Inland Classic 2024 - In A Tailspin

Last weekend I made time to drive to Rathdrum, Idaho, to compete in a tournament hosted by the Spokane Chess Club (whose annual Collyer event in Spokane no longer exists). It was an astounding experience, as I played so poorly that my rating will plummet to the lowest it's been in a decade. On the plus side, this makes me feel ten years younger! I remain eager to finish out the season and see if I can avoid crashing into my rating floor of 1700. All of my recent losses have been when playing black, particularly when using one or two openings whose sentimental appeal far outstrips their practical value. I'll shelve those for now to find out if it makes a difference.

Anyhow, there was only one moment from the tournament worth sharing here. A young provisional player was doing a good job and making me sweat bullets in round 2, until I decided to pull out all the stops and attack his king. Lucky for me, it worked.