This month I played my second over-the-board, classical, FIDE-rated tournament. The event was the first phase of the Uruguayan Chess Championship, and by the end of it seven players would qualify for the semi-finals. I didn't like my chances for qualification, but I thought maybe I could win a game or two, have some fun, and get my classical FIDE rating next month. This is how my tournament went.
Round 1
The first round had me waiting for half an hour for an opponent who didn't show up. I didn't completely waste my time, though, and peaked at the board right next to me, as you can see in this picture, trying to enjoy the action there, and remember the moves. By the time I arrived home, I could recall the first fourteen moves of the game, which were the decisive part, as described here:
Round 2
My first game of the event was a Queen's Indian Defense where I had the black pieces. I arrived seven minutes late, which didn't help, since I ended up burning a lot of time, and by the end of it, with less than a minute on the clock against my opponent's forty minutes or so, not only did my position fell apart, but I also blundered my queen in one move! 
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Round 3
One of the benefits of playing in an over-the-board tournament is that you get some time to emotionally recover between rounds. In the third round, I was playing White in a French Defense. I put my extra pen to good use, since my opponent's wasn't working properly, and I had a chance to lend it to him 🖊️😅
The game ended in a draw, but at least we can brag about the accuracy😅
Round 4
I had the black pieces against another family man. My opponent played the Reti opening, and was a very polite individual. I had the occasion to experience something I wasn't familiar with, which is the over-the-board concept of asking to see the opponent's score so as to correct one's own.
I found this to be a very good game, as both my opponent and me agreed on when we met in the toilet later 🤣
Round 5
The last game of the tournament saw me with the
white pieces, facing off against Clara Porteiro, whom I faced in
my first over-the-board tournament! I also played her in the second one, but both of those were rapid events. The last time we met, I was also White, and it was a
Caro-Kann,
Tartakower Variation, much like the present game.
After this win, I was ecstatic! There's nothing like ending an event on a high note 😊 I ranked ninth in the tournament, partly thanks to my free point from the first round. That put me right outside of the qualifiers for the next phase. The organizer messaged me later, though, telling me that two of the seven players who would move on to the semi-finals had already qualified via different tournaments, which means I have an opportunity to play there as well. Whether I'll take it or not remains to be seen, but regardless, it's been a very fun journey of classical chess, and I expect to have my rating by next month. Thanks for reading!
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