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It feels really good to start a competition as favorite, but when your face is part of the headline on the tournament poster, it can feel like a millstone too.
The pressure is on
The solution? Keep your nose to the grindstone. It worked wonders against the usual double-round angst when those frantic butterflies of mine were forced to fly in organized fashion.
And that brought me the 1st place
Chessing in Guadeloupe, known as the Caribbean butterfly (check its shape on Google Maps), was a poetic experience for your author. True, winning the tournament played a major role, but so did the:
Tropical scenery
The outstanding conditions and...
...the people I met.
I was higher rated than anyone else in the field but I know that this alone will never give you the trophy automatically. So yes, I did have my share of spooky moments:
All's well that ends well. I was not punished, not this time. Perhaps the stars were perfectly aligned to receive the generosity of both my opponent and the environment as well.
#Untaggable
Physically, Guadeloupe is stunning and offers way more than the holy Three Ss (sun, sand and sea). Beyond the shoreside screen of coconut oil and palms, the insular region of France is packed with:
Variety (right, why not talk about museums?!) while retaining...
... its rich culture and...
... identity.
Spiritually, Guadeloupe – and I know I will be using a meta-cliché – does feel a bit as if descending from a Caribbean brochure. It is indeed laid-back and relaxed but without the condescending part.
The image of a 'lazy island dweller' is a limiting stereotype and couldn't be more far from the truth
And I should give you a clear chess example for that.
“Chess is a conversation”
I loved this quote mentioned by one of my opponents. Even more than that, I enjoyed having the final word in it… 1-0
Black and White dialogues
Since every participant was anxiously waiting for the over-the-board-discussions to start, one might imagine that postponing this highly anticipated moment would be less than ideal. Hardly.
Though not one round started on time, not one single player was disturbed by that.
Celebrating the tournament's 2nd edition does say that yes, on paper, it was indeed a young organization; young in its energy, enthusiasm and passion injected by the tournament queen, Cynthia Dinane, and...
… fueled over and over again by the locals' love for the game
But it was not the youth, the lack of experience or :
...the laissez-faire responsible for the delays, as some would abruptly imagine.
I never encountered this anywhere else and I am grateful I experienced it in Guadeloupe. It was special and it will remain special for years to come: before each round, the tournament director, Cynthia Dinane, would make the usual small announcements regarding practical matters such as lectures, starting times, no phone policy etc. But completely new to me was to applaud my own opponent right before our encounter?!
As 'weird' as that might sound, the whole tournament was elevated by the friendly yet motivating atmosphere. Before each game the upsets of the previous round were announced, the greatest achievements and leaders were congratulated, as well as encouraging words were uttered to show support for the less inspired players.
Whatever the result, the buoyancy was there
I am personally not used to such heartening speeches, with such an open approach in an Open. Maybe elsewhere the Guadeloupean model would seem odd but on the island it made perfect sense. And it did help me come back to my senses after what I considered to be just as bad as a defeat.
It is not a smart idea to believe that showing up is sufficient for a point. Your opponent is there to mercilessly punish any error.
Excerpt from a horror chess movie: being lost with White against someone rated more than 500 points lower...the scenario on how could this could happen is typical and actually not so unusual. Since a draw would be considered by the stronger player as awful as a loss, why not keep on pushing till the point of no return?! Bad idea…
What can you do after such games?! Clearing up your thoughts with the beautiful scenery.
Continued in part two...
