It was a tournament of many upsets. So, in at least one game, I got paired against a lower rated player who had defeated a master in a previous round. Consequently, in none of my victories was the other player rated above USCF 2000!
The following game illustrates a common theme in my four wins: my opponent dropping a piece.
Round Five: Sicilian Defense
Jim West (USCF 2200) - Craig Gross (USCF 1937), Cherry Hill NJ 8/11/2007
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 e5?! 8.Nf5 Bxf5 9.exf5 Nbd7 10.O-O Be7 11.Be3 O-O
12.a4 b4 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.Bxd5 Rb8 15.a5 Rb5?! 16.Bc6 Rb8 17.Qe2 Qc8 18.Bxd7 Qxd7 19.Qxa6 Ra8?! 20.Qd3 d5 21.Bb6 Rfc8 22.Rad1 d4 23.c3 bxc3 24.bxc3 Rxc3?? 25.Qxc3!, Black resigns.
