It seemed business as usual on a sedate Saturday afternoon for the NMIMS Chess Team (ak, Neel, Rahul and Akshat) After winning first two games with a certain level of comfort with Neel and Akshat, I went to attend lectures from 11.30-14.00, with finals slotted at 3 PM. I came to know later that it was a semi-final at 3.
Of course, Rahul joined our team for the semis. When we were paired against SP Jain, I knew it was going to be tough. Shyam's SP Jain team has always been a formidable opponent to us since first year. This year was going to be no different. However, the magnitude of competitiveness was on a whole new level this time around.
Disclaimer: This post contains chess notations and some technical terms. Please bear with me if you can't understand - they were all important for this post. All said and done, Chess is a royal game... for the classes!
NMIMS beat NITIE 2-1 and SP Jain B Team 2.5-0.5 in the group stage. Then my lecture break. Enter the Semis.
Semi Final - "The never-never match!" NM vs SP Jain, 1.5-1.5, 1-0 in tie-breaker
(Games were played in 20" each time control) Rahul lost quite quickly on board one, after blundering in the opening. It was a bad oversight and the position was lost immediately. I had little trouble winning on board two. It was all left to Shyam vs Neel on board 3.
Shyam was giving an exhibition in Evan's Gambit with a tempo ahead. Neel played a weak move (...h6) early in the opening and his position became bad pretty soon.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O h6 5. b4 Bxb4 6. c3 Ba5 7. d4 exd4 8. Qb3
Qe7 9. Ba3 d6 10. cxd4 Bb6 11. e5 Na5 12. Qc2 Nxc4 13. Qxc4 Kd8 14. Nc3
Add to it, his famous time trouble... I was losing hopes. I thought it would be an auto back home until Shyam missed a few good moves and lost the initiative. Credit has to be given to Neel who found good defensive moves in time trouble.
14... Be6 15.Qd3 [15.d5 is much better] Qd7 16. exd6 cxd6 17. Rfe1? [Here again, 17.Nb5 is great for White] Bf5 18. Qc4 Nf6 19. Qb4 Rc8 20. Rac1 Re8 21.
Rxe8+ Kxe8 22. Re1+ Kf8 23. Qxd6+ Qxd6 24. Bxd6+ Kg8 (and that's how Black emerged unscathed!)
By the time the queens got exchanged, Black was out of trouble and his position was much better. After multiple exchanges, the game was drawn.
Tie-Breaker: ak - Shyam, 10"
That meant I have to play a ten-minute tie-breaker against Shyam. For once, I got a White in color toss. I was a bit anxious about playing Najdorf again - last year at NMIMS I had a hard time with it, so went for closed Sicilian. After getting an opening advantage, I misplayed the position and went into time trouble, really deep one at that! When I had about 2 minutes, Shyam had >6! I offered a draw when I had just about 20 seconds - he had 70 seconds (Fave to admit, I was feeling quite rusty and playing very slow by my own standards)! Apparently he didn't hear the offer, the entire set of spectators heard it! I was quite surprised when he thought and thought and brought his thinking time to 17 seconds when he played the next move. After that I was materially much ahead. When I had 3 seconds, he lost on time.
NM booked a berth in the finals. On the other end, NITIE vs KJ Somaiya was tied 1.5 each, NITIE won in the tie-breaker
Final - NMIMS vs NITIE
While we had quite comfortably beaten NITIE in the morning round with a 2-1 score, they had changed the team for the final with a better player coming in. We played with the same order - Rahul, ak, Neel.
As misfortune would have it, after playing decent chess for about twenty minutes, Rahul blundered yet again and lost. I had an equal position for most part of the game before winning comfortably nearing the end with a tactic.
Yet again, it was left to Neel to deliver the goods. He had a precarious position in the middle. Rahul and I weren't as nervous as in the Semi Finals, since a silver was guaranteed anyway. However, that would have ruined the mood for the day. Natarajan was also there with us to see the semis and finals. With that setting we needed a good finish. All eyes were on Neel. After managing to wriggle out of the rook and minor piece endgame without damage, he emerged a pawn up in the bishop vs knight endgame. With some help from his opponent, he managed to reach a winning queen vs knight (no pawns!) finish. However, Neel had less than 10 seconds on the clock! That's not enough time to mate.
When Neel had 4 seconds, his opponent made an illegal move. Probably it's written! He got two extra minutes worth its weight in gold (literally!). And then another illegal move, another two minutes added. This time, Neel wasn't going to miss out. He played methodically and got rid of the knight. Black resigned. NMIMS reigned supreme, 2-1. Did I tell you? We were defending champions too!
A second gold this year, in as many days! Winning is always a happy feeling, no matter how many tournaments you've played in life. It's a safe kind of high! A well-deserved victory this time, for NMIMS.
There was something for all of us from NM. Akshat proved to be a good team player - he was there with us till the end even if he didn't play the last two rounds; he played the first two rounds quite well. Rahul gathered some experience that will help him make a team for the next year. Neel has improved his play, and I was happy to just get a chance to move pieces again. Natarajan's love for Chess brought him back to what makes him happy!
Of course, chess players know each other and their teams quite well which makes it so much easier to schedule the matches - walkovers are no fun at all! Winning is important, yes, but playing is much more important! If there's one lesson from this tournament for me and others, it is this: Experience and match play matters - it is this one fact that sets NMIMS as a team apart from the others; yes, we might have had some champions' luck in between but that doesn't take away anything from match play experience!
Until next time, play chess and have fun!
Of course, Rahul joined our team for the semis. When we were paired against SP Jain, I knew it was going to be tough. Shyam's SP Jain team has always been a formidable opponent to us since first year. This year was going to be no different. However, the magnitude of competitiveness was on a whole new level this time around.
Disclaimer: This post contains chess notations and some technical terms. Please bear with me if you can't understand - they were all important for this post. All said and done, Chess is a royal game... for the classes!
NMIMS beat NITIE 2-1 and SP Jain B Team 2.5-0.5 in the group stage. Then my lecture break. Enter the Semis.
Semi Final - "The never-never match!" NM vs SP Jain, 1.5-1.5, 1-0 in tie-breaker
(Games were played in 20" each time control) Rahul lost quite quickly on board one, after blundering in the opening. It was a bad oversight and the position was lost immediately. I had little trouble winning on board two. It was all left to Shyam vs Neel on board 3.
Shyam was giving an exhibition in Evan's Gambit with a tempo ahead. Neel played a weak move (...h6) early in the opening and his position became bad pretty soon.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O h6 5. b4 Bxb4 6. c3 Ba5 7. d4 exd4 8. Qb3
Qe7 9. Ba3 d6 10. cxd4 Bb6 11. e5 Na5 12. Qc2 Nxc4 13. Qxc4 Kd8 14. Nc3
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| Black to play. Neel actually survived this position in time trouble! |
14... Be6 15.Qd3 [15.d5 is much better] Qd7 16. exd6 cxd6 17. Rfe1? [Here again, 17.Nb5 is great for White] Bf5 18. Qc4 Nf6 19. Qb4 Rc8 20. Rac1 Re8 21.
Rxe8+ Kxe8 22. Re1+ Kf8 23. Qxd6+ Qxd6 24. Bxd6+ Kg8 (and that's how Black emerged unscathed!)
By the time the queens got exchanged, Black was out of trouble and his position was much better. After multiple exchanges, the game was drawn.
Tie-Breaker: ak - Shyam, 10"
That meant I have to play a ten-minute tie-breaker against Shyam. For once, I got a White in color toss. I was a bit anxious about playing Najdorf again - last year at NMIMS I had a hard time with it, so went for closed Sicilian. After getting an opening advantage, I misplayed the position and went into time trouble, really deep one at that! When I had about 2 minutes, Shyam had >6! I offered a draw when I had just about 20 seconds - he had 70 seconds (Fave to admit, I was feeling quite rusty and playing very slow by my own standards)! Apparently he didn't hear the offer, the entire set of spectators heard it! I was quite surprised when he thought and thought and brought his thinking time to 17 seconds when he played the next move. After that I was materially much ahead. When I had 3 seconds, he lost on time.
NM booked a berth in the finals. On the other end, NITIE vs KJ Somaiya was tied 1.5 each, NITIE won in the tie-breaker
Final - NMIMS vs NITIE
While we had quite comfortably beaten NITIE in the morning round with a 2-1 score, they had changed the team for the final with a better player coming in. We played with the same order - Rahul, ak, Neel.
As misfortune would have it, after playing decent chess for about twenty minutes, Rahul blundered yet again and lost. I had an equal position for most part of the game before winning comfortably nearing the end with a tactic.
Yet again, it was left to Neel to deliver the goods. He had a precarious position in the middle. Rahul and I weren't as nervous as in the Semi Finals, since a silver was guaranteed anyway. However, that would have ruined the mood for the day. Natarajan was also there with us to see the semis and finals. With that setting we needed a good finish. All eyes were on Neel. After managing to wriggle out of the rook and minor piece endgame without damage, he emerged a pawn up in the bishop vs knight endgame. With some help from his opponent, he managed to reach a winning queen vs knight (no pawns!) finish. However, Neel had less than 10 seconds on the clock! That's not enough time to mate.
When Neel had 4 seconds, his opponent made an illegal move. Probably it's written! He got two extra minutes worth its weight in gold (literally!). And then another illegal move, another two minutes added. This time, Neel wasn't going to miss out. He played methodically and got rid of the knight. Black resigned. NMIMS reigned supreme, 2-1. Did I tell you? We were defending champions too!
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| Neel, ak, Natarajan, Rahul, Akshat - a rare picture of me smiling |
A second gold this year, in as many days! Winning is always a happy feeling, no matter how many tournaments you've played in life. It's a safe kind of high! A well-deserved victory this time, for NMIMS.
There was something for all of us from NM. Akshat proved to be a good team player - he was there with us till the end even if he didn't play the last two rounds; he played the first two rounds quite well. Rahul gathered some experience that will help him make a team for the next year. Neel has improved his play, and I was happy to just get a chance to move pieces again. Natarajan's love for Chess brought him back to what makes him happy!
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| NM team with Shyam, who made it all quite interesting for us! |
Until next time, play chess and have fun!
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