Back in Action!

And I’m back! Finally after a two month break, I am back in action over the board. At the beginning of July, I moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, and the chess in the area is lacking to say the least. Casting a wide net, I found a tournament in Columbia, South Carolina, an easy 3 and half hour drive away. Waking up at 6 in the morning, I journeyed down to the capital of the state to our south, and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. I know I won’t be able to play as much as I did when I lived in DC, but I’m planning to make it to tournaments in the region from the time to time(Charlotte Chess Center here I come!). I’m still playing chess online everyday, but as many of you know, playing over the board is a completely different level of intensity and demands nerves that are hard to develop sitting in the comfort of your own home. I’ll keep all of you updated as I progress.

Here are some of my key takeaways from the day:

Wow, The Columbia Chess Club! -  I was blown away by the setup that they down in Columbia. Used to the Arlington Chess Club, which plays in the basement of churches and hotel conference rooms, I wasn’t expecting much from the CCC. However, there club has an incredible setup. Tucked away in a strip mall store front, the club is fully equipped with dozens of beautiful playing tables, a beautiful chess library, TVs to broadcast the live positions to a Twitch site and for those observing at the club, and a fully stacked snack bar. How can a club in small-town Columbia afford to stay in open, while much larger clubs in bigger areas are still stuck in the basement?   

The results don’t tell the full story - Overall, I thought I had a strong day with mediocre results. I started off with a strong win against a player rated 1772; I held a difficult rook endgame to a draw in the final round, and though I blundered away a completely winning position due to time pressure, I was playing exactly the type of style I want to play in round three — aggressive and bold.

Time pressure was an issue - Despite playing lots of rapid chess online at 15|10  pace, I struggled with the 45|5 time control. For example, I thought for almost 15 minutes about 11.f5 in this position, then played settled on 11…Be7. However, after 12. Bb2, I thought for another 10 minutes and finally played 12..f5! I’m proud of move, unusual in the opening of the Caro, but wasted too much time. I need to make sure I’m calculating well, but also go with my gut in moments that call for it. I can’t agonize over every decision in a rapid game.

My tactic work is paying off - I have a 259 day streak on Chessable, and just finished my first round of the Woodpecker method. I’ve drilled these positions again and again, and I feeling stronger tactically than ever before. Doing puzzles everyday and repeatedly solving the same puzzles until it’s automatic has improved my ability to recognize similar moments in my own game. Like never before, I’m now looking at positions and immediately thinking about what would happen after checks, captures, and threats. My win in round one came after I was able to win a key central pawn by capturing with my knight in a way that left my opponent’s rook ready for the taking.

Here is an analysis of my third round loss, the game that I’m most proud of from the day. As you’ll see, I found myself in a completely winning position with seconds on the clock and blundered things away with 30…Bxd4+??