On Friday 31 March I took to the trains to Great Yarmouth, travelling via Nottingham and Norwich, to take part in the chess congress. This was probably a bit too far to travel in one day and left me quite tired. The bed and breakfast accommodation I had booked was comfortable however.
The weather on Saturday was wet and windy and cold, and getting to the Conference Centre venue, at the race course, was a long walk. Nevertheless I began with a good win against a 1500 rated opponent. This was followed by a draw. I was unable to find a place nearby for a decent meal and had to settle for a take-away coffee and pasty.
By the time of the third round that evening I was quite tired and found I had to play a strong Junior. Unfortunately she kept coughing at every move, which I complained about to the organisers, and questioned the state of her health, but they said she only had a cold, not Covid. It was a long game and in the end I ran out of time.
On Sunday morning the weather was much better, sunny but still with a strong wind. I lost my morning game by playing all the wrong opening moves. Fortunately this gave me time to catch a No.8 bus into the town centre where I was able to get some cod and chips at the Fish O'Licious by the bus station. Surprisingly for a seaside town there didn't seem to be many fish and chip shops, but maybe it was out of season. Most places along the front were closed up.
I caught the bus back to the venue, arriving in good time, and in a good mood, to win the final game, also against a 1500 rated player, though I think he was very tired at the end.
So my score was 2.5 out of 5, which I consider my standard result. The chess results website rates my performance at the 1460 level, well above my current rating of 1311.
The journey home was uneventful but I needed a good sleep that night. I will have to look at the chess calendar to see whether there is another event I could enter before the Crewe congress at the end of June. Maybe I should try some rapid play.
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