Kasparov’s National Girls Chess Tournament 2010
On April 16th I embarked on an exciting and challenging trip to Columbus.
After narrowly winning the title of Girls High School State Chess Champion
against two other competitive chess players – Valerie Whitlach and Brittney
Sabatka - you graciously provided me the opportunity to participate in the
Kasparov’s National Girls Chess Tournament. Thank you so much for sending me to
Ohio. It was a memorable time.
I started off in an eight round blitz tournament, to get warmed up, and won
half of them. I was thrown off my first round due to a mishap on the clock, even
though I still won. Though I felt I played pretty well, I couldn’t beat out the
winner who had 8 out of 8 wins.
My first official game of the Kasparov was to Fiona Lam. I lost! In the
middle of the game I lost a pawn which I was unable to gain back. My second
round was against Christina White. Unfortunately, I miscalculated a combination
and got into a sticky situation in the end game. Once again I ended up losing.
My third game was against Rebecca Agnest. Feeling a bit shaky after my first two
losses I made some hasty decisions. My last three rounds, however, turned out
quite nicely. I ended up with three out of six points.
Overall, it was a great experience. Looking back over my games will hopefully
help me to play better in the future. Quitting when things get tough is not an
option. Fighting through negative thoughts, scheduling more practice time, and
learning to focus even more should help improve my game.
Thanks again for sending me out east to represent Oklahoma! I had a great
time and really appreciate your support!
Best regards,
Hannah Farell
P.S. I wish to make special acknowledgement to Devin Hughes for going out of
his way to hand carry my trophy back to Tulsa. My flight left before the closing
ceremony. Brett and Devin graciously waited until the end to pick up my trophy –
which stands about 3 feet tall. At the airport, Devin had to repeatedly respond
to the numerous well wishers about “the huge trophy he won”. Thanks again Devin!
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