Christopher Yang & the Brickyard

August 5, 2016

Because I won the PA State High School Chess Championship, I qualified to represent Pennsylvania in the Denker Tournament of High School Champions again. This year, the tournament was in East Indianapolis, a rather desolate area. However, the field was stronger than before, as I came in only as the 15th seed.

Round 1: I was playing an 1800 rated player as Black. I played a small sideline in the opening, but it backfired, giving my opponent a good amount of space. However he was too eager to push his pawns to attack my king, letting me undermine his dark squares and win three pawns.

Round 2: I was playing on board 1 against the second seed after the first seed was upset in round 1. I played a quiet line and had a good position, but was too tempted to attack, failing to see that I could lose a pawn. I continued to defend into a rook and knight endgame, which definitely had drawing chances. However, my opponent outplayed me and eventually won.
Round 3: My opponent was a 2100 rated player, and I had Black again. I developed my pieces way to slowly in the opening, letting my opponent obtain a crushing position. However, he blundered in time pressure and allowed me to win the game.
Round 4: My opponent was the 2100 rated player who upset the first seed. I had a small positional edge and a good grip on the position the whole game. My opponent sacrificed his bishop for two pawns in the endgame for counterplay. It was almost successful because both players missed a chance for him to draw. At the end, I was able to sacrifice my extra piece for his promoting pawn and promote my own pawn.

Round 5: I played the defending champion from last year. I had a slight edge out of the opening and agreed to a draw 20 moves later in a relatively equal position.
Round 6: If I won this game, I would tie for second. If I lost, I would get 14th. A draw would earn me a Life Master norm. I made a dubious opening choice, but recovered and exchanged into an equal endgame. However, I missed one of his resources and simply blundered a pawn and the game. 
Overall, I had a successful tournament though my score was the same as last year’s (3.5/6). I gained 12 rating points, putting me back at 2250. There definitely were some lucky breaks, and I can see where I need to improve on next.