Final preparations for the Quebec Open
Hey everyone! There is only one more week before the 2015 Quebec Open, the largest chess tournament in the Province of Quebec. To spice things up, this year the QO has merged with the 3e rencontres internationales des échecs francophones, a tournament that gathers the players from a french speaking country.
There are two sections: the Open and the U1600. Rated 1878 FQE from 2012, it is a good chance for me to encounter strong players.
Prior to this week, I prepared by playing rapid games, studying openings and tactics. Today, to further my preparations, I played a 90+30, which is similar to the time control of the tournament: 90+30/40 followed by 30+30.
The game I played was quite a grind. Playing on the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS), I was matched up against a guy that was #16 in standard (among humans) on the server. At first, it was hard to manage my time, as I haven't played this time control in ages. But as I got into the match, I think I got accustomed.
Here is the game, which ended in a spectacular draw:
From boring middlegame play to the breakthrough to the endgame with passed pawns on both sides, the 4 hour match couldn't have been more intense!
yk333218
