Annotated Games From My 16th Tournament (Liberty Bell Open U1700 1st Place!)

 Again, crushing my opponent. This time, before move 12 :p.

An interesting French defense. The middlegame was difficult to play for both sides. There wasnt a clear plan and both white and black were somewhat lacking in good squares on which to put their pieces. Nevertheless, we both played quite solidly (except for 1 missed tactic) and the game was drawn after 35 moves.  

An intersting Smith-Morra. I had some nice pressure, but couldnt find a breakthrough. We got to a slightly better major piece endgame, where he should have traded pawns for material equality, but a slight positional inferiority. Instead, he went for an unsound attack, allowing me to consolidate one pawn, and win another.

 This was a sharp tactical battle out of the grand prix. I am really proud of my play this game where I found some nice pawn breaks and some cool checkmating ideas. 

 Going into the last round I was 5.5/6 and my opponent was 5/6. I played the opening horribly and allowed white to build a big kingside attack. I thought I had defended the attack, but I missed a tactic that dropped the exchange. Somehow, from a completely lost position, I was able to buckle down and, after 5 hours of play, make a draw. What an awesome way to end the tournament.

So, I finished in first place with 6/7 and took home the 1,163 dollar prize. My new rating is 1820! I am going back to school on the 27th, so it may be a little while until my next tournament. In the mean time, Ill continue training.

Thanks for Reading,

Elias