1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 …<\/strong><\/p>\n My new repertoire in the d-pawn games, the Catalan. However, Mezentsev prefers to transpose to a Tarrasch.<\/p>\n 3. … c5 4. Bg2?! dc 5. Nf3 Nc6 6.\u00a0Be3?! …<\/strong><\/p>\n No theory, no prep. I was just winging it. That’s what I usually do in speed chess. Black should play 6. … Nf6 with a slight advantage, but he liquidates in the center, which helps me out because my awkwardly placed bishop gets a good square.<\/p>\n 6. … cd? 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Bxd4 Nf6 9. O-O Be7 10. Qa4+ Qd7 11. Qxc4 …<\/strong><\/p>\n FEN: r1b1k2r\/pp1qbppp\/4pn2\/8\/2QB4\/6P1\/PP2PPBP\/RN3RK1 b kq – 0 11<\/p>\n The opening has gone very well for White; I have a lead in development and my bishops exert uncomfortable pressure on the queenside. Mezentsev, looking for activity, plays what should have been the losing move. There’s no doubt he missed or underestimated my response.<\/p>\n 11. … b5?? 12. Qc6! Rb8 13. Be5? …<\/strong><\/p>\n For some reason I didn’t even look at the obvious 13. Bxa7, which wins an exchange in all variations.<\/p>\n I’d be interested in hearing how different people analyze positions in speed chess. Do you make a list of candidate moves, just as in regular chess, and just spend a shorter time on each one? Or do you truncate the list of candidate moves somehow?<\/p>\n I think that my strategy, in many positions, is “first good move.” That is, I\u00a0quickly\u00a0analyze\u00a0my top choice and if it looks good, I play it. If it doesn’t look good, I go to choice #2, and so on. This is, of course, an\u00a0absolutely terrible way to play chess, and it’s why my speed chess isn’t very good. In tournament games I am much better at making sure I look at all of the reasonable options.<\/p>\n This position is an example of “first good move” chess. I knew I wanted to keep chasing the rook around, I saw that this move gives me super-active bishops, and I went for it without even looking at 13. Bxa7, which wins outright.<\/p>\n 13. … Rb6 14. Qxd7+ Bxd7 15. Bc7 Ra6 16. Bb7 Ra4 17. Nc3 Rb4?<\/strong><\/p>\n What can I say, Mezentsev just played badly this game. He still would have a reasonable position after 17. … Rc4. Now the game turns into an object lesson in why you don’t want to develop your rook in front of your pawns.<\/p>\n 18. b3! …<\/strong><\/p>\n Feeling good again. Black’s rook is now in grave danger of being trapped. Strangely, Mezentsev plays as if oblivious to the danger.<\/p>\n![\"mez](\"https:\/\/danamackenzie.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/mez-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Position after 11. Qxc4. Black to move.<\/em><\/p>\n