The Year In Chess: 2016

The Year In Chess: 2016

I had to move my blog to a new client and I lost all my previous posts, so let’s get all my readers caught up.

2016 was a very good year for chess, in which my rating moved from 1936 to 2075. It started slowly, but things really started going around summertime. I tied for 4th in the U2000 section of the World Open in early July (7 wins, 2 losses), tied for 1st in the U2100 section of the Potomac Open later that month (4 wins, 1 draw), and defeated my first master in the final round of the National Chess Congress in late November.

My first few tournaments in 2016 weren’t that eventful. The Chesapeake Open in January was OK for my rating (4.5/7 in U2200), but nothing really special. However, I beat an Expert in a very interesting game you can find here:

The Maryland Open in February was a disaster. I only got 3/5 in the U2000 section, basically caused by being lazy and blundering my Queen in round 2.

The Cherry Blossom Classic in May was much better. I defeated a 2100-something in the first round, but otherwise it was nothing special. Here is an interesting game of mine from that tournament:

The World Open was where it really got going. I started with three wins, then a loss, win, loss, and 3 more wins. I would have tied for 2nd or 3rd if somebody hadn't obtained a 1.5-point lead after 8 rounds, and just dropped out to claim his $12,000 prize one round early. Here is my round 7 win:

The Potomac Open was nice. I cruised through opposition rated from 1800-1950 or so and ended with a score of 4.5/5 and shared 1st. I played some fun games involving opposite-colored Bishops. Here is the victory that secured me 1st place:

The State Championships were nothing special except for my draw against Jennifer Yu in round 2. I'll show you the game here.

I came really close to winning the Washington Chess Congress in October, but I messed up against Robert Fischer in round 6, spoiling my chances and leaving me with 5/7. Interested? Here it is.

The National Chess Congress: I played in the Premier (2000/up) section. I drew a FIDE Master, lost 2 to a Master and a Grandmaster, drew a master and beat another master. 2/5 isn't so bad when I'm facing opposition of that level! Here is my draw against the FIDE master.

Long story short, 2016 was amazing. I had a decent showing in most of the tournaments, but the summer (especially July) was just fantastic.

Thanks to everyone to sticking with me through all this, and I hope your 2016 was great!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *