Good Luck or Good Skill?: FIDE Junior Invitational Rounds 6-7
"I'd rather have good luck than good skill"- Joseph Truelson
I can be heard saying this at many tournament, as many of you may have observed. Add that to my list of many other odd quotes:
"We do not live in a world of shouldnt's"
"Intimidation is as important as actual skill"
"I am the best, no matter how many times you beat me"
and of course... "I'm mature, right?" Everyone else: NO
"I am friendly, right?" You can guess what they say then.
"I am funny, right?" Everyone: NO (and then they start laughing, ?!?)
"Am I annoying?" Everyone: YES.
You should all know by now all the horrible treatment that I endure as I go from tournament to tournament, critisized more and more every time. In fact, I start to wonder why I like going to chess tournaments so much! Whether chess players like me or not, they all critisize me, it is the politically correct thing to do it seems. If you stand up for me, you will be shunned and teased also...
Well that was really off topic, because it so happens that at the FIDE Junior Roundrobin that my opponents were very mature and did not critisize me, but that was largely due to the fact that they didn't know me. (And the one who did, Brendan, DID tease me). Anyways, next year I will be critisized by the same group because now they WILL know me. (So what if I spell critisize wrong or write, too many typos in these blogs...)
Well that did not get me on topic. I will flash foward to the tournament day to get more on topic...
Seattle Chess Club. March 13, 2016. 3:30pm. 22 chess players. 1 tournament director. A few spectators.
Here is my best game of the tournament, and if any, should get some sort of brilliancy prize. (If they had "comeback" awards I would be some comeback GM, can't wait till they add them!) This is by "Good Skill" game of the tournament.
I was to play Aditya Kanna, rated 1737, and who had beaten Brendan Zhang, who I had lost to. Although Aditya was white, I was sure to mess him up with my horrible openings!
Here, Patrick Huang FINALLY did not win and drew Neil, who should have crushed me. And I was ahead by half a point. However, the last round was not looking good. I was paired against Top seed Travis Olson and he got to play Rushaan Mahajan, who he would easily defeat. That meant I needed a draw to tie for first. I hoped I could get a draw, a win seemed nearly impossible.
Before the game, I questioned what opening I should play. Looking back, I should have just played normally, but I was trying to get him out of theory, so I played... The Birds! The good luck came again and saved me.
I played horribly and I was lucky to get a draw. He thought way more, and in time pressure missed a few mates. (I made some notation errors in the game)
The game is posted now, you can find it here: https://www.chess.com/blog/Joseph_Truelson/i-get-super-lucky-fide-junior-invitational-round-7-game
So Me and Patrick Huang shared first with 5.5/7, and Brendan was third with 5/7.
My rating went up to 1838 USCF and I will get a FIDE rating, although I am not sure what it will be yet.
Thanks for reading!
