SGA Beker: Fresh Off the press, vodka does not improve cognitive ability!

door Marc Ghannoum

On paper, we were considerable favorites (average 250 ELO point advantage). But this is without counting our ability (mine in particular) to make things complicated.

Sure, we had good reasons to think we were God’s gift to chess. We still floating on our victory last Saturday. But when arrogance brushed away confidence, you get problems, especially when Oosten Toren (our adversary of the day) decides to bring their A-game.

Then reality hit. Hard.

Someone thought it a good idea to bring premium vodka to the premises (and delicious haring toast, thx Niels). Anton, Tex, Vic, Niels, and I, of course, cheered and toasted our promotion to Masterklass with a solid shot. Niels and I drank 2, because, well why not. All seemed to go well.

Until the clock were pressed.

No need for explanations, I’ll let my game speak for itself.

Stijn Van Engelen – Marc Ghannoum

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 (scientific data shows that memory is impaired under the influence of ethanol. I confirm this to be true) 2…d5 3.e3 c5 (That was the last thing I could recall) 4.Bxf6 gf (4…ef is fine too) 5.dxc5 e5? (my first of many mistakes. White develops too quickly now. 5…e6 or 5…Nc6 are much better) 6.Nc3 Be6 7.Qf3! (damn. I now realize that white is going to play O-O-O and win d5. No way am I playing 7…e4 to jam my pawn structure)

7…Qa5?? (what a melon. I had analyzed 7…Nc6 8.O-O-O Qa5 9.After which I thought I would get some play. However, in my haze, I switched up the 2 moves. When I realized my error, I almost started to laugh at the board, forcing me to leave the premises quickly).

8.O-O-O? (The engine gives a +1.8 advantage after the very simple and straightforward 8.Qxf6. But I had played so confidently Qa5 that my opponent trusted that this was prep.)

8…Nc6 (transposing to what I had previously analyzed) 9.Nxd5?! (understandable but not optimal. White could have gotten a serious edge after 9.Rxd5! Bxd5 10.Qxd5 Qxc5 11.Bc4 Qxd5 12.Nxd5 Rd8 13.Nxf6 Ke7 14.Nd5) 9…O-O-O! (now I’m more or less ok. But things were just starting…) 10.Nc3? (White would have kept a small edge after 10.Bc4! Qxc5 11.Bb3. Now black can take over the initiative) 10…Bxc5?? (wow. Errors just seem to accumulate. Why or why didn’t I play the super simple 10…Rxd1 followed by Bxc5 with the other rook taking over the d-file soon). 11.Bd3 (things are equal now….) 11…Nb4 12.Nge2 (This is not a problem nor is it a test. But I’m quite sure that 90% of you would play 12…Nxa2 13.Nxa2 Qxa2 with a wild position)

12…Bxa2?? (Bravo Marc, you managed to outdo yourself. I’ve been playing prime A organic melons all game. I don’t even understand what pushed me to play this. Right about this time I went to look at my teammates games and noticed Niels blundering a piece in 1 move, forcing me to leave the premises quickly)

13.Qxf6?! (After 13.Bf5 Kc7 14.Rxd8 Rxd8 15.Rd1 I was in trouble)

13…Be6 14.Kb1 Ba2 15.Kc1 (and here the wisest continuation for black is to take the draw after 15…Be6. But there was nothing wise about me that evening)

15…Bb6? (no real justification to go for broke…)

16.Bf5?!

(16.Nxa2 Qxa2 17.Nc3! Qa1 18.Nb1! Na2 19.Kd2 Qxb2 20.Ke2 was very good for white in this simplified position)

16…Kb8 17.Rxd8 Rxd8 18.Rd1? (this is an important mistake) 18…Be6! (finally a good move on my part now on 19.Rxd8 Bxd8 white loses the f5 bishop).

For the purpose of the demonstration, I will stop there. I won but didn’t deserve it. Niels lost and deserved it. Take and Daan both declined joining the festivities and so gave a better performance (2 wins but not perfect from their own admission).

Now playing the finals against our buddies in Amstelveen. Hopefully, we’ll be better prepared. Or not.

As an aside, neither Vic, nor Anton, nor Tex won their club matches. Who would have thought vodka was a bad idea?!