Road To Master - 2023 OTB Return!

Hi everyone, welcome back to my 9th blog post! My first blog of 2023 too. Volume 9 of the Road To Master Series.

I know I haven't blogged in a while, recently I've been busy but I've still been playing OTB tournaments here and there. I was hesitant to start blogging again since I haven't had great results so far this year, but the other week I was reminded why I started blogging. My original goal when starting my blog was to document all my OTB games from day one until I achieved a chess title. It doesn't matter how well I perform, I'd like to stick to that resolution. I've played 6 tournaments so far this year, I'll be making blogs regularly again starting with this one. 

From January 20th to the 22nd I played the Ottawa Winter Open. This tournament was a 5 round swiss, the time control was 90+30, and it was CFC (Canadian National Rating) & FIDE rated. As always I'll have CFC ratings displayed in the games, and I'll always include FIDE ratings in the description beforehand. Heading into the tournament I was 2131 CFC rated and 1930 FIDE rated. 

Round 1: First Game Of The Year

My first round opponent was Joshua Myers who was 1845 CFC rated and 1557 FIDE rated, I had the White pieces. I was expecting him to play the King's Indian Defense, little did I know I was in for a surprise. 

Unfortunate this game didn't go my way, I couldn't convert a winning position. An interesting story about this game though is I didn't resign in the final position, we were the last game of the night and the club had to close down - the arbiter resigned for me after concluding my position was lost. I'd never had this happen to me before, I was later told this was a common occurrence at this club though. 

Game 2: Playing for fun

This round I was paired against Henry Hughes, a friend of mine. Henry was 1978 CFC rated and 1550 FIDE rated, I had the Black pieces. I knew he was a 1.e4 player but I didn't do much preparation.

A smooth win for me, heading into round 3 with 1/2! Playing against people I know is always less stressful than playing against people I don't know, it reminds me that we're all just playing because we love the game. I probably play better when I only play for fun, I don't know why I always play with pressure. 

Round 3: Lack of Knowledge 

This round I was paired against Mohammed Hadid who was 1942 CFC rated and 1677 FIDE rated. I had never heard of Mohammed before this game so I didn't know what to expect. 

Sadly another loss, at least I learned something new from the game. I didn't have the knowledge to know not to take on d5 when I have that kind of Queenside pawn structure. On the bright side I'll know for next time! 

Round 4: Tricks and Swindles 

In this round I was paired against Thomas Knechtel who was 1923 CFC rated and unrated FIDE. Since I was 1/3 I was motivated to push for a win to be at least 2/4 heading into round 5. 

I can't complain about a draw, not a bad result considering the position I was in. I do regret I didn't play on in the end position. At the time I thought it would be smart to take the draw so I could have time to rest for the next round. If I played on there was a chance I would've only had about 30 minutes before round 5. 

Round 5: Finishing Strong

The final round I was paired against Ryan Zhong who was 1955 CFC rated and 1482 FIDE rated, this game I had the White pieces. I know, everyone's FIDE rating in Canada is too low. 

We get the win! It was a struggle but a win is a win. I messed it up a little bit at some point but luckily it worked out. I finish the tournament with 2.5/5, not too bad.  

Final Thoughts & Comments:

This concluded my first OTB tournament of 2023! I know my play was sloppy, I promise it gets better in the next few tournaments. My ratings after this tournament became 2090 CFC and 1868 FIDE. Looking back on this tournament I think I need to work more on converting winning positions, my lack of skill in this part of the game hurt me in round 1 and round 5. I feel it's a skill that's not mentioned enough, or maybe it is and I'm just not aware. It's still a problem I'm struggling with right now, it's been my biggest chess weakness in 2023 so far. Thanks for taking the time to read, until next time!