The Results
Warning: this piece will become a bit technical. It may also read a bit awkward because most draughts related terms do not have an English equivalent (or I just don’t now it)
The tournament has come to an end, and now I’m back in the real world.
The first round: a draw against Ludwig. This was the 3rd time we’ve played, and I had white again. He had the better position for most of the game, and was one piece up. He must have had a winning position at some point, but luckily he couldn’t find the way. The game lasted for more than five hours, which meant that I missed the last tram and had to walk home (which took yet another hour). Went to bed at three.
The second round also against a student. At some point he played 37-31, which gave him a piece that was ‘hanging’. After this I should’ve won easily. But instead of working towards a winning position I opted to try and get a king. This turned out to give him too much compensation, but luckily he made a blunder and I won.
The third round, against v. Dusseldorp. At this point he was the main favourite to win the tournament. He let himself be locked in on his right flank, but this turned out to be too risky. In the end I won a piece with a pretty straightforward gambit. Now I only had to finish him off. There was no compensation at all, so now the pressure was on me. I just had to win now. And I did. A victory like this is something to remember. He has 100 more rating points than I do. I also have the feeling that more people than usual come over to congratulate you since this victory was pretty important for the progress of the tournament. Now anybody could win.
At the start of the fourth round I was shared first place with three others. Now I had to play against Herman, which I do at least three times I year, since we are club-mates. He let his right flank be locked in as well, but this time I didn’t win, we were evenly matched.
The fifth round, against A vd Berg. Just as the 3rd and 4th rounds being played on one day, so were the 5th and 6th. I wanted to save my strength and have an easy game (probably a draw). The opening left me with a slight disadvantage in a classical position. He forced my to put a piece on the graveyard-square, which sometimes isn’t as bad as it sounds, and in the end I lost this piece and the game.
The 6th round, against vd Schaaf. I placed a white piece on 15. He tried to take advantage, threatening with all kinds of combinations. In a 6 against 6 position a draw was the most likely result. He placed a gambit that he thought would win him the game. However, it was flawed and I got the better position. In a 3 against 3 position he made a fatal mistake which cost him the game.
The 7th round, against C v Wijk. I think this was the first time we’ve ever played. This is weird since we’ve both played this tournament many times. I did take some chances because I could still become second in the overall rankings. He had an attack which I tried to encircle. This is a strategy I hardly ever play, since it is very risky. We both spent a lot of time on the opening. Then the position exploded and I think I had a slight advantage. I couldn’t capitalise on this and in the end he turned out to be a well-matched opponent.
This means that I end the tournament with 9 points in shared third position (fifth on resistance points). In the students’ championship this means that I come in second, 2 resistance points behind Arjen (if only vd Schaaf had won his last game ). I won a trophy and €37,50.
Draughts can transport me to a special and happy place, away from the worries of everyday life. Now I’m back, exhausted, and I have to get back to the normal daily routines.
Hopefully I will be able to find time soon to play antoher tournament. Maybe in July.