Ben's Blog: Tales from the Winter Open

My first slow-rated chess in Missouri (ever!) was more interesting than I had hoped.  Luckily, Spencer was able to keep the Finegold name in good stead, as he had a solid 3.5-0.5 score, beating three lower-rated players and drawing a higher-rated player (as well as winning $42). I, on the other hand, oscillated between playing like the Rams and the Lions, but was very fortunate to go 4-0. Perhaps I should ask Mark McGwire for some tips on enhancing my performance.

The tournament was VERY successful with 57 players in attendance. There were upsets all over the place, with experts losing to lower-rated players, in the vain attempt to make me look good by comparison.

I made mistakes in every game, or so it seemed, and the only thing I did reasonably well was to play at a fast pace, so at least time trouble was not a factor. I have annotated all my games, and, if I keep playing like this, Ron Luther will look more like Nostradamus than his usual Ralph Wiggum persona.

Use the drop down menu to access all four games from the tournament.