Out of work at 3:00 on Friday and off to Charleston a little after 4. I get to the playing site between 6 & 6:30 so I'm in plenty of time for my first game. I get paired against Donny Gray (2129), a master from Grovetown, Ga. I figured I'd get paired up so it's not a surprise. I played the London just hoping to get a draw against my opponent who is close to 500 points higher than me. I had a nice position getting close to the time control when I just drop my Rook on the wrong rank instantly losing after about 3 hrs of play. Not the start I wanted, but if you're going to blunder, do it in a game you're probably going to lose anyway. At least that's what I told myself.
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(hide chess board)So, it's after 11pm and I'm heading back to Lexington. Get home at 1am take the chess stuff out of the car and put the train stuff in while I'm watching a show that's on. Go to bed around 2am.
Get up at 4:45am Sat to be at Dad's at 5:30 so we can be at the meet by 6:00 to help set up. We get everything set up in time, deal with a few cranky old farts that have nothing better to than dream up stuff to complain about and the show opens. Great turnout, over 150 people show up, all tables sold again. A lot of Postwar Lionel is here to my amazement! Unfortunately I haven't been keeping up with the trains so I can't remember what I'm looking for much less how much it should cost. We settle on buying two modern era Jersey Central Cabooses. Both look good, but one is missing a part and the paint is flaking so that one was sent back to be replaced. Some day I'll learn to just buy Postwar. The meet is scheduled to close at 2pm but as usual everyone starts packing up an hour early so by the time 2 rolls around almost everyone is packed and gone to the clean up can start. We get done a little after 3pm and head home.
4pm, back on the road to Summerville so I can make the 8pm third round of the chess tournament. Get to Summerville in plenty of time but it's probably not a good idea to play chess, at night, on under 3hrs of sleep. I'm figuring I'll be paired down since I only .5 point from my second round bye so even half asleep I think I have a shot to win this game. Naturally when I get there I've been paired up and not even an hour into the game I have a horrible position and just resign. It was just a waste of time and I won't even post the game. Of course, since I finished early I'll pass on getting some sleep and just hang out in the bar with some buddies until 11:30.
I manage to get some sleep and plan to win both games on Sunday and salvage something out of this tournament. The fourth round is 9am and I'm paired with a club member that's relatively new but is a good player. I managed to win the game and bounce back from the Sat sleepwalk.
(show chess board)(hide chess board)The final round I'm paired down again but have black and my opponent plays the Colle. I couldn't get anything out of the opening and it was looking really drawish when he missed what looked like a saving move in a R pawn endgame and I forced a passed pawn through. I managed to win both games Sunday but my performance wasn't good enough to raise my rating and for the first time in a year I lost points (8). I'll be looking to bounce back at the next tournament.
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