Onwards And Upwards

AM making final preparations for flying to Alicante tomorrow for the annual chess festival at Benidorm's Gran Hotel Bali.

I originally entered the B tournament, but because my Fide rating has passed 2000, I have been moved up to the open.

There are nine rounds over seven days, so I have booked half-point byes in the morning rounds of the two double-round days.

The time limit is 90 minutes, with a 30-second increment throughout.

I am seeded 137th of 207 entries, which include six from England, and there are 10 more England-registered players in the B event.