2015 Iowa Class Championships

The Iowa Class Championships were held on March 21st in conjunction with the state championship event, the Iowa Closed, at the Physicians' Clinic in Cedar Rapids.  This year I played in Class B (U1800).  Papa and Daniel played in Class C (U1600), and my youngest sister played in Class D (U1400).

Before the first round, I played a blitz game with my sister, and then two other (awesome) participants agreed to join us for a few games of bughouse.  Soon pairings were posted.  The time control was 75 minutes per player with a 5 second delay per move.  My first opponent was Nathan Chen (1444).

Nathan proved to be a worthy opponent, and around move 19, he offered a draw. The position was equal, and I could have accepted. But an irrational distaste for agreed draws kept me playing.  In the end I was one pawn behind.  I probably should have drawn the position, but I was under severe time pressure.  After bungling the position, I forfeited on time.  

We ate lunch in the skywalk and then toured the Immaculate Conception Church before returning for the board meeting.  Board meetings generally aren't particularly exciting, and this one was no exception.  There was some lively discussion about whether the state chess magazine En Passant should be switched to an online version, and more than one candidate ran for USCF Delegate, which made it slightly more interesting than usual.

After the meeting, I was paired against Steve Jacobs (1400) for round 2.  

On move 24, I messed up and allowed my d4 knight to be pinned.  In the end, I only survived by the skin of my teeth and a little of what you might call good fortune.  Another player agreed to play a few blitz games afterward and then kindly offered to review the game against Jacobs with me (although I was very a bit scatterbrained).  He pointed out Nxf7 was an option on various moves before my mistake.  Even on 24. I could have played Nxe6 with an even game.

Mr. Jacobs went on to finish the tournament strongly, finishing tied for first in Class B with Nathan Chen.  My third round opponent was Jerry Wiley, who was competing in his first USCF tournament.

After a loss and a draw, I was happy to finally win a game.  I watched my family's games, and then played a practice game with a girlfriend of one of the chess players.  The last round started at 7 p.m.  I played Morgan Lu (1519).

Sometimes it takes a few rounds to warm up!  But by the time we finished our last round and started on our way home, it was 10:30.  We had enjoyed a full day of chess, and there was no time to keep playing!  I was happy to see my youngest sister tie for first in Class D, and my brother Daniel finish in a four-way tie for first in Class C.

Dan Brashaw vs. Dr. Robert Keating

Congrats to Dan Brashaw who won the Iowa Closed and is now the 2015 Iowa Chess Champion!
"Chess is the gymnasium of the mind."  --Blaise Pascal