I had white on board 1 against Dominic Warner (131/1590). I played him three times in quick succession a couple of years ago, also all with white, so I could guess what was coming: a Scheveningen Sicilian. In our time there aren't many people who will allow the Keres Attack, and for good reason - as early as move seven he made what is virtually a losing move:
A 3½-½ victory (WWWD) was a refreshing feeling, and it leaves the second half of the season nicely poised: after three rounds the various teams have 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 3 and 3 points - we're one of the sevens.
I was able to win with extremely direct play - only my last move was away from the black king, and even that was check! Black could obviously have defended more sternly, starting at move seven, but there is a parallel with the previous post: defence under pressure isn't something many of us at the sub-professional level can do at all well. As simple as it looked, I missed a few things beneath the surface, which isn't surprising when I rushed the game, using less than half an hour. 90|30 is luxurious for an evening game, and there was no reason not to calculate out 15. f5 before playing it. Likewise, I only noticed 16... Nf4 after moving. On this day the background tactics all worked for me even when I didn't see them; on another day...
Anyway, a win's a win as far as FIDE is concerned, and this game will join the previous eleven to to give me a huge gain of 78 Elo on the next rating list, taking me up to 1920. I still haven't caught up with my ECF conversion yet, but I'm getting there! I don't play any rated games for a little while though; next up should be another Castles match on Thursday, in the Lauder Trophy quarter-final.
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