

 

12. Qh5?! This was a huge inaccuracy on my part. After I was calm from this excitement, I was extremely scared. He gobbled up all my pawns after this, and apparently after Qh5?! their is no sign of an attack. 

13. g6! The only good move by him, and probably the only move, because it defends mate in one and attacks the queen, creating weaknesses on the dark squares, but however, I don’t have an immediate way of attacking.

14. Qe2!? I’m not even attacking with this move. My queen is back into a reserved, quiet, and patient spot, never to be moved against, and forced into a passive position of defending.

After these few moves, he gobbled up my pawns, and I made a huge blunder:

17. Bxg6?? A huge blunder!! I thought I had a mate with this move, but apparently not.

18.  Rf7????????? I blundered my mate in 4 with this move. But I resigned before he had the chance. I’m cornering his king, while my king is already dead on the other side, too late to gather its senses before its queen abandons him, and leaves him to die.

This one was a bad game, but the next one (hopefully, dear god, dear god), could be better.

Game 2: 1813 Unnamed vs Paul Sun  

12. Nce4!? This move blunders a pawn, and allows me to destroy his position. 

16. Bb4! This move is a check with tempo on the king, forcing the king to move, if something like c3, then I take the light-squared bishop.

18. Ke2?? A real life bongcloud, but instead of a funny one, this is a dangerous one that could lead to immediate death.

20. g3?? This is a blunder of another pawn, and I take advantage of this moment to exchange bishops and take the pawn.

21. Kc3?? This leads to mate in 5. I didn’t see it in the game, but this didn’t matter, because….

22. Kxc4?? This leads to mate in 1, and I checkmate him. No mercy!

Thank you, lord, thank god, thank god. I absolutely destroyed this guy. Thank god, thank god. I thought I had no chance after those past few games. My nerves were on edge, wracked.

Pretty good game, I took a break for about two minutes and I challenged my next opponent.

Game 3: 1400 vs Paul Sun

This person was an unnamed 1400 or so, and they seemed kinda bad at time management. So, this should be an easy win, right?

The game began off with a normal looking Sicilian, except for the wrong move orders. We traded off into an endgame, with an equal looking position. However, the position got to looking like this:

25.Bf6?? A big blunder made by my opponent. This blunders an entire pawn, and the position should collapse for my opponent now.

26. Rxb5!! Such a beautiful move. This wins a pawn cleanly.

27. Rb8!? This is a large inaccuracy as now I give my opponent clear counterplay.

29. Ke2?? I allowed a draw, and now my opponent forks both bishop and pawn. 

My opponent began running their king, but I allowed them to get too close to my pawns with the move: 

33. Kd2 is really really really really really bad. I have nothing!!!! Computer says plus 1, but I’m too busy trying to get my rook out of its uncomfortable spot to care about the king. 

34. Kg5! Now my pawns are dead.

But my time advantage comes through, and my opponent (with less than a minute left), begins panicking. 

50. Kf3?? This blunders a pawn! I’m back in the game!!!!!!!!

62. Ke2?? This blunders a bishop, and ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG I didn’t see it with my 35 seconds.

63. Rg5!! Although this is a mistake by engine, with my opponent's low time, I can easily take this free pawn(And I did).

After this sequence of moves, I easily convert the advantage by moving my pawns down the board. With my opponents little time, I queen and then it’s King and Rook vs King. My opponent resigns, as there is nothing more to do.

Next, I’m playing a 1385. Something like that. They must be bad if they’re at least that rating right?????? Ha, that's what I keep telling myself, and then blundering, and then winning somehow by pulling weird stuff out of a hat. Voila! Magic!

Game 4: 1385 vs Paul Sun

I’m playing a Classical Dutch(Probably one of the worst dutches to play, but ok ok)

4. Qd3, this is the Manhattan attack or something. I don’t remember the name, but it was something extremely aggressive. White can go for the immediate e4 and if I’m not careful, I can be dead lost in seconds.

14. c3?? This isn’t that big of a deal in the eye of the engine, but I feel like this is lost tempi. 

16. b3?? Losing even more tempo with useless pawn moves.

17. Bd6!!! The attack is beginning to brew.

18. Qh4!!! I threaten mates in one and force weaknesses into his position.

20. A4?????????  Useless pawn moves that don’t do anything.

21. Bf1???????????? Useless bishop maneuvering

21. F4! My kingside attack is a dangerous, and near undefendable threat.

22. C4??. Useless pawns move again.

23. F3! Attacking his kingside. Engine recommends e3, and then I have a mate in 11 that I don’t think I would have seen.

23. g3?? Now I have such a beautiful opportunity.

24. Bxg3!!!! A brilliant move, because I have such beautiful threats on the kingside. 

25. D5?? ANOTHER PAWN MOVE!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?

26. Bxh3!!!! At this point, I’m basically saying, “TAKE MY BISHOP”, in a very loud voice while he is playing chess.

27. Bxh3 Now, he is dead and lost. If he takes my bishop, he gets forked in the seventh rank.

I convincingly mated him in a few moves, and he resigned before I could mate him. Such a beautiful game with 2 brilliant moves, and very few blunders and inaccuracies like the games before.

So

Good enough, for now, I guess. Those were some horrible games I played. And probably even worse because I didn’t analyze them that much afterward. But, alright, I guess that’s fine. It’s what you get from the experience that counts.

Also, now my provisional quick rating is 1744!!!!. Let's go!!!!