Resolute

One of my resolutions is to pick up the blog again, so here I am!

'07 was a good year. The Blitz almost made it to the championship. It has been covered in minute detail elsewhere, so I won't elaborate.

My job as Blitz Manager this year was very easy. With newly minted Senior Master Denys Shmelov (he just broke 2400 at the North American open in Vegas) and the country's #1 18 year old Chris Williams able to play boards three and four respectively, and GM Larry "Legend" Christiansen at board one almost every week, all I had to do was find out who was around to play board two. Fortunately Jorge "Mi Salvador" Sammour-Hasbun was able to play a lot and he came through big time. Again, extensive coverage is elsewhere, primarily at Chris Bird's excellent http://www.boston-blitz.com official team site, and of course http://www.uschessleague.com.

The best story of the year was in week three when Jorge's first move as white vs. Bryan Smith, intended to be 1. d4, was incorrectly relayed as 1. e4, and Jorge said "That's OK. It must be a sign." Well, not only did he win, but that game was chosen for the next NY Times chess column!

My chess is going OK, though my rating has dipped dangerously close to 1600, I think it's because I'm trying different openings, and even totally different styles lately. One thing I've learned from relaying all of Larry's games for the Blitz is that sharp tactics can arise in almost any position; you don't need to force the issue. So, I'm resolving to play more solidly, especially more carefully (almost all my losses are because of an egregious blunder on my part), and let the tactics flow where they may.
I finally had the epiphany (well, more like a "duh!" moment) that doing "Black to move first" tactics problems, helps me spot my opponents threats better.

I also resolve to actually, really, truly spend some time working on chess every day this year. Hopefully an hour or more; at least 30-40 minutes doing tactics puzzles on the train ride to and from work. I've been pretty good at that lately, and my performance in the end-of-year G/10 quick play tournament at the Metrowest club is encouraging. I beat three class "A" players, drew an expert (Derek!), and drew another class "A" (Neil!). My only two losses were to masters Lawyer Times and Charles Riordan. Not too shabby. I gained almost 200 quick rating points in one tournament! Goes to show how silly the USCF Quick ratings really are.

The Amateur Team East is coming up soon! This year the goal of getting "behind the ropes" is looking highly possible. More on that later.

Happy New Year to all.