The hotel and conditions for the tournament were superb, with great credit due to the organisers for creating such an enjoyable and well-run event. Personally, the tournament was a tale of two halves, in the first 4 rounds I drew with two IMs, beat an FM and only lost to a four-time World Youth Champion on my way to 2/4. However, in round five, I blundered just before the time control in a very complex game against an FM, marking the start of a shift in my fortunes. Over the next 4 rounds I got 3 completely winning positions but failed to convert all of them, which was very psychologically challenging. Despite this, I managed to pull through and finish the tournament with two wins. This left me with 4.5/11 which placed me similar to my starting rank.
Overall, I was extremely happy with my performance, which has given me a clear path for improvement. This, and the friends I made along the way, will make the tournament an unforgettable experience which I shall treasure for the rest of my life.
