We are less than 24 hours outside of USAT 2022.
Our team is ranked #3 in the field. We have a great chance of winning this tournament as long as our second and third board overperform. Joseph is rated 2308 but is likely in the middle of the pack for rating on the first board. I (2207) am a strong second board and Shreya (2179) should be a strong 3rd for our team. As long as we stay motivated, we have a strong chance of taking this event.
The team that most concerns me is the Chicago B team. Honestly, I hope we do not engage this team. They have 2600s for board 1 and 2 a high 2300 for their 3rd. The fourth board is ~800 which makes this team pretty cheap. I hope they get upset before they reach us but I would hope to get draws for 1st and 2nd board and leave it up to Shreya to determine the match.
I cannot fully explain our strategy for this hypothetical situation but I will present as much drama from this event as possible, given all our rounds aren't back to back. I plan to insert some short videos to these blog posts to keep everyone good and saturated.
Also, I just came off Port of Burlington after hoisting myself back into the 2200s. Here is my highlight Game from the event I think it was a near master class, let's hope this is my standard this weekend.
Let me know what you think!