To Think or not?: WA Junior Open 2016

The Washington Junior Open was held a while ago, but since I didn't win it, well, the blog didn't need to be on time...

January 18, 2015: I'm pretty excited! Can't wait to go to the Junior Open at Interlake High School! There will be so many buddies and friends, not to mention that I have improved so much at chess! 

I arrived at the tournament quite early, around 7:30. But I just waited around in the building. Finally, half an hour later, after looking around the high school and thinking about what I should say (I end up NEVER saying what I plan!) uncivilized buddies came! I was kind of a gretter at first, when they didn't have so many people swarm in. Generally, I try to say a few sentences to everybody, but most of the time I am with a small group of people. In this tournament however, I was all around the tournament room, not really settling down. But of course eventually too many people show up and I can't handle saying hi, and people I know finally show up. The drama before the tournament included me talking a lot. Certain chess players did think I was annoying, but luckily that didn't matter too much. In the end, Round 1 came, and I beat Eamon Thakur easily (With f4!). During one of these rounds, Oscar Petov and Anthony He were nice enough to play with a frisbee belonging to Nate Getz. I made a horrible throw, and it went over the roof but luckily curved and came back down. Naturally, Oscar had to repeat me, but this time the frisbee didn't go down, remaining on the roof as we ran back to the main building. 

Round 2 had me against a Washington girl champion, 7th grader Naomi Baskansky, who was actually an expert rated 2006! I was only 1663, so I was obviously expected to lose, and easily....

As we can see, I always get lucky. Anyways, to relate to the title, this was a key problem in the game. I didn't know whether I should think a lot in the G/50 time control or time my opponent out and make bad moves. I chose the later in this game, and should have lost. 

I beat former rival Revant Potcuchi (Can't spell that) in round 3.

However that game wasn't properly notated, and I can't get the moves right. I won fairly easily though

Last Round, I lost to Arjun Thomas.

You might have wondered why the game ended there. It is because I knocked my a8 rook of the table, and I believed that I would have to move it, and therefore lose my queen. Turns out USCF rules may not force that. But I don't know the rules of chess well.

So, in the end I gained 21 rating points and came out realizing I play horrible at Quick Chess.

Maybe I'll do better next time!