Hey everyone. I just got back from Las Vegas after playing in the National Open. This is a brief update and I will add more details within the next few weeks.
I did well in the tournament gaining rating points. I finished with 3.5 out of 6 tying for 1st place Under 2300. I got a cash prize, plus a gift certificate from the bookstore.
I believe I played very well in all of my games, even in the ones I lost.
Round 1: Drew International Master Odondoo (when I was completely winning, but messed up in time pressure)
Round 2: Lost to a Master after playing well, and then it got messy in time pressure and I made some mistakes.
Round 3: Beat 2004 U.S. Woman's Champion Tatov Abrahamyan (Womens Fide Master) in a game where it was pretty even until she made a mistake in time pressure.
Round 4: Lost a hard fought game to International Master Kong Deng. He played very well and ground me down in a very long game.
Round 5: Beat a 2080 in a position where I was defending from the opening. I defended really well, and then caught him with a few tactical surprises to achieve a winning position.
Round 6: Beat Axel Stephen, a 2320 rated German player. I believe this might be one of the best games I ever played in my life, and I will post it shortly. It was a very instructional game that many of my students will learn from.
