The Des Moines Fall Classic

The Des Moines Fall Classic chess tournament this year was held at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny and directed by Matthew Jacob with 75/5 time controls. 

We started our drive at 6 AM, delivered a load of concrete pads, and enjoyed sausage egg McMuffins.  The first round started late, so I chatted with fellow participants, and a few kindly answered my survey on chess player psychology. 

My first opponent was John Herr (1798), an experienced tournament veteran.  I remembered him playing on the top boards at CyChess L in 2012, so I determined to take my time and be careful.  The opening was a delightful straight-from-the-book example of the open variation of my beloved Sicilian Dragon.

Move 7. f3 appeared to be preparation for 0-0-0 and the always exciting storm-the-opponent's-castle routine.  Since I've played the "0-0 and defend" line very often and was downright tired of it, I decided to delay castling as long as possible so as not to give him a target while I increased pressure on the queenside.

After 23... Bf5 was allowed, 24. R1d3 offered me a huge advantage if I had continued the pressure with 24...a4.  However, I was so excited that I could actually be up an exchange that I didn't look any further than Bxd3.  I missed another opportunity on move 38 when I played Kc8 instead of Kd8.  (Believe me, few things are as depressing as a Houdini postmortem analysis of a game!)  Finally, under time pressure I missed a fork, and John won the exchange back with 41. Na6+. 

The next moves were pawn-grabbing struggles for dear life.  I had to stop notation due to time constraints, but we finally agreed to a draw with a queen, two pawns, and less than a minute each.  It was an exciting but seriously flawed game.

My second round opponent, who had opted for a half point bye in the first round, did not show up.  While I waited for either my opponent to show up or his time to expire, I watched the games of  my family and others, took a few photos, doodled (attempted to zentangle), and tallied the colors of shirts worn by fellow participants.  First place went to black shirts (7), second to blue (6), and third to gray (4).  I also noted that a majority wore tennis shoes, a logical and comfortable choice for a long day of chess playing.  (In case you're wondering, yes, it was a very boring way to win.)

The third round, I played against the tournament director, Mathew Jacob (1811), on board 2.  He seemed slightly distracted by his directing responsibilities, which made it easier for me as he was not as concentrated as he could be. 

After 10.g3, I held my breath, hoping he would not play Qd5 and capture my precious pawn.  Thankfully (for me) he missed it and that pawn was a big help in creating a comfortable home for my knight on d6.  We reached an even endgame, but I was able to bring my rooks to the 7th rank where they proved an effective nuisance and picked up an extra pawn.  Then an unfortunate forced mate in 3 ended the game.

Jose Gatica, an instructor at the Des Moines Chess Camp and one of the best players in the state, showed up to check on the tournament, and we enjoyed some bughouse while relaxing for the last game.

In the final round, there were 4 players undefeated with 2.5 points each.  Dan Brashaw (2189), a former Iowa High School State Champion, was paired against John Herr (my first round opponent) on board 1.   I was paired against Joseph Wan on board 2.  

"What's your rating?" he asked me.  "1596, what's yours?" I replied.  His was 2060.   I encouraged myself with everything I'd learned, "Play the position, not your opponent.  If you don't make a mistake you won't lose against anyone.  There's a best move in any position; you just have to find it."

It's hard to find the best move against an expert who will pounce on every tiny mistake!  I lost a pawn on move 18 and then cracked miserably under time pressure (the game continued hopelessly a few moves after the end of my notation).  Nonetheless, I was happy to survive as long as I did.  I lost with less than a minute remaining on my clock.

After the tournament we listened to students singing a beautiful rendition of "It is Well With My Soul," and then left.

Congratulations to Dan Brashaw and Joseph Wan who won the Open, and Joseph Weinrich who won the Reserve.  Thanks to Mr. Jacob for directing a very fun (and inexpensive) tournament!  I was delighted that a few of my family members opted to come, and I look forward to the next tournament!