Maiden Attempt to use Chessbase on NUS IGC Puzzle Position =)

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that dr_chess_dad, my very good chess friend, got some inspiration / motivation from me to take up chess blogging again.

Below is my attempt to marry between my attempt to use of Chessbase publishing function (farewell for now, chess.com, you have been useful to me at no cost, but I do prefer the Chessbase interface for this particular purpose) with today's puzzle position shared by NUS Intellectual Games Club.

I'm glad I got it right, both the puzzle position and the use of the Chessbase interface.

Puzzle Instruction: White to Play and Draw

[Event "NUS IGC Puzzle Position"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.09.24"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Yujing,Ong"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/8/4n3/R6p/4b2P/5RKP/4k3/1q5N w - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "8"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.24"] {[#]} 1. Ra2+ Ke1 (1... Qxa2 2. Rf2+ Ke3 3. Rxa2 Bxh1 4. Ra5 Nf4 5. Ra3+ Nd3 6. Ra5 Nf4 7. Ra3+ Nd3 8. Ra5 Nf4 9. Ra3+ $11) (1... Bc2 2. Rxc2+ Ke1 3. Rcf2 $16) 2. Re3+ Kf1 (2... Kd1 $2 3. Nf2+ Kc1 4. Re1#) 3. Rf2+ Kg1 4. Re1+ Qxe1 $11 { Draw by stalemate.} 1/2-1/2

Please let me know should you have any comments or feedback (e.g. whether you prefer the chessbase interface or chess.com's interface). Once again, thank you for your time reading this -- do consider checking out dr_chess_dad's blog as well as the NUS Intellectual Games Club !

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

How not to play chess @ Siglap South CC 23rd Sept 2018

Lost a couple of games today. Most important but valuable loss was game #2 to William -- 1 bad move just spoilt a favourable game immediately. Oh well, it will do me good to have a better sense of danger in future! Kudos to him climbing back from a very bad position at one point.

Also, played a number of "experimental" games with Seng Chin, a regular attendee and chess friend has a very strong tactical feel of the position. What's important was not the exact moves / move orders (certain games I will never play that opening), but  the realisation that "quiet" play (i.e. the way I play) in a dynamic position is akin to courting death. Especially in opposite side castle positions, it is largely about who is faster in executing his attacks. I also come to the realisation that sometimes, a speculative sacrifice (to me, 1 that I cannot calculate to the point of a clear win, despite the features of the position looking very promising) is demanded by the position. I simply can't take my time and find the optimum "nice-looking" move.

Without further ado, here are today's 2 games worth replaying. Do note that White is trying to pick up from the wrong thinking and biases, so that his thought process can be better improved. In some ways, this may be viewed as "how not to play chess", a negative demonstration of sorts. Also, the points and thoughts in the opening phase of the game are not meant to get White a substantial advantage. Rather, it is meant to help me get into the type of positions I like to play. They are not the same thing, so don't be too surprised if you don't like the way White plays the opening!

Game 1 (Timed, 15+10)
Self-reflection with no use of Engine
Suggestions Based on Engine or Database Review

• Instead of 8.Bd3, it may be better to play 8.cxd5 -- If Black replies with 8...exd5, White can inflict an Isolated Queen Pawn in Black's camp. If Black plays 8...Nxd5, then Black's light square Bishop remain closed within its pawn chain.

• The judgement of leaving the a4 square for Na4 was on-point. Good!

• White's post-game judgement is correct, in that 20.Bxd5 is simpler to 20.e4 that was played.

• Even though not engine-best, 21.Kf1 does the job.

• Overall, White played better, and deserved the win =)

Game 2 (Untimed)
Self-reflection with no use of Engine
Suggestions Based on Engine or Database Review

• White was guilty of going on auto-pilot even at the 2nd move -- Admittedly, 1...Nc6 is a rather rare move. Instead of 2.c4, which invites 2...e5, Just play 2.d4 instead of 2.c4 for simplicity's sake! And White continued to forgot that Black has ...e5 until move 5 or move 6, lol.

• Other than somehow being blind to the possibility of ...e5, White's "little" choices in the opening were actually more or less correct, and the post-game review that 13.Nc5 was rash without 13.b4 was on-point. In essence, White has the luxury of time to wait and prepare for things, rather than going for 13.Nc5 immediately. 

• The easiest way to simplify the position seems to be 21.Rad1, simply fighting Black head-on over the open d-file (instead of 21.Qc4+ that was played). Because with the White Queen on c2,it is still looking over the weakened f5 pawn. If Black plays something like ...Qh6orh5, White can just play h4 to stop the mating idea on h2. Of course, 22.h3?? deserves to lose. 

Overall Impressions

• Despite the poor results today, I am actually liking what I see today -- I feel like I got the better position out of the opening play (with the exception of being blind to ...e5). 

• Admittedly, I have not been doing as many tactical puzzles as I wish, and my tactical sense seems to have waned a bit. But man, my time and energy resources are finite. I do feel that I am improving in my opening play, even just a little. At least, I feel more comfortable, confident and not feel like struggling as I usually feel.

As always, all comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

Overtime Report: Sunday Chess @ Siglap South CC, 16th Sept 2018

What a day it was! We went crazily overtime (usual hours 3pm-6pm) till 8:20pm! This time round, there were so many games played, my DGT smart board had to let go of the games played earlier (only games making up of the last 500 moves or so were kept in the records)!

Still, I will keep to my usual style, feature my personal games played, followed by a record of the other games captured. I will try to do more in-depth analysis of my own games, of course.

Long game played (without clock) -- this game lasted 3 hours or so!
Self-attempted quick review without the use of database or engine



Key learning points from the database / engines

Position after 10.g4 Bg6 11.h4 (which I thought was good for White after the game)

• After 11.h4, it is not the end of the world for Black- there are a couple of possible replies, the easiest being 11...h5! to stop the h4-pawn from opening up the Kingside. Now, if 12.Nxg6 fxg6, there will be some immediate pressure against White's Bishop on f4, Black has a semi-open f-file for the Rook on f8, White has some weaknesses on his Kingside while Black has faster development. All these should be more than adequate compensating factors to negate the weakness on e6 -- at the very least, White has no immediate way to exploit it, and eventually Black may even be able to play ...e5 if necessary to challenge White's centre  and open up the position further. In a nutshell, 11.h4 would have been a inaccuracy -- 11.Nxg6, which my opponent played in the game, is correct.

Position after 11.Nxg6 fxg6 12.Bg5 Nd7 13.Qf3

• 13...Nd7, which was played (too slow), was no good. In response, the engine recommended White to play 14.h4 immediately attacking on the Kingside. Instead, the engine strongly recommends Black to exploit the fact that his development is faster and open up the position with an immediate 13...e5! White has no time to gain a pawn on f6, and will need to be very careful in address the opening up position.

Position arising after 17.Qe3

• After 17.Qe3, Black got the overall planning correct -- to do opposite side attack. However, 17...b5 is not effective (Black baited White to play 18.Bxb5, which White did not fall for). Instead, 17...a5! would be more effective -- the pawn can continue to push down the a-file, minimally gaining some Queenside space. Also, generally speaking it is correct to minimise the number of pawn advancements we make in front of our King, to delay engagement with opponent's pawn storm (which delays opening up our own King pawn cover).

Position after 25...d3 26.Bxd3 Qxa3 27.Nc4

• In this position, Black played the safe-looking 27...Qxd3, simplifying the position with a 1-pawn advantage. This was the 2nd best move (around -1 in favour Black). But the very best move here was 27...Qa4!! The point being, that should White continue usually with 28.Nxd6, Black has 28...Nb3! weaving a mating net which will result in gaining of huge material if White avoids the mate. 

• Last but not least, in the final position which Black accepted a draw, Black does have some concrete advantage to press the position. (Whether it is winnable is another story.) While this may seem trivial, energy and stamina is very important, especially in the upcoming SG Amateurs 2018 Tournament. For this 9-round tournament, all but 1 day consists of 2 games! This is definitely very trying for all the players (especially adult players like myself who is out of shape... need to exercise more!)

Overall, I am still quite bad in evaluating "dynamic" positions, poor in assessing imbalance. On the bright side, I do like my ability to simplify complicated positions towards a small advantage to press. But this was played without a chess clock (at the request of my opponent). I wonder if I would play better or worse with the clocks in play -- certain moves, especially 25...d3 and 26...Qxa3, I probably spent around half an hour or so.

2 rapid (15+10) games with another opponent

Key learning points from the database / engines

• Opening-midgame: After 12.Nc3, Black should play 12...Bg4 immediately. Black waited a bit too much. After the moves 12...Rfd8, instead of 13.Qd2, White could've played 13.h3! to prevent this pin for good.

Other than this, everything else from Black was good! Well played, well-deserved win =)

Key learning points from the database / engines

• Opening: Instead of 12.Bb2, better was 12.Nd5 immediately -- It is better to ensure that Black has no ...d5 resource, and then White would have all the time in the world to improve / complete his opening play.

• 16.Qd2 that White played, was excellent! I'm glad I found it during the game on one hand, yet it got me into severe time trouble on the other hand. Still, for learning purpose, I don't mind losing the game to find the correct moves, in a sense.

Just want to make the qualifier that while I admitted I'm annoyed by certain style of play, it is perfectly legitimate. It is my problem to fix. I can't possibly request my opponent to not annoy me with his playing style, LOL. If anything psychologically, it is best to annoy the opponent as much as you can within the legal means. (And I myself am fond of chess psychology as a subject of chess study!)

Other games captured on DGT Smart Board -- I hope the Siglap South CC players would be able to identify their own games for self review purpose. They players would have to identify your own games please! Also, maybe I should teach the players how to record the results after the game.


I'm so happy that the electronic chess set is being put to good use! I was so afraid there won't be much use. Now I'm glad my $500 had been well spent ^o^

Looking forward to another week? month!? year! decade!! lifetime!!! of chess to come ^o^


Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

A Fun Game in 9th Round of the QCD Adults Chess League 2018

1-liner Summary
Even though my team lost 0-4 to a friendly team (a team consisting of many friends), I enjoyed my personal game very much =)

Some background / context before the game
To be honest, I was not expecting to play today -- I was happily doing my non-chess related "Otaku" business of watching games replay, anime series the night before, and I slept at around 1am or so. Unfortunately, 1 of my team mates who was scheduled to play fell sick, so I had to stand in at the last minute.

Still, it was a good playing experience in that I get to experiment my revised opening repertoire as White. Also, the lack of preparations did not account for my loss. If there are things I can attribute for the loss, it would be (i) poor time management and (ii) poor basic chess skills/sense.

And it's been a great pleasure and fun to be paired against Carleton, the founder of the Pub X Chess movement in Singapore! Even though I lost the game, he's definitely 1 of the chess friends I do not mind losing to.

Disclaimer about my games analysis
Please note that I am nowhere a chess expert. My personal thoughts are NOT supposed to be geared towards "how to play chess well". Rather, it is more like how a (fellow) newbie/beginner chess player around my playing strength thinks. A bit like a negative demonstration for learning purpose. Like how we are expected to learn the most from games we lost.

Through reviewing and examining the thought process, it is hoped that I can be corrected of my wrong perspectives and work on the important things that can help one play/understand a chess game better. If you dear reader have any thoughts or feedback, please feel free to drop me a comment either on this blog page directly, or feel free to drop me a private message. A big thank you in advance!

The game itself -- this time, on top of the full replay of the game, I will also highlight what I consider as key moments of the game, or situations which demands questions and answers.

Personal attempt at review/analysis of the game (with no use of engine)



Engine-checked evaluation / some learning ideas ("guesses")
(to address some of my thoughts and questions on the positions in the game)

• Based on the position up to move 9.Bd2, Chessbase14 found 1 single game from the freely available Kingbase Database, between Srebrnic, Anna (2283) and Egerc, Josip (2134), 2009, which ended in a draw. However, there is a notable difference in that it was White to move in the position (but in my game with Carleton, it is Black to move), so in a way, Carleton has improvised on this game =) Though in reality, I'm sure both of us are not aware of this game when we played it ^o^ 

Srebrnic, Anna (2283) and Egerc, Josip (2134), 2009, 1/2-1/2 

Position arises after the following moves:

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. g3 c6 6. Bg2 g6 7. d3 Bg7 8. Bd2
Qd8 9. O-O O-O ... White with the move.

• After 12...Qb6, the engine indeed like 13.g4 that I found in my post-game review (+1 in favour White). 13.Bxg7 is also good, but not as good (+0.5). 

Game position after 12...Qb6

• After 12...Qb6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7, instead of 14.Kh2 that was played, the engine evaluation is strongly recommends (not in specific idea), but the general setup of d4, Na4, b3 and e4 to be played by White. Basically, do not self-invoke any weakness, and take centre control with the central pawns. Such a simple, basic notion, yet I couldn't get it right... Oh well, there's lots for newbie to catch up and learn!

• After 17...h6, there was a nice combination that White missed =( I'm not sure if I could've spotted it if I had more time in the bank -- if it was presented as a puzzle that "White to play and win", one would probably have spotted it. Such is the difficulty (and beauty) of a real chess game!

White to play and win!

Diagram position after 17...h6. Highlight the hidden text below for the solution.

18.Qc3+ (18...Nf6 or 18...Kg7) 19.a4 Qb6 20.Ngxe6 with 21.Nd7 Knight fork coming.

• After 17...h6 18.Nxe6 Nxe6 19.Nxe6 fxe6, I played 20.Qc3+ and thought that it may have been easier to play 20.Qc4. While 20.Qc4 more or less forces an exchange of Queens with 20...Qxc4 21.bxc4 Rad8! Black has a free shot to press against White's position (White cannot do 22.Rad1 because of 22...Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Rxf2 (the Rook on f1 is needed to defend f2 pawn). In fact, the engine likes my 20.Qc3 played in the game, just that the follow-up was really unsatisfactory! And after 20.Qc3+ Kh7 21.b3 Re6 Now 22.Qc4 is a move as after 22...Qxc4 White has 23.bxc4 (Black has no 2nd semi-open file to threaten White, and White will have time to improve his White King position to defend the f2 pawn, and then the White Rook on f1 is free to play a more active role. Hope the reader can try to visualise!

Game position after 17...h6 18.Ngxe6 Nxe6 19.Nxe6 fxe6, before 20.Qc3+ was played.

• While I considered the idea of 19.Nxb7, it is not that great/perfect for White. The most promising version is 19.Nxb7 Qxb7! 20.Bxc6 21.Qa6 Bxa6 22.Rxa8 and even though White has won the exchange on paper (White has 1 Rook + 2 pawns against Black's 2 Knights) Black will have 4 pieces to play against White's 3, and White's Kingside does look a bit weak. I think I can understand, or at least guess why the engine opine Black to be even slightly better despite White having the exchange.

Diagram position after 17...h6 18.Nxe6 Nxe6. If you were playing White, would you initiate 19.Nxb7!? Would it be a factor if you were under time trouble? Such are the practical questions to think about in a chess game! And nothing is perfectly black and white on whether it is a right or wrong decision. It is still highly playable despite what the engine says, and we play human opponents, not engines!

• Just want to conclude the analysis by saying that 22.f3, which was not played in time, was just a bad time panic ^o^ White could have simply returned the King to g1 (I was freaked out at the thought of Black doubling Rooks on the f-file and didn't know what to do under time pressure, lol!)

Interestingly, time management, to me, is 1 of the biggest practical issue in a chess game -- yet I have not come across any chess materials that addresses this subject directly. Has anyone come across any chess courses or study materials that actually talks specifically on time management? I think that is more important that some of the "hard skills" or knowledge of chess on a practical basis!

I still have A LOT of things to talk about, beyond my personal game! First and foremost, let's start with pictures which speaks a thousand words (each?)

From Picture's Left to Right: Gabriel, the youngest player on team 8.c4!), myself (newbie_learner, captain of the team 8.c4!) and Carleton, founder of PubXChess, who composed the game with me ^o^

Believe it or not, I got a book and words of encouragement from no other than Kevin Goh Wei Ming, Singapore's current #1 chess player. I'm so sorry that he has been putting up with my poor quality posts, yet super grateful for his tips and pointers at the same time. To think my casual chess blog is actually read by a local chess great! Can't ask for more ^o^

Some other great people and things I wish to shout out to:

• To Wern Jian, thank you for identifying yourself as my elder sister's friend ^o^ I honestly didn't know. What a small (chess) world, and all the best for your upcoming papers!
• To Dr_Chessdad, thank you for sharing with me about the free chess database, and some of the interesting functions and features of chessbase 14. I feel that my chess study, esp. on opening repertoire, is finally making its maiden step towards the right, organised direction.

• To my Singapore Chess Meetup friends (you know who you are) -- hope you have enjoyed this round of the League as much as I did!

• To "you know who you are", I have been looking forward to interview you. Let's do it after the final round! Best wishes to you and your team!

Last but not least, I simple need to try and promote the much awaited upcoming event, Social Chess BBQ ... Pawns and Prawns on 29 Sept 2018 (Saturday) .Thanks to Brad's correction, this is not technically an annual event, or a biannual event, but something that will take place as and when we feel like it and are able to commit to it. But I guess on the bright side, me (wrongly) branding it as the meetup's annual/biannual event would help to catch more newcomers to the meetup group. Surely, this mistake is not as sinful as hard-selling? ^o^

This turned out longer than I'd expected. Thank you for your time and patience!

Yours sincerely

Ong Yujing (Eugene)

a.k.a. newbie_learner, scorekeeper

A Rollercoaster Game @ Singapore Chess Meetup

I'm drawing quite a number of 'bad' conclusions from this 57 move, 4-hour game (90+30, game both players have < 10 minutes on the clock).

General Description on the Course of the Game

1. Black (me) got into a completely lost position out of the opening.

2. The biggest turning point arise on 22.Nf6+ This checking move turned out to be a blunder allowing Black to turn the situation around.

3. Black played too conservatively despite having a better, winnable position (really too much like a turtle!)

4. In the end, an endgame position unwinnable for both sides arise (after move 36...Rcx5, the evaluation is equal). 

Personal Conclusions / Learning Points

1. Opening play really matters! What's important is to find yourself in a playable position you enjoy playing and understand well. I (Black) failed to do and slipped into a completely lost position within the opening phase of the game. 11...Ne7! is a huge resource and idea I want to drill into my head.

2. Luck does matter in chess ^o^ Can't thank Caissa enough for not losing the game.

3. My play when in a better position is still too timid. This is similar to 1 of the games I played in the QCD Adults Chess League in the earlier half of this year. After defending for some time since the  beginning of the game, the need to switch into an offensive move in the middle is something I don't do very well.

4. Opening play, endgame play was terrible on my part. Can't emphasise this enough.

5. On the bright side, it was not all bad -- notwithstanding the mistakes / blunders made in the bad opening position, at least I didn't fall into any direct / 1-2 move combinations or drop any pieces too easily. Also, I like my own fighting spirit to squeeze the endgame -- even if its an equal / drawn position, there is practical value to play on -- it forces me to understand the demands of the position and play the move (even if just to hold/draw the position).

Special Shout-out to Weng Chew
It was a great game -- you almost had me! With this game, my 100% head-to-head winning record has been broken. More importantly, I actually learned a couple of important ideas from the game, especially in the opening phase -- not just how Black could player better, but also how White could have pressed in such positions. I guess Slav exchange variation is not that harmless after all!

Also, I take back everything I said in the past about your training methods -- if anything, it is paying huge dividends for you -- I'm glad you found a method you enjoying using which works for you. I'm still working on mine -- but it would be a bit more systematic with a special focus on the opening phase of the game. As you can see, my opening play is really very bad -- I simply need to work on it more so that I don't get into bad / lost positions out of the first 10+ moves in every game. Endgame will be the next area I need to work on... interesting way both sides played it out ^o^

Shout-out to Asia Square Folks Watching (parts of) the Game Live
I'm glad to see so many of you after some time (I have decided to cut down my play time to spend more time on opening preparations in a more systematic way, so I will only be visiting Asia Square on a monthly basis while keeping to my weekly Sunday sessions at Siglap South CC. Was super surprised to see Carleton, the founder of the Pub X Chess movement in Singapore! I just wonder if everyone at the Singapore Chess Meetup knows who he is ^o^

Thank you for helping me pack up my DGT chess set! I hope you guys enjoyed playing with it. Also, I'm really sorry for my misbehaviour towards some of you addressing me while I was playing the game -- Especially for shouting back at Roy -- that happens to be a super critical moment of the game, the "distraction" could not have come at a worst time. But thank you so much for reminding me to bring home my DGT chess board. Please accept my apologies ^o^


Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner

Grinding Chess Games @ Siglap South CC on 9th Sept 2018

Unlike some of the older school of chess players / coaches who opine that fast chess is a waste of time in terms of learning, I actually feel that it is a good way to check out one's familiarity with openings. I played a mixture of a few slow games with several fast games today -- I'm glad for the learning experience, esp. over a couple of positions which I misplayed and got into a severe disadvantage / objectively lost ones.

I guess it may be a bit "boring" to only share the games played, but I guess it's not realistic to have exciting games and days every time, every day =) In addition, I have my opponents to thank -- some openings, I really don't have that much experience with/against. Playing with you guys make me learn the opening / position faster! This was very valuable as I do not (like to) play chess games over the internet.

Also, need to thank my newly acquired DGT Board. Thank you for recording these blitz games for me, so that I can review them afterwards!

Game Collections @ Siglap South CC via DGT Smart Board



Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner

A great experience @ Thomson CC Chess Club on 31 Aug 2018

So I was covering Mr John Wong, a very experienced local chess coach at Thomson CC chess club. I happened to end work early, opening up earlier than the usual opening hour at 7:30pm. Was surprised to see a chess player from Siglap South CC also joining the Thomson CC chess club. As a young kiddo and new player, I believe he is maximising chess time for his development. Which is good.

After going through the game with him, I was surprised to be identified by a group of teenagers. Apparently, they identified themselves as students of my chess friend and coach, and was told to come here to play with me to gain some experience before the upcoming tournament. Naturally, I obliged. The games aside, I think my friend has coached these kids well. Above all, I was really happy to see the enthusiasm in them. They even lamented that they should not have started playing/learning chess at the late age in secondary school. They just remind me of myself, only that I started chess at an even later age. I was also sharing some tips I have, especially on to target his biggest problem at the moment: lack of experience with non 1.e4 openings =)

I am also quite honest about my own abilities. In terms of hard skills in chess, I am not someone you should learn from (at the moment, I self-rank my opening play as the weakest, followed by endgames and then the middlegame -- and even my middlegame is not "great", it's just not as weak compared to the weaker and weakest phases in the game). But I do feel I have some things fellow beginners can learn from, especially on chess psychology / mentality, "matchup" and the likes.

As usual, I do not identify my opponents but myself. I've learned that some of them do look at my blog to review their games (sometimes they did not record their games). Am glad to be of help/service to fellow chess players, however little it may be =)

Game 1: Kiddo vs newbie_learner



Learning Points / Thoughts:

• If you choose to specialise an opening, you really need to know it well. I understand the kiddo has not met 2...c5 so much, so hopefully, he brings this to his coach to find out how to play against it. I think just play 3.e3 and continue will do. At least, this would be how I treat this.

• I love my choice of 9...Qxc5 instead of 9...Qxf3?! If you know a move is bad, instead of insisting on making the bad move, better find an alternative solution!

• The finish-off was not clinical, but from the point of denying counter-play, I think I did decent.

Game 2: newbie_learner vs Teenager



Learning Points / Thoughts:

• As you can see, my opening play is really not great. 5.h4 is not that good and some flexibility seems lost.

• Overall, I am pleased with the way I applied logic in choosing my moves.

Game 3: newbie_learner vs Teenager

Vast improvement after the coach's guidance. I believe I reached a lost position, just bluffed my way through in the end =) 

Learning Points / Thoughts:

• Really cannot survive long enough to play a proper game without any opening knowledge. Maybe it works at an elementary level of play. But after a while, this just stops a player from making meaningful progress.

• On the bright side, at least I can recognise a problem after making the mistake =) 

• I think it makes sense for me to take a break from the training league. I hope to play good (or at least better) games with some fixing of my glaring shortcomings in my play, especially in the opening phase of the game.