Journey to NM - Every Point Matters

Hey, y'all, welcome to the Lightning Reports! This is the second post of my Journey to NM series. I hope you enjoy it!

Yesterday, on February 26th, I competed in the 8th Annual Tom Nard Memorial chess tournament, as I continued my journey to NM. As a reminder, I am attempting to become a National Master before I graduate highschool in May. Heading into this tournament, my rating was 2121. I knew in advance that I would likely have to win all of my games to gain points, because unfortunately, being rated 2121 in Alabama means there aren't many players here who are high-rated than I am, which makes my journey to NM very challenging. So of course, my goal for this tournament is to finish 4/4, gain 15-20 points at best, and head home happy. Anything less than that would be considered a failure, and any loss would just set me back. So, how did I do? Read on to find out

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

I could type out all the details. Or I could just give you the flyer which already has the details. Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Here is the flyer.

ROUND 1: STARTING STRONG

I showed up to the tournament about an hour early for reasons I shall not share. Surprisingly, I was not bored. Other people I knew showed up, and for some reason, I actually talked to them! I haven't even played any games yet and I'm already doing things that are uncharacteristic for me. But yes, I talked to @B1ZMARK and we played some low-level blitz games because that's a great thing to do before a regular tournament. I talked to some other people as well, and later I also got to meet @Nimzo-IndianaJones, although we didn't get to talk much. And that was after round 1, but still.  Anyway, for round 1 I was paired with a 1650 who I believe is underrated. It's probably only a matter of time until he breaks through and has that big tournament that bumps his rating up a bit. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite at his best in our game.

I'd say I won that game because his opening play wasn't very accurate. It would have been a totally different game if he hadn't given up control of the center as he did. I guess I got lucky.

ROUND 2: I DON'T HONESTLY KNOW

My game in round 2 of this tournament was probably one of the crazier games I've played in quite some time. My best summary of the game is that I don't honestly know, because really, I don't honestly know. The game was felt like it could have gone either way. I felt good about my position the whole time but always had this feeling that one wrong move would lose me the game. It was a fun game, that's for sure.

Crazy game, right! That could have gone several different ways. Fortunately for me, I survived. I am now 2/2 and in a 3-way tie for first with B1Z and a 2100. All I have to do is win 2 more games. Easy... right?

ROUND 3: THE WIN STREAK ENDS

The title above is a bit of a giveaway, but you don't know if I drew or lost. Heck, I might even be trolling. I might have won my round 3 game. But you'll have to keep reading to find out. Or you could just skip ahead because you don't really care. Both are good options! Anyway, in round 3 I was paired with the other 2100 in the event. To me, he's pretty much Alabama's strongest non-titled player. I have played more classical games against him than anyone else, 7 total before this game, and we've played a decent amount of quick and blitz games as well. For whatever reason, I almost always play black against him. And because the pairings hate me for some mysterious reason, I once again played black against him. So, let's see the game.

Well. Uh. That was interesting, for sure. In a way, I feel like I should have won that game. I definitely had my chances there. However, at the same time, I feel like I should have lost that game and was fortunate not to. So, I suppose it was only fitting for the game to end in a draw. Seems right to me, I'll take it. Even though my goal was to win all of my games today, a draw is not the worst possibility.

ROUND 4: WINNING IS OVERRATED

"Just one more game. I can do this." That is what I said to myself as I walked back to the playing area. My round 3 game was the last to finish, meaning my break before round 4... wait, I didn't have a break. I went to the restroom, walked back to the playing area, went to my board, and started my game against B1Z, who I played otb just 3 weeks ago and will likely play again in 2 weeks. Nice. It's a pretty big game here, with the winner taking first place (or, in my case, a tie). here is the total rundown on prizes: B1Z gets first place with a win and at least ties for first place with a draw. I get at least a tie for first place with a win. The other 2100, playing my round 2 opponent, also just needs to win to ensure a tie for first place. So of course, I'm going to win/draw and still get a prize... right? Ha! Think again! 

Well dang. I screwed that one up. I was better for most of the game. But later on, I started playing inaccurately, and after a few moves, B1Z was just winning. Fortunately, he only needed a draw, and it was looking like the other 2100 was toast in his game. So, it seemed as though B1Z would take clear first place and I would tie for 2nd. But no. We don't do the whole happy endings thing here anymore. Somehow, the other 2100 escaped and won his game, meaning he and B1Z tied for first, combining the 1st and 2nd place prize funds, leaving the person in 3rd place, who happened to be me, with nothing. Ha! Good thing I don't play for money, otherwise I would be very unhappy. I didn't mind missing out on the prize money so much, that's fine. What bothered me was how I was totally controlling that game for about 24 moves before making some bad decisions and throwing it away. I have to be better if I want to make it to NM.

Despite the odds seeming very likely at one point that I would finish strong, I defied the odds yet again to achieve great failure. I mean, hey, 3rd place is ok. . At the end of the day, I can't complain. I gained 2 rating points, which at first just makes me sad that it was only 2, but on the other hand, I'm just glad I didn't lose points. And the whole not losing any games thing was nice, too. I scored 7/9 total in February, with 5 wins and 4 draws. And I got 19 points to show for it. On one's journey to NM, or any rating goal, every point matters. Instead of wasting my time wondering what could have been, I shall simply be thankful that I got any points from this tournament. At the end of the day, I had fun playing the game I love, and I didn't lose even once, and after a rather rotten week, it was nice to have a refreshing weekend playing chess and chatting with my fellow chess players. Now, I get back on the grind as I prepare for my next event in 2 weeks.

Regarding my future posts, I will have at least one post in March for my Journey to NM series, maybe 2 depending on how things go. I'm hoping to have 1-2 in April as well. I'm postponing my leagues blog a bit longer so I can focus on my otb preparation, so I apologize for the delay with that. My leagues blog will probably be out sometime in March. Part 2 of my Questioning NCP's series will probably be out in May if all goes according to plan. Beyond that, time will tell.

Thank y'all so much for reading, I truly hope you found this enjoyable. Feel free to leave any comments below with whatever randomness you'd like to share. I hope you enjoyed your time here reading the Lightning Reports blog. That's all for now, I'll cyall in the comments!