The title suggests what I am upto these days and I plan to write my experiences for my own sake (as I know hardly anyone reads my blog) as they would help refresh the memories some time later. I am playing in an Internationally Rated Chess Tournament, which started on 22nd March and will go on until the next sunday, i.e. 29th March.I am not getting too much into technical chess in my posts so I am sure those who do not have any interest in the game(like most of my friends) would not have difficulty in reading.
Day 1, Round 1The tournament started yesterday, with the usual formal inauguration and then the pairing was done. My opponent was Mr. Gopalakrishna, an old man with white, longish beard and hardly any hair to match the color of the beard. I came to know from the list that he was rated 2070 so I was up against it straightaway. For layman's knowledge about chess and its ratings, anyone who is rated above 1750 or so is considered to be a strong opponent and given the fact that I am unrated till now, I knew that I will have a tough time. I was playing with white pieces so that gave me slight advantage, but it didn't last long and I crumbled under the pressure mounted by him and resigned the game in around 38 moves.
Day 2
I was not in a very good mood today, given yesterday's loss but I knew that I would get a comparatively easier opponent for the second round and that was the case. My opponent this time was Simarjiv Singh, a sardar kid.I was playing with black pieces, which meant he got the advantage. However, I had decided after yesterday's game that I would not sit back and defend. Thus, I offered him a gambit on the very first move and he took it. The pieces were getting exchanged regularly but he was ignoring the fact that I was gaining tempo after each exchange and he blundered. He had too many things to worry about and I opened my score for the tournament with an easy win.
Lot of time to spare.. what to do?? My game had started at around 10 a.m. and I initially took my time to think, which meant that I was trailing on time by around 30 minutes. However, the game got over before 11.30 and the next round was to start at 4 p.m. ( as the organizers had to ensure that all the games of round 2 end well before the start of the next round, so that they can decide on the pairings). I decided to go to my father's office for lunch, as it would kill time and I would get some much needed nutrition. I virtually starved for the entire day yesterday and I didn't want to repeat that. Another incentive for the travel to dad's office was that I had to take the Metro, which is a heaven for "bird watchers". I came back at 3 p.m, analyzed my previous game with a friend of mine and then went to check the pairings for the next round.
Day 2, Round 3: This has by far been the most memorable game I have ever played. I must have played better in online games but still, the fact that this game was against a FIDE rated player, Tarun Mathur( rating 1788), added to the excitement. The match was to begin at 4 p.m and I was seated well before time. My opponent kept me waiting for a long time and I decided to follow the game going on on the adjacent table, in which an 8 year old kid was beating the hell out of a 25 year old guy. I checked the watch and it was 4.25.. still no sign of Mr. Tarun. I decided to go to the organizers and they told me to wait until 5 p.m. I wished he never comes and I get a walk over, but that would not have made me happy. Finally, Mr. Mathur, a person of a medium height and somewhat stocky built(with a frightening French beard) appeared onto the scene and I switched my focus back to my table. I had the white pieces and, as is the case so many times, I lost the advantage of playing white when I had to break down a move into two. My opponent then slowly built his attack, which would have resulted in a catastrophe for me had I not calculated at least 4-5 variations before every move. He had too many threats but somehow, I just hung in, I even had to sacrifice a pawn to stop his attack. I can proudly say that I was at my defensive best in this game and I even offered him a draw later, which he refused. It was logical decision on his part because you do not agree to a draw when you are up a pawn and both the players have a Queen, two rooks and a bishop(of opposite colors). All of my pieces were tied down and one blunder would have been catastrophic. However, I managed to stop his attack and then he decided to change the flank of the attack and that is when a move struck me out of nowhere! I would not go into the technical terms of the move but I came up with a move which meant he either gives me an advantage for the rest of the game or the game would be a draw. Thus, it ended in a draw and I walked off a satisfied person, given my bad position throughout the game.
As of now, I have 1.5 points out of 3 and tomorrow would be a crucial day to my FIDE rating aspirations. I need all the luck!
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