US Class Championship - Houston Oct. 1-3 or 2-3

234 players!

USCF results here
 
Results: Click here
 

Winners:
Master : GM Flores, Mauricio
Expert : Dejmek, Mark W
Class A : Brack, Frank Edward
Class B : Donald Briggs
Class C : Pruett, Josh
Class D:  Ingram, Ted
Class E:  Warren, John C   
Unrated:  Acero, Mario   

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GM Bachmann vs Safin (Rnd. 2)

  GM Gareeyev vs IM Bercys 3-day (Rnd.1)

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I broke even with a small rating gain. A last round win would have got me a rating of 1919, but that was one of the worst games I have played in a while. One can usually get away with making a few mistakes during a game, but I made one too many!

The round 2 loss was very instructive. My opponent Frank Brack  is a a former expert and sports a correspondence rating of 2372. He went on to win the Class A section.

I am playing Black, White's last move was 15. Re3.  Before White played Re3, my plan was to kick the pesky Knight on g5 with either h6 or Bh6, but I could not resist the gain of a tempo by playing 15...Ng4, But White replies 16.h3!, and I am the one who losses a very important tempo and my game falls apart.

I had to retreat with 16...Nf6, White follows with 17.Nh5 Ne4 18.Nxh7! Kxh7 19.Rxe4! and I am toast. Instead 15...Bh6 and I have a good game.

1. Win White vs Jonathan Allen (1917)
2. Loss Black vs Frank Brack (1951)
3. Win Randall Schwarz (1905)
4. Draw Black vs James Ukoli (1951)
5. Loss White vs Samuel Baker (1813)

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Bloggers at the Class Championship

Left to right:

Don Putnam: Rocky Rook

Donald Briggs: Liquid egg product (Winner of the Class B Section!)

Timothy Stewart: TBD

Me: Getting to 2000

 

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Year	City	Master	Expert	Class A	Class B	Class C	Class D	Class E	Total
2010	Houston, TX	21	20	36	46	44	33	30	234
2009	Boca Raton, FL	20	17	34	28	22	12	18	151
2008	Houston, TX	18	8	36	37	40	30	31	193
2007	Houston, TX	11	17	30	24	35	24	32	173