Before you start! See if you can solve the 3 puzzles at the end. The answer is in the game.

My focus in this game was not to trade frivolously, and not to play hope chess. My goal was only to trade if I at least gained a minor piece, until the endgame, when I would trade only if it didn’t allow him to recapture and force my next move. As for that goal, I think I did quite well. I did play a bit of hope chess, but luckily he either didn’t capitalize or it didn’t cost me too much. His game went down hill after move 19, and I managed not to give it back to him.

We also had a fun chat in the sidebar about the game time. He was frustrated at how long the game was (though he accepted the limits). I think he thought that 30|1 meant 1 minute is added per move? He made it seem like that addition would make the game go on too long. Or he thought we were playing 30 seconds plus 1 second? Anyway, to improve, I need to keep playing this slow game and really understanding what I’m doing. I also hate lost games due to the opponent just moving around, so the 1 second assures I can claim a draw in those situations.

Finally, below are 3 positions. The correct move is the same in all. I missed it each time in game.