The Gold Coast Open was held at the Outriggers Twin Towns hotel and resort over last weekend.  The previous week and a half Australia's Best had been battling it out in the Oceanic Zonal tournament which was won By IM/GM elect David Smerdon (Smerdon has all the norms and will reach the required ratings points in the next FIDE Ratings to become a GM).  David Smerdon will be representing Oceania at the World Cup in Siberia. Congrats David.  

The Gold Coast Open was won by English GM (currently living in Melbourne ATM I believe) Gawain Jones.  The Under 1600 Event was won by Gold Coast Local Mark Stokes.

Anythow this is a thread about my games:

Round One and I was feeling a little nervous, a beatiful venue, several grandmasters playing in the same room...... first round is always the round that gives me butterflies: And I was off to a Bad Start: My first round opponent was a Gold Coast Junior whom I had very much out rated, but you can never count a Gold coast Junior out....

 I went upstairs to my hotel room and let the explicitives fly! After I settled down, went and grabbed some lunch. I arrived at the playing hall with plenty of time.  My second game was against another young Gold Coast Junior, The son of a chess organiser (I think) in the Gold Coast I knew I was going to be in for another tough fight. But he played some strange moves in the late opening and dropped a piece in the middlegame:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheering after racking up this point I went up to my room for a bit of R+R before my next game

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now on 2/3 The confidence was back.  I had enough time to go for a swim in the heated pool before my next game. One of my wierdest games ever.  I dont know how i wriggled out of my bad opening.  It was helped by my opponents lack of development.

 

 

I'll supply my second day games tomorrow!

Hi Chessnut,

Nice to see you're keeping active.  I've been off the scene for the past eighteen months and, for that reason, didn't realise the Smurf had achieved his GM rating.  That's great news.  Thanks for the info.

GJ Trent. Impressive performance :)

Nice games Trent well done hmm sorry to hear about the first one, I hope no one heard you in that room ! On your first game:instead of 6.e3 why not g3 ? after 7.Be2 h6 8.Bd2 so you will have a choice of castling either side. From the 26th move Qa8+ would you have been better to start pushing the a and b pawns to be promoted ?

nice games! thanks for sharing them.

Maybe in the last game 30 ....Rf8 attacking the knight is better? If it moves the white rook is toast.

p.s. where is your second day games ?