Be careful what you wish for, people say. I don't. I don't say that bullcrap. But it seemed like not only my opponent this morning, but also the one I played in the afternoon tried to bluff me off the board. His attack on my king came way too soon, and he neglected the safety of his own king. Threatening to win 3 (!) pawns, he had to close the position, leaving his bishop on h6, with one of his pawns on g5 while I already castled. For those who don't speak chess: the bishop was on the board, but was locked up. So effectively I played with an extra piece.
My opponent tried his best, exactly what one would expect from somebody rated 2206, but I played careful and active, never giving him any chance. Probably he could've defended a bit better, but it was only a matter of time before the extra piece would seal the deal.
After some exchanges of pieces, my bishop got alive and I won the white h-pawn, giving me a free pawn on the same file. Without hesitation I started pushing it, activating and offering my rook in the process. He couldn't take it, because then promotion to queen (with check) was inevitable, so he tried a perpetual check trick, which I had seen beforehand. I pulled my rook back to the 8th rank, pushed the pawn to h2, covered it with my bishop, and was rewarded with the full point.
Winning against 2200+ players always gives an extra kind of satisfaction. Especially when you play with the black pieces and your opponent never stood a chance.
Ruud had an acceptable draw again, while Pieter was finally rewarded for his exceptional play this tournament. He won an technical endgame in sublime style.
Three points out of five games, two more to go tomorrow.