The Las Vegas Chess festival

KnightOfLafayette

Jun 21, 2025, 12:31 PM | 0

Hello, everyone. Here's some news for today's blog.

When I arrived at the tournament, my rating was 1511, as the USCF updates people's ratings; mine wasn't 1496, but rather 1511. However, I lost 3 points in the San Gabriel tournament, so I am currently 1509.

Here we go!!!

My Las Vegas chess tournament was an experience that showed that people below 1800 or 1900 are at the same level as everyone. For instance, when I play against players in the 1700s, I often find myself in a position of equality, and sometimes I come close to winning. In 1800, as you saw in the MDC tournament, I made a blog about it. I drew a 1800 when I was a 1400! To me, I think experience matters more than a rating. After you gain experience, your rating will eventually increase.

How we started

Vegas is where I never lost rating, so it was my good luck charm there. There is a tournament, consisting of the Youth Championship and the National Open, which is the main one. I placed 9th in the youth category, so I wanted to attend the National Open because it features higher-rated players. I signed up for the National Open U1700 category, as I am not eligible for the U1500 category since my rating is 1509.

GAME 1: Result = Draw (Sorry, no game because of technical stuff, and the game was erased)

For some information, I was winning a queen and a knight against two rooks and a passed pawn, so I made a threefold repetition check and drew against a 1600-level player, but I forgot. So, yeah, it was a good start for the tournament.

GAME 2: Result: Draw

After the game, my dad was waiting for me. After that, I rested in my hotel, and my dad gave me his hotel key so I could come up after my game was done. I was watching Minions on TV, so I was having fun. But I should just have been prepping for my next opponent because I....

Game 3: Result Lost

That was the end for day one of the tournament. 1 out of 3 points. My goal for the tournament was 3.5, as there were seven games to play. However, I missed one because it ended at 9, and I had to attend school, which prevented me from playing the last round. Therefore, I have 1.5 points, assuming I lose all the matches.

Game 4: Result Win

Now, I have 2 points out of 4, so I was doing well. Now, I have two more rounds to go. I went up and said I won, so my mom and dad were happy. If I keep this up, I may get some ratings.

Game 5: Result Draw

Ok, now I have one more game to go tomorrow. So I got a good night's sleep and woke up for the next day. This match is the most crucial in my tournament. If I win, I will receive 4 points and a 3-category norm, as well as an estimated rating of 1555. My opponent was a 1600.

Game 6: Result: Win!!

(Last Round for me because of one bye)

I won!!! I have a total of 4 after the tournament. Now my rating is 1555! I didn't do very well in the tournament, so it was a good tournament for me. I participated in the puzzle competition and scored 12 out of 20, but I didn't receive any trophy.

Conculsion

1 Think of chess as a battle, and you're the general. I started to think like this after learning about the Punic War and the Battle of Cannae, where Hannibal beat the Romans, despite outnumbering them by double, by using the double envelopment tactic. So I try to surround my opponent's piece so that it can't move. If you think this way, it may help you win some games.

2 Experience is more important than rating. If you gain more experience, your rating will eventually improve, so you need to attend more tournaments to gain experience, and I have no doubt your rating will increase.

Now, this concludes today's blog. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it.

Bye!!!