Playing In Live Tournaments

I'm starting to get the itch (despite my novice status) to play in a real life tournament.

This thread is for people who have played in real life tournaments.
Fill in the blank: "The first time that I played in a tournament, the thing that surprised me the most was............."

.....how nervous I suddenly was.
Remeber how you felt before an exam, well multiply that by 10.

I later learned it was the adrenaline.

When I ever played OTB and never got a an adrenaline hit,
I knew I was going to play a bad game.

playing hungover works.

... I lived to tell about it. 😀

... I actually remembered to hit the chess clock every now and then! (OK, I really only forgot 2 or 3 times in the first game.)

Originally posted by greenpawn34
.....how nervous I suddenly was.
Remeber how you felt before an exam, well multiply that by 10.

I later learned it was the adrenaline.

When I ever played OTB and never got a an adrenaline hit,
I knew I was going to play a bad game.

You said it! That's the fun of it right there! It's nerve racking and fun at the same time. And there's no coaching, no opening books, and no engines! ha!

It's even more fun if you're in the hunt for one of the prizes.

But to answer the question, the most surprising thing I found was how serious everybody took the game. There was plenty of joking and fun in the skittles but once the clock starts ticking there's no screwing around.

The next best thing is the post-game analysis. I don't look at my games here and on blitz that carefully but my OTB games I keep and annotate thoroughly, regardless of the result. They really stick in your memory.

Originally posted by CamelClutch
I'm starting to get the itch (despite my novice status) to play in a real life tournament.

This thread is for people who have played in real life tournaments.
Fill in the blank: "The first time that I played in a tournament, the thing that surprised me the most was............."

I drew a master in a fascinating positional game and got raped by every other patzer I played afterwards.

at how many wizards and orks were at the tournaments...orks are surprisingly well booked and tactical, and the wizards are just fantastic players

"the thing that surprised me the most was............."

How tired I was after 2 or 3 games in a day.

"the thing that surprised me the most was............."

nobody but the winners stayed for the prize giving.

Originally posted by CamelClutch
I'm starting to get the itch (despite my novice status) to play in a real life tournament.

This thread is for people who have played in real life tournaments.
Fill in the blank: "The first time that I played in a tournament, the thing that surprised me the most was............."

....how fast I moved, and played poorly as a result. I actually left myself open for a pawn fork!
😛

thanks for all the suggestions

surprized me most was....... Just how well booked up everyone was. As someone who has never opened an opening book it really was depressing to be losing by move 15. In every game!

And also how hard I found it to concentrate at the board when there are so many people in the hall, (I played quite a large open tounament), people up and down and looking at your game etc. Being used to playing at home at the computer I found it off putting not having peace and quiet.

I was taken aback by the level of play even of 1200s. I played mostly rapid games online and hovered around Class B and A. I won most of my games just through tactics. After a few moves, a mistake would just happen and I'd be up a few pawns or a piece. In real chess, opponents were not so generous and I had to work so MUCH harder to get even a small edge or win a pawn. The wins were still through tactics most of the time, but they were more rooted in strategy and lasting pressure. I came out of my first tournament with all losses except for one win against an 1100. After the tournament I realized just how little I understood of chess.

BTW: It also takes some time to get used to a live board and pieces. You might want to practice a bit before the tourney. I had trouble seeing the board well for my first dozen games or so.

Originally posted by CamelClutch
I'm starting to get the itch (despite my novice status) to play in a real life tournament.

This thread is for people who have played in real life tournaments.
Fill in the blank: "The first time that I played in a tournament, the thing that surprised me the most was............."

You definitely need to scratch that itch. Jump in with both feet and do it for the fun of it. I bet that you won't regret it.