Availability of strong chess tournaments has been steadily improving throughout the year, to the point where nowadays there will probably be an opportunity to play somewhere every month. While this may be true, it is also a fact that these events can be spread far and wide across the country, and an eagle eye is needed to catch them in time to make the proper plans. And so it was when, in the middle of August, I was searching – in vain, it seemed – for an event to attend over the next few months. That fleeting window of opportunity had already passed for the strong Washington International.
Then I stumbled across the Minnesota International Chess Festival. What caught my eye, despite the fairly modest prize fund, was the addendum “FIDE Norm Swiss.” Looking at the website, it was clear that the event was going to be one of the highest caliber. A note to prospective organizers – offering conditions for IMs and GMs will go a long way towards making a strong tournament.
The only complicating factor: it started in less than a week, meaning there would be about five days’ notice before leaving for the event. It turned out to be just enough time to get battle ready. In the time period leading up to a major tournament I tend to ramp up my study efforts considerably to get in the proper condition to play. There wouldn’t be enough time for such a concerted effort in the span of a few days, but I did what I could.
There is also something to be said for the Botvinnik method of putting away the chessboard before battle, so as not to get worn out before play even begins. I haven’t tried such an approach before, but it was somewhat thrusted on me this time around. Perhaps it could be something to consider.
Prep work – or lack thereof! – aside, the first Minnesota International was definitely worth the trouble of getting there. To increase norm chances the organizers put a severe limit on the number of players rated under 2000 FIDE allowed in the top section, meaning that there would be no easy break in the pairings after a loss. This combined with incentives to attract IMs and GMs made for one of the strongest tournaments I have played in a long time.
Before play began, however, there was some adversity to overcome, which is per the usual. After an eighteen-hour drive and a night of sleep that felt far too short, it soon became clear that the host hotel was having a serious internet problem. Later it was revealed that this “minor inconvenience” had been going on for more than two weeks, with no fix in sight, and certainly no warning for us chess players!
Needless to say, this situation was not tenable for a six-day long tournament, so we packed up and moved to another hotel close by. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as prior to the second round I started walking to the games. While not an insignificant distance – nearly two miles for a round trip – I believe this had a very beneficial effect on my play. Certainly, it did more for me than an extra twenty minutes of prep would have!
ROUND 1
Heading into the first round, I was faced with the daunting prospect of playing GM Brandon Jacobson with the black pieces. With sparse time to get ready I chose the solid Nimzo-Indian, with which I had more experience and overall knowledge in than my recently acquired Grunfeld. The opening went quite decently, and I had a chance to reach an unclear position, with chances for both sides.
The computer evaluates it as slightly favorable for black, but at the board matters would have been very different. Instead of going for the correct remedy, I misevaluated my prospects in the ensuing battle, and inexplicably allowed my kingside structure to be crippled. After that he gave me a few chances, but the result was hardly in doubt. A tough first game, but certainly a good warmup, and a great opportunity to play and interact with one of the strongest players in the U.S.
ROUND 2
In the second round I was paired with one of the lowest rated players in the field. The early part of the game went as expected, with my sideline against the Hyper Accelerated Dragon seeming to trip him up a bit. A dubious way of meeting the variation allowed me to take the initiative. Soon he gave up a piece out of desperation – quite unnecessarily, I might add – for minimal compensation.
I didn’t handle the gift in the best way, but still emerged with a significantly more active position, thanks to the extra minor piece, in exchange for a full three pawns of compensation for my opponent. I was happy with the tradeoff, and my position was superior, but we both failed to understand during the game that I should have been the one avoiding a trade of queens, as the pawns have more chances to do damage in an endgame!
This mutual oversight led to several strange inaccuracies that eventually clarified the position into a clearly winning middlegame for me. Even so I blundered badly in an unassuming way, allowing him enough activity to equalize the game. It was far from clear at the board, though, and with my opponent running low on time and demoralized from the early middlegame, he failed to spot his chance and instead blundered a simple tactic that decided the game on the spot. An important if somewhat sloppy victory that allowed me to rebound from a discouraging first round in the best way possible.
INTERMEZZO: MN INTERNATIONAL BLITZ
I was feeling a bit buoyed after the earlier win and decided to play in the blitz side event, happening fairly soon after the conclusion of the second round. Several Titled players from the main tournament were playing, which helped make it worth the while. The format was a five-round Swiss in which contestants played their opponent twice, once with each color.
I started off very well, vanquishing a much lower rated player and picking a game off top seed GM Conrad Holt! After that great result I ran into the buzzkill that is Christopher Yoo, which more or less ended my chances at any sort of monetary prize. Despite this fact I was happy to finish with two further match wins to the tune of 2-0, including against strong FM Maria Malicka in the last round of the night.
It goes without saying that blitz is a different game altogether than the classical version, but such a performance was still quite a confidence booster heading into the third day of play. It must also be noted that the side event was fantastically well organized, unlike many others of its kind, starting at 8:00 PM and finishing promptly at around 10:00. Plenty of time to rest up for the events of the next day.
ROUND 3
I was quite happy with my pairing in the third round: FM Justin Paul is a strong player but a victory for me would certainly not have been outside the realm of possibility. I figured he would go for a closed Sicilian of some kind or another. 3.Bb5+ arrived on the board, and we followed our mutual preparation for a time.
Still in the opening stage of the game, my opponent began to get a bit too creative. I first equalized the chances and then took over the initiative with a sharp exchange sacrifice after he continued to play too loosely. At this point in the game, I began to get a bit too confident, and didn’t settle for a large advantage with a pawn and huge center for the exchange. More importantly the position would have been easier to play than the path I chose.
Instead, I grabbed a second pawn, and picked up the bishop pair at the same time. It looked like a very natural transition, and yet I failed to understand the gravity of my decision to neglect development in favor of equalizing material. After this misjudgment my opponent was ruthless, and I only had one opportunity to keep the game within the realm of equality. I misplaced a piece with near-fatal effect, after which there was no practical chance to come back.
A heartbreaking loss, but certainly an important lesson to learn. Modern chess players should always value the initiative much higher than material gains. At least I could look forward to playing as white against a somewhat lower rated player in the second round of the day.
ROUND 4
My fourth opponent – Okechukwu Iwu – is a National Master and doctor local to Minnesota. I certainly respected him as a strong player but had reasons to hope for victory: he has been stuck in the same general rating level for about 20 years and hadn’t shown any signs of breaking out of this rut. The early part of the game reinforced my enthusiasm – my opponent played an old variation against my Tarrasch French that is essentially refuted, as it blocks all queenside counter play.
Despite this fact I didn’t give the opening the proper attention it deserved and gave him a chance to trade off several pieces, thus relieving a great deal of the pressure caused by my advantage in space. Instead, he opted to block lines on the other side of the board as well, but fortunately for me this turned out to only be a temporary fix.
The computer points out a brilliant defensive resource for black that we both missed, but needless to say the idea was truly inhuman. After that he suffocated under my space advantage on the kingside, and though the game did take some time to convert, once I acquired an extra passed pawn there was never any uncertainty.
ROUND 5
My opponent in the fifth round was another older master who, while surely a strong player, is still shaking off some ring rust after a five-year break from competitive tournament play. I got my preparation for a time in the opening, but inexplicably misremembered a move order nuance after thinking for fifteen minutes. I was fortunate that he failed to capitalize on the inaccuracy, after which we transposed to my intended line of play.
The position quickly became sharp, which was my plan from straight out of the opening, assuming I would be the favorite in complications – which did prove to be the case. I decided to weaken my kingside in exchange for the long-term advantage of the bishop pair. The computer sees very concretely how I could have kept the position closer to equality, or how he could have taken a small initiative, but from a more human point of view the game remained in a state of delicate dynamic equilibrium for quite a while.
It was only when time trouble was approaching that, after thinking for twenty minutes, I was finally able to achieve a dynamic break I had been aiming for. This seemed to unsettle him a bit and he immediately went wrong, giving me a chance to weaken his kingside. At that point, with time ticking and the momentum turning my way, it proved impossible for him to find the only way to hold on, and I won with some nice tactical fireworks soon after.
The importance of this win is hard to overestimate, as it allowed me to break out of the cycle I had found myself in for the first half of the tournament – losing against higher rated adversary and winning against the lower rated foe. Also of note – this was the first round in which one of the tournament leaders managed to separate himself from the pack, as GM Kamil Dragun won against IM Tianqi Wang to take a slim half-point lead.
ROUND 6
In the sixth round I came up against my first significantly higher rated opponent since the first game of the tournament. FM Samrug Narayanan had a very good start, defeating Christopher Yoo and drawing against Conrad Holt. I certainly took this into account heading into the game, but it wasn’t on my mind during play. The opening began as expected, with my opponent essaying a very topical variation against the Tarrasch French that has been annoying me for years now.
As we saw in my U.S. Junior Open article, I thought I had found a good solution against this particular continuation. I lost the fourth round against Rohit Guha, but only after passing through an easily winning attack and blundering horribly after some nice swindling work. In this game, I didn’t even make it that far.
My plan of action was much too straightforward, and while I was busy shoving pawns on the kingside my opponent was able to mobilize his forces in a healthy, natural way, exploiting the downsides of my “strategy.” There were no attacking chances in sight, and already worse I blundered badly soon after.
Without a doubt the low point of my tournament, but bad games happen to everyone. What is most important is to not let such stumbles ruin the rest of the event and learn from mistakes made after all is said and done. Several draws at the top of the cross-table saw GM Dragun clinging to his small lead over a chasing pack of five nipping at his heels.
ROUND 7
The seventh round saw me fall back a bit in the pairings, facing off with FM Alexandre Kretchetov – originally from Russia, he has now settled in California. Our ratings were quite similar, though it must be noted that he has an enormous amount of experience and has been much stronger in the past. Still, he’s been going through a bit of a rough patch, and his prior results in this event had reflected that fact.
I decided to go for the Grunfeld to sharpen up the play a bit. In doing so I undertook considerable risk, as in the main lines of play there were definitely still a few gaps in my knowledge. I needn’t have worried, however, as he soon opted for a line that I had overlooked in my preparation. It wasn’t long before we were both on our own, as I went for a very risky venture. One could even say excessively so, but I was hoping to bamboozle him in the complications.
Indeed, he missed a very clear chance to play for the advantage after I went slightly wrong. In such a sharp position it is hard to play correctly, and we traded several mistakes in the late opening/early middlegame. Still, the position never got out of hand until I overestimated the effect of my bishop pair, allowing him to grab gluttonous amounts of central space, and all with tempo.
I felt that the pressure on my position could become decisive very swiftly, had I played slowly. He gave me one chance to create sufficient counter play, but I overlooked the proper idea, only seeing it on the next move when it was too late to have much of an effect. Though I tried my best, my opponent navigated the position well enough to end up in a winning endgame.
With time pressure quickly approaching I saw a tough defensive task on my horizon, though I didn’t assess the position as lost just yet. My position was full of weaknesses and poor pieces, but to put the finishing touches on the game my opponent would need to bring his somewhat sidetracked steed back into the game, which would have been difficult to accomplish. Still, I was very pleasantly surprised when my opponent decided to offer a draw.
As becomes clear during the postmortem, black’s position was completely lost in the final position of the game. A very fortunate save. It is common knowledge that in any strong tournament performance there will be some degree of luck, and I certainly got more than my fair share in Minnesota! The race for overall victory only intensified in the final rounds of play, as local favorite GM Andrew Tang caught GM Dragun to share the lead.
ROUND 8
Heading into the final stretch, it was important for me to finish strong and climb back onto a plus score. I was faced with the difficult task of taking on young FM (now IM-elect) Ming Lu with the black pieces. I noticed he had a disastrous performance in the U.S. Cadet Championship in July, which meant that he was either a bit overrated then or underrated now, neither of which made him a less dangerous opponent.
He showed up late but brought his most poisonous preparation in the English to the board. I did not anticipate his intriguing idea of castling on the queenside, and he very clearly outplayed me in the early stages of the game. I was salvaged from the dangerous situation when white bypassed an opportunity to create a powerful attack, at the expense of one measly pawn. Instead, my opponent opted for a serious strategic error that closed any potential avenues of attack, which was quite a relief!
In the ensuing middlegame struggle my position was objectively stronger, but I was still under the assumption that he had a serious attack, and that I should be very careful. While it is true that his position still held some attacking prospects, there wasn’t any objective reason for me to play as cautiously as I did.
I missed several opportunities to flip the script and open up lines against his king with crushing effect, which gave white several opportunities to equalize the chances. Despite this fact, it is clear to me in hindsight that he was also playing much too ambitiously, and thus going for equality would not have fit into his plans. Many mistakes of this nature were traded throughout the middlegame.
I started to play well when he began expanding in the center, a bit too optimistically, it could be said. Finally, I recognized that it was necessary to create play on the queenside or get squashed, which allowed me to obtain a nearly decisive advantage. “And convert cleanly,” I wish I could say, but chess is rarely so straightforward.
As the game continued and clock time began to dwindle, we traded blunders back and forth. I can only be happy that I was never in any danger. At the end of a long tournament, play can get a bit sloppy… We eventually reached an unclear endgame where I quite liked my prospects, thanks to his open king. Before I could even collect my thoughts, he committed the final, hasty blunder that ended up deciding the game. Fortunately, I was able to mop up nicely and prevent any more adventures.
“’Too many mistakes?’ the reader may justly ask. Yes, there were rather a lot!” A vintage Botvinnik quote nicely describes the game at hand. I would certainly have been happier to convert my much better position in the middlegame more smoothly, but in the end a win is a win. This victory, no matter how sloppy, was critical to the success of my tournament.
I now knew that on the last day I would be facing a much stronger player and could be happy with my result no matter how the final game went. Needless to say, that didn’t mean I planned on rolling over and losing! I was only prepared for the possibility, which turned out to be irrelevant. GM Tang won an important game to head into the final day with a half point lead. Still, anything could happen in the final round of play, and the outcome of the six days was entirely up in the air.
ROUND 9
In the ninth and final round I was unexpectedly paired all the way up, thanks – I believe – to IM Kevin Wang’s last-minute withdrawal. I was to play white against Oliver Barbosa, a Grandmaster originally from the Philippines who has settled in New York and opened a chess academy. Prior to the game I was feeling quite confident, as his three main openings would allow me to reach a comfortable position with few winning chances for black. This is certainly an uncomfortable situation for a GM playing an opponent rated 350 points lower, and I hoped, if not to play forcefully in the opening, to at least exploit later inaccuracies caused by overambition.
The first two parts of that statement were borne out, but sadly, the last was not to be. After my opponent arrived fifteen minutes late play began with the Karpov variation of the Caro-Kann, as expected. The main point of this particular line is to not give white any targets and play to exploit inaccuracies from a very, very solid position. I feinted with a repetition of moves in the opening but eventually decided to play on during my opponent’s fifteen-minute thought.
I am still uncertain whether or not he would have taken the quick draw, but regardless, I was obliged by my principles to continue the fight. I compete in tournaments to play against strong players and improve my playing strength in the quest for the Grandmaster title. Needless to say, an opportunity to play against one of the top title holders and receive more insight on how they think should not be wasted! Besides, I was already up a significant amount of time on the clock, and still in a familiar position.
Out of the opening he gave me a golden opportunity to increase my advantage. After failing to correctly evaluate the idea I decided to play “safely” in an attempt to secure at least equality. Never a good mindset, and in doing so I missed my last chance to put him to the test. I soon found myself under slight pressure, which was my reward for choosing the “safe” path.
This forced me to wake up and start playing well, which I duly did. I deflected his attempts to press nicely and even felt that I may have had some chances to take the advantage after his anticipated over-pressing mistakes. Add that to the fact that he was playing solely on increment while I had half an hour left and you can understand the source of my confidence.
Still, Grandmasters are Grandmasters for a reason. He played well and even forced me to defend for a time after I became too ambitious. My efforts proved sufficient, and the game was very worthily drawn with only bare kings left on the board, and a worthless additional minor piece for black.
My first draw against a GM was the perfect way to end an inspired performance. I finished with 5/9, good for a massive gain of 60 FIDE rating points. I was also part of a four-way tie for top U2200 FIDE, worth $125, but I am much happier to no longer be eligible for this prize than to have won it in the first place! At the top GM Andrew Tang succeeded in holding a draw as black, thus securing at least a tie for first. IM Viktor Gazik was the only player to win and join him on 7/9.
In closing it is impossible not to note and appreciate the great effort undertaken by the organizers. I already mentioned that the blitz side event was easily the most efficient I have ever participated in, and the main tournament was no different. Pairings were always posted promptly 60-45 minutes before the round, and the entire event ran without a single hiccup, which is not something that can be said very often!
Drama and mishaps might make for more interesting reading, but chess players in combat are aiming only to focus on the game at hand, preferably without distractions. Tournament directors Glenn Panner, James Hodina, and FM Alex Betaneli did everything they could to ensure that players would be satisfied with the inaugural 2022 Minnesota International Chess Festival, and in my book they succeeded.
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