The World Open was the start of a busy chess period for me. It had been nice to get a break in our condo in Key Largo but with kitchen renovations, sunsets and cocktails, Chessbase didn’t get much of a look in!
Despite this, I managed quite well in the World Open winning a few decent games. However, Gata Kamsky convincingly beat me in our armageddon game to take the title. The game was 5 vs 3 minutes but with an additional 3 seconds delay, which was omitted in some reports. I think my colour choice of Black was okay but sadly if you play badly it doesn’t make much difference.
I hope they might use this same hotel again for the tournament, with good opportunities to sightsee at the Liberty Bell or the “Rocky” steps depending on your taste, and a great view of the 4th July celebrations. I can also recommend Pat’s King of Steaks for their Philly cheesesteak which sustained me through my very lengthy game with Vitali Golod in the seventh round.
For some reason my bank failed to credit my check to my account properly, thanks to Bill Goichberg for being very helpful reuniting me with my winnings.
Good to hear from you again.