I just got back from playing in the World Open in Philly and I must say that I'm a bit disappointed with my result. I had a crack at tying for second but I lost my last round. We played two games on the last day. One at 10 am and another at 5 pm. Unfortunately for me my penultimate game didn't finish until 4:20 pm! A 6 hr 20 min game! It was an exciting game where I had to sacrifice my rook for my opponents bishop to obtain a winning position. I think that game was my best game in that tournament where tactics definitely made a difference. It ended up being drawish since I blundered a pawn but I managed to checkmate my opponent in mutual time pressure. We were down to our last two minutes.

Anyway back to my last round, I missed a move that would have secured me a comfortable position, the same move that would have prevented my opponent from playing a move that cramped my position. A friend of mine who's an IM even told me that I could have won a exchange or gained a considerable advantage. But after playing for more than 6 hrs, rushing to eat, and then playing again. I sure could not calculate very well. I actually saw the move that my opponent played immediately AFTER I made a move. What a lose it was esp. since I think I had a better position but I think fatigue definitely played a factor. Oh well, better luck next time I guess...