My previous installment in this series was about how I went 4/4 in a tournament and got over 1700. I presumed I was overrated, frankly, and would soon go back down below 1700. However, I played a couple events since then and crept up a few rating points. This weekend, I played two more events on Friday and Saturday and decided to write them up.
TL DR: played mediocre on Friday, 2/4, but stayed over 1700, then played a bit better on Saturday against a very uneven field, went 3.5/4. Still bad at chess. But the Qd8 Scandi is still OP. Study for the games: https://lichess.org/study/9inXDesO If you check out only one game, Saturday Round 3 is great. Please, don't look at Friday Round 4. I welcome any comments on the games! Because I'm mean, I turned off the engine in the study.
Longer commentary: There's a weekly tournament on Friday evenings about an hour from here. I'm unemployed this week so I thought I might as well check it out as, well, I wasn't getting off work late on Friday. I was worried about one thing: I'm not an old guy but I'm not a kid and I'm old enough that energy levels have a big effect on how well I play. Friday evening is getting kind of late. And I still have an hour to drive home after! I ended up being the second seed in the reserve section, so I'd be mostly playing down and have to win, win, win against my opponents to stay above water.
First round: black against a low 1400, I played the Scandi and he decided to play d4. Okay. I didn't really remember my Blackman Diemer prep well but I got a good position out of the opening and then just plowed through.
Second round: I had white against a high 1500. I played d4, he played e6, and I was unhappy with this choice. So we went with a 3.Bd3 French -- miserable. I was playing inaccurately so he had an edge for most of the game, but it was still mostly equal. However, he got very low on time. We simplified to a queen endgame -- a practical decision on my part since I felt I could get a draw if I needed it but there were chances to outplay him or flag him -- and my king was not easily checkable while his was and he flagged while thinking about where to go.
Third round: played a young girl I'd played and beaten before (in the tournament where I went 4/4 and got over 1600 -- different from the one where I went 4/4 and got over 1700 that I have discussed here before). She played e4, I played d5 (as one does), and she played e5. I got a great position. This is not a great way to play against the Scandi because Black gets everything a Caro or French player could ever dream of. My opponent had an Advance French-style pawn chain ending at e5, I played f6 and traded that pawn off, then got greedy and took on e5 with a piece with my King still in the center. This would've been fine, but I got a little careless after that. It would've been okay to be stuck in the center if I didn't make mistakes because a lot of pieces were traded off and White was underdeveloped, but I made mistakes! And got clobbered. Oof. One of the most painful things: she was recently nearly a 1700 player, but she's more than 100 points off her peak right now. A gentle note to my opponents: if you're going to beat me, please do it near your peak rating! Stop losing 100 points and then remembering how the horsey moves when you play me!
Fourth round: another young kid I have played before, a high 1700s who beat me in the Scandi the last time we played. He was the #1 seed but also got upset earlier. If I win, that will resurrect my tournament. A draw would also be good. He's really good, he's only been playing a year. The last time we played, we quickly played down to an equal but tricky pawn endgame which I flubbed. This round, I boomered it: early blunder. I'll blame being tired.
Result: 2/4. Stayed over 1700, though.
The TD said they were trying to organize something for Saturday and I said I'd be up for it. Unfortunately, there would be quite a disparity of ratings in the group, but I was fine with that. However, I had to be out by 5 since I had scheduled an online rapid match (for Infinite Quest, a side league of the lichess 45 45 league that evening. We had five players, so we would do a five player round robin and they would arrange it so my bye was the last round. Sweet.
Round 1: I played a guy rated just below 1200. As I said, there was quite a spread of ratings. We played 1.d4 f5 and I nearly died of happiness. Finally, a chance to play 2.g4! I had an edge but somewhere along the way my thinking was muddled and I had to fight my way back. Fortunately for me, my opponent obliged by giving back the advantage, but I was stuck in "crap, how can I get back in this" mode. In the end, I had a big advantage in the endgame but went for a repetition because I just did not see the easy winning idea. Oof. Am I still tired? Am I going to go below 1700? I'm doomed.
Round 2: Playing against the one stronger player, an 1850 I played the week before who just crushed me. I was hoping for a draw at least. If I lost, I think I would be doomed to be less than 1700. Not that rating matters, but it helps you think about your results. I had Black and I played the Qd8 Scandi, as one does. Somewhere along there he made a miscalculation and didn't see that letting me exploit a pin would go poorly for him. However, I didn't prosecute that mistake completely accurately. But then he missed that opening the h-file would lead to bad things for him, and I did prosecute and convict him of negligence. 1.5/2! I'm back in this! Now I just have to not mess up and I'm good. I think this is my highest rated OTB win.
Round 3: Playing against a floored 1600 that I've played several times before. I played d4, he played d6, I played e4, we're going modern. I played a little inaccurately in the opening but got the elements for a good attack going on the kingside. And then... the h-file opened. I knew I was winning then. There's no way to survive. And then... a mistake. This is it. It is time to offer to sac my queen. There is no other way. My opponent declined the sacrifice but in a way that allows a mate in 6 (which I saw). Glorious. If you check out one game, check this one out.
Round 4: played a young girl rated just under 1000. I played, one does, the Qd8 Scandi. I won a pawn and had a better position, and then I just crushed some more. I didn't find too much to say about this game. Seriously, though, she plays like she'll be very good very soon, just needs a couple things to click and then she'll be a monster. We'll see what she's like next year. 3.5/4, I win the round robin! Gained most of my rating points back.
Epilogue: I was tired so I blitzed things in my rapid match when I got home, lost 2.5-1.5. Threw a win for a draw, threw a draw for a loss. Had a great swindle, though, into an interesting Q + P vs R + B endgame that I converted. I've now played 4 tournaments since first getting over 1700 without dipping below. I've lost a net of 7 points, but I'm still solidly over the line. Maybe I really am a 1700+ USCF player instead of a 1600 player who's slightly overrated. I have a few things to work on -- odd positional decisions, mindset when recovering from bad positions, bad tactical and positional vision, managing fatigue, not flubbing opening prep. I'm starting a new jorb next week, so I'm not sure if I'll make it on Friday, so it was very good to get this in now.
