Off OTB Chess Winner

By Justin Cao

How did I win in Sweet Fashion?

After returning to OTB chess after 3 years, I won my quad in a dominant fashion with a perfect score of 3/3. For my first two games, I made no blunders and between 2-3 inaccuracies which is pretty good for a player of median skill level. I did not have outright losing positions in any of my three games, but I had moments where if I was a better player I would not lose my advantage or could have gained a bigger advantage. My first two games were uneventful as I was playing against an 800-rated and 1100-rated player which I won due to simple tactical shots that my opponents missed. I got to play a Catalan against a Queen’s Indian setup and as Alphazero showed, the Queen’s Indian is often losing over a long positional game. That really doesn’t matter as games 1 and 2 were won-off blunders from my opponents. My third game was a bit of an embarrassment for me as I was having lots of trouble punishing my opponent with the absolute best moves. It was not a standard position and a tournament player would see this maybe once in a few hundred games. I missed multiple chances to trap my opponent’s queen and secure an easier victory 20 moves earlier. It was a very messy game and my opponent played while breaking every opening principle of chess. I would have been very sad if I lost this game. Thankfully I was able to punish it albeit in a more complicated than necessary manner. It was a very fun event as I got to play chess in central park.

 

Tournament Results: Central Park Games

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