Thursday, August 10, 2006

Bloody Hell

Bloody Hell is right, I lost to another Expert last night. Bugger! Looks like I won't be winning the 107th this year! I played a local fellow rated over 300 points higher than me and it showed in the game. I didn't make any overt errors per se (perhaps my error was not resigning sooner?!), but with every passive move of mine he improved his position at every turn until my position was a timid shell waiting for the death blow to come. My play was completely uninspired, something that happens to me every now and then like a blindspot. Perhaps a mid-tourney lull for me as the 107th is much more a marathon than a sprint. The chess truth of the matter is I was unfamilar with the opening variation we went down and therefore had no concrete plan. I want to put my best foot forward against these higher-rated players to get a true sense of how I stack up and my efforts last night were far from that so I see this as a missed opportunity. There WILL be other chances! The final indignity was afterward, my opponent simply wished me luck in the rest of my games and scurried off, no "post-mortem", no analysis, no insight, as if my play didn't deserve another minute more of scrutiny! That's OK, I went home and analyzed the game, noting several points where I had better moves available and expanded my knowledge a bit of this type of opening setup. I only learn when I lose. Last night I learned plenty. I'm also thinking I need to devote some time reviewing Karpov's games. A lot of his games popped up in my database last night reviewing this setup and he showed a crystal clear understanding of the position. Too bad he's not on my speed dial.

Superstition update: Throw the whole "chess-case-in-the-front-seat" thing out the window! I took a new way into work this morning though.

In the "pay it forward" department, I gave a young man a ride home last night. I was hanging out after my game with some friends, chatting about our games (we all lost!), yukking it up and blowing off some steam when a fellow chess player come up to us asking for a ride into the city. Since it was on my way, and after asking him to leave any knives, guns and throwing stars behind, I obliged his request. My friend Anthony asked him to touch his backpack in case they needed fingerprints. Hilarious! Dylan turned out to be a cordial and appreciative passenger and we chatted about our games and chess through the late-night traffic jam on the Eisenhower. He's student at a city college here in Chicago, originally from Arizona with great aspirations in chess. I asked if he would be playing in the Illinois State Championships taaking place over the upcoming Labor Day holiday and he was unaware it was going on. He was considering getting another job next week since his current one has him working that weekend. Aah, to be 20-something again!

Turns out the kabuki kids and tiara gal I mentioned in earlier rounds are participating in the concurrent Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls tourney going on. That explains the higher-than-normal percentage of female players. So instead of the typical 5% female participation, the 107th is probably nearer to 8-10%.

The Big Merge happens tonight, as the 9-dayers like myself get joined by those playing in the 5- and 6-day schedules. This will put all 540ish players in the main hall (if we all fit!) so it should be a packed house tonight. My goal here on out is to stay in the main hall. Any overflow boards get played downstairs in the dungeon and since my chainmail and scimitar are in the shop, I'd prefer to stay upstairs with the big boys.

I'm posting more of my games (see the links or the right) as time permits. The latest ones have little or no analysis yet. I may not get to it in earnest until after the tourney ends. I'm still hoping to post a decent game! I'll post later on my tournament standing and who's fighting it out at the top after tonight's round. The GM's are massing on the top boards for some solid matchups, this is when it gets good!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Drew,

Recalling an old Chinese saying...

Self-doubt always precedes moments of great inspiration.

Best of luck in the next round. You are doing great.

Mark G.