Hawaii OTB - My Tournament Experience
Hello and welcome to another blog post! Today I will be recapping my first ever USCF rated Hawaii tournament. Now you may be wondering why I decided to blog about this tournament if I have competed in numerous other tournaments in the past. To explain this, I would like to give you some background. Ever since I started playing the game of chess several years ago, I have always enjoyed the thrilling experience OTB tournaments provided. However, there was one major problem. None of the tournaments were rated. That meant that my USCF rating stagnated at around 1200 for 4 long years. The only tournaments I participated in that were USCF rated were the 2017 and 2018 Orlando National Championships, and as a result, this was a completely new experience for me. I was extremely thrilled to finally participate in a rated tournament in my state, and I was excited to see what this upcoming tournament had in store.
Before the Tournament:
Since I wanted to be at maximum performance, I actually did some opening preparation for the first time in my life. Then, I finished up my homework for the day, ate dinner, and slept early. Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to sleep whenever a big event is happening the very next day, and I spent most of the night tossing and turning in my bed.
Early the next morning I woke up, ate a small breakfast, and headed to the tournament. I won't be posting any pictures of the facility we played in for privacy reasons, but it was a newly-built facility constructed right next to the ocean. The weather was clear and cool that day which added to the perfection. Like many tournaments I had competed in before, the time control was a brief 45/5, which didn't leave much room for thinking. Luckily, my brain works quickly and efficiently so I was confident that time wouldn't be a problem. The prize for the tournament was crisp, hard cash, and I was lucky enough to play in the u1500 section which would make my winning chances much, much easier.
As more and more people arrived, the announcements suddenly begun and the tournament was underway.
To kick off the tournament I played a 1622 named James. Of course, I was nervous because everyone is underrated since a rated local tournament was an anomaly until now. That meant the only way to gain your USCF rating was by traveling to a different state (which costs time and money), or to participate in online tournaments (which isn't common as far as I know). Also, my rating was provisional at the time of this tournament so I was incredibly nervous throughout the tournament, as I wanted to take advantage of this temporary opportunity.
I played the Caro in this game like I always do online. Overall the entire opening was solid, but things became interesting as we transitioned into the middlegame.
What a wild way to start off the tournament. Overall, I think my defensive technique was solid enough, but I definitely played some questionable moves. Fortunately, my opponent did not exploit them.
Key Takeaways:
- A solid game to say the least, my opponent played well aside from a couple of blunders.
- 25. Rxe5!!! was a brilliant rook sacrifice that I overlooked. I really thought my bishop was safe on e5.
- The inaccurate 27. Nxe5 actually threw away white's attack and allowed me to recover. White surprisingly has no way to infiltrate the position.
- 33. Qe3 sealed the deal, as I happily snatched a free piece with a dominating position.
Improvements:
1. Positional awareness. Completely overlooked Rxf6 and played Kh7. Enough said.
2. Defense. I think my defense was okay for the most part, but there were some moments where I played some questionable moves. (Moves 26, 28, and 29)
I finished the game with 90% accuracy. After the game, we shook hands and he jokingly exclaimed, "The first round isn't supposed to be this hard!"
He then proceeded to lose to my youngest brother in the second round.
In round 2 I proceeded to play against an 1800. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Unfortunately the 1800 was named Benjamin, and I sadly have a losing history against him. I always find a way to throw an equal game, so hopefully it doesn't happen this time. By move 21, only the major pieces remained after all the minor pieces were wiped off the board, thus the name of this game. As for the meltdown? Well, you'll see.
Key Takeaways:
- A pretty equal game until I played Ke2. However, I always felt like I was worse, since my position was highly constricted while my opponent enjoyed a great amount of space and the center of the board.
- 26. Rh6 was when I started to become nervous. The rook and queen were eyeing my king like it was food for dinner. Whenever major pieces are aligned with your king you know that you're in trouble.
- 31. Kh2??? was a panic attack. I saw Qh2 and relied on my (terrible) intuition.
- My passed d-pawn was my last hope, but the game was pretty much lost at that point. The outside pawns I lost resulting from Kh2 was the deciding factor of the game.
Improvements:
1. The opening. I played extremely passively the entire game and was attempting to trade for no reason.
2. Calculation. If I had calculated 4 moves ahead instead of 3, maybe I would've found Qe2.
Ugh. Ke2 was such a repulsive move. My calculation skills are failing me. On the bright side, he was 600 points higher than me so I probably only lost 1 rating point lol. Anyways onto the next game.
Round 3 started immediately after my game ended because we were one of the last games in the room. This definitely wasn't a great way to start off a round, as I was already mentally fatigued and physically exhausted. I really need better stamina.
Wow what a game! I threw away my attack, but gained it back after a few fatal errors from my opponent. I'll be sure to finish off my attack the first time in future games.
Key Takeaways:
- 10. Bxg6 allowed me to open up a deadly h-file for my rook. This would be an important element for my future attack.
- 13. Nxd4 was a beautiful move that enabled me to win back my pawn. White must take back with the knight or else I obtain a massive advantage.
- 21. f4 was a drastic mistake that totally nullified my attack. Now white has the opportunity to storm my queenside.
- 35. h2 was a risky gamble that I took
Improvements:
1. DON'T PLAY AN OPENING THAT YOU NEVER STUDIED FOR!!!!!! To this day I still don't know why I played 3. c5 lol
2. Attacking. I allowed black to secure his position, making it harder on myself.
3. Don't play hope chess. I won the game by relying on my opponent to miss the defense. I won't be so lucky next time.
Game 4: Engine-like Efficiency
I had a slight headache going into round 4, probably because I had trouble sleeping last night. I always have trouble falling asleep before a big event. Nevertheless, I staggered over to my board on time and started to play.
I played astonishingly accurately this game, considering that we were even all the way to the end of the game. Overall, I think the game went pretty smoothly. I survived the opening, created a passed pawn, and held on to that advantage and never let go.
Key Takeaways:
- I wasn't really in trouble at any point in the game
- 23. Rc2 was when I started to get an edge on my opponent. I am threatening f2 and have beautiful connected rooks, which caused him to play 24. Rd8+.
- 40. Nf5 was the only move that worked. Otherwise I either lose the knight or screw myself into a terrible position, and ultimately the game.
- 45. Ra7 was the blunder by my opponent that won me the game
Improvements:
1. Learn some openings. I probably need to familiarize myself with a bit of opening theory.
2. Don't overthink. I spent waaaaaaay too much time on some extremely obvious moves thinking that white had some sort of special maneuver to draw or even win the game. I gotta stop that.
Mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained, I went into the tournament's final round with a flaming headache and an unreadiness to play.
So yeah, there really is no excuse here. I played terribly, and my opponent played well. I will learn from this loss as well as my previous losses, and improve from them.
Key Takeaways:
- First and foremost, I suck at chess
- Second, 17. Rd1 was a terrible mistake. I should've seen Nc4 coming.
- 33. gxf5 opened up a file to black's king
- 36. Qd1 throws the entire attack away
- 38. Rxb5 game over
Improvements:
1. Get better at chess
2. Better tactical recognition. I failed to see the simple 18. Nxa3.
3. Improve my attacking play. If I moved my king off the file and prevented my opponent from trading rooks, I might have had a slight chance. Attacking is a crucial part of the game, and if you can't convert, you lose.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I missed out at an opportunity to go 4/5 in my first chess tournament, but other than that I think it was a decent performance, considering I was a lowly 1200. Combined, my brothers and I took home over $300! I also discovered that I cannot beat 1800s, so my journey to NM is looking bleak 
.
Speaking of underrated competition, 2nd place in the whole tournament with a record of 4.5, and placing just behind an NM was a 454 (he gained 400 points from that tournament). Furthermore, fourth place instantly went from unrated to 1844 USCF. Talk about a massive rating gain! At the end of the tournament, I enjoyed a rating surplus of 185 points, from 1203 to 1388 USCF. Hopefully I can keep this up.
I hope you enjoyed this blog! If you have any feedback, comment below! I enjoy receiving instructional criticism so that I can do better on my future blogs. With that being said, enjoy the rest of your day, and I'll see you in the next post!
