Houston Summer Chess Festival 2019

Last weekend I won the U1800 section at the Houston Summer Chess Festival 2019 run by Cajun Chess. I'm quite proud of this accomplishment, although the field was not the strongest. Here are the numbers:

• 31 players.
• Max rating in section 1732. 
• Only 8 players 1700+. 
• 11 players under 1600. 
• Final score 4.5/5.
• Rating change 1608 -> 1731.

My first game was mostly even, and neither of us found a good attack. We got low on time, and my opponent blundered, allowing a forced mate in 3. Round 2 I got an advantage early on, winning a piece and an exchange. I converted without issues but had to avoid some stalemate tricks. Third game was against a 1702, which was my highest opponent. He was unsure about my Dutch defense, but he gained a slight advantage in the middle game. His uncertainty continued as he didn't find a good plan, giving me some counter-play and eventually a draw. Round 4 saw some fireworks, first with me blundering a bishop on move 8, then my opponent blundering his queen (and the game) on move 33. I had 3.5/4 going into the last round against Bryant who was leading with 4.0/4. Four other people had 3.0/4 behind me, so I had a good chance of winning some money. Bryant is a chess coach and knows his stuff, so I was anticipating a tough game. After I won a pawn out of the opening with some initiative, I think he made the mistake of taking on a "draw is ok" mindset. He offered a draw on the move where he traded his bishop, opening up his King, so I saw the opportunity to attack with little risk and played on. And won. Game analysis video below.

My tourney stats: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblPlr.php?201907214002-003-12829141

Crosstable: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201907214002.3

My games: https://lichess.org/study/bnmkBOb4