My Third Chess Tournament - Good Results

Well, after an embarrassing start, I have finished up my first Internet Chess Club tournament with positive score of 2.5 out of a possible 4 - two wins, a 1/2-point bye, and one loss. This was also my first "rated" tournament, the other two tournaments I have played being unrated OTB (over-the-board) beginner tournaments.

I had to take a 1/2 point bye in the first round since I had a scheduling conflict. I then lost the first game by putting myself into a back-rank mate - that just happened not to be on the back rank but along the g and h files. On the bright side, a painful lesson is a lesson well learned. But I played well in my last two games and won both of them.

All in all, I am very happy with how well I played. I am now looking forward to three more tournaments – the September Standard Time Tourney at the Internet Chess Club, another OTB unrated beginners tournament in September, and my first USCF (United States Chess Federation) "rated" OTB tournament (if I am physically up to it) in October.