Saturday, September 1, 2012

Report: From the Michigan Open: Day One

Your humble scribe got there early thanks to a fortuitous work scheduled trip to the area. I was so early that I was the first one there, so I got to hear a panic stricken tournament director telling the hotel manager that “you don’t have enough tables and chairs set up” and “I told you I needed a place to post pairing and wall charts! I emailed and called you people about both of these issues and was told it was no problem!”

Oh, the fun filled experience of running one of these things! It’s always something. Jennifer Skidmore, the TD did announce that this may be the biggest Michigan Open of all time!

Three LCCC’ers played the first day of the four day schedule; Ken L, Mike N and Vince V. We hope some more join us today, as there is a 3-day and a 2-day format entry available. Come on out!

1st Day results:

Vince V won the opening with much better position, but when he tried to turn that into a pawn majority advantage, missed a counter attack opportunity for his opponent and had to resign.

Mike N (me) did the opposite. By changing my mind about which defense I want to play at move 4, I end up playing what I am now calling “the hyper-modern Numbskull Variation of the Wood-pusher Defense” - and drop a pawn.

But several moves later, I see a trap to win a piece for a pawn. But my opponent somehow sees this ingenious and well hidden - one-move combination – and not only thwarts it, but wins another pawn!

Well, at least I am not in time trouble. My opponent has two pawns and one of them passed in the center. I got him right where I want him!

I do have some open files, open diagonals and the bishop pair. Using these tools and an opponent now set on “not losing” rather than “winning” the game, I am able to run my lonely A- pawn THRU my opponent’s A and B pawn to win the game.

I did go home and check, and my newly “invented” defense is not listed anywhere. So I got that going for me.

Ken L.’s game went way into the night. But he lost a tight King-Pawn endgame.

So LCCC is 1-2 after Day One. The struggle continues today with another two rounds of action.

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