Long Island Chess Tour Part 2

Back on the Tour!

After a great kickoff in January, the Tour (LICT) continues with a stop at my local chess club location, at the Island Park Library! Although the Turnout was smaller this time (16 total players), my club was very well represented. Unlike my section of the previous tournament, this one was played as a round robin, with players in brackets of 4 (3 rounds). With all the players registered, the pairings went up for round 1.

Game 1. Jordak (white) vs. Bob (black)

Bob wandered into the library during our chess club a few weeks ago, and had no idea our club existed. We played a few games with him, and he was hooked! He has been at our club every Wednesday since then. This would be the first time in an LICT tournament that I was paired against an opponent I have played before, and I liked my chances, having a winning record against Bob in the past.

The game continued after I stopped notating. After we traded the Rooks off the board, I think I was up a pawn. I later gave up a Bishop so that I could get a pawn to pass, and won the game. 1-0

Game 2. Peter C (white) vs. Jordak (black)

Peter C is also relatively new to our club, although not quite as new as Bob. I would say Peter and I tend to go about 50/50 in most of our games, but he does tend to play a lot of different types of positions and openings. In this game, I was pretty comfortable in an advanced Caro-Kann, which I have played many times over the board and online.

I don't want to write about how this game ended. Play continued in low-time and I was up a Rook and several pawns. I was trying to checkmate with Rook and King in one corner of the board, but when his King reversed direction, I thought it would be faster to just promote a pawn and checkmate with Rook and Queen. I thought I had already won.

To my embarrassment, I stalemated him in a completely won endgame. This one hurt more than most losses. We shook hands and ended it 1/2-1/2.

Game 3. Jordak (white) vs. Mehesh (black)

Unlike the other players, I knew nothing about Mehesh. Bob said about his game earlier "I made some mistakes, but then he made some mistakes, and I won". Fianchettoing both bishops and letting me have the center might have given me some false confidence, but I didn't feel totally sure where I should be attacking through the opening.

When I realized I allowed my Rooks to be forked after 25...Ne5, I thought I had a clever way out with 26. Rd8+. Alas, I had miscalculated and was woefully outgunned. play continued from here until I got ladder mated with a Rook and Queen.

Results

I thought I had played some very good games, but I sped up and blew a half point in the end of game 2, and miscalculated on a big open board in the late middlegame of game 3. Peter C went on to win our bracket, with me taking second place at 1.5 points.

Island Park Chess Club was very well represented with Jay, Peter C, and Peter S each winning their brackets. Patrick won the remaining bracket.

We had players competing in the tournament who traveled from Brooklyn, Queens, Massapequa, Levittown, as well as the locals who normally play. It was also great to have visits from locals who weren't playing, but just came to play casual games and say hello.

I'm still not hitting the results I would hope for, but I think I'm learning something step by step.