2008 National Chess Congress

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I went to the 38th National Chess Congress at the Sheraton Hotel in Philly. This has become a tradition for me and my family. I have played in this big chess tournament in the last four years. This year, I really had a great time. I met all my chess friends there. I also did fairly well, scored 4/6 in the U1800 section.

On the first day, I lost pretty badly in round one. I think that I was still in the holiday mood not in the chess mood. The good thing happened after the first round. After the lunch (my dad got me some noodles from the Chinese restaurant, which is very delicious), I won the second game over a 1600 rated player. The game was very exciting. Even though I had an advantage, I was time trouble. So did my opponent. When I won the game in the end, I had 47 seconds left on the clock. My opponent had only 25 seconds left. In the third round, I was paired against a 1400 rated player. It was not very hard for me to win that game. After three rounds, our group (two days schedule) was merged with the people who played the three day schedule. So the U1800 section has 77 players total. Starting from the fourth round, I am going to play the longer time control. So I decided to take my time and think as hard as I can. My hard work paid off in the game. My opponent had an unsuccessful attack. He exchanged a knight and two pawns for one of my rooks. Then I won the exchange back to end up two pawns ahead. My opponent resigned, which saved us from a long lasting game. In the end of my first day of the tournament, I got 3 points of 4 games, which is not bad.

On the second day, I only had two games. Both of my opponents are pretty good players. In both games, I had the chance, but I missed. Then I made a little mistake and blundered a pawn in both games. However, I did not give up and fought to the end. I won the pawn back and managed to draw in both games. I am pretty happy with this tournament result. My USCF rating finally breaks 1700.

Six Flags Safari

Last Saturday I went to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. The weather was great and I rode a lot rides. But what I liked the most was going to Wild Safari. I went to a lot of zoos, like Washington DC National Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo and Atlanta Zoo. But this one was very different and I have never seen animals this close before. There were emus, giraffes, elephants, llamas, rhinos, lions and many other animals in 350 acres wildlife preserve.

When we went in, we got a warm greeting by the llamas who came up to our car like a host (see picture below). Next as we went further in, we saw rhinos and elephants. But they were both fenced in. I guess no one likes to have his car crashed by the big elephant. Then we saw a lot of giraffes right in the middle of the road. They licked all the cars that passed by. My dad drove very slowly so that the giraffes can get close to us. The smallest giraffe even bit our car antenna. I did find out that a giraffe's tongue is more purple and blue than red. After the encounter with giraffe, we saw tigers and lions. They were also fenced in. As we were leaving, we saw black bears playing fight. It was a great experience for all of our family.

My Chess Essay

Here is the essay that I wrote in school. Teacher gave me a very good score on it.

You need good mind coordination and a competitive attitude to be a good chess player. Chess is my favorite hobby. I like chess because it is fun, competitive and it helps your mind!

It is fun because if you are bored, you can play a game of chess online or with a friend. Chess is fun because it is exciting. It has to be exciting if you find a good move!

Chess is competitive too. Everyone in the tournament has high expectation to win, but one wrong move might fail your game. This makes it intense.

Chess also trains your mind. It helps your memory when you make a mistake because you have to memorizing it so you don't make it again. Chess trains you patience when you play a long game. Sports and active activity are fun too. But I'd rather play chess although it takes a long time to succeed, the result is great. Now do you see why chess is my favorite hobby?

Spring Break at Washington DC

During my spring break last weekend, I went to Washington DC with my family. While we were there, we rode the duck, visited the White House, some museums, some memorials and National Zoo.

We drove three hours to get to DC. It was about 9 o'clock at night when we got there. We had a good night sleep in the hotel before we started our tour. On the first full day, right in the morning we rode the duck. How can you ride a duck? I didn't ride a real duck. The duck is an authentic, fully restored 1942 military vehicle that can drive on the land and swim in the water. This 90 minute tour took us through the city of DC before splashing down into the Potomac River. I rode a duck before in Philedalphia. But this time, I was still very excited to experience this thrill ride. At the end of the tour, each of us got a qauckers and we made a lot of loud quacks on the way back.

In the city, parking is very difficult. When we went to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, we ended up parking at the back of the White House. We spent more than two hours inside the Air and Space Museum. There are so many intersting things to see. We had to leave the museum because it was closed at 5:30PM. We also went to the National Museum of Natural History. We saw a giant skelton of the dianasours there. There are a lot of fascinating fossils. We also saw an exhibitions about mammals. I learned a great deal of science inside this museum.

The last day was the best. We went to the National Zoo. This park has three Giant Pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Tai Shan. Mei Xiang is Tai Shan's Mom. Tian Tian is Tain Shan's Dad. Tai Shan was born on July 2005. He is just 2 and half years old. Those three Giant Pandas are so cute and I took a lot of pictures of them. Admission to this zoo is free. So besides the main gate, there are many entrances to the zoo. You can park the car to any parking lot (There is $12 charge for the parking) and enter the zoo from the nearby entrance.

Three days passed by very quickly. Since there are still a lot things to see in DC, I would like to visit again this Summer.

PA State Scholastic Championships

I did OK in the PA State Scholastic Championships held in Carlisle over the weekend. I played in the K-6 open section. The first two games are pretty easy to me. I was in a very good position in the third game. However I did not recognize that and accepted a draw offer from my opponent. The fourth round I played poorly. My opponent was in trouble in the opening. But she played well. I was in a hopeless position. However, I gambled on one move and she did not recognize that and missed mate. I luckily won the fourth round. The last round I did not do well at the beginning in a French opening. However, I turned the situation around. I was in a winning position for the King Pawns end game. But I made a mistake and lost the game. In this tournament I won the game that I should not win and lost the game I should not lose. I guess this is the chess. In the end I won a 7th place throphy and my club MYCC won the second place club trophy.

The Prarie

I see hundreds of wildflowers swaying gently in the wind.

I hear birds chirping their song from far and near.

I feel the brisk clam wind blowing on my face.

I taste the wonderful taste of the first sunflower seeds of the season.

I smell the fresh clean air of Mother Nature.

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(This is the poem that I wrote in school)

Amateur East Team Championship

I went to a chess tournament "Amateur East Team Championship" last weekend. We didn't stay in the hotel that the tournament was hosted in. Instead, we stayed in a hotel called Fairfield Inn. Our hotel was great! The bed was comfortable, the main room and the bathroom were clean, and the room even had a nice smell. We also had free hot breakfasts and Internet access.
There are more than 230 teams in this tournament. Our team's name is Fuzzy Kings and Logic Pawns. It means that the kings, my dad and my friend Alex's dad, sometimes make silly mistakes and the pawns, me and Alex, have a much more clear mind. We played six rounds in three days. I played the toughest matches on board one. Even though I lost five games and only won one game, it was a great experience. I learned a lot of things so that I can be a better chess player. My dad as the team captain did well on board four. He won five games and lost one.
As I have said, this is a great experience. Now, my sister can play chess too. So she can be the alternate player next year. Watch out, the people that will play at Amateur East next year. You might face a much improved team, our team.