2021 MT Open

This past weekend I had the opportunity to compete in the 86th MT Open. This tournament is an anniversary for me as it marks my return to tournament chess in 2016, after a 10 year hiatus! I was able to win this tournament last year, beating a smaller field of 16 due to Covid-19 with a score of 4.5/5. I really should have gone 5/5 since I missed a move that was well within my grasp, but I'll chalk it up to fatigue. My rating had dropped 120 points since then, so I was hoping to return with a vengeance. In the end, I was able accomplish what I had set out to do, with the exception of narrowly missing a qualification for the championship, though the final determination has not been made. What I hadn't set out to do, but did, was score 4/5 in a field of 49 for 3rd place, beat my first Master and Expert, and get back into the Class A category. As you can see from the photo, we were getting winter all over again as we drove into Helena. I say we, because I brought my 2 youngest kids and their cousin, because they love to stay in hotels, swim, and eat candy bars. They were my good luck charm, so we determined, last year, and it seemed to work again.