Last Friday night I played board one for Silver Knights Chess in our match at the US Chess Center with the Black Nights. Because of confusion over the match location we got started late (8:30 PM) and without one of our players. Because the confusion wasn't our fault we negotiated to play a 5 board match, rather than the traditional six.
Before the game I shook hands with my opponent and he told me, "I am from Montenegro." I wasn't sure how to properly reply to that so, I responded, "Hi, I'm from Wisconsin." I found out after the game that my opponent isn't just from Montenegro, he is serving as their ambassador to the US.
As the evening wore on, we started winning on one, then two, then three other boards, so by 1:15 AM when the game finished, my score took us to 4-0. Shortly thereafter we won on board two to sweep the match! I think this is one of the most complete games I've played. I managed to get active early which caused my opponent to make a couple of key mistakes before the time control on move 30. Not finding a clear win, I traded into a better endgame and managed to force a zugzwang (one of my favorite chess terms) to win material and the game.
What follows is a long string of recollections and analysis. The game was complicated so I would appreciate any thoughts or questions. Enjoy.
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