18th Annual Western Class Championships, Round 2

A third loss in a row to start off the tournament in the first three games. Quite deflating! But this young Russian girl was coached by IM Andranik Matikozian so the girl knew what she was doing and showed great technique in converting the advantage she got out of the opening.

Looking back at the game from my perspective there are a few things to note. One was that I missed many chances in equalizing the game (11...Nd5, 16...Rxd1+, 19...h6) and should have come to realize that I was worse and fighting for equality rather than focus on my opponent's lower rating and try to play outside the restraints of the position. Another important thing was to realize 3. d4 was not the standard move and then take the time to understand why it is not played often and play the right response which exploits this instead of moving quickly as I did which resulted in letting White get away with their second rate move. And probably the most instructional moment of the game was the very end! If you look at the piece activity of the respective Queens in the final position this will really tell the story.

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am always looking to find where I could have improved throughout the course of the game and I am trying to understand what I can learn from the game for the future.