This game was part of GameKnot's 31st Tournament, Advanced section. Although the moves themselves are instructional, there was a key psychological idea that occured in this game. I had to win this game if I was going to advance in the tournament. A loss or a draw would result in me not advancing. My opponent, on the other hand, had already secured a spot in the next round. In fact, he did so on his other game against me, where I had blundered and lost a rook in the endgame. Therefore, my opponent would have been content with a draw. It wasn't until a ways into this game that I lost the other one (thus creating the need to win this game). Once it happened, however, pressure started to mount for me. The human mind does strange things when under such pressure to win. I hadn't advanced in the last two tournaments, and I felt as though I needed to prove I could advance on. A lot of my play at the end of the game was based off of nothing but hope: hope that my opponent would somehow slip and that I could force a win. Often this mentality of playing to force a win can be very dangerous. You may find yourself setting up traps that aren't quite orthodox or sound. You refuse equality, especially if you were ahead earlier in the game and lost your lead, so the position is suddenly quite drawish. You may find yourself pushing for something and losing everything. In fact, I started out the game winning two pawns and simplifying. I thought the win was in the bag. However, I lost one pawn through a simple fork I didn't see. I started to get nervous and eventually gave up another pawn. I had the slightest advantage in that his king was pinned to the edge while mine was active in the center. This king activity gave me hope, though that hope was a bit false. Had my opponent not blundered his 53rd move, the game would have probably been a draw. This introduction has been a bit lengthy, but I think that the psychology of needing to win is a very important theme.