Saturday, 27 January 2024

Mariánské Lázně Lesson 4: Drawing The Right Conclusion

IN round four I reached the following position with White.
My higher-rated opponent (+251 Fide elo) has just played 29...Ra2-a1+ and offered a draw - should I have accepted?
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I thought White's passed, albeit isolated, pawn gave a slight edge.
According to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1, I was wrong - they reckon the position is completely equal.
I played on, reaching the following position after 36 moves with White to play 
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White has a positionally won game, according to the engines, but 13 moves later Black won a pawn.
Black has just captured on c5
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The engines reckon the game is again completely equal, but I failed to defend properly and eventually resigned on move 93.
I still think I was right to play on when offered a draw.
Yes, I lost, but hopefully I am a better player for having played out the ending.
LESSON: accepting a draw offer from a higher-rated opponent will improve your rating, slightly, in the short run, but turning the offer down is more likely to improve your knowledge, and therefore, your rating, in the medium and long term.

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