World Youth Chess Championships 2009: Day 2

Last night I still had problem sleeping. I woke up at 1 am and my dad had to give me a pill to treat my headache. After that I slept until after 10 am, missing breakfast again.

On the hotel room balcony

I wasn't sure exactly what to prepare for my opponent, so I did some review of openings before the game. The problem was while I had little idea of my opponent, she and her coach could look at many of my prior games to study against me.

By one of the big pools in Limra - look what I carry in my hand

My opponent was an Indian girl with short black hair. When the game started, she immediately took off her shoes and put her feet on the chair. She played an opening that I was not familiar with and traded queens in less than 10 moves. While I did have a strong center, it became hard to win, so the game was equal. 3 hours later I was not in total control of the game and was quite tired, so I offered a draw and was accepted.

Simone in round 2

The lesson I learned today was that I need a stronger will to win and stronger body to fight.