Mafiascum.net

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5

Ah! I studied some French and then probably forgot most of it but I do at least remember how to pronounce it. I do think the board accepts the “é” but it gives automatic vote counters and the like a hard time, so maybe it was a good choice to omit it.

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2

Oh cool, why French? And yeah, it may have worked out for the best tbh

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5

Hmm, good question. I wanted to study a second language anyway, but as I recall the main reason why French in particular is because at the time I was planning to go into academia and French is one of the handful of languages in which new math research is published. Many math Ph.D. programs have a foreign language proficiency requirement so I figured I may as well get that out of the way up front, though in the end I didn't actually turn out to need it.

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5 26. b3

So, fun fact, I somehow hallucinated that it was your turn the last time I checked and then because I didn’t see the game near the top again I just kept thinking that lol

But oh cool, I had no idea about any of that! I personally find french a really pretty language and have a few friends from there which is why I moved there, but I find it a lot more difficult than Spanish and that + Covid meant me changing my plans and ending up here instead. What did you end up doing instead of academia?

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5 26. b3 Kd6

Hah, I was like "wow, he's really thinking about this, he's either totally stuck or calculating out some absolute brilliancy"

I recently started a new job as a software engineer! Before that I was working in the math department for a slot machine company, which was fun for a while (especially when we got to make "research trips" to casinos that included a gambling budget) but ultimately kind of a dead end, so I did what nerds do when they want more money and moved to dev :)

It's your turn

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5 26. b3 Kd6 27. h4

That sounds like a pretty fun trajectory! I’ve only ever been to a casino once and honestly it was kind of depressing (my main memory is of a guy playing slots who just kept loading another 50 pounds into the machine all night every time he ran out, and he was there for hours, just drinking a beer by himself) but I can see how if it’s funded it’s probably more enjoyable!

I was really considering resigning this but idk, maybe it’s hard to break through if I play well?

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5 26. b3 Kd6 27. h4 Nf6

I mean I'm only up a piece for a pawn so anything is possible! You've seen me blow a bigger lead than that.

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5 26. b3 Kd6 27. h4 Nf6 28. Rf1

Maaaaaaybe but I feel like it’s much harder to be tricksy with a rook than it is with a knight!

I also just won the most disgusting blitz game where I was down like 30 points according to the computer, and then the opponent let me get a back rank in 2 when I think literally any other move and I would have lost

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. exd5 e4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bd2 Nxd5 9. O-O-O Qxe2 10. Bxe2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nd5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bf3 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Re7 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rfe8 19. Rhe1 Kf8 20. R7e2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Bg4 22. Rf2 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Ke7 24. d4 f5 25. Kd2 b5 26. b3 Kd6 27. h4 Nf6 28. Rf1 Ne4+

Oh yeah, never ever ever resign in blitz, I've been one-move stalemated by people who really ought to know better (and I've done it myself even though I ought to know better, too)

It's really weird that pgn4web doesn't show checks in the move list even when they're included in the text!

Yeah, I resign, I don’t see any traps or tricks after Kd3 Nxg3 Rg1 Nh5 Rg5 g6, I was considering both Kd3 and Rf1 and thought the order didn’t really matter but I missed that the pawn was falling this way round

GG, kinda disappointed with how I played here tbh but you cleaned up really nicely

I mean, anyone can miscalculate a tactic and it's tough being a piece down out of the opening in a slow game like this. I think you played as well as you really could under the circumstances, I just had a much easier task than you did.

Thanks for the game!

Btw, Stockfish likes your 17. Re7, and says the initial knight blunder was the only real mistake in the game!