The Clock
The one deciding factor in my failure to achieve a Master rating is THE CLOCK.  I cannot begin to count the number of games in which I succeeded, after much work, in achieving winning positions, only to throw them all away in time pressure and in time scrambles. I've probably lost a few shots at a Master rating and also several State Championships due to blundering away winning positions in critical games during time pressure.

My aggressive play has led to many nice "won" games; on the other hand, my search for the truth -- that perfect move, that perfect combination -- causes me to take too much time to analyze positions. This is compounded by the fact that I play gambits quite often, which results in my having to work very hard to make the sacrifice of a pawn or two pay off. Of course, this is the style of play that I favor and the factor that makes chess exciting to me, but it's a tradeoff. Many years ago, I took some lessons from FM Cyrus Lakdawala and he told me that he admired my gambit play and marveled at my results, but he also told me that I was going to have a very difficult time advancing to Master and staying there if I continued to play gambits all of the time. There is some truth to this.

The Clock, despite its effect on my games, is sometimes a friend because I have had some beautiful winning conclusions to games come about during time pressure. In the near future, I will present my favorite games -- those battles of mine with exciting play and great finishes that I have both won and lost in the final minutes.


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