World Open Wrapup

I just finished my 2nd World Open. (I played previously in 2005.) Using the wallcharts I counted about 1000 players. There were about 190 in my section (U1800).

It was a tough tournament for me. I had 1 win, 2 draws, and 5 losses. Some vacation!

I didn’t get to do much socializing here. I found the rounds long and tiring, so when I wasn’t playing I was usually resting in my hotel room, or sometimes exercising in the hotel gym. I heard that a couple of my Team 4545 League teammates were here, but I never did see them. I did chat a few times with fellow MetroWest Chess Club members George Duval (otherwise known as Blunder Prone), and once with David Harris. Unfortunately none of us did well here. George saw some other club members; maybe they did better.

I also got to visit with Dan Heisman, my occasional instructor. He lives in the area.

From my viewpoint far away from the top boards, the tournament seemed very well organized. All the rounds started on time. It must be a crazy thing to run a tournament with nine sections, each of which with four possible schedules, plus re-entries, schedule merges, extra events like blitz championships, etc. I was generally impressed. The TDs, clearly visible in their bright yellow shirts, where always available and helpful.

I heard second-hand about one shouting match that occurred. Apparently the players did not realize that their clock was not in 5-second-delay mode until very late in a time scramble.

I grumbled here a few days ago about the facilities. Now that I’ve been here since Saturday, I can definitely say: I HATE THIS LOCATION! It’s a convention center in the middle of an office park in the middle of nowhere. And the convention center has really seen better days. Dingy, patched decor, floor that needs to be replaced, and bathrooms that made the most disgusting gas station facilities look pristine.

Dan mentioned to me that he thinks the jump in competitive strength from Class C to Class B is bigger than any of the other class differences. That seems consistent with my experience this week. I generally felt abused by my Class B competitors. When this event gets rated, I’ll probably be well back down into Class C again.

I’m really not doing a very good job of carefully evaluating my opponent’s threats in response to my planned move. In other words, I’m still playing a lot of what Dan calls “Hope Chess.” I realized today that even when I think I’m doing it, I’m not doing it effectively. That is, I’m not truly making my planned move mentally, with the board fully visualized in its new state. That’s going to require a new level of concentration.

Also, I felt that all of my Class B opponents were much more comfortable in their openings than I was. I haven’t seen this at my club so much, but it was definitely noticeable here. I’ve started thinking about how I might approach opening preparation differently.

In a few days, after the “I stink at chess” feeling fades, I’ll get serious about studying again.

I didn’t buy a single chess book this week, which is a remarkable achievement in itself. I couldn’t resist, however, upgrading my ChessBase to the latest version.

Tomorrow I drive back to Massachusetts and my real life.

PS. Oh yeah, there’s a bunch of Grandmasters here too, playing for real money. I didn’t pay much attention to them, except to observe that Nakamura drew his final game even faster than I got trounced in my final game.

PPS. I had a good time.  Really!