Chop Wood, Carry Water: The Checklist
Time to next (first!) tournament (Chicago Chess Center Rated Beginners’ Open #17): 1 day.
Tomorrow’s the big day! I won’t have much time today to prep, as I’ll be busy with soccer blogging. It’s probably for the best — I feel like over-preparing could do more harm than good. So today I only have two real tasks: keep my mind off of chess as much as I can manage, and get to bed at a reasonable hour.
The tournament is five rounds long, with check-in about 9:30am and the clocks starting on Round One at 10:00am. The tournament ends around 5:00pm, but Benjamin and I are taking a half-point bye for Round Five, we’re going to be done around 3:30pm or so. Still, it’s going to be a long day.
I was talking with a friend about what I should bring to the tournament and she mentioned those “What’s In My Bag” posts and videos that are all over the internet. I thought that might be a fun thing to do as my last post before the tournament.
So! Here’s what’s in my bag. (Technically it’s two bags, but you get the idea.)
Tournament-Standard Equipment W/ Bag
You might remember this kit from an earlier installment of this column. This is the stuff I absolutely have to bring to a competitive chess event.
The board
It’s a roll-up sort made from mousepad material.
The pieces
They’re triple-weighted Staunton design pieces, with a 4.15in King and extra Queens for promotion.
50ct scoresheet pad & mechanical pencils
I’m not sure if the tournament is supplying scoresheets or not, but either way I’m bringing mine.
US Chess membership card
Obviously I need this to compete in sanctioned tournaments in the US. There’s a card pocket inside the bag with a clear laminate front, so it’s a perfect place to store my membership card. I won’t have to worry about forgetting it, and I have some identifying info with the kit bag in case it gets lost.
TIMBUK2 Backpack
I’ve had this for 11 years now. It’s kinda falling apart and I need to replace it in the not-too-distant future. But it’ll do for now.
Seat cushion
My friend Katie got me this for my birthday earlier this year. It think it’ll work well as a seat cushion, which will definitely help for spending long periods of time sitting in a hard plastic + steel chair.
Phone charger
Obviously my phone is going to be off during play, but in-between rounds I want to be able to use it to listen to music and to do tactics puzzles right before the next game to stay sharp. So I need to make sure my battery can go the distance.
(Fun fact: late last year I was thinking to myself, “self, you should get a portable phone charger when you have the money.” Then a friend took me to a Cubs game and they were giving these away as the gameday promotion. Good timing!)
Headphones
My phone is also my music player. I have a paid Spotify account, which lets me download music for offline use. I’ve already got a pre-tournament playlist set and downloaded, along with a decent selection of relaxing & palette cleansing music to cool down between rounds.
(USCF rules allow you to listen to music during games, as long as it’s not disrupting your opponent or other players and your music player can’t also be capable of supplying information that can give you a competitive advantage during the game, like an app with Stockfish on a smartphone. I don’t plan on listening to music during the games — I don’t want to raise even the faintest whisper of suspicion that I might be cheating, and I also want to be respectful of my fellow competitors. But man, once I’m done with a game I’m definitely going to need some John Darnielle in my ear holes.)
OTC Pain Reliever
I’m susceptible to headaches, and even my mild ones can make it basically impossible to function. The last thing I need is to get one in the middle of the competition. (I also have knee and back troubles, which are similarly Not Fun. So this is definitely a must-have.)
Fidget Spinner
Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh. I live with anxiety, and sometimes it gets so bad I lose all my capacity to be a person among other people. Two of my biggest anxiety triggers are A. being around lots of people I don’t know and B. having my failures and shortcomings publicized for strangers to see and judge. Both of these are unavoidable features of competing in a sanctioned chess competition.
In other words, tomorrow is going to be very stressful for me, and could easily transpose into a Bad Mental Health Day regardless of my results. Having something to occupy my hands helps. Having something to divert my focus for a few minutes helps.
Water bottle
Every article and forum post I’ve read about tournament prep or survival has a few recurring themes. One of the big ones: Stay hydrated. Which is just as well, since I drink a lot of water during the day anyway.
I’ve had this Aperture Laboratories water bottle for six years now. It’s one of my few remaining holdovers from when I was still invested in claiming “geek” as an identity. I still love Portal, but more to the point, I really love water. This thing holds 44 ounces. So.
Snacks
Another recurring theme is having healthy snacks on hand. I’m partial to trail mix. YMMV, obviously.
Packed lunch (not pictured)
Like I said, it’s going to be a long day. There’s a lunch break between Rounds Two and Three. I don’t really want to spend money on food while I’m down there, so I’m going to make and pack a peanut butter sandwich right before I leave.
Makeup
Cause a girl’s gotta have a little confidence, right?
Finding information or advice on presentation at a chess tournament has been sparse, and more or less falls into two categories: Nobody Cares Just Wear What You Want, and Dress Like You’re Going To Work At A Downtown Office. And what little guidance that’s out there is, obviously, geared toward men and masculine-presenting people. There’s nothing on how women or femme-presenting folks should present themselves. So obviously, this is all somewhat fraught for me. I know that I’m likely asking for trouble by adopting even business or business casual femme presentation at a casual local event. But I’m not willing to pretend to be something I’m not.
So here’s what I’m going with:
- This excellent under-eye cream for my dark circles.
- Touch In Sol liquid foundation.
- Spice lip gloss from Bang Beauty. It’s not quite a naked lip, but it’s close. Noticeable without being too loud.
- A couple drops of Glow Milk.
- New York Color 115A nail polish. I just really like this shade of blue.
- G L I T T E R. (I don’t know if I’ll actually put it on but I want it with me Just In Case).
So that’s the last bit of practical prep for the tournament. Everything else now is just tactics training and mentality and Trusting The Process. (Ugh, I’m starting to sound like a pro athlete. What is happening?)
Alright, let’s go!
