3/5 in barrie

a couple of things before i start talking about barrie

• my goal is to get to 1600 in 2005, which i think is doable. basically i'll need an 1800 performance in the U2000 approximately to get the 80 points i need. something to shoot for
  
• i need to figure out my lines. with 1.e4 basically i'm fine v. 1. ...c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 and 2. ...e6 but i need lines v. the Dragon and Najdorf. I played the Dragon as White v. an Expert yesterday and i remember thinking (thank god he didn't play the Najdorf). i think i may play 6.f4 v. both and see how it goes.
  
• i seriously need to figure out what i'm playing as Black. there are two choices...a) 1.d4 d5 which i have to figure out what to play v. the colle and the veresov and b)1.d4 Nf6 which i only need to figure out what to play v. the tromp. then there's a myriad of decisions about what to play after 2.c4 in both lines, but there's time for that
  
• i am definitely putting a ban on blitz until that time...sure it's relaxing and makes me get used to middlegame positions. maybe i'll still play some blitz v. kirk but not on ICC/FICS. i'll do tactics whenever i get the craving
  

okay i have mixed feelings about my performance in barrie. sure i finished with 3/5 but i didn't play that well. i had initiative in the first game v. the expert, but my position fell apart. will need to go over that game with a fine tooth comb. second round, the guy asked "is this where the queen and king go?" so i played the king's gambit v. him :) third round, i lost all sense of urgency and allowed the guy to mate me horribly in 20 moves in the richter-veresov which pissed me off. round four, i had a better position but missed a couple tactics as black but still won when he hung a piece. round five, i battled and won an endgame.

kirk claimed my games were crappy but he missed as much as i did in his. i just need more games and less crap to get a serious frame of mind. after that easy victory in round two, i was just making moves in round three and was punished mercilessly. not acceptable. the good thing though is that the guy i beat relatively handily in the last round was rated 1580, so i mean 1600 is there if i want it. my goal is to go up about 100 points a year which is a lot, but i mean it's doable. i tried to talk kirk into playing up and he's not sure but i think he should. the bonus points is hard to figure out on the CFC site. basically you get more for having an 1800 performance winning 5 games v. 1400 players, than having an 1800 performance winning 2.5 games v. 1800 players, than having an 1800 performance.

also i was thinking about putting the breaks on OMGP vol. 3 it takes forever to do anything and move over to bronstein temporarily. or maybe not. just it's not proceeding as quickly as i would have liked. maybe i'll put my nose to the proverbial grindstone today and get through