Sunday, August 11, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once at 1am, again at 5am, and got up for good by alarm at 6:15.

I had breakfast downstairs in the restaurant from 7:15 to 7:45. I took a look outside and while it’s still a little cool the sky is mostly sunny.

I was at the chess park a few minutes before 8:30. My next opponent was Oscar Suaza rated 1645. I had the White pieces and played an opening I was familiar with which is probably why he took his time making his moves. I mistakenly started an attack too soon (again) and to had to give up a knight to avoid my queen getting trapped. I ended up losing on time on the 47^th move.

I returned to the hotel for a bit then had ribs with fries and a Coke for lunch at La Chaparral on 70^th street for 50mil.

It took me longer than I wanted to get and pay the bill. I stopped at the hotel and exchanged some things and headed to the chess park. I arrived right at 1pm but the pairings were yet to be posted. Finally, at 1:30 they put them up on the wall and I was on board 50 with the Black pieces. My opponent was a teenager named Juan Camilo Males Ortega. We waited for some time to get the go ahead to start our clocks but then there was some type of announcement, which of course I didn’t understand, and everyone got up and started moving around. I checked the new pairing sheet and now they had my game on board 75. I sat down in my new seat and my opponent was the same as was everyone sitting around me. We had just moved an aisle further away.

I had the Black pieces and was able to play the Scandinavian defense again. About an hour later a downpour started that must have lasted about an hour. My opponent exchanged pieces at every opportunity like he wanted to leave. I was very tired and just wanted to get it over with. At his 18^th move he offered me a draw which I declined; I can’t learn that way. We went into an endgame with knights and pawns which he ended up resigning on the 50^th move as I would checkmate him one move before he would check me with his new queen.

It was now about 3:30 and as I rounded the bend by the lesser soccer fields, I realized I hadn’t reported my win. I retraced my steps and told the TD of my win. I returned to the hotel and submitted my game for computer analysis. For supper I had a delicious beef lasagna with a limonada de coco in Portillo’s at the corner for 80mil.

 

T-SHIRT OF THE DAY

Killing them with kindness is taking much longer than I expected.