Copenhagen Chess Challenge 2017

While finally the spring (some might even argue summer ) weather has finally kicked in in Copenhagen, I was up for another chess challenge in my journey, this time Copenhagen Chess Challenge 2017 tournament! This was also the first tournament for me as FM, so I was ready to showcase some FM-skill!

Round 1

Round 2

Already in round 2 I was paired against the strong IM Mads Hansen (my former club-mate )! We hadn't played any games for quite some years and he had progressed a lot since our last encounter, so I was excited to play him!

Tried a new opening in round 2, which backfired. Nevertheless, I feel confident to try Qc2 setups against the Nimzo in future.

Round 3

Really unhappy how I played this game. Similar issue in the past - didn't manage to recover after a lost game. Moreover, underestimated my opponent & on top of everything, don't have a solid response to the closed Sicilian. A lot of things to work on in the coming months..

Round 4

In round 4 I was paired with White pieces against GM Frode Urkedal (Elo 2540). I was a little worried about my form as I played so poorly both round 2 and 3, nevertheless, I was ready to fight!

What a game! I made a mistake early in the opening, but managed to survive and in the end wasn't afraid to push for a win, despite being down on time!  Gotta learn the opening theory though, as I can't expect being so lucky in every game

Round 5

This game was the perfect example, how the wrong mindset can be deciding factor in losing a game. I had a perfectly fine position, I just didn't realize it. 

Round 6

My technique in the game wasn't perfect as Black managed to create an attack out of nothing, but nevertheless, everything seemed to be under control either way.  

Round 7

Round 7 I was paired against IM Martin Percivaldi. A really talanted guy, I think we will hear from him a lot in the future

Another tough game. I was surely losing at some point, when I gave up the extra pawn and Queens were still on the board, but luckily I survived. 

Round 8

In round 8 I was paired against another IM Hagen Andreas with White pieces, but things didn't quite click in the game..

I gotta admit that my head wasn't quite working during the game as I had had a couple of drinks the night before with some friends, which is an absolute NO-GO during a tournament..

Round 9

A horrible last day of the tournament, which also showed in the results. In the end, which could have turned out to be a great tournament, it didn't work out quite that way and only person to blame is me. 

Nevertheless, I take quite a few learning points from this tournament and can clearly see some things I need to work on in future, so I'm still feeling strong on my journey! 

Thank you for your attention!

Cheers,

Ritvars