Montana Open 2018 - Round 1

This year's Open was a very fun event but more challenging than usual. I was traveling during the week beforehand and returned to Missoula at around midnight on Thursday, knowing full well that I had to hop in the car in the morning and drive 340 miles to Billings. I also was unable to strictly observe my pre-tournament alcohol abstinence, as the nature of my travel dictated mixing and mingling with other attorneys (who are NOT teetotalers). 

When the smoke cleared I had scored a paltry 3 points, but at least I accumulated enough wins over the course of the chess season to qualify for the state championship again.

In this first round I faced the notorious giant killer Frank Miller, a player whose skill exceeds his rating more than anyone else I'm aware of. After I snagged a rook in exchange for a knight early in the game, I found myself in a very difficult position because his two knights posed threats all over the place, so my two rooks felt like little compensation. I focused on not walking into any forks and, after a long struggle, finally got the point.