Well, I played against strong player who's behaviour at the table was rather "socially challenged" if I may say so, and I have learnt something. Perhaps even iconic Bobby Fischer, when he was putting Boris Spassky under immense pressure in 1972, displayed at the table more "decency" and "chivalry" than my honourable adversary... Actually he reminded me a nice quotation published by Dale Carnegie in one of his books*: "Your bad manners are exceeded only by your bad manners." However, nowadays the expressions like a "courtesy", "sportsmanship" or even "chivalry" are something like a mastodon... also an extinct genus.
Be as it may, let's go back to the royal game... which was more interesting then the histrionic behaviour I have criticised above.
My opponent, playing with Black pieces, chose Chebanenko Slav with 4...a6, and I, an avid reader of Viktor Bologan's book** on this line, played just rare 5.h3.
Bologan in his book writes:
"5.h3!? is a cunning move, in the spirit of Chebanenko school. I first faced it in the decisive game of the 1997 New York Open, against Zvjaginsev. White makes useful move and invites Black to reveal his plans."
Everything was good till move 20. Slowly but surely I was running out of time (rate of play was 30 moves in 60 minutes +15 minutes to the end) and position was complicated, but the move 20.e4 was the best option. After 20.g4 the position is far from to be lost, however, my opponent put me on the back foot and over the board I failed to find the best possible defence.
In the end of the game he performed nice tactical trick and won deservedly, no doubt about that.
Interesting game which I really did enjoy.
**Bologan, Viktor Viorel: The Chebanenko Slav According to Bologan. New In Chess 2008 pp. 42-43.
And here is the aforementioned game Zvjaginsev-Bologan:
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