In a previous post, I reflect on Why I Lose at Chess. For tonight's game at Marshall - the 6th and final round of the current Weekly Wednesday U1600 90+30 - the theme is instead "Why I Don't Win at Chess."
Answer: I don't see mate-in-5, and instead played too quickly (again!) handing my opponent a stalemate in an - embarrassingly! - completely won position.
I've been practicing daily mate-in-2 and mate-in-3 here on Lichess. Perhaps now time to start doing daily mate-in-4 and -5 as well.
https://lichess.org/study/qFvp40Qg/uEPUpB9z#0
Puzzle: Mate in 5
Can you find the Mate-in-5 that I missed?
https://lichess.org/study/qFvp40Qg/PkexFkVn
Afterthoughts
I know it sounds like sour grapes, but... my attitude going into this game was that I didn't care about the final result. I was somewhat exhausted from work and lack of sleep, and so my goal was just to make correct decisions in critical positions... Which I think I did. As opposed to my previous two losses.
However, this attitude probably contributed to the final result... In any case, I'm over all happy with how it went. This is the first time I've ever found myself in a crushing position like this OTB, and now I know that my scholastic opponent is likely angling for stalemate - and will think of the right approach for next time. Given how many scholastic players are at Marshall, it won't be the last time I have a game like this.
Obligatory Video Link
Ironically, this video was in my feed for the last few days. Was The Algorithm trying to send me a message?
