Two years ago, Northside was in the middle of the pack. We were seeded 32, finished 30 - but in between we bounced around on boards all over the enormous hall. We started at Table 2 first round, where we lost to Niles North, and got banished out to Table 40 or 60 for second round. The we moved up to a new row of tables after winning, fought our way up behind the velvet rope again, but again were sent wandering out into the hall.
The perspective is different as the #2 seed. We get to sit in a stable location next to the podium at Table 2, as contenders make the trip to face us. We don't have to crush up to the bulletin board where pairings are posted and jostle with the swarm of chess-playing humanity to find out where we go next, nor locate Table 67 or 24 among the rows and columns. We still eagerly await the pairings, and mobilize into position as the round begins, but we know where we are headed already, and settle in to chairs that seem like ours.
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