Patzer to Grandmaster: The Western Class Champions Tournament

Come Saturday morning I will be starting my second over the board tournament, The Western Class Champions in Irvine, Ca. and I have spent the week preparing.  

For those who follow this blog you know that I have been on a quest to improve in chess. Last fall I decided that the weakest part of my game was my openings. I also noted that when I was playing higher rated players their knowledge of the openings was vastly beyond mine. Therefore, I determined to put some time into learning an opening repertoire. I took the work of a current highly ranked grandmaster as my tutor and began learning the lines and memorizing the lines. How hard could it be? 

Well, it turns out that there is a lot to learn. Even when I have narrowed my approach to d4 for white. There was still a ridiculous amount of knowledge to assimilate. Fortunately, I rather enjoy studying chess, possibly even more than playing chess. Certainly, more than losing at chess.

In any case in preparation for the tournament I spent the week going through all the lines I have learned: how to play against the Albin Countergambit, against the Dutch, both the Classical and the Stonewall, the Earliest Benoni, the Englund Gambit, the Owen, the Sicilian, the King's Indian Defense, etc. etc. 

And I spent the week doing puzzles. I have extended my best on the Puzzle Rush Survival up to 34. 

Am I ready? Hmmm. 

I avoided live games, but kept up my game skills by taking on BOTS. On chess.com I am rated 1348. Against the bots I easily hold my own against the 1500s and mostly against the 1600s.

But am I ready?

I am a Class E player, i.e. less than 1200 according the USChess. Still provisional. I honestly think that I might have a chance to have a decent tournament. It's even possible with some wins that next tournament I am moved up a class. It's of course ridiculous to be thinking about winning my class, but being ridiculous has never stopped me. 

Okay my goals for the tournament:

Acceptable: improve on my first tournament record of 2/5 (1 win, w draws)

Good: 2 wins and a draw.

Very Good: 3 wins and a draw.

Anything better than that...well it would be nice, wouldn't it?