Mimchi vs Zilbermintz #5

In the last round of this tournament, I sought to play for a win right from the start. My opponent played an irregular opening, and I was much better in the middlegame. He managed to trade down into an endgame where I had no attack, but he was still down a pawn. Unfortunately, I blundered and gave back two pawns! Now it was me who was fighting to complicate matters! I managed a tricky defense where I isolated the last two pawns and traded into an opposite colored bishop ending, where after roughly 100(!) moves I claimed a draw. 

My final score was 3/5, scoring two wins, two draws, and one loss. I'm glad that I seem to be becoming a more practical player; able to play rough and tumble chess. But I know I can get better with more practice. I've learned to play more aggressively, and I am going to keep that going. One thing I've learned from this game is to keep the Queens on the board when attacking, and open up files for the rooks! Most importantly, after going to Marshall ... I'm basically not scared anymore! I had great fun this tournament, and even if I don't win a prize, I'm glad to have played in the open section for the first time. I'm happy with my result but I know I can do better next time!