[Event "Live Chess - Chess960"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2019.07.21"] [White "IM monalize"] [Black "visualdennis"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2086"] [BlackElo "2252"] [TimeControl "600+2"] [Variant "Chess960"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/visualdennis"] [FEN "nbbqrnkr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NBBQRNKR w KQkq - 0 1"] [SetUp "1"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/V3hGm7Ko/Sxg4tsVD"] [Orientation "white"] 1. c4 c6 { Here, there were actually lots of alternatives such as e5, d5, c5. So i think it is bit matter of taste and instinct. Playing with c6-d5 felt more comfortable than putting my pawn on c5 then pushing d5 later. Such as in the previous game, it looks like pieces will gravitate towards kingside. } 2. Ng3 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nb6 { Knight on the rim is dim. As it is the worst piece on the board now and no need to hurry for other pieces, it is nice time to improve it. Also it already controls c4 square or can go to f6 via d7. } 5. Nb3 Ng6 6. Nc5 e5 { Im one move away from castling, so it is not dangerous for me to open the center with e5 and undermine the knight on c5. But more importantly, i believe Nc5 has give me the opportunity to be the first to challenge the center. White should have played maybe e4 instead of Nc5, as the knight is not doing much there at the moment. } 7. dxe5 Nxe5 { Only after 7 moves, i have a better control on the center as a black. Objectively, it should be white, who has such control. This is probably due to the missed opportunity with Nc5. } 8. b3 O-O 9. Bb2 { Not sure if b3-Bb2 was necessary or it was the best timing for that. Black has now completed its development and ready to look for more. In such cases, time is very important. I dont believe that having b3-Bb2 was worth two moves in this particular situation. Because, as i said earlier, the game is like to happen on the kingside and black was the first to claim control over center. Now again, it is black, who will find time to create something on the kingside. And important difference to the position is that black has the option to bring his queen to h4 with one move due to the absence of e pawn, but white does not have this option now and needs two moves to reply Qh4 with Qh5. So i think these small differences due to Nc5-b3-Bb2 moves have lead to the problems as we shall see later in the game. } 9... Ng4 { Smelling blood already. Putting pressure on f2 and if 0-0 then on h2 with Qh4, thanks to the time i have gained during the development stage. } 10. Qd3 f5 11. h3 Nxf2 12. Kxf2 Qh4 13. Ref1 Bf4 14. a4 Be3+ 15. Kf3 Bxc5 { Sometimes a player is so focused or fixated on a particular winning idea that he misses easier options or opportunities that arise along the way. I dont think that lack of tactical ability would be an appropriate explanation for missing mate in one with Qf4 instead of Bc5. (Also apparently my opponent has missed it as well, a mutual blunder) Rather it is a psychological phenomenon of momentarily limited vision and perception as a result of ones expectations. Coming into this line, i had Bc5 Re3 in my mind and after that i had stopped thinking. Combined with the tiredness, since this was one of the latest rounds and surprisingly the tournament was already exhausting, i guess these type of things happen. To not to miss such things, one needs to keep himself always attentive and have an open mind for the position. This costs lots of energy and if one lacks it, he is likely to miss these type of unexpected opportunities. That would be my explanation for this interesting psychological phenomenon. } 16. Bc1 Qg4+ { But at least, with this cute mate, i make it up for my terrible miss earlier :) } 17. hxg4 fxg4# 0-1