Only a draw

 As you probably know, I am insistent on preparing myself properly for games where it is possible - even in local leagues I try to figure out probable opponents, and in rapidplays I make a point of wandering round the boards seeing what openings crop up. I like to arrive very early for games, and have a clear idea of what to expect. Whilst these things to go a small way to improving my performance, really they are just psychological - for peace of mind.

 So although I was at CCF in plenty of time for the third round, discovering that my pairing had changed with 10 minutes to go was a disaster - for a start, my morning spent trying to figure out what I could expect a 1989-rated Portugese (who I was slated to fill against in the Open) to play against me was entirely wasted! Luckily I have a good memory for largely useless information, and in a deep recess I remembered what openings my new opponent (Chris Clegg; 157/1859) usually plays, on the basis of his league games against various Wallington and Castles teams in the Surrey League.

 Unfortunately the stress is on the usually... yet again an opponent decided to be novel against me, which rather embarrassed my panic-button choice of the Caro-Kann. Whilst my opening problems were not in any way severe, the opening's usual problem showed itself - how to play for a win if white is happy to draw? I've done well in answering this question in the past, but here I didn't even come close:

 As I type, I have just lost my first Caro-Kann in almost 18 months (to the 208-graded Ian Snape - even if it hadn't been a close fight, there would have been no shame in that!) in the Bank Holiday Blitz, but it's still an opening I have great faith in - if a draw is an acceptable result. Black can play sharply in some lines with a clear conscience, but not 3. Nc3. It's been in my repertoire for a while, but always as a back-up: my philosophy is that the best way to lose is to try to draw, so I aim for the throat with both colours. Usually I go for the Caro-Kann only for a specific reason - for example Snape is a real power player who is incapable of quiet chess; he could be guaranteed to play one of the interesting variations, whilst opting for 1... c5 would have given him an attack on a platter. Against Clegg I wanted to avoid the Closed Sicilian, whilst still hoping for an interesting line. No such luck though!

 It isn't much of an advertisement for white's cause that both players blitzed up to 13. Bf4 (with the exception of my brief think at move 11), a succession of natural moves by both sides were played, and a draw agreed by move 21 with all the heavy pieces and one pair of Bishops off the board. But then what does it say for black's? Even with some inexactitudes I equalised easily, but there is no scope to go for more. I didn't object to a draw, but nor was it what I had been aiming for. If you have to win, this is not the opening to play - I took a risk of sorts on move 1, and it didn't come off.

 Excessive drawishness is an unusual problem for me, but the tournament got stranger by the round as we moved into the closing stages...