Montana Open 2017 - Round 5

Just before the final round, I received my trophy for becoming the 2016 Montana state co-champion and hoped I could live up to that title by finishing strong. It turned out that I was playing a talented boy from Washington, who happened to be the brother of another talented boy who defeated me back in November when I blundered at the Turkey Open. Both of them have a higher rating than mine, so this was not going to be a Sunday-afternoon stroll. I offered him an early draw once the queens were exchanged, but he politely declined, and I'm glad he did because I went on to win. When it was over, I told him that he'd played a great game; that I didn't even know how to play chess when I was his age; and that I liked his fighting spirit. I'm sure he'll be back even stronger.