Back in the game

By the time the 4NCL rolled around again, it was the last thing on my mind. I'd spent a monastic week in the new flat with no internet access, relying on the office wi-fi to even confirm I was playing, and broke all my own rules of preparation. I didn't know who we were playing or what colour I had, my database was outdated, and I hadn't even planned my journey. That proved to be a blessing, since I arrived at Euston Station an hour earlier than I should have and therefore avoided the delays behind me - and my room was even ready for me at the other end.

It turned out that we were playing Spirit of Atticus, a team with Division One pedigree and the leaders of our pool. Our strong start to the season meant that we only needed one win from the last three matches to have a shot at promotion, but to be honest I couldn't see where it might come from. Surely not this match: 210-249, 201-212, 190-207, 188-212, 177-205, 186-183, 176-192, 180-178 was just too much for us at the top. I was black on five against Nick Ivell (205/2219), who could have had the FM title in his teens forty years ago if he'd only coughed up for it! Our game can only be described as confusing:

It wasn't a great day for the team, although we were making the running in the early stages; the final score was 2½-5½ (WLLLDDDL). Even so, dinner at the same Indian restaurant we usually haunt in Telford was a happy memory from the weekend - our top board on understandably good form after beating an IM as Black in a Rubinstein French!

To sum up my game, White got nothing out of a tame opening choice and soon found me outplaying him, so decided to roll the dice with a very fishy piece sacrifice out of absolutely nowhere. I butchered the climactic moments around the time control and put enough technical difficulties in my own way that I decided to quit whilst the going was good. A horrible waste, but after all that had come before I frankly didn't care. I feel that Ivell was a bit impatient, trying to create something out of nothing: if you play insipid lines like the Kopec then you tend to forfeit the right to a grand attack.  But 19. Nxg7, deeply flawed as it is, at least shows good trend sensitivity. As for my response to it, we can talk about not trusting my instinct (24... Rf8?!), reluctance to commit (29... Rfg8?) and time trouble hysteria (move 30 onwards) - and we have done on many occasions. And yet I am nowhere near as frustrated with myself as I should be. I needed this result too badly; not what it should have been, but something.

Just for once, my allocated colours were the right way round and I had something to chew on for the weekend's target match. Could I get any momentum going?