Tall Pawns 2023 - A Big Serving Of Humble Pie

This past weekend I traveled to Bozeman for a tournament that was very bottom-heavy in terms of ratings. In a field of about forty players only three of us were above 1800, and I was the only one above 1900. I soon found out that these lower-rated players were all very young and very hungry. When the smoke cleared, I had scored only 3.5 points (two wins, two draws, and a bye). The draws were both winnable endgames, my favorite phase, but my young opponents pounced on me when I relaxed and will boost their ratings while making mine take a nosedive. I actually got off easy because the other two high-rated players suffered losses to the youngsters.

Despite the disappointing outcome, I am happy I competed in this event. For one, I got to catch up with my fellow former state champion Ben Vogel, and we had a hearty laugh at how we were handing out rating points like Santa Claus. For another, I am very proud of these youngsters for working hard, excelling, and forcing us older folk to earn our keep. Clearly, I need to stay more focused until each game truly is over.

The first round gave me quite a surprise, as I was paired with the same young man who played against me in the first round of the Helena tournament just last month. Unlike last time, though, I played poorly and had to settle for a draw when he fought hard to stay alive in the endgame, which is incomplete because I stopped recording at the five-minute mark.

After licking my wounds from the awful first round, I went into the second round and found myself in even more trouble when I played the exact same opening. Luckily, I was able to find the win, after which I took a much-needed bye.

On Sunday morning I faced another promising young man who gave me a very tough game and who -- as in my first round -- held me to a draw when I blundered a winning endgame position. I really need to get my head screwed on straight if I want to do better at the upcoming Open in Billings.

I was eager to wrap things up and drive home, especially because a snowstorm was brewing, so I played fast and loose in the final round. Luckily, I avoided another disaster and won, but I must congratulate my (unrated) opponent for giving me a tough game.