22:10 What helps me with this is playing goal oriented chess. The goal is to win. In that position, if black could not move, Rook on 7th and Qg7# can win, promoting the A pawn can win. So good moves will be the ones needed in order to make that happen. If the opponent can win first, by promoting the C pawn, then good moves will be the ones that stop your opponent's route to win.
Still a very interesting game, some very difficult to find moves in the late mid game to end game. Analysing some of those recommended moves from stockfish, just prove how unhuman AI can be sometimes. You still played very good chess, and stuck to good principles. I'm not too sure how to play against somebody that does a strong pawn push from the opening, and I'm sure a more experienced chess player will give you better advice in the comments. These kinds of mid games can be very difficult. Personally I like to create a king side pawn attack, trying to make space or at least open the board. The positives of this game though is that despite the loss you had a much stronger mindset, and also you still played to a predicted rating of 1500. Definitely improving.
1:26 "I think we just develop" - you've been in this position before notice the threat d5 followed by d4 and a fork. Just developing is losing. 6.Bb3 gives bishop breathing room. 5.a3 meant his e5 didn't do anything as you'd have had Ba2. Hmm I'm now unpausing after 1:26 will this be disappointing. Ok I'm hitting play - URGH - "got to be careful of forkskis here" and immediately plays move that invites fork and loses piece. Ok he plays 6..b5 that gives you a little breathing room and is a mistake on his part. 6..d5 was a killer. Ok wow! 2:00 and he completely misses that he can crush you with d5. Two very bad moves from your opponent in a row that throws away his chance to win a piece. Nothing much more to comment that was an incredibly even game bar the opening traps that he missed. Up until 28.Qxa6 when you gave him the ability to create a passed pawn and win. 28.Qb3 offering trade or 28.Qa4 protecting both pawns was better. After 28.Qxa6 It was difficult and could perhaps have been salvaged although maybe time pressure would have killed you. As it is I think that is why 30.Rfd1 happened due to time pressure as c2 is then just winning for him nothing you can do. 30.Rdd1 at least blocked the pawn. Problem was he could then do Ra8 and win your other pawn. So it was slipping away after 28.Qxa6. Positives - you had plans the whole game you were thinking about how you could push and win. You saw most of the threats (bar the trapped bishop/fork after d5). You maintained a positive attitude throughout even when under pressure. Clearly the professional attire was helping your mental attitude :) PLUS it was a 1550 performance you played WELL in that game well above your current rating so that is what you should be taking away. It just slipped away at the end after Qxa6 as it meant you not only dropped the pawn creating a passer but you remove his a pawn that was shielding your Queen and preventing him attacking your a pawn. So you played very very well and as you say knowing the mid game strategy and how to advance will help enormously. That's where I think that book I suggested yesterday. Even if you just look at the sample you'll get some great tips to improve.
Good to see you are spending time to learn. Actually you did consider f4 in the game for a split second then played Ng3 anyway. The idea here is you notice his knight is bad and that it opens his bishop to come to g5. So f4 prevents his bishop coming in and gives a future opportunity to "elevate" your rook. It is possible you've not heard of "elevating your rook"? It is when you move the pawn and are looking to later on play Rf3 followed by Rg3 or Rh3 bringing the rook laser focused down on his king. Idea is that you are adding pieces into the attack. eg: f4 followed by Rf3 and THEN Ng3 means if he then exchanges knights he is helping your rook get into the attack with the threat of Bxe6 should he castle.
26:44 Insights - played well nothing to be ashamed of. Spotting plans middle game is where you drain time. Actually you went from 2 mins 15 seconds down on move 19..d5 to 3 mins 12 sec down after 5 moves and he played 24..f6. This was where the time vanished you couldn't see a plan. 2 moves later and you have gone from 3 mins 12 sec down to 4min 5 sec down a minute lost on two moves becuase you couldn't see a plan. When really there was some obvious weaknesses in an even position. You had 2 pawns to defend so something simple like 25.a4 with a5 protecting it with rook if he plays Qa3. Or a waiting move something like 25.h3 looking to create a little hiding spot for king on h2. avoiding back rank issues in later game. 25.h3 loses pawn but his a or d pawns can be picked off to get back even. I like 25.a4 better to avoid having his passed a pawn to deal with later. Overall the key insight is you weren't able to evaluate the position and look for weaknesses so spent ages before settling on random queen moves that weakened your position. The key thing is here you were giving your opponent quick easy moves so he was able to build up time pressure whilst you were struggling. Ultimately those few moves that lost you 3 minutes in the space of half a dozen moves was the key for the time pressure and thus the loss. You have solid play in the opening you understand applying pressure and are developing plans, early middle game like last game when a decisive win of a pawn broke apart his position. It is when the game simplieis you are sturggling to know what to do next and the time evaporates.So perhaps being able to evaluate threats and weaknesses would help. These are what are known in middle game as inbalances and that book I suggested goes into these. Giving you some ideas about where to look in the position. The key here is IDEAS abd THEMES to look for not specific puzzle positions. It gives you a way to work out what the imbalances are and where you should focus. That might be the key to avoiding throwing away 3 minutes on a couple of moves.
Also the new Borat profile pic is goated
mmm very formal sire 🐧
22:10 What helps me with this is playing goal oriented chess. The goal is to win. In that position, if black could not move, Rook on 7th and Qg7# can win, promoting the A pawn can win. So good moves will be the ones needed in order to make that happen. If the opponent can win first, by promoting the C pawn, then good moves will be the ones that stop your opponent's route to win.
Still a very interesting game, some very difficult to find moves in the late mid game to end game. Analysing some of those recommended moves from stockfish, just prove how unhuman AI can be sometimes. You still played very good chess, and stuck to good principles.
I'm not too sure how to play against somebody that does a strong pawn push from the opening, and I'm sure a more experienced chess player will give you better advice in the comments. These kinds of mid games can be very difficult. Personally I like to create a king side pawn attack, trying to make space or at least open the board.
The positives of this game though is that despite the loss you had a much stronger mindset, and also you still played to a predicted rating of 1500. Definitely improving.
1:26 "I think we just develop" - you've been in this position before notice the threat d5 followed by d4 and a fork. Just developing is losing. 6.Bb3 gives bishop breathing room. 5.a3 meant his e5 didn't do anything as you'd have had Ba2. Hmm I'm now unpausing after 1:26 will this be disappointing. Ok I'm hitting play - URGH - "got to be careful of forkskis here" and immediately plays move that invites fork and loses piece.
Ok he plays 6..b5 that gives you a little breathing room and is a mistake on his part. 6..d5 was a killer. Ok wow! 2:00 and he completely misses that he can crush you with d5. Two very bad moves from your opponent in a row that throws away his chance to win a piece.
Nothing much more to comment that was an incredibly even game bar the opening traps that he missed. Up until 28.Qxa6 when you gave him the ability to create a passed pawn and win. 28.Qb3 offering trade or 28.Qa4 protecting both pawns was better. After 28.Qxa6 It was difficult and could perhaps have been salvaged although maybe time pressure would have killed you. As it is I think that is why 30.Rfd1 happened due to time pressure as c2 is then just winning for him nothing you can do. 30.Rdd1 at least blocked the pawn. Problem was he could then do Ra8 and win your other pawn. So it was slipping away after 28.Qxa6.
Positives - you had plans the whole game you were thinking about how you could push and win. You saw most of the threats (bar the trapped bishop/fork after d5). You maintained a positive attitude throughout even when under pressure. Clearly the professional attire was helping your mental attitude :)
PLUS it was a 1550 performance you played WELL in that game well above your current rating so that is what you should be taking away. It just slipped away at the end after Qxa6 as it meant you not only dropped the pawn creating a passer but you remove his a pawn that was shielding your Queen and preventing him attacking your a pawn.
So you played very very well and as you say knowing the mid game strategy and how to advance will help enormously. That's where I think that book I suggested yesterday. Even if you just look at the sample you'll get some great tips to improve.
Good to see you are spending time to learn. Actually you did consider f4 in the game for a split second then played Ng3 anyway. The idea here is you notice his knight is bad and that it opens his bishop to come to g5. So f4 prevents his bishop coming in and gives a future opportunity to "elevate" your rook. It is possible you've not heard of "elevating your rook"? It is when you move the pawn and are looking to later on play Rf3 followed by Rg3 or Rh3 bringing the rook laser focused down on his king. Idea is that you are adding pieces into the attack. eg: f4 followed by Rf3 and THEN Ng3 means if he then exchanges knights he is helping your rook get into the attack with the threat of Bxe6 should he castle.
26:44 Insights - played well nothing to be ashamed of. Spotting plans middle game is where you drain time. Actually you went from 2 mins 15 seconds down on move 19..d5 to 3 mins 12 sec down after 5 moves and he played 24..f6. This was where the time vanished you couldn't see a plan. 2 moves later and you have gone from 3 mins 12 sec down to 4min 5 sec down a minute lost on two moves becuase you couldn't see a plan.
When really there was some obvious weaknesses in an even position. You had 2 pawns to defend so something simple like 25.a4 with a5 protecting it with rook if he plays Qa3. Or a waiting move something like 25.h3 looking to create a little hiding spot for king on h2. avoiding back rank issues in later game. 25.h3 loses pawn but his a or d pawns can be picked off to get back even. I like 25.a4 better to avoid having his passed a pawn to deal with later.
Overall the key insight is you weren't able to evaluate the position and look for weaknesses so spent ages before settling on random queen moves that weakened your position. The key thing is here you were giving your opponent quick easy moves so he was able to build up time pressure whilst you were struggling. Ultimately those few moves that lost you 3 minutes in the space of half a dozen moves was the key for the time pressure and thus the loss.
You have solid play in the opening you understand applying pressure and are developing plans, early middle game like last game when a decisive win of a pawn broke apart his position. It is when the game simplieis you are sturggling to know what to do next and the time evaporates.So perhaps being able to evaluate threats and weaknesses would help. These are what are known in middle game as inbalances and that book I suggested goes into these. Giving you some ideas about where to look in the position.
The key here is IDEAS abd THEMES to look for not specific puzzle positions. It gives you a way to work out what the imbalances are and where you should focus. That might be the key to avoiding throwing away 3 minutes on a couple of moves.