LESSONS: "8... d5! with equality"

I had just become an A player and decided to start playing up (as they say) so as to face higher-rated players (and hopefully learn more that way).

For my next tourney, I signed up in the Open section. And the following game--from round one of that event--was (you might say) Lesson #1 for me in my new quest.

The instant that I played my (universally recommended) eighth move, I began to relax. After all, my Expert opponent hadn't essayed anything too hairy against me (like the Moller Attack!); and of course I no longer had to worry about being bound hand and foot by the Spanish Torture either. Nope, I could just sit back and coast to the inevitable draw (which all the books promised!--for so I thought)--now that "equality" had been reached.

But it seemed that "equality/equal chances" wasn't nearly the same as "draw." Not at all. For ten or so moves later, what had seemed like it was going to be a cake walk for me was beginning to feel decidedly uncomfortable.

The machine says I still had an okay game there...and yet visions of attacks along the lines of Nh5 followed by Qg3 began to dance through my head. It was all so terribly confusing to me as well. After all, I had just reached equality!--what had gone wrong? lol

The engine's suggestion of 18... Ng6 no doubt would've served to alleviate a lot of my problems; but that also involved a bit of a "trick" (though admittedly not a very involved one). And so I decided to go with my own trick instead--and things went rapidly downhill from there.

Incidentally, that ...Ng6 idea (among other things) would've likely blunted any pretentions that he might've had toward a kingside attack later as well. But I had (as I have indicated) a sizable psychological bugaboo to fight; for I was so sure that I had "equalized easily" with my eighth move that I underestimated any chances my opponent might've had afterwards--or even disregarded them entirely. Then, when I saw a couple such threats loom up, instead of coolly and hard-headedly assessing the situation, I lost my head and panicked.

It's nonchalance like that which can very easily turn a playable position into a rout. And why in the future I would always strive to maintain my diligence (and vigilance)--no matter how "easy" equality was supposed to be. ;)