With this game, I at last returned to an even score, reaching 2.5/5. As will be seen however, I really had no right to do so. It can be too easy to take grades and rating as gospel truth: I may well have a clear advantage in both but for much of this game I was outplayed after being too materialistic. But my opponent just could not land the killer blow; I was able to wriggle out and reach a Bishop & Knight vs. Rook & pawn ending, which held no further surprises. Anyone that doubts the importance of luck in practical tournament chess should look at this game:
So, what positives can I draw from this game? First and foremost, I did pick up a full point, regardless of the fact that I had no real right to do so. Endgames have never been my favourite, and I was happy with my technique when playing with two minor pieces against the Rook (endgame specialists may not!) But really, this is not a game to be proud of: for the second black game in a row I was half-asleep in the opening and emerged worse, and this time there wasn't even a tactical trick to turn the game around quickly. With hindsight, my single-minded determination to win a pawn, at the cost of exchanging or sidelining all of the defenders of the King, ought to have been drastically punished.
On the other hand, after this game I was able to push my play up a small level, and my play in the following rounds was, I believe, of a notably higher standard. In fact, my round 6 game was in my opinion the best I played in the whole event.
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