Baltimore Open + Other Updates

Okay, some running updates.

1) Marvin & I finished our match.  Marvin won game 8 to win the match 4.5 to 3.5.  I won games 2 & 3 of that match, he won games 4 & 5.  1,6,&7 were draws.

2) I was down in Linthicum Heights, Maryland for the Baltimore Open.

The tournament setup was interesting: Prizes are given out if you reach a certain tournament score.  For U2100 3.5 points got $150, 4 points $350, 4.5 points got $700, & 5 points got $1500.

I scored 2 points, getting draws in losing/lost games in Rounds 1, 2, 4, & 5.  I lost Round 3 after having an advantage, which I will attach code & commentary for below.

What disturbed me was playing the sacrifice.  If I was going to play the sacrifice, I should have played it right away with little hesitation, not 30+ minutes of internal debate with my mind still not fully committed to it.  This loss knocked me out of contention for prize money, & my opponent ended up getting 3.5 points.  Final Live Standings of Baltimore Open per section

The tournament was well run.  Play starts right away at the appointed time, unless the previous round (here, Round 4) goes into overtime.  The 30-second increment, while a bit long for my tastes, does eliminate 5-second delay time scrambles & gives you an opportunity to play quality move after quality move.

Parking turned out to be a surprising problem - According to rumors, more people showed up than the TD staff was expecting.  One could see cars lined up parked on the shoulder of Old Elkridge Landing Road since the hotel lot was consistently full.

I do hope to see & play in more tournaments that feature prize based scoring, as you don't have to wait for your check - you finish & go to the TD room to get it.