Journey to the National Master Title, Part 18

I scored 2/3 in the Columbus Easter G/60 Swiss, gaining nine rating points to lift my rating to 2072, my highest rating since I had a 2080 rating in October 2022. I drew with top seeded NM Charles Diebert, but fell a half point short of first place finishers Alex Cretsos and Khalil Warfield, ending my streak of winning a prize in five straight tournaments.

I went into the Cincinnati Open feeling very confident after gaining 92 rating points so far this year, but I had a disastrous result in the FIDE Expert section, scoring just one win, one draw, and three losses. I lost 47 rating points to drop my rating to 2025. A statistician might call this "regression to the mean," but it can also be considered part of the deal for anyone who participates in a competitive sport; there are many very good chess players--including a lot of improving youngsters--so all it takes to have a bad result is being slightly off form. As the great Tex Winter told Kobe Bryant, "Everything turns on a trifle." Change a few moves from this tournament, and I could have had a much better result; of course, the same is true in reverse for the tournaments where I gained so many rating points recently. 

I bounced back by scoring 3/3 in the Dayton Chess Club's April 18, 2026 G/30 "A" Swiss, finishing clear first while gaining 11 rating points to lift my rating to 2036. Then I scored 3.5/4 in the April 19, 2026 East Market Swiss, tying for first-second while gaining 12 rating points to increase my rating to 2048. I captured first place in back to back tournaments on the same weekend for the first time since the weekend of April 6, 2024, when I tied for first in both the Columbus Plus Score tournament and the East Market Swiss.

I had a setback in the April 26, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, scoring 2/4 and losing 16 rating points to drop my rating to 2032. I scored 2.5/4 in the May 2, 2026 Columbus Spring G/45 Open, losing six rating points to decrease my rating to 2026.

I scored 3.5/4 in the May 9, 2026 Dayton Chess Club G/30 Swiss, finishing first-fourth but losing two rating points to drop my rating to 2024. I completed a fun chess weekend by scoring 3/4 in the May 10, 2026 East Market Swiss, finishing second-fifth but losing one rating point to drop my rating to 2023.

I scored 4/7 in the U2100 section of the Chicago Open during Memorial Day Weekend, losing 24 rating points to drop my rating to 1999, the first time my rating has been below 2000 since February 2026. In recent years, my rating has dropped below 2000 soon after going above 2000, so perhaps a three month streak of maintaining a 2000-plus rating is a good sign, but in my absolute peak years I maintained a 2000-plus rating for 90 straight rating supplements (December 2009-May 2017), and that is the level of consistency that I need to regain in order to achieve my goal of obtaining the National Master title. I lost my first two games, won three in a row before losing in round six, and then I finished on a nice note by winning in round seven. It is frustrating that in the first two rounds I not only eliminated myself from prize contention but I lost so many rating points that even a strong finish could not fix all of the damage.

After the Chicago Open's fifth round, I scored 5/10 in the Chicago Open Blitz, including 0/4 versus players rated above 2200 and 5/6 versus players rated below 2000. There were 70 players in the Open section and 79 players in the U1900 section. 

I scored 2.5/4 in the May 30, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado, losing 10 rating points to drop my rating to 1989. 

I have had some excellent performances in the Cleveland Open--including finishing clear 1st in the U2000 section in 2009--but this year I lost to an 1834 rated player in the first round and never found my footing, scoring 2.5/5 in the U2100 section and losing 27 rating points to drop my rating to 1962. 

After round three, I played in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz, scoring 6/8 to finish clear first under 2100. I enjoy playing in rated blitz tournaments, and in Journey to the National Master Title, Part 6, I recounted my performance in the 2023 Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz (I did not play in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz in 2024 or 2025):

After the first three rounds of the Cleveland Open, I played in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz, scoring 5/8; I beat number one seed Wilson Spaqi (rated 2340) 2-0 in our mini match, and the only mini match that I lost was to National Master Jesse Ren, who won the event with an 8/8 score. I finished out of the money, but I added 16 points to my USCF blitz rating. Although blitz chess and regular rated chess are two different types of events--the former is like running a sprint, while the latter is like running a marathon--my ability to sandwich two wins against a strong National Master around tournament losses to players who each have ratings more than 200 points lower than my rating epitomizes the contrasting joys and frustrations of being a chess player: I know what it looks and feels like when my talent and preparation mesh, and I know what it looks and feels like when my talent and preparation do not produce the results that I expect. 

That paragraph summarizes how I feel about this Cleveland Open as well; chess is indeed a journey of "contrasting joys and frustrations."

I had a special Father's Day as my daughter Rachel and I played in the Cincinnati Sunday Chess G/60 event. I scored 1/3, losing 14 rating points to drop my rating to 1948. Rachel scored 2/3 (a one point bye, a second round loss, and a forfeit win in the last round). Rachel played an unrated G/60 game during the first round, and fought hard before losing against a much higher rated player. Despite the rating losses, we both had a great time. 

Rachel and I had fun on Father's Day at the Cincinnati Sunday Chess G/60 tournament 

Rachel and I played in the June 27, 2026 Cincinnati Tornado. I won my first round game in just 20 moves with Black, which enabled me to move up from board three in the Open section to board one in round two. The board one game each round is broadcast at lichess.com. I was better or winning for most of my second round game before I blundered and ended up down a R with no compensation. I won my third round game with Black, giving me the opportunity to notch a modest overall rating gain with a fourth round win, but again I blundered away a winning position with White to finish 2/4, losing 16 rating points to drop my rating to 1932. 

Here is my fourth round game prior to my 28th move:

White has an advantage of more than +6 according to Stockfish 18, which means that White is up the equivalent of more than a R even though the actual material advantage is one pawn. Black's only chance is to activate his R and B before White coordinates his R and N. I should have played 28. Rb3, which protects b2 while attacking b7. If Black checks on d2 then White's K goes to h3. During the game, I had a superficial concern that my K could get trapped or even checkmated on h3, but if Black tried to maneuver his R to h1 then White's K can escape via g2 if necessary. Unfortunately, I played 28. Na4, which does not spoil the win but which gives away a significant portion of White's advantage. My idea was to open up my R along the third rank while also defending b2 and attacking c5, but after 28...Rd2+ I erred by moving my K to g1 instead of h3. After my opponent played 29...Re2, I noticed that my intended move 30. Nxc5 loses to ...Be3+ followed by ...Bxc5. At this point, I should have slowed down and reevaluated the entire position to determine the correct plan. Instead, I played 30. Nb6, and Black could now equalize by taking my e pawn, but he blundered with 30...Rxb2??:

 

Now, the strongest move is 31. Nd7, with a double attack against c5 and e5. I played 31. Rd3, which is not as good but should still be sufficient to win. Black replied 31...Rd2. I had expected 31...Ra2, after which I planned to invade with my R and N to win pawns and help my K-side pawns advance. I should have realized that Black would attempt to thwart this plan instead of going after my a pawn. The only way to win after 31...Rd2 is to play 32. Rd7, forcing Black to trade Rs on my terms by activating my N to d7. Instead, I impatiently took on d2, activating Black's B on d2 and losing my a pawn by force. I know that a B is often stronger than a N in positions with pawns on both sides of the board because a B is a long range piece while a N is short range piece, so it is baffling and frustrating that I made such a rash decision. I could have still held a draw by moving my K toward the Q-side, but instead after Black took on a5 I took on e5, which misplaced my N and lost time. Black put his B on c3, attacking my N and controlling the a1 promotion square. I erred by moving my N to d3, after which neither my K nor my N can stop Black's a pawn. I could have offered more resistance by playing Nd7-b6 instead of Nd3, though Black is still clearly better because of his strong B and outside passed pawn.

Rachel scored 0/4; three of her four opponents outrated her by at least 300 rating points. She is having fun while learning and improving, even if her rating does not yet fully reflect what she has learned. Rachel played three casual games in between rounds, scoring one win, one loss, and one draw. Rachel has mentioned to me that she thinks about chess differently than I do, and I understand to mean not only that she evaluates moves differently than I do but also that she views chess as a fun game more than a challenge to be conquered.

When I started playing tournament chess I focused much more on the competitive aspect than the social aspect--and I am still more competitive than social, but going to tournaments with Rachel has brought out a different side of me and helped transform me into a more well-rounded person. 

Rachel and I took a selfie before going to the June 2026 Cincinnati Tornado. Yes, I wore the Chess Dad shirt for the second tournament in a row.

It is deeply ingrained in me to have ambitious chess goals and to believe that I am capable of achieving my goals, but I also see a bigger picture that chess provides value beyond gaining rating points. I knew this value long ago and spoke about it to others--including my students when I was a chess coach--but I am learning how to internalize it for myself and not let results alone determine how I feel about a chess tournament. I am not playing very well right now, but going to chess tournaments this summer with Rachel is a wonderful thing above and beyond how many games we win or lose. 

I have played 865 regular rated over the board games since January 1, 2020, and for most of that period my rating has hovered between the mid-1900s and the mid-2000s. Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells famously said, "You are what your record says you are." My record says that in recent years I am a high Class A/low Expert player. To reach my goal of attaining the National Master title, I have to break out of my current rating range. I have cut down my losses to players rated below 1800 and I have improved by draw/loss ratio, but that has not been enough, in part because many of my draws are with underrated kids so even though the draws do not hurt much in the tournament standings they are costing me rating points. I am also losing too many games to players rated between 1800-2000. My technique in converting winning positions has been lazy and sloppy, as illustrated by the above example.

I played very well in the first quarter of this year, but a disastrous second quarter not only wiped out an 83 rating point gain but put me in a deficit overall for the year. One major positive development this year is that my peak rating (so far!) of 2072 is my highest peak rating since 2022 and my 15th highest peak rating in a calendar year since 1987. 

The third quarter of 2026 will be about refocusing, regrouping, and getting my rating back over 2000. This is a challenging era for so-called "adult improvers" because the average USCF rating is much lower than it used to be and because the rating pool is increasingly populated with strong but underrated young players, but I believe that I am capable of playing well enough to overcome those challenges.

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 16, I listed four chess goals for 2026. Here are those goals, with notes about how I have performed so far this year:

1) Gain 25 rating points per quarter. I gained 83 rating points in the first quarter of 2026, improving my rating from 1980 to 2063; I lost 131 rating points in the second quarter of 2026, dropping my rating from 2063 to 1932. 

2) Do not lose more than eight games to players rated below 1800. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2026; I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800 in the second quarter of 2026.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had eight draws and eight losses in the first quarter of 2026; I had 12 draws and 15 losses in the second quarter of 2026.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .700. My winning percentage through the first two quarters of 2026 is .663.

In 2026, I have scored 55 wins, 20 draws, and 23 losses in regular rated tournament games with six first place finishes in 24 events. I lost 0 games to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2026 is -48, so I need to gain 268 points to reach my goal. 

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 14

In five March 2025 tournaments, I finished first twice and second three times while scoring 15/19 with just two losses; in April I picked up where I left off by scoring 3/4 in the April 6, 2025 East Market Swiss, finishing second-sixth and gaining 18 rating points to push my rating to 2015. That is my highest rating since November 12, 2023, when my rating was 2032. In the third round, I defeated the top seeded player, National Master Deshawn Kelley, but then I lost in the fourth round to Siddarth Kunapuli; that defeat snapped a 13 game streak during which I had no losses, which is my longest such streak since I had a 13 game streak in February-March 2023. During my most recent streak, I had 10 wins and three draws, while during my 2023 streak I had nine wins and four draws. I believe that when I develop the necessary consistency to put together a streak of longer than 20 games without losses I will be well on my way to surpassing the 2200 rating barrier.

Last year, in Journey to the National Master Title, Part 10, I discussed my Cincinnati Open history: "I first played in the Cincinnati Open in 1994, and it has become one of my favorite (nearly) annual events. There have been a few years that it has not been held, and a few other years that I was not able to participate for various reasons, but this year marked my 14th appearance--and the sixth time that I won a prize (including a tie for first place in the U2100 section in 2013)." This year, I took a third round bye, which meant that I played two games on Saturday followed by two games on Sunday. I played kids in all four games, starting with a first round win and then alternating wins and losses the rest of the way to finish 2/4 (2.5/5 including the bye), losing 14 rating points to drop my rating to 2001. In the last round, I lost to Elizabeth Xia, the highest rated nine year old girl in the country; in this tournament, she gained 81 rating points to establish a new career-high rating of 1911. I would have tied for fourth if I had won my last round game, and that would have matched my final ranking in 2023 and 2024.

I started the April 19, 2025 Columbus G/60 tournament poorly, losing in the first round to Colin Park (1708 published rating, 1788 live rating, 1839 post-tournament rating), who then won his second round game as well before losing in the last round to top seeded Evan Fan (2047). I bounced back to win my next two games to tie for second-third, but I still lost nine rating points to drop my rating to 1992.

I scored 2.5/4 in the April 26, 2025 Cincinnati Tornado. I lost my last round game on board one to Alex Cretsos, who won the tournament with 4/4. Cretsos gained 50 rating points establish a new career-high rating (2020), and I lost seven rating points to drop my rating to 1985. The next day, I scored 3/4 in the April 27, 2025 East Market Swiss, tying for second-third. I started 3/3 before losing to top seeded Deshawn Kelley in the last round. I gained 14 rating points to lift my rating to 1999.

My performance in the May 3, 2025 Columbus Plus Score tournament was a very disappointing setback. I made an unsound sacrifice versus Peyton Legg (1765) and lost in the first round, bounced back to win two games, and then blundered in the last round versus Daniel Chancey (1903). I lost 26 rating points to drop my rating to 1973. My slump continued the next weekend when I scored 2/4 in the May 11, 2025 East Market Swiss, losing 15 rating points to drop my rating to 1958. I scored 3/3 in the Dayton Chess Club's May 17, 2025 G/45 "A" Quad, gaining 12 rating points to improve my rating to 1970.

Unfortunately, I lost all 12 rating points--and much more--when I scored 2.5/7 in the U2100 section of the Chicago Open during Memorial Day Weekend. In the U2100 section of the 2024 Chicago Open, I scored 4/7 and only lost once, but this year I lost four games, including two to players rated below 1800, and my rating plummeted 52 points to 1918--my lowest rating since I hit my rating floor (1900) on March 31, 2021. My last round opponent had a published rating of just 1524, but before he beat me he defeated two players rated over 1900; he gained 193 rating points in this tournament, and he is now rated 1717. My tournament consisted of a series of tragicomedies (to borrow Mark Dvoretsky's word to describe a game gone awry), but perhaps the most tragic and comic was my lone draw, my third round game during which I had a losing position before my opponent hung a piece. I seemed to be cruising to victory when he played ...Ne6, after which he slapped his forehead as if he just realized he had blundered another piece:

Any sensible move wins easily for me here--but I let my guard down, and did not ask myself the most important question about any chess position: "What does my opponent want?" Here, he wants me to create a potential stalemate if I take his N with my Q. A few seconds after I gave him what he wants by playing Qxe6, he played ...Rxg3+. I have to take the R to avoid a perpetual check, after which my opponent forces me to take his Q and thus stalemate his K. I delayed the inevitable by playing Kh2, after which my opponent played ...Rh3+ and offered a draw--twice. By this point, I felt embarrassed at my carelessness and frustrated with his theatrics--the head slap, followed by multiple draw offers when it is obvious that the draw is unavoidable. I don't blame my opponent for playing on in a completely lost position; there is no rule against playing on until checkmate--but the head slap and the multiple draw offers were a bit much for me to take. I played the game out until stalemate appeared on the board. Normally, after every game I wish my opponent good luck in his next game, but after this game I said, "You had a resignable game but you are resourceful. The head slap was a nice touch. Congratulations on the best game of your career." I am not proud of making that semi-sarcastic dig, but I am not ashamed either; drawing me with Black probably is the best result he has had in his chess career. I am still not sure who is the bigger clown: my opponent for his "Three Stooges" theatrics after he played ...Ne6, or me for being foolish enough to let my guard down at any time, let alone in a game in the biggest tournament that I play in each year.

After the Chicago Open's fifth round, I scored 3.5/10 in the Chicago Open Blitz, including 1/6 versus players rated above 2100 and 2.5/4 versus players rated below 2100. There were 55 players in the Open section and 66 players in the U1900 section. 

I enjoy the "big time" environment of the Chicago Open, and I feel blessed to have played in the event 15 times, even though this one did not turn out the way that I had hoped or planned. I remain undaunted; after I hit my rating floor on March 31, 2021, I pushed my rating back over 2000 four tournaments later, on April 17, 2021. As I have always done, I lick my wounds, study my games, and prepare for the next tournament. Bill Belichick once very famously said, "We're on to Cincinnati," and that was literally the case for me--my next tournament was the May 31, 2025 Cincinnati Tornado. I started out with 2.5/3 and could have tied for first place with a last round win, but I lost to Evan Fan (2063) to finish out of the money and lose two rating points to drop to 1916.

I scored 3/5 in the U2100 section of the Cleveland Open to gain five rating points to improve to 1921. The good news about that result is that I did not lose a game, scoring one win and four draws; the bad news about that result is that I stood better in three of the four games that I drew, so if I had played more precisely I would have won more games and gained more rating points. The highlight of this tournament is that my daughter Rachel played in the Cleveland Open for the first time and she played in a two day weekend Swiss event for the second time. Rachel received a first round bye and then lost an "extra" rated game played during the first round. She fought hard throughout the tournament, facing higher rated players each round, and even though she lost all of her games she enjoyed the experience. It was a great Father's Day weekend for us!

Rachel and me before the first round of the 2025 Cleveland Open

Rachel and I played in the June 28, 2025 Cincinnati Tornado, the fifth time that we have played in this monthly event run by Robert Chenault. I scored 3/4 to finish third-fifth in the Open section, gaining 15 points to push my rating to 1936, and splitting the U2001 prize with one other player. Top seeded Aryan Balyan (2258 post-tournament rating) claimed clear first with 4/4, beating me in round three before defeating FM Hans Multhopp in the fourth round. Rachel scored 0/3 with a one point bye in the fourth round, but she had a great time, and she played an extra unrated game for fun during the fourth round.

Rachel and me prior to arriving at the June 28, 2025 Cincinnati Tornado

I started the second quarter of 2025 well, pushing my rating to 2015 after the April 6, 2025 East Market Swiss, but I lost 83 rating points in May before bouncing back to regain 20 rating points in June. 

In Journey to the National Master Title, Part 12, I listed four chess goals for 2025. Here are those goals, with notes about how I have performed in the first two quarters of 2025:

1) Gain 50 rating points per quarter. I lost 16 rating points in the first quarter of 2025, decreasing my rating from 2013 to 1997; I lost 61 rating points in the second quarter of 2025, decreasing my rating from 1997 to 1936. 

2) Do not lose more than six games to players rated below 1800. I lost five games to players rated below 1800 in the first quarter of 2025; I lost four games to players rated below 1800 in the second quarter of 2025.

3) Accumulate more draws than losses. I had nine draws and 14 losses in the first quarter of 2025; I had nine draws and 15 losses in the second quarter of 2025.

4) Maintain a winning percentage of at least .750, to break my personal record of .740 set in 2014. My winning percentage through the first two quarters of 2025 is .648. 

In 2025, I have scored 61 wins, 18 draws, and 29 losses in regular rated tournament games with three first place finishes in 27 events. I lost nine games to players rated below 1800. My net rating gain for 2025 is -77, so I need to gain 264 points to reach my goal. 

Journey to the National Master Title, Part 6

In the June 10-11, 2023 Cleveland Open, I scored 2/5 in the U2100 section, losing 41 rating points--my worst single tournament rating loss since I dropped 45 rating points in the U2100 section of the 2018 Cleveland Open (I also lost 40 rating points in the U2100 section of the 2022 Chicago Open). It is odd that my two worst rating performances in recent memory both happened in the Cleveland Open, because overall I have done quite well in that event, winning a prize in four of my first six appearances there before these last two duds (I did not play in the event from 2019-2022). 

After the first three rounds of the Cleveland Open, I played in the Cleveland Open Saturday Night Blitz, scoring 5/8; I beat number one seed Wilson Spaqi (rated 2340) 2-0 in our mini match, and the only mini match that I lost was to National Master Jesse Ren, who won the event with an 8/8 score. I finished out of the money, but I added 16 points to my USCF blitz rating. Although blitz chess and regular rated chess are two different types of events--the former is like running a sprint, while the latter is like running a marathon--my ability to sandwich two wins against a strong National Master around tournament losses to players who each have ratings more than 200 points lower than my rating epitomizes the contrasting joys and frustrations of being a chess player: I know what it looks and feels like when my talent and preparation mesh, and I know what it looks and feels like when my talent and preparation do not produce the results that I expect.

There have been a few large rating losses in my career that were perhaps predictable/preventable in the sense that--because of factors unrelated to chess--I should have known that I would likely be in less than optimal form. However, my two worst tournaments of 2023--the Cleveland Open, and the April 1, 2023 Indianapolis Super Tornado, where I lost 36 rating points--were not predictable/preventable; I felt good mentally and physically before both tournaments, I prepared well, and overall this year I have played well: my winning percentage (.728) is the second best for any year in my chess career, and I have finished first in eight out of 21 events.

It is frustrating to have a bad result--particularly after putting so much work into chess for so long--but I understand a bad result to be a reminder that are always more things to learn, not only about chess from a technical standpoint but also about the psychology of chess (including overconfidence, relying too much on instinct and not enough on calculation, and so forth). I know some players who withdraw from a tournament if they lose their first game, but it is unusual for me to withdraw from a tournament; I prefer to fight until the end, which sometimes has resulted in me salvaging a tournament that started poorly and other times has resulted in me digging a deeper hole. In general, I agree with something that Grandmaster Alex Goldin told me over 20 years ago regarding why he does not believe in withdrawing from a tournament unless you are ill or there is some other kind of emergency: the best way to learn how to play better chess is to keep playing chess! Every game contains a potential lesson, and is a stepping stone for improvement, so withdrawing from a tournament just slows down the growth process. On the rare occasions when I withdrew from a tournament I did so because I felt that I was too upset or fatigued by previous losses to keep fighting any more, and that I needed to cut my losses and regroup for my next tournament.

One consistent pattern in my chess career is that I tend to bounce back strongly after a bad performance. After my disastrous Indianapolis Super Tornado, I won a prize in each of my next seven tournaments prior to my poor performance in the Cleveland Open. In my first tournament after the Cleveland Open, I scored 2/3 in the Dublin (Columbus, Ohio) G/60 Swiss, tying for second place while gaining eight rating points. In the last round, I beat Nicholas Bize, a talented young player who defeated me in the first round of the Cleveland Open. The Dublin G/60 Swiss had 56 participants in seven sections consisting of eight players each; I was the fourth seeded player in the top section--with each of the top three players outrating me by at least 100 points--so a second place tie was a good result, but the best part of the day was sharing the experience with my daughter Rachel, who participated in her third regular rated tournament. Rachel was the lowest rated player in the sixth section, so she had a good learning experience while losing all three of her games.

Rachel and I had a great time at the 6/24/23 Dublin G/60 Swiss

On June 29, Rachel and I played in the Cincinnati Chess Club's G/24 Swiss. That event only affected our USCF quick ratings, but any chess played is part of the journey to National Master even if it does not impact my regular rating. I scored 3/4 to finish in clear second place, losing only to Russell Velasquez, who took clear first with 4/4. Rachel lost all four of her games, but she had a great time, and she even played casual chess games before and after the tournament.

A free candy bar is just one reason to smile at the 6/29/23 Cincinnati Chess Club G/24 Swiss 

Rachel and I played in the "Chess for Change!" tournament at the Delaware Main Library on July 15. I scored 3/4 in the Open section and lost one rating point. I finished tied for third place, but out of the money as only the first two places received prizes. Rachel lost all four of her games in the U1200 section.

Below the 2400 level, many if not most games are decided by tactical oversights; that is how I lost in the third round versus Expert Ben Al-Shami (2112), and that is how I won in the fourth round versus Sanjay Medicherla (1610).

In the above position versus Al-Shami, Rxf8+ wins routinely. After Black recaptures, White plays Kf2, and if Black takes on b3 then Ke3 blockades Black's passed pawns so ...Bxa4 fails to Rc4 while any other sensible move enables White to play a5; since Black's King is cut off by White's Rook, Black will be forced to give up his Bishop for the a Pawn. However, I "improved" on this line by playing Kf2 first to gain a tempo--but, of course, that gives Black the opportunity to save his Queen by playing ...Be8. If I had beaten Al-Shami I would have clinched at least a tie for second place, and I would have played top seeded National Master Lokesh Palani on board one with an opportunity to win or share first place.

In the fourth and final round, I won a back and forth game that was also decided by a tactical oversight. In the position below (shown from Black's perspective) after my opponent blundered with Rb5??, I played ...Rd8+, forcing his King to abandon his Bishop. I soon collected the c Pawn, placed my Rook behind the passed a Pawn, and prepared to advance my passed d Pawn. My opponent then resigned with just one second left on his clock and a hopeless position on the board.

The Delaware (OH) Main Library Hosted the 7/15/23 "Chess for Change!" tournament                                     

On July 20, Rachel and I played in the Cincinnati Chess Club's G/24 Swiss. I scored 3.5/4 to share first place with top seeded National Master Justin Storn, who I drew in an exciting last round game that featured mutual time pressure blunders before my opponent forced a perpetual check. I was the third seeded player, and I beat the second seeded player (Ram Dake, who earned the National Master title in the early 1990s) in the third round. Rachel lost all four of her games, but she had a full night of chess: she played a practice game against me on site before the first round, and she challenged Ram Dake to a game after the fourth round ended!

Rachel and I had a great time at the the 7/20/23 Cincinnati Chess Club G/24 Swiss

In 2023, I have scored 54 wins, 10 draws, and 17 losses in regular rated tournament games with eight first place finishes in 21 events--but five losses to players rated below 1750 were costly, and as a result my net rating gain for 2023 is minus 26 points, so I need to gain 214 points to reach my goal.