Today we got assigned to different coaches that are provided by the USCF. My coach is GM Sam Palatnik. Prior to the first round, I had a warm-up session with Coach Sam and siblings Jonathan and Sarah Chiang. We tried solving some interesting puzzles just to loosen up the mind and get into chess mode.
For the first round, my opponent was Carlos Sandoval Mercado from Mexico. This year in Brazil, Carlos was co-champion of the Pan American Youth Chess Festival and earned the FIDE Master (FM) title. I was a little nervous having to face such a strong opponent in the first round, but my pregame preparation was good, I got a comfortable position, and won in a straight forward fashion.
The tournament was a little disorganized to start. When I arrived in the playing hall, I didn't even have a table. You can see in the picture above that we have a table but no board. I guess someone miscounted...
My playing hall is in the hotel, but the older kids (U12 and up) are playing in a nearby building. The picture on the left is taken from the hotel, looking along the marina; the older kids' playing hall is the first building past the giant yachts.
This is the view from the playing hall looking back towards our hotel. Pretty nice, huh?
After our games, we need to report to the USA coaches for post-game analysis (win or lose). Coach Sam liked my game, but he wanted to make sure that I took my Dad out for a walk to get some fresh air. He said my Dad is like a pet and I need give him exercise to keep him healthy. Sam is funny like that. This is a picture of me down by the marina with the lights of the hotel in the distance.
One game down, ten more to go...
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