Master Camp: Week 3 Report
Ten students participated in Master Camp in the third week. Therefore, it was decided to make two training and sports groups, which required an additional coach – Hana. Students were divided by rating for the chess groups and by age for the sports groups. But it turned out that in the general tournament, some participants of the second group (lower) were even stronger than some members of the higher group.
This time, the rated tournament consisted of only 4 rounds, as Donald and David Webster were late on the first day of camp (they came directly from World Open). The fight for first place was between three participants: Sam, Ivan and Don. And Sam’s chances seemed preferable. But he did not show “punchy” strength in the games against his rivals, (which ended in draws), and in the end Sam only shared 3rd place. Don and Ivan (who did not play each other due to lucky pairings) tied for 1st place. I was particularly impressed by Ivan’s games and work throughout all three weeks he spent in the camp. It is distinguished by the stability of his games, which is the biggest problem of his peers: many of the children, after one brilliant game, fail in the next one. Ivan did not allow his any of his games to drop below his level. This is a very important quality that distinguishes a strong chess player. Almost the same can be said about the sensation of the week - Merric. This is quite a young chess player, who is only seven years old. But in this tournament, he confidently shared 3rd-4th places with Sam. Merric’s games are very solid and almost free of bad mistakes, which is amazing for his age. At the same time he quickly notices opponents’ errors and punishes them!
The tournament turned out very badly for the rating favorite – the experienced Eric. It was clear that he is affected by serious school work and was quite out of shape. In almost every game he got into time trouble and committed crucial mistakes. Greatly improved compared to the previous year, Philip deservedly took a place in the middle of the cross table, along with Ashwin, who played according to his strength. Joshua is a very unstable chess player: this tournament he obviously failed, but it is quite possible that he could win the next one! Nastasia did not maintain the tension of the struggle. She gets a good position in every game, fighting with everyone on equal terms. But towards the end of the game commits a major blunder resulting in a loss, which ultimately led to last place in the tournament. The Webster brothers played well, especially Don, who shared the 1st place. Their nervousness during the game seems to affect their performance.
The Blitz Tournament took place in two laps (18 rounds). It was a close race between Ivan and Eric until the end. Only the last round revealed the winner: Eric lost, and Ivan won (the game and the Tournament). Young Merrick took third place.
In the Problem Solving Competition the participants again competed in their study groups. In the higher group, despite the addition of new experienced solvers, such as Sam, Don and Eric, again, no one could compete with Ivan. And even though this time his lead over second-place (7 points) was not that great, he was still the strongest. In the junior group, the struggle boiled down to a confrontation between Philip and Merrick. In the end, Merrick just clinched the lead.
Philip bounced back in the sports competitions and won confidently in the younger group. That is not surprising, since he is seriously engaged in figure skating, which requires good physical fitness. Sam was the strongest athlete in the older group, and won 1st place in the difficult struggle with Eric and Ashwin.
Don and David Webster showed their strength in individual analysis. The best analysis prize accounts for good behavior, quality of analysis and the time put into each game. Analyzing a game thoroughly and accurately is one of the most challenging and instructive skills. This nomination is similar to ‘the best student’ nomination, but the main idea of this prize is to promote high-quality individual work of students.
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