A Fun Simul for a Good Cause

 Happy new year Chess Friends,

I was honored to receive an invitation recently to partipate in a simul at a tournament to benefit the children of a recently deceased local chess parent. It was great to see over 100 participants play in a tournament that had only been organized a few days in advance.

After the tournament I played a simul on nine boards at a time against all comers. As each game ended, a new opponent replaced the previous one for a few rounds. I think I ended up playing about 40 games overall, but that's just a rough estimate. In the end I won every game, but not without a few scares. In my experience, it's impossible to play a big simul without blundering at least a few times, so it's important that the mistakes come against opponents that you're able to beat anyway. Here are a few of the more memorable moments. 

One of my stronger opponents, rated around 1800, missed a tactic that cost a piece, and allowed a pretty finish. See if you can find the best play for white.