[BrianWall-ChessList] Lasley loses to Anthea - Chess Report 12-18-07

[Brian Wall]

----- Forwarded message from Matt Lasley <mattlasley at hotmail.com> -----
    Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:34:12 -0700
    From: Matt Lasley <mattlasley at hotmail.com>




Saturday was the Springs Ranch Elementary School Super Scholastic Tournament.
Also the Springs Ranch Open. So, we rated Lasleys got to play 6 rounds of G30
chess (Game in 30... so no more than an hour per game... long enough to think
you have plenty of time to think, and short enough that you really don't and
will likely have time pressure).

Shania got yet another 3/6 (different number of games, but same consistent 3
point score) and placed about 10th (3 way tie for 10th, tiebreaks I'm guessing
put her at 11th). Alexa had some tough games, scored a 3, and felt that 2 of
her games were blundered away when the mutual attacks going on left no room for
any error. "oops-mate". We put her on the Creekside team (according to USCF
rules about school where you would go if you were going to a public school) and
I think the team ended up with a trophy, so that's cool. I'm sure the Scudder
Twins got a team trophy in addition to their individual trophies as they were
the TCA team. Pretty impressive. I'd probably have more commentary if I'd gone
over the games yet, but I haven't, but I'm sure I will.
My own tournament was not worth talking about, but if I don't someone else will
mention it. Game results went according to rating predictions. But of all the
times I've "almost beat" Anthea, this was the.... mostest. Grrrr. Crushing the
goo out of her 3 pieces up I turned down a QB for RR trade (that I got put into
because I got a wee bit greedy for a rook). I just didn't want to give up that
extra Bishop, but I was still soooo ahead. In fact, if you look at the game
score, you would say "you circled the wrong result" because at that point I'm
still winning. When my error led to my Queen coming off, I had less than 2
minutes, and still found the time to get up and seriously ponder running
screaming from the gym in search of a cliff to fling myself from. I think doing
the happy dance in my head prematurely significantly contributed to my downfall.
And the fact that she's danged dangerous on the chess board. I will get my happy
dance one of these days. That's my 5th loss to her, and I think only 1 of those
was I never ahead (ironically, the crab from last week). My daughter beats her,
but I get filleted.

Okay, happier things...

Monday at Borders!

SWEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, all the Lasleys won their games and were duely rewarded with the chocolate
treats.
Caleb had a crushing win, gathering huge black armies to swarm a lonely King.
How he keeps from stalemating these things is beyond me.

Shania also had a quick win, quicker than I could put an eyball on.

Matthew had a win that he was very proud of, and used my new-to-me camera phone
to capture the position, but then did the same thing I keep doing with this new
toy... didn't save the image to memory. We'll have a look another time from his
memory perhaps, but it sounds like he was having a stomping good time.

Tessa had a nail-biter. She was playing Kevin, who is very tough. She was ahead,
then looked behind, then ahead again. She was a Bishop up in the endgame with
rooks still on the board, and ran the pawn down, and finished with an elegant
checkmate with the White King surrounded by his own pieces in vein attempt to
fend off her long-distance firepower and simultaneously preventing his own
escape. Walt told her how impressed he was with her play over the last year.
She is playing very strong and has shown much improvement, and deserves her
spot near the top where she's defending these challenges.

Alexa was playing Derek So, which is always tough. She says she was up a pawn
early on, but gave it back. When Walt peeked in there was a huge mexican
standoff with BQ batteries aimed at each other's Kings with any false move
likley to meet checkmate any moment. By the time I got over to see the board
the smoke had cleared and all the pieces were laying beside the board in a pool
of .. okay, so that's too much imagery, but it was a massacre. An even endgame
with a Rook and 4 pawns a piece was all that remained in the aftermath. 2 v 1
in Alexa's favor on her right and 3 v 2 pawns against her on her left. I was
worried about how vulnerable her pawns were to Derek's rook, and I'm not a huge
endgame fan. The moves she made were not the ones I would make, which is a sure
vote of confidnce. She got her rook behind enemy lines where it herded Derek's
pawns forward, pressing the exchange of one pawn apiece on the left side. Then,
with a move (again, one I didn't like, which is more testimony she's better than
I) she put him in a spot where there were no good moves! The best move I saw for
him, was one I hated for him, and that's what he made! This was a rook trade
offer, with the very unfortunate side affect of doubling his pawns. So, Alexa's
single pawn was able to do double duty holding up the Queenside pawns since they
were in their own way! (The classic reason doubled pawns are bad). So, all her
King had to do was keep his King from her opposite board pawn majority, and the
2-on-1 pawns were able to run down and Queen well before Derek could release his
own pawns' path to royal ascension. She then played very accurately to avoid
draw by stalemate and win the game with less than 2 minutes on the clock. Very
nicely done to get a win from such a classically "drawish" position (old
proverb that Rooks and Pawns are draws).

And the Lasley's are all victorious! Carmel Kisses anyone?

--Matt


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