Atlas Chess Tournament '21 (Final Scores)

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I apologize profusely for not responding to Ypestis earlier. Please forgive me.

[OBD]

I have defeated Abdullah, for my first career Atlas Chess Tournament victory (and the first result of this competition)! Was definitely a fun matchup - got into a hole early but managed to trick my way out. Good game to Abdullah.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Congratulations, OBD!

Round 1
White vs. Black
Hockey Dude - AGA
YPestis - TimTurner
New York Express - Old School Republican
minionofmidas - Mimoha
muon2 - oakvale
Ishan - Ebowed
morgieb - bore
Abdullah - OBD
diptheridan - Scott

[YPestis25]

I apologize profusely for not responding to Ypestis earlier. Please forgive me.

All good! I also didn't send it as soon as I should have.

[It's Perro Sanxe wot won it]

Minionofmidas won our game after I resigned. It was quite thrilling, even if disappointing. As I understand, I’m not out yet, right?

[muon2]

Minionofmidas won our game after I resigned. It was quite thrilling, even if disappointing. As I understand, I’m not out yet, right?

Correct. In a Swiss tournament everyone plays every round, generally matched against an opponent with a similar score, but a player that they haven't yet faced. If there's an odd number of players the lowest score gets a bye, though a player can't get two byes in the tournament (think of the bye as an extra player to even things out, but one who loses every time).

[minionofmidas]

Minionofmidas won our game after I resigned. It was quite thrilling, even if disappointing. As I understand, I’m not out yet, right?

Insane match. Surprised by a (reputedly weak but playable) opening variant I'd never heard of, effectively won the game in a period we both played at rapid speed, then fell asleep at the wheel, almost got caught in a mate trap and pissed my material lead away entirely before getting lucky in the endgame.
I also like that my next check wd fork his rook if it weren't also mate!

(I posted that over at aad, thought it only fair to put it here as well)

[AGA]

Are the games rated or unrated?

[NewYorkExpress]

Are the games rated or unrated?

I've been playing them rated, but I suppose that's up to the players in question?

[muon2]

I recommend playing them rated. If you play on the site outside the Atlas tournament the rating helps the system create a match at an appropriate playing strength.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I agree with muon.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Rule change:

Wins are one point and draws count a half point to the total tournament score. No rematch is needed for a draw.

[Oakvale]

After valiantly struggling on, I regret to announce I've been suffocated to death in my first game, congratulations to muon on a lethally sharp performance.

1. e4 d5 2. d4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. Be3 e6 7. Bc4 Bb4 8.
O-O Nc6 9. d5 Ne5 10. Bb5+ Nfd7

Nfd7 to block the bishop is what Chess.com's auto-analysis tells me was the crucial blunder, which seems right - I was in serious trouble from then. In retrospect my impulse was to not remove the e5 knight from piling up on f3 but simply swapping out which knight I block with prevents the brutal Qd4 being so scary and might save my kingside pawn from the coup de grâce in a couple of moves. I should have spent a bit more time thinking about this one. The f3 attack is a bit of an idle threat regardless - how am I going to capitalise on that?

11. Qd4 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 Nxf3+ 13. gxf3 Bf5

The auto-analysis suggests castling instead and giving up the bishop as lost, which actually didn't cross my mind - my initial thought was to play Bh3 and attack the rook, but I doubt that'd work in correspondence: in blitz it might buy you a crucial tempo with a rook retreat, allowing castling.


14.
Qxg7 Rf8

All over bar the shouting. A cursory glance would suggest there's no way to survive here that doesn't end in my 1. giving up my queen and 2. having a pawn on the 7th rank. Yikes!

15. Bc5 c6 16. dxc6 1-0


This was a fun position on move 11:

[muon2]

After valiantly struggling on, I regret to announce I've been suffocated to death in my first game, congratulations to muon on a lethally sharp performance.

1. e4 d5 2. d4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. Be3 e6 7. Bc4 Bb4 8.
O-O Nc6 9. d5 Ne5 10. Bb5+ Nfd7

Nfd7 to block the bishop is what Chess.com's auto-analysis tells me was the crucial blunder, which seems right - I was in serious trouble from then. In retrospect my impulse was to not remove the e5 knight from piling up on f3 but simply swapping out which knight I block with prevents the brutal Qd4 being so scary and might save my kingside pawn from the coup de grâce in a couple of moves. I should have spent a bit more time thinking about this one. The f3 attack is a bit of an idle threat regardless - how am I going to capitalise on that?

11. Qd4 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 Nxf3+ 13. gxf3 Bf5

The auto-analysis suggests castling instead and giving up the bishop as lost, which actually didn't cross my mind - my initial thought was to play Bh3 and attack the rook, but I doubt that'd work in correspondence: in blitz it might buy you a crucial tempo with a rook retreat, allowing castling.


14.
Qxg7 Rf8

All over bar the shouting. A cursory glance would suggest there's no way to survive here that doesn't end in my 1. giving up my queen and 2. having a pawn on the 7th rank. Yikes!

15. Bc5 c6 16. dxc6 1-0


This was a fun position on move 11:

Thanks for your thoughts and a well played game (minus 10 Nfd7). I looked at 11 Nxe5 but I wasn't confident enough in the queen sacrifice, so I went with the safer 11 Qd4. The engine tells me the sac was the way to go:

(11. Nxe5! Bxd1 12. Bxd7+ Qxd7 (moving the king loses to 13. Rxf7+) 13. Nxd7)

Here's the game link.

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm already contemplating resigning against Muon on my first move.

There's literally no way I can be competitive against him.

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be eliminated before I have to face him, because I'd get slaughtered.

[muon2]

I'm already contemplating resigning against Muon on my first move.

There's literally no way I can be competitive against him.

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be eliminated before I have to face him, because I'd get slaughtered.

Should we face each other, I do hope you give it a go. I've made my share of blunders over the years.

In any case you won't be eliminated, since in a Swiss tournament you play every round. As rounds progress you'll play others with a similar score.

[YPestis25]

I defeated TimTurner with a time victory.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351178157

[AGA]

Beat Hockey Dude.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351657489

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I defeated TimTurner with a time victory.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351178157

I never had any actual indication you were going to be playing in earnest, but okay.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Hey muon2 let's play a few.  I sent you a challenge.

[YPestis25]

I defeated TimTurner with a time victory.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351178157

I never had any actual indication you were going to be playing in earnest, but okay.

Sorry? I responded to your initial move, and you didn't play for three days so the game expired. I'm happy to replay it if the group thinks that is necessary.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I defeated TimTurner with a time victory.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351178157

I never had any actual indication you were going to be playing in earnest, but okay.

Sorry? I responded to your initial move, and you didn't play for three days so the game expired. I'm happy to replay it if the group thinks that is necessary.

I reloaded the page one or two days ago and there was no notice in the places I looked that the game had started.
It seems that unfamiliarity with how things would proceed and with the site itself (I've never used Chess.com before), as well as insufficient communication from either end, precipitated this. I would like to apologize for not being forthcoming enough with questions and asking for notification and for my role in this occuring.

[muon2]

Hey muon2 let's play a few.  I sent you a challenge.

I didn't see it. Did you send it to count-Y (muon2 is a closed account)? In any case I'm prepping for the first day of class tomorrow, so I'll have to hold off for a few days until class gets going.

[muon2]

I defeated TimTurner with a time victory.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351178157

I never had any actual indication you were going to be playing in earnest, but okay.

Sorry? I responded to your initial move, and you didn't play for three days so the game expired. I'm happy to replay it if the group thinks that is necessary.

I reloaded the page one or two days ago and there was no notice in the places I looked that the game had started.
It seems that unfamiliarity with how things would proceed and with the site itself (I've never used Chess.com before), as well as insufficient communication from either end, precipitated this. I would like to apologize for not being forthcoming enough with questions and asking for notification and for my role in this occuring.

You should get email alerts that a game has started or you are about to lose on time. There's a notifications page where you can turn those functions on if they are off.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I defeated TimTurner with a time victory.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/351178157

I never had any actual indication you were going to be playing in earnest, but okay.

Sorry? I responded to your initial move, and you didn't play for three days so the game expired. I'm happy to replay it if the group thinks that is necessary.

I mean, I don't have any problem with this. You can do a rematch, provided the colors are the same and provided it's a quick match.