LESSONS: My First Master

I had just crossed over 1800 USCF and for the next several open tourneys I got paired up against titled players in the first round. This was the first in that series.

Of course, since I'd never played a master before I hardly knew what to expect. Would I be sunk by some 10-move combination? Would I be forced to resign by move 15 because I was dropping a piece or rook (or worse)? Jeez, at least let me make it to 20! :D

Instead of all that though, I was given a classic chapter from the Michael Stean handbook. All about taking control of the d5-square and fashioning yourself a win from that.

No fireworks. No great big Anderssen-like flashes of brilliance. I must say, it was quite an eye-opener for me: not so much what I saw as what I didn't see. In order to play master chess, you didn't have to concoct the sort of moves you found in a Tal book; you could play clearly and directly (even "simply") and still get the job done. With elegance.

Incidentally, I have to add that my opponent made for a pretty choice first NM. A three-time US champ (and future editor of MCO), he was still in the 2300s when I played him (yes, I'm really that old!). His IM title would come the following year.