2021 Big Sky Country Open

This past weekend the Montana Chess Association kicked off it's 2021-22 season in Butte, MT. The Big Sky Country Open has been held in Butte for the past few years. I had a nice tournament tying for 1st place, but was also the technical winner on tiebreaks! We continue to have new strong players entering our MT tournaments, so I am very happy with this result. There are always a few missed opportunities to score even better, but this is balanced by a few mistakes that were not punished. I entered the tourney with 10 straight games without a loss, and now that streak is at 15. I don't want to make too much of this, but it is neat on some level and must mean that I am playing stronger, because I am playing more consistently. I achieved a new rating high of 1875. I have realized in the past few years that my rating/strength will not improve until I start drawing more games rather than acquiescing to a loss. This often happens in time pressure, which I avoided this weekend and largely during the streak. Those draws are starting to happen. Also, I was never behind on any material this weekend, which is a good recipe for success. The games follow, and feel free to offer your comments, observations, and criticisms.