45 45 chess

It's 6:20 AM in Hawaii and I just finished my first 45 45 game on ICC! My opponent was rated 2236 and had a string of standard wins in his history. I was intimidated from the start. I lost a pawn fairly quickly out of the opening, but I didn't fold. I aimed to create complications and found myself in a position to win back the pawn. And guess what??... I didn't take back the pawn but opted to activate my pieces instead, as his pieces were passively placed. Even though I was a pawn down, the position was fairly drawish. The heavy pieces were still on, but our remaining bishops were of opposite color. My pieces were actively placed, and I created a tactical situation in which I won back the pawn!! Unfortunately, in time pressure (I was in time pressure for the last 15-20 moves of the game), I walked into a tactic that lost a piece, so I resigned on move 39. But even though I lost, I was very pleased with my play. A normally defensive player, I took the fight to my opponent and had great chances to win. Overall, a nice first experience with STC chess and a needed break from book study.