The Strategem May 2018 Tournament concluded May 19, 2018 at the New Territory Clubhouse in Sugar Land Texas. Fielding a mixed range of players in the Scholastic event this tournament was competitive in every sense of the word.
Vir winning Third place trophy
Dhruv Kini finished first with a clear 4/4 with solid and convincing play. It was Dhruv’s first competitive chess tournament and he was unsure of what to expect, only being confident of his play. Self taught and an active online player Dhruv showed solid preparation.
Dhruv Kini receiving the Winner’s Trophy at the STRATEGEM May 2018 Event
An active participant in his school debate team Dhruv showed consistent discipline and preparation for the tournament. We sin him the best in his continued aspirations at the game!
Vir Sanghavi and Aaril Shah played the tie breakers for the second and third place. Both players showed their efforts at preparations for the tournament. Vir finished with a score of 3/4 with two wins and two draws. Aaril finished with 3/4 with three wins and one loss. With their scores tied and Vir doing better on the tiebreaks we had to play the tie breaks as the Tournament rules required. The scores were tied at the end of the first tiebreaks with a time control of 5 minutes +0, at 1 each with both players winning their games with Black. Aaril won the second tiebreak 2/2 in a time control of 3 minutes +2 seconds increment.
Aaril winning second place trophy
The main takeaway from this event was the importance of preparation before the tournament. All winners showed that they put in concerted efforts into their preparations. Faced with a stronger opponent and a material deficit in the last round Aaril was alert to a back rank mating combination overlooked by his opponent. That win from behind was instrumental in putting Aaril in a tied second/ third place. Vir also overcame some tough opposition to find him at 3/4 with two wins and two draws. The two draws were from winning positions for Vir and they lead him to focus on putting more efforts in certain areas of his game. Following the right ladder checkmate combinations Vir erred on the penultimate move by putting the poisoned Queen to cut off the b file for his opponent’s King that resulted in a stalemate! With consistent efforts at improving his game play and concentration Vir is sure to find success in future tournaments.
With the June tournament around the corner and opinions from others we are glad to announce that we’ll be having Scholastic + Open tournaments from July! Enjoy the photos below!
