The evening proved to be a very enjoyable one.
I got distracted from all of my chess thoughts and by the time I got back to my
place, I understood that I’d have a good night sleep. Over the years, I have
come to the idea that a good sleep is often more important than some super preparation,
especially before a morning round. I checked the pairings and decided I would
have my chance to fight for a better prize the next day. A draw with black
would guarantee me a tie for ‘some’ prize, while a win would mean an extra 2k
in my pocket.
I woke up the next morning feeling quite fresh
and motivated. Had some breakfast and prepared a bit. ‘The brain’ was
surprisingly silent… I must say that it was nice not to hear voices in my head
for a change! I was quite pleased with my preparation and went on to take the
last walk towards the rock.
“He will walk straight into my preparation and
he will be busted!” Here it comes again! I was happy that at least it meant
that ‘the brain’ was not still sleeping. “Just focus and play well!” “How nice
it would be for him to play what I’ve looked at! With 2k extra I can buy that
nice purse I’ve seen and order that beautiful dress I liked…” “Sh!!!” I imagine
how I would take care of my kids if I can’t control even my thoughts… But,
that’s not what this story is about, fortunately enough.
Got to the game just in time to sit comfy. My
opponent was still not there and of course, ‘the brain’ had to start the
speculations… “Maybe he partied too hard last night and he’s still sleeping.
Maybe he will not come at all!” I was trying not to pay attention to ‘the
voice’, adjusting calmly the pieces on the board.
The game started. My opponent came 5 min late
and played ‘1.c4’. My preparation was useless from move 1. “How could you be so
naive? Of course he would avoid your preparation!” “All is fine, it’s just a
game of chess, let’s enjoy it!” “I would rather enjoy the 2k impact on my
shopping list…” “All at its time!” 1…e5.
The opening didn’t go the way I hoped and I had
found myself in a position where I had to play precisely in order to equalize.
Luckily, ‘the brain’ didn’t disagree with the fact that I have to work a bit if
wanting to win any prize at all. I successfully equalized (or maybe I should
say ‘we’?). My opponent (a 2500 GM) started to take more time, feeling that his
advantage was gone. He was close to getting into time trouble. I on the other
hand had more than enough time and had a clear plan of how to start playing for
an advantage. He understood that he might get into trouble and found a strong
move which forced the exchange of the queens, entering a totally drawish rook
endgame. “That’s it, I have done all I could. A draw is a draw.” “But 2k… Let’s
play for a bit longer, maybe he’ll blunder something or lose on time!” “Come
on, he’s a GM.” “So what? Did you see what Aronian did today? Play on!”. I
played for some extra 30 min making no progress at all and finally offered a
draw. A draw it was.
 |
Photo from the Closing Ceremony in Gibraltar,
together with GM Adhiban Baskaran and WGM Aleksandra Dimitrijevic
|
I gained 11,5 Elo points, played against 7 GMs
in 10 games scoring +1, won a prize- all reasons to be happy. “This is what you
call a prize?” “Come on, just be grateful for what you have and the next time
it will be even better.” “I hope that not 20 pounds better.”
I guess that’s the human nature- to never be
happy with what you have and always wish for more.
“So, dear friend, what situation would you prefer?
To have a stable salary as a postdoc or to ‘gamble’ for about 10 days- 7h a day,
having the possibility to win 15k, 10k, 2k, ‘some prize’ or nothing?” “Of
course I would want to ‘gamble’! That’s what this life is about- it’s about
taking chances and going all in, having adrenaline rushes and being happy like
a kid when you win!”
The story will always be the same. One wants
what he doesn’t have, always finding his friend’s life more attractive…
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