My First Tournament Game (feat. Bird's Opening)

After playing on Chess.com for years, honing my experience with The Bird (1.f4), I finally got to play in my first ever over-the-board rated tournament game last night. And all the sweeter to score a victory for The Bird!

I had no idea what to expect, going from online Bullet and Blitz straight to a time control of 2h + 5s delay. There was also the added pressure of facing a rated player: 1050 (Class E).

Fortunately, I got the white pieces. Which meant it was Bird Time! The surprise value was immediate. My opponent took 15 minutes to make their first move. I, on the other hand, blitzed out my opening prep hardly without a thought.

That was a big mistake, as I missed a winning tactic twice in the opening! Still, I built up a steady advantage in the middle game, trying my best to play solid and wait for them to make a mistake. And sure enough it happened! They dropped a pawn to a tactic.

Then I threw away nearly all of my advantage with imprecise moves. I entered the endgame a pawn up but in a drawn opposite-colored bishop endgame. Still I played on, up on the clock and pumped full of adrenaline. And it paid off. They made one final mistake allowing me to march Harry the h-pawn to victory!

The experience was amazing, a memory I will cherish always. I highly recommend online chess players add a rated OTB tournament game to their becket list. You may enjoy it as well!

If you are curious about Bird's Opening, you can read my older forum post:

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Bird's Opening: A Beginner's Perspective

Nice game @Ambrogino. Thanks for sharing it.