A Friendly Reunion In Missoula

Yesterday afternoon I played in one of the Octopus's unrated tournaments, which had only 4 rounds and a game/30 time control (with no delay or increment). These events are a lot of fun because I feel no pressure and can stay up late the night before, though I do play more poorly as a result. What made this event even more fun than usual was the return of a young man I used to coach when he was a teenager at the Missoula International School, and who just recently graduated from college (how time flies). Mentoring is extremely rewarding, as I've experienced when judging moot court and interacting with the law students afterwards. Now I was interacting with a former chess student, and we were paired against each other in the second round! I started out very badly but managed to put together an attack that won it for me in the last few seconds. Next time I don't think I'll be so lucky.