PAN AMS Day 2
PHOTO CREDIT: Angie Le, https://capitalareachess.smugmug.com/2022-PanAmerican-Intercollegiate-Team-Championships

PAN AMS Day 2

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Hi, friends... been too long!
Well, this is Pan Ams day two. If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, and need some backstory, check out my most recent post. So far, Baylor is 0-1, having lost to Harvard 3.5-0.5.
On to round two! We were paired vs UTRGV's (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) B-team. UTRGV is a very strong chess program, and had some stacked lineups prepared, but they had to somewhat dilute it due to COVID. Regardless, I was individually paired vs my second consecutive WGM, Maili-Jade Ouellet (2165 USCF). I knew going into the game that this was going to be much more manageable than my previous opponent, but also a very difficult one!
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Honestly, she outplayed me, not much more to that. I did learn a lot after analyzing the game. It came down to my lack of understanding in the QGD structures, and missing a critical Knight maneuver in the end that torched me. 

I also felt bad, because at the time of the game, we were tied 1-1... our board 3 lost, but our board 4 (1178 provisional) crushed their 1454 board 4. So when I lost, we were trailing 1-2, and Mark (our board 2) was in an intense battle vs a 1900. 

I joined my other teammates in our hotel room waiting for the result. I finally got a call from Mark, and we were ecstatic that Mark got the win, and we tied the match! 

Was I happy about my game? Nope. However, it is a team-event first, and I'm glad to see us get on the scoreboard!

Round 3 was set for Friday evening. Our team got paired vs Virginia Tech. Individually, I was paired with Atharva Haldankar (1531 USCF). I did see his most recent tournament, he defeated two 1900s back-to-back, so I knew he was not a pushover!

I didn't really care that this was going to cost me rating... with the draw, I clinched us our first match win 2.5-1.5! What an exciting way to finish the day.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the delay in posts. I've actually played three(!) tournaments since Pan Ams, and I need to catch up on my reporting! I'll be posting the rest of Pan Ams very soon, and will continue taking you through my chess tournament journey. Until then, have a great day, and see you next time! 

Hello to all, and welcome to my blog! Visit my profile for more info about myself!

 

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