I faced a higher rated opponent on board 1 in the 2nd round of the 4th Croatian league.
He usually plays c4 on move one, and I was preparing for that for the last several days. On the board he played 1.e4 without thinking…
Đorđe Brkić (2082) vs Stjepan Tomić (1865), 4th Croatian League A, Rd 2, 03/17/19
Caro-Kann, Advance Variation
Right out of the opening, my opponent allowed me to equalize. He played the bishop exchange early on. Soon after, he made another bad move. Played Nh4 after I have already played h6, positively inviting g5! This gave me confidence and I knew I must have been better.
Another mistake came soon. I attacked the b2 pawn, and he just let it hang for “activity”. I was a clear pawn up and had an amazing position.
Then, when I should have just kept things simple and converted, it got messy. He played h4 and Kg2, preparing for h4 and Rh1, f4, obviously. I knew the threat existed, but castled anyway. This was a strategic error from a human perspective. This gave him a chance. I was still winning but it wasn’t easy anymore. After that, I knew I had to play actively and go for as much counter play on the queenside as possible.
I did exactly that and my advantage grew. It was -3 at one point. A few inaccuracies and his attack became more and more obvious. Even though there were no pieces around my king yet, I got worried and thought a long time. I reacted well, keeping up the pressure, but then slowly messed up.
In a matter of 10 moves my advantage was gone, and my opponent was now in the driver’s seat. His attack was huge, his threats overwhelming and my position lost. Despite having the correct ideas, I misplayed them and gave him enough time to strike. I was now losing. I had one final trick, and…
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