Spencer St. February Rapid, G/15:
I played 3 players, all well below my rating. My first game, I gave up a couple pawns in the middle game to a tactic, but managed to get them back with some opposing mistakes. In the endgame, my opponent touched the wrong piece (and so then had to move it), allowing me to win another pawn, which I eventually used to get a queen and get a checkmate with about 5 seconds left on my clock. Second game, I played a good opening, and while my opponent had some pressure, he made a mistake, and let me out in a bad way, giving me a pawn, bishop, and knight for a rook, which was a good trade for me, and I converted that advantage in the endgame. Final game, I played a good opening, and just crushed my opponent positionally, until I won a piece in the endgame, and then promoted a pawn to a queen and won.
3.0/3, winning $12, $9 more than the entry fee! I played okayish, but everyone was well below my rating.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
United States Amateur Team North 2018
United States Amateur Team North:
his is a team tournament, so me and three chess friends are playing against other teams of 4. Each match between teams is 4 individual games, and the team who wins more games gets the win.
My friends are rated about 2350, 1400, and 1300 (I'm about 1900). Our team average is 1758. The highest team average in the tournament is 2199 (the limit is 2200). My team is gunning for the best under 1900 prize. My team's name is... Reese's Pieces! Most of the teams have funny names; one is even named literally "insert team name here".
Round 1, opposing team average rating 2085:
Our top rated player was the only player on our team rated above his opponent, so it was tough going. All of the games went pretty long. My game was interesting, and I think I played well, but towards the end I don't know if I was winning or losing; I blundered in time trouble and lost. My team's board 4 (lowest rated) pulled a huge upset and won his game, but unfortunately my team's top board lost, even being higher rated, as did our board 3, so we got 1/4 and lost the match. If our top board had won like he should have, we would have tired. A loss was not unexpected, but we had a big chance.
0.0/1, an early expected loss, with a big upset.
Round 2, opposing team average rating ~1350:
So, my team was higher rated in every game this match, but that didn't mean our games would easy wins. In my game, I played awful in the opening and hung an important pawn. It was terrible going, and I struggled to not outright lose. I was unable to recover the pawn, and my opponent eventually brought the game to an endgame. And that's when I saw it: a terrible swindle, a plan that was probably really bad if my opponent saw it, but if he didn't... and the best part was, I didn't have to reveal my plan to my opponent until it was too late for him. And he fell for it. I won a game that I really should have lost; my drawing chances had been pretty slim. My team's board 3 player sacrificed a couple pawns for a massive attack that looked shaky to me, but demolished his opponent, and claimed after the game that his opponent was completely lost even before the attack really got going. On board 1, my team's top player won a pawn, gaining a passed pawn (no other pawns could stop it) in the middlegame and just rode the game out to a modest win. Board 4 was an up and down game, my teammate in the lead, but gaining an advantage, then losing it, and so on, until they got to a probably drawn, but still better for my teammate, who successfully executed a trap of his own to win the game. So we swept the match, getting our first win.
1.0/2, an expected team sweep, where I played awful and should have at least drawn, but managed to win. But a sweep nonetheless. Middle of the pack.
Round 3, opposing team average rating ~980:
So, I was pretty happy to see this for round 3; hopefully I'd have an easy stress-free game, and get to relax a bit before going to sleep. My game and the board 3 game went this way. We were done in about half an hour. (easy wins) On board 1, my teammate had a better position early on, and was winning, not too long after, but his opponent played very defensively and dragged the game on a long time. To be clear, he definitely had a reason to play on, as my teammate could have made a mistake to draw or lose the game. But the game probably went on an hour and a half after I was done. Board 4 was a long, even game, neither side gaining an advantage; it was still even when the Board 1 game finished. Unfortunately, my teammate blundered, losing a queen for a rook, and after a lot of aimless moving, his opponent figured out how to beat him. A disappointing loss for my teammate, especially after his big win in round 1.
All in all, a decent match win (I did get to relax), but a disappointing loss for our board 4.
2.0/3, in good position to win something, but probably with a match against a better team next round.
Round 4, opposing team average rating 1966:
It was a tough team, but I knew we could still win the match. My opening was going well, until I hung a piece to a simple tactic. My position was unrecoverable, and I resigned a few moves later. Our board 4 fell under a big attack and lost, our board 3 lost a pawn in the middle game, and after some bad trades, ending up letting his opponent dominate his position, and lost. Our board 1 managed to win a couple pawns, and convert that into a win. So we lost the match, but at least got one individual game win.
2.0/4, in position to maybe win something on tiebreaks.
Round 5, opposing team rating around 1600ish (it was weird):
First of all, this was the first tournament for the other team's board 4, meaning they were unrated, and didn't factor into their team's average rating. Secondly, their board 3 had to leave, and they got someone to fill in who was ostensibly better; they were higher rated at least, and so moved up to board 2, playing me. It was an old man, who was very excited to be playing me. He hadn't played in several years. Our game was relatively short, he gave up a piece to a moderately simple tactic, and I won soon after. He apologized for not giving me a better game, but I don't mind. Our board 1 slowly ground out another game, our board 4 played some nifty tactics to pick up the win, and our board 3 "officially played [his] worst game ever" and lost. But still we got the match win, without any big surprises.
3.0/5, we'll probably go to tiebreaks to see if we get anything, but decided not to wait around to find out.
It was a fun tournament, but I got 1 good game of chess (first round), 1 very shaky but hard fought game (round 2), and 3 super short games. My round 4 game was super disappointing, but I'm really happy with my round 1 game. Decent tournament, but I need to work on my tactics and openings
his is a team tournament, so me and three chess friends are playing against other teams of 4. Each match between teams is 4 individual games, and the team who wins more games gets the win.
My friends are rated about 2350, 1400, and 1300 (I'm about 1900). Our team average is 1758. The highest team average in the tournament is 2199 (the limit is 2200). My team is gunning for the best under 1900 prize. My team's name is... Reese's Pieces! Most of the teams have funny names; one is even named literally "insert team name here".
Round 1, opposing team average rating 2085:
Our top rated player was the only player on our team rated above his opponent, so it was tough going. All of the games went pretty long. My game was interesting, and I think I played well, but towards the end I don't know if I was winning or losing; I blundered in time trouble and lost. My team's board 4 (lowest rated) pulled a huge upset and won his game, but unfortunately my team's top board lost, even being higher rated, as did our board 3, so we got 1/4 and lost the match. If our top board had won like he should have, we would have tired. A loss was not unexpected, but we had a big chance.
0.0/1, an early expected loss, with a big upset.
Round 2, opposing team average rating ~1350:
So, my team was higher rated in every game this match, but that didn't mean our games would easy wins. In my game, I played awful in the opening and hung an important pawn. It was terrible going, and I struggled to not outright lose. I was unable to recover the pawn, and my opponent eventually brought the game to an endgame. And that's when I saw it: a terrible swindle, a plan that was probably really bad if my opponent saw it, but if he didn't... and the best part was, I didn't have to reveal my plan to my opponent until it was too late for him. And he fell for it. I won a game that I really should have lost; my drawing chances had been pretty slim. My team's board 3 player sacrificed a couple pawns for a massive attack that looked shaky to me, but demolished his opponent, and claimed after the game that his opponent was completely lost even before the attack really got going. On board 1, my team's top player won a pawn, gaining a passed pawn (no other pawns could stop it) in the middlegame and just rode the game out to a modest win. Board 4 was an up and down game, my teammate in the lead, but gaining an advantage, then losing it, and so on, until they got to a probably drawn, but still better for my teammate, who successfully executed a trap of his own to win the game. So we swept the match, getting our first win.
1.0/2, an expected team sweep, where I played awful and should have at least drawn, but managed to win. But a sweep nonetheless. Middle of the pack.
Round 3, opposing team average rating ~980:
So, I was pretty happy to see this for round 3; hopefully I'd have an easy stress-free game, and get to relax a bit before going to sleep. My game and the board 3 game went this way. We were done in about half an hour. (easy wins) On board 1, my teammate had a better position early on, and was winning, not too long after, but his opponent played very defensively and dragged the game on a long time. To be clear, he definitely had a reason to play on, as my teammate could have made a mistake to draw or lose the game. But the game probably went on an hour and a half after I was done. Board 4 was a long, even game, neither side gaining an advantage; it was still even when the Board 1 game finished. Unfortunately, my teammate blundered, losing a queen for a rook, and after a lot of aimless moving, his opponent figured out how to beat him. A disappointing loss for my teammate, especially after his big win in round 1.
All in all, a decent match win (I did get to relax), but a disappointing loss for our board 4.
2.0/3, in good position to win something, but probably with a match against a better team next round.
Round 4, opposing team average rating 1966:
It was a tough team, but I knew we could still win the match. My opening was going well, until I hung a piece to a simple tactic. My position was unrecoverable, and I resigned a few moves later. Our board 4 fell under a big attack and lost, our board 3 lost a pawn in the middle game, and after some bad trades, ending up letting his opponent dominate his position, and lost. Our board 1 managed to win a couple pawns, and convert that into a win. So we lost the match, but at least got one individual game win.
2.0/4, in position to maybe win something on tiebreaks.
Round 5, opposing team rating around 1600ish (it was weird):
First of all, this was the first tournament for the other team's board 4, meaning they were unrated, and didn't factor into their team's average rating. Secondly, their board 3 had to leave, and they got someone to fill in who was ostensibly better; they were higher rated at least, and so moved up to board 2, playing me. It was an old man, who was very excited to be playing me. He hadn't played in several years. Our game was relatively short, he gave up a piece to a moderately simple tactic, and I won soon after. He apologized for not giving me a better game, but I don't mind. Our board 1 slowly ground out another game, our board 4 played some nifty tactics to pick up the win, and our board 3 "officially played [his] worst game ever" and lost. But still we got the match win, without any big surprises.
3.0/5, we'll probably go to tiebreaks to see if we get anything, but decided not to wait around to find out.
It was a fun tournament, but I got 1 good game of chess (first round), 1 very shaky but hard fought game (round 2), and 3 super short games. My round 4 game was super disappointing, but I'm really happy with my round 1 game. Decent tournament, but I need to work on my tactics and openings
Michigan Master/Expert 2018
Michigan Master/Expert.5 rounds, 115 minutes per side.
Round 1, opponent 1830: I played a decent opening, and gave up a bishop for a knight to give my opponent a weak pawn. I attacked the pawn, and while my opponent was able to defend, he had to give back the bishop for a knight and castle queen side, where I had some good pawn pressure. My opponent eventually sacrificed a pawn to keep my pawn king in the center of the board. I had a better position, but was still nervous, until my opponent promptly dropped a knight, and resigned soon after.
Good win. 1.0/1
I'm a bit busy, so info about the rest of the tournament will have to come later. JAN 19TH, 4:10PM Isaac
Round 2, opponent 1806:
My opponent blitzed through the opening, as did I. Unfortunately, my opponent knew the opening, while I did not. I lost a pawn for nothing. I was completely lost in my thinking; I couldn't find anything productive to do. I just kept making moves, pressing, and making small plans with little point. My position was very uncomfortable, usually a sign that something bad is about to happen. This continued into the endgame, where I was still a pawn down. I was still uncomfortable, but thought I had a chance at a draw still. And then out of nowhere, my opponent made a horrendous move and hung a piece. I was still uncomfortable, even after getting the pawn back and being up a full piece. My opponent soon resigned, which came as a relief to me, as even though I had a winning position, I had yet to figure out how to win it.
Weird win. 2.0/2
Round 3, opponent 1914:
There were two other people with two points after 2 rounds, but both of them took a 0.5 point bye in round 3. Maybe I should have.
My opponent played an opening I was unfamiliar with, and I played it okay-ish, until I miscalculated, and let my opponent get my pieces discombobulated. And then I saw an interesting move. I could sacrifice my bishop for 3 pawns. My position was looking dismal otherwise, and I want to play interesting chess, so I went for it. It was quite sharp, both of us playing well. Well, that is, until I miscalculated again. I had a good king attack going, but I underestimated my opponent's king attack of his own, and had to give up two pawns. So I was down a pawn to a piece, and my opponent had over double my time remaining. I did manage to trade queens to end the threat on my king. But being in an endgame down a piece for a pawn is almost always losing. Thankfully, my opponent misplayed it, and ended up trading one of his pieces for two of my pawns, and then had to trade another piece for my promoting pawn. Both of us were now low on time, but the position was drawn, and we played it out to a draw.
Long, complicated, mistakes on both sides, draw. 2.5/3, but still tied for first.
(the reason it might have been a good idea to take the half-point bye was that it was the last round of Saturday, and I was tired and probably would have slept better/longer if I had taken the bye)
Round 4, opponent 1934:
First game on Sunday. This was the highest rated player in the section, so I needed to play well. I got the opening I wanted, but then got greedy and made a bad move. My opponent actually made a mistake in response, but I missed it and was just in a worse position. I played on, and my opponent didn't play the position the best, so I was looking good, until I missed a tactic in light time pressure and blundered the exchange (rook for knight), and my opponent's passed pawn became a lot more powerful. I struggled on, but was unable to come back, and lost.
A frustrating loss. 2.5/4, now tied for second.
Round 5, final game, opponent 1840:
I played an interesting move in the opening, which was probably bad, but my opponent misplayed it and I got a great position. I slowly built up, and my opponent accidentally gave me a pawn, which I took, and then poorly traded into an endgame (there was a much better way for me to trade down). I was still a bit ahead, but didn't play it well, got into a drawn position, refused an offered draw, and pushed until I was in a lost position and resigned.
A very bad loss, 2.5/5 middle of the pack.
The tournament started out okay, game 2 was bad, but overall I played pretty decent the first day. Day 2 was worse, game 4 playing a bad opening move when I was happy with my opening and then blundering to a relatively obvious tactic, and game 5 playing a great position to a draw, and playing the draw into a loss.
I need to work on my tactics, and my openings.
Round 1, opponent 1830: I played a decent opening, and gave up a bishop for a knight to give my opponent a weak pawn. I attacked the pawn, and while my opponent was able to defend, he had to give back the bishop for a knight and castle queen side, where I had some good pawn pressure. My opponent eventually sacrificed a pawn to keep my pawn king in the center of the board. I had a better position, but was still nervous, until my opponent promptly dropped a knight, and resigned soon after.
Good win. 1.0/1
I'm a bit busy, so info about the rest of the tournament will have to come later. JAN 19TH, 4:10PM Isaac
Round 2, opponent 1806:
My opponent blitzed through the opening, as did I. Unfortunately, my opponent knew the opening, while I did not. I lost a pawn for nothing. I was completely lost in my thinking; I couldn't find anything productive to do. I just kept making moves, pressing, and making small plans with little point. My position was very uncomfortable, usually a sign that something bad is about to happen. This continued into the endgame, where I was still a pawn down. I was still uncomfortable, but thought I had a chance at a draw still. And then out of nowhere, my opponent made a horrendous move and hung a piece. I was still uncomfortable, even after getting the pawn back and being up a full piece. My opponent soon resigned, which came as a relief to me, as even though I had a winning position, I had yet to figure out how to win it.
Weird win. 2.0/2
Round 3, opponent 1914:
There were two other people with two points after 2 rounds, but both of them took a 0.5 point bye in round 3. Maybe I should have.
My opponent played an opening I was unfamiliar with, and I played it okay-ish, until I miscalculated, and let my opponent get my pieces discombobulated. And then I saw an interesting move. I could sacrifice my bishop for 3 pawns. My position was looking dismal otherwise, and I want to play interesting chess, so I went for it. It was quite sharp, both of us playing well. Well, that is, until I miscalculated again. I had a good king attack going, but I underestimated my opponent's king attack of his own, and had to give up two pawns. So I was down a pawn to a piece, and my opponent had over double my time remaining. I did manage to trade queens to end the threat on my king. But being in an endgame down a piece for a pawn is almost always losing. Thankfully, my opponent misplayed it, and ended up trading one of his pieces for two of my pawns, and then had to trade another piece for my promoting pawn. Both of us were now low on time, but the position was drawn, and we played it out to a draw.
Long, complicated, mistakes on both sides, draw. 2.5/3, but still tied for first.
(the reason it might have been a good idea to take the half-point bye was that it was the last round of Saturday, and I was tired and probably would have slept better/longer if I had taken the bye)
Round 4, opponent 1934:
First game on Sunday. This was the highest rated player in the section, so I needed to play well. I got the opening I wanted, but then got greedy and made a bad move. My opponent actually made a mistake in response, but I missed it and was just in a worse position. I played on, and my opponent didn't play the position the best, so I was looking good, until I missed a tactic in light time pressure and blundered the exchange (rook for knight), and my opponent's passed pawn became a lot more powerful. I struggled on, but was unable to come back, and lost.
A frustrating loss. 2.5/4, now tied for second.
Round 5, final game, opponent 1840:
I played an interesting move in the opening, which was probably bad, but my opponent misplayed it and I got a great position. I slowly built up, and my opponent accidentally gave me a pawn, which I took, and then poorly traded into an endgame (there was a much better way for me to trade down). I was still a bit ahead, but didn't play it well, got into a drawn position, refused an offered draw, and pushed until I was in a lost position and resigned.
A very bad loss, 2.5/5 middle of the pack.
The tournament started out okay, game 2 was bad, but overall I played pretty decent the first day. Day 2 was worse, game 4 playing a bad opening move when I was happy with my opening and then blundering to a relatively obvious tactic, and game 5 playing a great position to a draw, and playing the draw into a loss.
I need to work on my tactics, and my openings.
Spencer St. weekly Swiss January
Spencer St. Week-by-week Swiss, four rounds, Game in 55.
This tournament is played over the course of a month, one game per Tuesday night.
Round 1, opponent 1699: I started out good, getting an advantage out of the opening, but then instead of taking a lead, I blundered, giving the game to my opponent. I almost resigned on the spot. In the endgame, my opponent, being the generous man he was, decided to give the win back (through a horrendous piece hang) and we were back to a drawn position. My opponent then decided he wanted nothing to do with points in the game, and traded down to kings and pawns for a won endgame for me. A bad win.
I did not at all deserve to win this game after my first blunder, but my opponent made even worse blunders.
1.0/1, leading the pack in a tournament in which I am the highest rated player.
Round 2 next Tuesday
Due to the TD's wife giving birth, round 2 was delayed a week.
Spencer St. tournament weekly swiss round 2:
I got a decent opening, allowed a bad trade to put me in a slightly worse position, and then blundered a pawn. My opponent did me a favor, and blundered an exchange, and gave me a way out of my poor positioning... which I missed, and blundered the exchange back and a bunch of pawns. My opponent was able to use the extra pawns to win.
1.0/2, middle of the pack.
Spencer St. tournament weekly swiss round 3:
I played a decent opening, had a good position, and played a tactic where my opponent had to retreat their queen, allowing me to win a pawn. My opponent missed this, so I won a queen. My opponent took a long time losing, but it wasn't too difficult for me.
2.0/3, 3rd place in the tourney.
Spencer St. weekly swiss tournament round 4: I got a decent opening, my opponent lost an exchange for couple pawns, which I managed to win back in the endgame. I converted the rook and pawn vs. knight and pawn endgame for the win.
3.0/4, 2nd place in the tournament. Overall a pretty bad tournament. As the highest rated player there by far, anything other than going undefeated is a disappointment. I should have lost game one, and did lose game 2. I lost 11 rating points.
This tournament is played over the course of a month, one game per Tuesday night.
Round 1, opponent 1699: I started out good, getting an advantage out of the opening, but then instead of taking a lead, I blundered, giving the game to my opponent. I almost resigned on the spot. In the endgame, my opponent, being the generous man he was, decided to give the win back (through a horrendous piece hang) and we were back to a drawn position. My opponent then decided he wanted nothing to do with points in the game, and traded down to kings and pawns for a won endgame for me. A bad win.
I did not at all deserve to win this game after my first blunder, but my opponent made even worse blunders.
1.0/1, leading the pack in a tournament in which I am the highest rated player.
Round 2 next Tuesday
Due to the TD's wife giving birth, round 2 was delayed a week.
Spencer St. tournament weekly swiss round 2:
I got a decent opening, allowed a bad trade to put me in a slightly worse position, and then blundered a pawn. My opponent did me a favor, and blundered an exchange, and gave me a way out of my poor positioning... which I missed, and blundered the exchange back and a bunch of pawns. My opponent was able to use the extra pawns to win.
1.0/2, middle of the pack.
Spencer St. tournament weekly swiss round 3:
I played a decent opening, had a good position, and played a tactic where my opponent had to retreat their queen, allowing me to win a pawn. My opponent missed this, so I won a queen. My opponent took a long time losing, but it wasn't too difficult for me.
2.0/3, 3rd place in the tourney.
Spencer St. weekly swiss tournament round 4: I got a decent opening, my opponent lost an exchange for couple pawns, which I managed to win back in the endgame. I converted the rook and pawn vs. knight and pawn endgame for the win.
3.0/4, 2nd place in the tournament. Overall a pretty bad tournament. As the highest rated player there by far, anything other than going undefeated is a disappointment. I should have lost game one, and did lose game 2. I lost 11 rating points.
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