You made an excellent teaching video explaining this game, especially for the transition from the opening play to the middlegame strategy. White's unconventional attacking moves 19. Na4 & 21. Ba5 worked like a charm.

"...exposing his queen to the attack. With a simple retreat …Qd8 (admitting the mistake) he could have put more resistance, but this is not in his style."

Admitting we made a mistake OTB is I've found, barring a few of the great players, not in anybody's style (especially mine).

It's like telling a lie, we have to tell bigger lies to cover up the original lie.

You make a small blunder, right away your opponent makes a move to show it is questionable. Do you admit this. No!

You follow your original path and soon you have nothing but a choice of poor moves at your disposal, every one of which could be called a blunder.

The good news is you get to choose how to lose.

Not "admitting the mistake" (you are quite right about this) but "the retreat" wasn't in his style (this is a small but subtle difference).

Why does So make it look easy? His understanding of positions which require strategic decisions is superior. Shabalov didn't make any serious blunder, but his mistakes were of strategic character.

The critical position:

click for larger view

Black to move (18…Nxc5 or 18…Bxc5 is a strategic decision).

Here the correct recupture was with the night:

16...Nxc5! 17.Be2 Rc8 18.Kb1 Nd6! (followed by …b5).

In this type of position both sides understand the need to seize the initiative and are not willing to commit themselves to passive defence.

On the other hand, this is another powerful victory for So, who seems to be marching inexorably forward

"Shaba-Laba King Gone"

lol

<Dom....Sometimes a very strong player makes everyone look weak.>

I have noticed that. They seem to think it is spelled "coup de gras", a "fatty blow".

I have noticed that. They seem to think it is spelled "coup de gras", a "fatty blow".>,

I think there are two main reasons: 1) "Mardi gras" is a very common term in the US; 2) people learn that "you don't pronounce the last consonant in French", which is non-sense (or non-senS, with the S pronounced), so they shout out things like "vichySHWA" to impress everyone in the restaurant, but since it's spelled vichyssoise with the "e" after the "s" it's pronounced "z" at the end, just as the "e" after "c" in coup de grâce makes it sounds like grass).

Anyway I liked that guy's video and was just trying to help since it was perfect otherwise and it seems like it would be easy to edit, but, apparently traumatized by the whole thing, "he softly and suddenly vanished away and never was heard from again".

Is that two quotes sellotaped together?

<...Apropos of nothing, do you happen to know this fantastic reader Martin Geeson from Haslemere Surrey (I think you mentioned you lived somewhere around there, right?): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc2... I should warn you that everybody either loves him or hates him, but he's really amazing in this one>

Ah, Schnitzler!

<Is that two quotes sellotaped together?>

Do people really say "sellotaped" in the UK or do you refuse to use the term "Scotch tape" because it implies that Scots are so "frugal" that they tape their old clothes together instead of buying new ones? The quote is from "The Snark", which has come up a lot lately. I'm beginning to suspect that I'm a boojum:

"'But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! For then
You will softly and suddenly vanish away,
And never be met with again!'"

<I am living in Surrey! I have definitely heard Mr Geeson's voice before at Librivox>

Thanks <dark.horse> & <eternaloptimist> I don't get many and complain too much. I only got the idea after watching 'Animal House' and hearing this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg0...

Of course, I'd had a few brews and was in a chuckling mood lol