Double-O-Nothing
We have a very unfortunate term in chess for losing two games in a row: “kingside castling”, as the algebraic notation is “0-0”. Unfortunately, despite two rest days and a no-show in between, I have castled kingside in this tournament.
Even worse, there’s a chance that tomorrow I will do the even less desirable “queenside castling”, the symbol for which is “0-0-0”. This has happened to me only a handful of times in my life, and let me tell you, it is not an experience I’d like to repeat. Top Russian grandmasters even say that it’s worth just making a short draw after two losses, even against someone weaker, so as to absolutely avoid the psychological effect that comes with the trifecta.
As I’ve mentioned before, the losses hurt doubly due to the team nature of the tournament. Yesterday my game was the last to finish in the entire Olympiad round, and unfortunately was the decisive factor in us going down 1.5-2.5 to the Czechs. I was not a happy chappy last night. But even greater psychologically is that I can’t remember what it’s like to win; it’s been seven days since my last victory (of course excluding the forfeit), and it’s not uncommon for chess players to lose that winning feeling – literally.
Still, with two rounds to go and Australia still performing above expectations, there’s no time to sit around feeling sorry for one’s self. The other four are currently locked in a tight battle against Sweden, and I have to say, my teammates are all playing well above their normal strength. There’s a good chance that we could have one of our best ever Olympiad results if we finish hard in the critical last two rounds.
Ailment-wise, Yuan seems back to 100%, and Giang even has a whisper of a voice back. George seems much chirpier than usual, and Darryl and Solo both seem to be right in the swing of their respective styles. Coupled with the world’s best captain in Manuel, we could well finish in style, if I can pull my head out of these (dark) clouds.
At least the AFL grand final rematch will be on the rest day after round 10, giving three of us the chance to listen uninhibited to the radio streaming without impacting on the chess. Unfortunately, the NRL grand final will be on at the same time as the last game, but I think I’m the only one in the team who follows rugby league. And my interest has dwindled after the Tigers got knocked out with a surprise loss in the semi-finals.
Ah well. At least they didn’t castle.