My first OTB tournament in 3 years! First time over 1900 Fide!

My chess journey began like many others—at a fairly young age. Not exceptionally early, as some players do, but I discovered the game at 12 and quickly got hooked. For the next six years, chess was a constant in my life, and I played around 40 over-the-board games each year.
Then, as it often happens, life moved on.
University came along, bringing new priorities and responsibilities, and my connection with chess slowly started to fade. Those 40 games per year gradually turned into just a few—mainly my local club’s annual league and a single summer open tournament with nine rounds.
After COVID, things became even more difficult. Once I started working full-time, finding both the time and energy for tournaments became a real challenge. Weekends filled up, schedules got tighter, and before I knew it, chess had quietly disappeared from my routine.
In fact, I hadn’t played a tournament game in three years. My last one was back in June 2023.
Until last weekend.
After all that time, I was finally back over the board. I played on board 2 for my local team and, somewhat surprisingly, I was one of the higher-rated players on that board (FIDE 1881). I felt excited—but also slightly unprepared. There hadn’t been time for proper training, no deep opening preparation, no research on my opponents. I just showed up ready to play, with a clear mind and no pressure.
The event consisted of seven rounds, played over several weeks. I wasn’t able to participate in the first three rounds, as traveling back and forth each week wasn’t possible for me. So my tournament really began with the final four rounds, which were all scheduled from Friday to Sunday, including a demanding double round on Saturday.
In a way, that worked in my favor.
I came in fresh, focused, and simply happy to be playing again. Without overthinking things, I managed to find my rhythm quickly—and the results followed.
I won all four of my games, finishing with a perfect 4/4.
Most of my opponents were lower-rated, but the performance still felt very satisfying. I gained 21 rating points and crossed back over 1900, reaching 1902 after three years away from competitive chess.
Not too shabby, I’d say.
Below are the games, along with some notes and thoughts I had during them.

Round 1 : Friday 17:00 Me (White) vs 1633 rated (Black)

Round 2: Saturday 10:00 1583 rated (White) vs Me (Black)

Round 3 : Saturday 17:00 Me (White) vs 1719 rated (Black)

Round 4: Sunday 10:00 1844 rated (White) vs Me (Black)