Back in the Saddle!

The Wilde Weekender

After many moons I was roped into playing in a chess tournament again. This gives me a good excuse to post. Five from six is not a bad score and I should be quite happy, especially given my inactivity of late.

 The first round woke me up a bit. I won a queen but failed to convert in an expeditious manner.

In round two I was paired with a friend from Mullumbimby. Mikey is a leading northern rivers player. We used to often play on Wednesdays, when the local club meets at somebody's house. The level in the hills is surprisingly good. In this game Mikey did not give me as much trouble as he usually does on his home turf.



It was nice to get white against Jakob. His white gambits are known and feared by all.



The Doubleroo defense lives! After burning the midnight oil for many years I believe I have patched up what I consider the critical variation. Which is the critical variation?



Until now everything was going according to plan. And I had white against the second seed. More effort was required to make the game interesting. I played several inaccuracies in the opening and never got back in the game. One move stands out and that is 13. Bg5. Pointlessly placing the bishop in mid-air, abandoning my b2 pawn and serving as a useful target. On my next move I should have just moved it back.



Hippo! I got to play both my favourite animal openings on the same day. George made a miscalculation and handed me a pawn in a double-edged position. It had been a long weekend.



It's the Monday after a tournament and I feel a bit drained, more so than usual actually. Playing and organising is much worse than just playing. Perhaps at my age I should only do one or the other :-)