An outbreak of optimism

 Has it really been almost a month since my previous post? It certainly doesn't feel like it to me, since I have been very busy. Not only have I played the tournament which I will start to recount below, I have also started my first job. I'm at the head office of Chess in Schools & Communities, working as the grandly-titled Research, Funding and Communications Officer. Of course, it is interesting work, but I am getting home at 7pm each night, so I may not be able to give as much time to this blog as I would like. We'll just have to see how it goes, and hope that the bad old days of double-figure backlogs don't return. I will do my best!

 I was indeed able to play at the Berks & Bucks Congress last weekend - many thanks to the Golding family for giving me a lift. In fact, I think this was very helpful for the tournament itself - not only did I have some company, but it was inspiring to see how enthusiastic they all are. My only worry before the tournament was that, bizarrely, you can't choose which section you play in - the organisers decide for you. I e-mailed to ask if preferences could be accommodated, which seems to have been an inspired decision since I was promoted over a couple of 170s and squeezed in as bottom seed. Phew! I've had enough terrible Major tournaments not to want to go down that road again.

 In the first round, I had black against Anthony Milnes (173/2036). I didn't know much about him, but I'd correctly guessed the pairing and did a little preparation before leaving the house. Unfortunately it didn't last as far as move 3! The result was a short but interesting struggle - I tried a speculative pawn sacrifice but still got a 20-move draw...

 My chess in August usually consists of a horrible performance at the Jessie Gilbert Festival that forces me to spend the rest of the grading list playing catch-up, so I was keen to string together a good tournament here. This solid if unspectacular start fitted the bill. At the time I thought that it had been played fairly accurately, and whilst the computer is less impressed, at least there were no glaringly obvious mistakes to spoil the game.

 The most interesting moment is undoubtedly my snap pawn sacrifice 12... f3!?. Normally I am very hesitant about such moves, even if I sense that they should be played. At the time I felt that I was actually better, so when everything fizzled out after 18... Rxe5, I was left wondering if I'd missed a trick somewhere. In reality, I was just being over-optimistic - and it's not often I say that, which is probably an encouraging sign. It may also explain why I didn't consider trying to reclaim the pawn with 16... Be6, which gave white real chances to prove something with 18. f4.

 Not the most eventful game, but at least I could be happy with it. Quite the opposite is true of my second game of the day!