Must-Win Game from the 2021 Queen of Hearts

Going into the final round of the 2021 Queen of Hearts, my talented young opponent Alex Rutten was the only player with a perfect 4/4. There were several players with 3/4, including myself, Miles Melvin (1973), Isaac Snow (2013), and Drew Justice (2030). That made this a must-win game if I wanted to tie for first in the tournament. I was feeling reasonably confident about my chances despite being 100 points lower rated because up to this point I had a surprisingly good score of 2.5/3 against Alex, despite being lower rated every time we had played in the past. I was expecting a Benoni from my opponent, which was exactly what I wanted to see given the tournament situation. However, Alex surprised me with the Classical Slav, but he did choose one of the more aggressive variations, which I was happy about.

With this win I tied for first in one of the legendary Alabama tournaments. But with how many other players? As far as the other results go, Miles won over Drew, and James Hargrove (2.5/4 going into the last round) won over Isaac. That meant there was a three-way tie for first between Alex, Miles, and myself, and Alex won the trophy on tiebreaks. Thanks for reading!