Openings, Part 3: Results and the Endgame Wall
The switch to 1.c4 is paying off in the middlegame, but better positions are revealing a familiar weakness: I do not know how to finish games.
It has been a few months since I moved away from 1.e4 and started playing the English. The goal was to find positions that suited my thinking better and to avoid the deep theoretical preparation people often have ready for the main lines. So far, the results have been better than I expected.
The Good News: Better Middlegames
My win rate with White has seen a noticeable uptick. The main reason is not that I am suddenly outplaying people in the opening. Instead, it is that I am reaching middlegames where I actually understand what I am supposed to be doing.
In my old 1.e4 lines, I often felt like I was reacting to Black's plans. In the English, the positions are more fluid. I am finding that I can navigate the "reversed Sicilian" shapes and the symmetrical structures with much more confidence. I am no longer getting blown off the board by move fifteen because I forgot a specific tactical sequence.
A typical English structure
Recorded result: unfinished (*).
The positions are strategic. I have time to think. I am finding that even when I drift slightly, the structure is robust enough that I can usually correct course before things get terminal.
The Bad News: The Endgame Wall
However, there is a catch. Because I am reaching better middlegames, I am also reaching more endgames. And it is here that the progress stops.
I am frequently reaching "better" or even "winning" endgames only to watch the advantage slowly evaporate. I might be up a pawn in a rook ending, or have a slightly superior minor piece, but I lack the technique to convert it. I find myself playing too passively, or worse, making "natural" looking moves that actually throw away the win.
It is a frustrating realization. I spent all this time worrying about move orders and pawn structures in the opening, only to find that I am essentially failing at the final hurdle.
Shifting Focus
The English has solved one problem but highlighted another. I am getting the positions I want, but I am not always getting the points I should.
My study plan for the next few months has to change. I will keep the two evenings a week habit, but one of those sessions is now dedicated strictly to endgames. I am starting with the basics: king and pawn endings, and the fundamental rook endgames.
I do not need to become an endgame expert overnight. I just need to stop giving away half-points in positions where the hard work has already been done. The opening switch was a success, but it was only half the battle. Now I need to learn how to finish.