The first three rounds of the 2025 Canadian women’s championship went smoothly for me, but the chess was not one-sided. Rounds 2 and 3, in particular, were very closely contested, and I only managed to win those games by maintaining my focus for a bit longer than my two teenage opponents could. In general, my approach at the beginning of the tournament was to ease myself into things, to let my opponents set the pace, and to wait for their potential mistakes. I was the significant rating favourite in each of my first three these match-ups, and I mostly wanted to get back into the groove of competition without taking undue risks over the board. In the end, I was lucky to find winning chances in each game, and I scored 3-0. Here are a few key moments to show the flavour of those first three games.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3