My First Cash Prize!

6 months ago, I played a tournament at my local chess club. I was a 1221, and most of the other players were above 1600. I thought it would be nice to go play, and then maybe get a draw, since it would be the last tournament I could play last year. However, it went really well, and I tied for second place, getting 40 dollars. I played quite well, and even beat an 1800!

Game 1: Lucky Draw vs 1700

I had the white pieces, which gave me a bit of help, since I could more easily pivot the game towards an aggressive, attacking one. Sure enough, it turned out like that. After 1. e4 c6, I played 2. Bc4!?, the hillybilly gambit. I sacrificed a pawn, and gained a large attack after that with many complications.

Game 2: Victory over a 1800!

My opponent started off with a London, which I often face difficulty when playing against. After an early queen trade, I had a half-open a-file, which I used to my advantage to create chaos. Eventually, I sacrificed some material to keep my opponents rook from the action, and my opponent resigned.

Game 3: Scholar's Mate

I beat an unrated in 4 moves using the Scholar's mate as white. There is nothing much else to say.

The Check

A few weeks later, I randomly received a check in the mail from the tournament organizer. I was very happy! I gained around 100 rating points, so getting the check was a nice bonus.