Last night I took part in a simultaneous display against the UK's No.2 Nigel Short. He played 14 of us at a time. I played in the 7pm session, Short had 50 minutes on his clock and I had 40. I tried to play my usual Dragon as Black but Short played a Maroczy bind with c4 on move 5. I have to confess that I have never faced this over the board before and didn't have a clue how to play against it. I have included the game here and would appreciate any comments from readers of this Blog. I have to admit that I was a little overcome by playing such a brilliant player and wasn't thinking AT ALL when taking Short's Knight on d5. I found a way of getting some compensation so as not to be a whole piece down but this involved sacrificing my queen ... I exchanged my Knight and Queen for his knight, Bishop and Rook, so the comparison in points was 12 - 11 in his favour. The thing I overlooked though was the won endgame that he had! I was the last guy to finish in the group - (typicially clinging on for dear life). Finally I had the privilege of facing him over the board as he was urged to sit down in the chair opposite me to play the final moves that crushed me!
Steve also took part and really enjoyed himself - but I understand that he left a Rook hanging which was unfortunate!
Here is a photo of myself and Nigel, kindly taken by Steve on my mobile ... :)
"Chess is a form of intellectual productiveness; therein lies its peculiar charm, and intellectual productiveness is one of the greatest joys of human existence".
Dr Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934), The Game of Chess, 1936, translated by G.E. SMITH and T.G. BONE.
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