Black, Unrated vs. Samedh Rajadhyaksha, 859

Game 4 opened much stronger for me, with a peak evaluation of -4.9 on move 22. This was my lowest-rated opponent of the tournament, and I was feeling confident I might finally get a win.

I dismissed 24. ♖g4?? as not actually threatening, but after a series of ill-considered pawn moves on both sides, I would come to regret that assessment when my opponent surprised me with 28. ♕xh6. The bulk of the game after that was me retreating from check and looking for some opportunity to seize initiative, which I finally did manage with 45...♛xh3?! I had calculated the next several moves, up through a rook sacrifice and with the intention of 50...♛h8#, but I failed to realize that 49...♜xh4?? would leave my king open to another series of checks, burning up most of my remaining time until finally I panicked and walked into checkmate with 55...♚g4??

Despite the strong beginning and the chance at a come-from-behind win, this was my worst-played game of the four, with thirteen blunders per Lichess. Interestingly, in each game my count of blunders and mistakes was quite close to my opponents', and aside from round 1 each game felt close. It seemed almost like my playing strength was subconsciously adjusting in proportion to whom I was playing. I'd say it's probable that sharper moves from the other side of the board pushed me to find sharper moves in turn.