Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Chess Tournament

I'm exhausted after competing in a tough chess tournament. I used to compete a lot when I was younger, but it's much tougher these days. I hadn't played for nearly three years, so my goal was to knock some rust off and hope I didn't collapse completely.

It was a round robin-style tournament in which I play each other player, and since there were twelve players that means there were eleven rounds, one per day. I started relatively well, with one win, one loss, and four draws in the first six rounds, all against the higher rated people in the tournament. Then I had my dreaded collapse, losing three in a row. What makes it worse is that I was winning the first two of these games, but blew them. I finished the event by winning my last two nicely, but it was against the two lowest performers, so I was expected to win.

Here is the crosstable - http://chess-results.com/tnr59450.aspx?art=4&lan=1&turdet=YES&flag=30

12 comments:

  1. Hello Ted:
    Oh dear, somewhat disappointing although we are certain that the whole tournament was most likely a thoroughly enjoyable experience. For some reason neither of us has ever learnt to play chess although we recognize that for those who do play it is a thoroughly absorbing game.

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  2. So Gupta was the winner? What kind of openings were you using?

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  3. Matt, yeah Gupta won. I played him in the second round. I messed up in the opening (a French Defense) and got into trouble, yet in the end I should have been able to draw but didn't find the right line. Most games were Sicilians, though there were a few other odd openings.

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  4. I'll bet it was fun just to get out and compete again, though.

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  5. ahman! but i bet it was great to get back into the game... and i bet you are steaming enough now to wanna kick serious booty next time!

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  6. Yeah, I feel that I learned so much that I would really do better if I could go again right now!

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  7. I've played against a few chess players (like yourself) in my day. The one thing I can say is boy you guys are smart. I lose every single time...sometimes though I can give a bit of a decent showing so I don't come across as a complete pushover. But I really respect you guys that compete like this. I salute you Mr. Cross! You are a winner, even if you aren't a grand champion.

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  8. Thanks, Michael. I feel encouraged by the event despite my relatively poor showing, because I learned so much that I really think I will be better next time.

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  9. Hey, if you haven't played in a while, cut yourself some slack! Sounds like it was a refresher course and you'll be better prepared next time.

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  10. Considering you've not played in a while, I think you finished in a damn good position. Well done, Ted :D

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  11. At least you can compete. I taught my kids to play and they are wiping the floor with me.

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  12. At least you played; and finished the tourny. You'll do better next time :)

    ......dhole

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