World Junior Chess Championship 2014: Chesscampeona On The Move

Hello, Chesskids! I am back! 

Most of you noticed I was away for a few months. I missed playing and talking with all of you, but I am back and ready to share my experiences with you!

From October 5 to October 20, I was at the 2014 World Junior Chess Championship in Pune, India! The tournament consisted of the top under-20 chess players in the world.

I qualified for this tournament by winning the 2014 U.S. Girls' Junior Closed Championship, on tie-breakers, held this summer at the University of New Hampshire.

Before heading to India, my coach and I analyzed in depth my  previous tournaments: North American Youth Championship, U.S. Girls' Junior Closed Championship, and the U.S. Open. We analyzed, learned, and fixed each mistake I made.

I studied an average of 10 hours of chess per week. Although we did not analyze all 78 girls in my category, we spent two weeks analyzing the top-ranked girls in the World Junior Championship in order to understand their different styles of play.

On October 3, my mother and I took a 3-hour flight from Dallas, Texas to Newark, New Jersey, where we had a 5-hour layover.

We then took a 16-hour flight straight to Mumbai, India.

When we arrived in India, we were greeted with hot and humid weather. We finalized our journey with a 4-hour car drive to Pune, India.

After a days' rest and an inspiring opening ceremony, the clocks started!

In the first three rounds, I started a great race. I drew Ioana Gelip of Romania (2154 FIDE), defeated WIM Sarvinoz Kurbonboeva of Uzbekistan (2212 FIDE) and drew FM Marina Brunello of Italy (2275 FIDE).

By the end of the third round, I was in the 17th position in a 78-player field.

I could not believe the rounds I was having -- then I hit a wall.

 

In the fourth round, I faced PV Nandhidhaa of India (2174). It was a very tough and hard game. The game lasted approximately six hours.

In the endgame, I was offered a draw but I declined. I got caught in time trouble and made several mistakes, which cost me the game.

I was upset with myself but I applaud my opponent for remaining calm and fighting hard.

Although I did not feel like it, I carried my fourth-round loss into the next round, where I suffered a second loss. Unfortunately, the losing did not stop there.

I suffered two additional defeats against Tihana Ivekovic of Croatia and Angelina Fransson of Sweden. My opponents where strong, live wolves, and they were hunting at each mistake I made.

It was difficult but I was determined to keep fighting.

After the seventh round, we enjoyed a rest day with an Indian friend, Laxman Lyer. He took us out for dinner, and drove us to Mumbai the next day!

The weather changed from Pune (cooler weather) to Mumbai (hot and humid)! The buildings in Mumbai were so beautiful and the British influence was so dominant in the architecture of the older buildings.

One thing I cannot get over is how friendly people are towards foreigners.

After the rest day, we were back to playing, As I sat down for the eighth round, I decided to look at the second half of this event as an entirely separate tournament.

In the following six rounds I faced representatives of France, Belgium, India, China, Russia, and Hungary. I scored three wins, two draws with only one loss against Hungary.

With this strong second half I finished the tournament with 6 out of 13 points while increasing 75 FIDE rating points. My 11 opponents were up to 300 points higher than me.

So what did I learn in the 2014 World Junior Chess Championship?

I learned not to be afraid. Before heading to India, I knew I would face strong players, but I mentally prepared myself to not let fear take control of me.

I purposed myself to give 100 percent on the chessboard and to follow coaching instructions. Not only in chess, but in life, we get scared, nervous, and fearful, but it is up to us to decided if we accept it or not!

Next year, the 2015 World Junior Chess Championship will be in Russia! Will it be difficult? I believe so, but I hope you, Chesskids, will join me in representing your country!

Remember, do not let fear control you, dream, and always have fun!