2003-01-29 - 11:26 p.m.

My Luck Runs Out

Well, I suppose that it had to happen eventually. It looks like I've been eliminated from the finals of the local chess club championship. I know, I know - it's a major tragedy. It's just that I've gotten in every year I've tried since 1985, but I suppose nobody's winning streak can last forever. I came in second in the finals last year, but this year I'm not able to make it into the finals.

Well, if it's any consolation this year it's a lot tougher because there are stronger players participating, but the plain fact of it is I haven't been playing very well.

Previous to this I'd lost two games in the preliminaries, and this put me pretty close to the edge as it was. One of the people I hadn't played yet was an unrated fellow who was very good, in fact his father was a titled international player who had been active in the 1960s. Still, I figured that he COULDN'T be one of the finalists - surely he'd lose at least three games to the other strong players in the section.

Well, since I last talked about the tournament two bad things have happened - I got nicked for another draw and the unrated fellow has continued his winning streak, beating the highest rated player in the section.

Last Thursday I played my second-to-last game against a player of high school age. I knew this guy was dangerous, but I thought I could handle him. I got my first unpleasant surprise right out of the opening: he played the exact same variation that grandmaster Joel Benjamin played against me at the simultaneous exhibition a couple of months ago. He'd done his homework, the little rascal! Therein we see the dangers of getting your games posted on the web - it lets your opponents know what you like to play.

I tried to vary from what I'd played at the simul, but I hadn't really looked at the grandmaster practice of that particular line, so I didn't know what the "best" moves were. Still, I got a decent game, and then began to break out. Unfortunately in the process of opening up the game I'd traded off too many pieces, so there didn't seem to be any way to win or even improve my position. My opponent offered a draw, but I played on hoping for a mistake from him. It didn't come, and my time grew very short. As far as the tournament went, a draw was practically as good as a loss, but drawing this game would still leave a faint hope alive. I offered a draw, and my opponent accepted.

This was a pretty big upset - Considering the difference in our ratings this would be the equivalent of me drawing a top grandmaster. Still, in spite of his low rating my opponent played very well and made no obvious mistakes. Also, my problems with the clock persist - if my opponent had turned down my draw offer I could well have lost on time.

The way the situation stands, I'm going to play the unrated fellow Saturday after next at my house - he's started a new job where he can't play on the usual club night. This is a game that I absolutely have to win, but even if I do win it, he may still outscore me - he'd have to lose both of his other remaining games to be three games out of a perfect score, and that doesn't seem likely.

The only silver lining seems to be that because of this guy's schedule, he may not be able to play in the finals, in which case I'd get his berth by default. That is, if I'm able to beat him myself. We'll see. My luck may not be exhausted yet - but it doesn't say too much about my skill.