Tournament Update #12: Don't Get Cocky
It's official. I am the Monkey Unrated 4 champion.
I will cherish this trophy forever.
In other news:
Knock Em Out Slow is living up to its name. I will advance to the 2nd round, but there is one game remaining in the first round, and it seems the two players have agreed to take the full 14 days - each - to make their moves.
I will advance to the 2nd round of Open Daily Cup 1 (Fast/Knockout). Eight games remain in the first round, including one of my own, in which I'm leading.
I will advance to the 4th round of the Macrinus 20 Chess 960 tournament, which is pretty funny because I joined it by mistake last July, thinking it was standard chess and not even knowing what Chess 960 was.
Monke (sic) Unrated 6 has begun. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself after my Monkey Unrated 4 victory, and even better after starting off with an 11-move Stafford Gambit win.
Yes, I got cocky against the same opponent. With an early pawn advantage, I thought I was set to win another pawn in this position.
Yep, I played Qxg7, realizing too late that my queen is pinned to defending the g2 pawn. I took the rook, hoping I could come back down a queen for a rook and two pawns. But my opponent followed up well, and I would have lost another pawn and my knight, so I resigned on move 20.
I'm most happy with my results in Perpetual Monthly (December) Series, Open. I came in 2nd in my group in the 1st round, advanced on ties in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and ended up in the final group of 5 as the lowest ranking player.
But thanks to good fortune and a very evenly matched group, I currently sit in first, even though I only have 4.5 points, with one game remaining. I am guaranteed at least 2nd place, but to win it all I need to beat my last rival (I'm ahead a piece) and have him lose at least one of his other two remaining games.
I don't think there's a trophy for this one, but a top 3 finish guarantees an invitation to the Perpetual Invitation Open Series against the top 3 finishers from all the other months.
As this one winds down, I'll look for a new tournament to enter, keeping me at no more than five at a time. Some people can handle a lot more, but I've seen a lot of players time out because they have too many daily games going on at once.
Until next time: Be a pawn star!
