My first real chess tournament

Originally posted by ivan2908
It's definetly something else. I played with some 2200 rated players. No cheaters there. All of them playing differently, you have to learn to be very flexible to different styles. 🙂

It's amazing. Next month I am going to my first rated tournament (90+30s) time controls, there I am far stronger then in blitz. Yes, it still poor level of playing but at least I'll have 90 minutes to play and 30 seconds to blunder check every move 🙂

Originally posted by acb123
Never been called noble and virtuous before. You obviously don't know me very well. 🙂

I played my first otb tournament last year and fared about the same as you! My first opponent was a young Norwegian FM called Frode Urkedal rated about 2300 who just destoyed me, my last opponent was a 10 year old local lad rated 1000 elo who I resigned to in a slightly worse endgame because I felt sorry for him.

(He looked so intense and had his entire family behind him which I think wasn't helping him as he kept trying to usher them away. Plus I was on holiday, the sun was shining the pub was open and I was out of the prizes.)

The main difference I noticed about otb is the intensity of concentration, especially amoung the titled players. They sit at the board and analyse, they actually think! Were as I basically take a quick look and go on instinct. Ofthen I would only use 15 to 20 min for the entire game when my opponent had used an hour and a half, they won of course!