Okay, I might have exaggerated saying I played like Magnus Carlsen, LOL, although I'm proud of myself for making the top 10 list with 23 points.
A big shout out to @samostically for hosting this incredible chess competition. It was nice playing with everyone. Congratulations to the top three players:
@tenny-trigah with a huge 37 points
@maestroask with 31 points
@stuffings with 26 points
And good job to everyone that joined the tournament !
What Motivated Me Yesterday
So, I'm in my final year, which is also my final semester in the university, and a lot of activities require money to execute. I initially planned not to attend any because I can't afford them, but I had a change of mind. I am not running from anything ever again, if I want something, nothing will stop me from getting it. Even if money seems to be an obstacle, I will find it.
I heard that Samostically was hosting a chess competition with a prize (Hive), so I decided to enter, hoping to win something that would add to what I have to fund my expenses.
Highlight of Yesterday's Games & Analysis
I played with @samostically, a valiant player. I probably wouldn't have won that match if he hadn't berserked. A blunder, coupled with time constraints on my opponent's side, led to my victory. Let's watch the GIF:
ZGM_SAMOSTICALLY VS JUST_OLA
And here is the PGN file:
[Event "Saturday HiveChess S1R1 Arena"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/3IbJvOvs"\]
[White "Just_ola"]
[Black "ZGM_Samostically"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Opening "Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense"]
- e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. h3 Nf6 4. Nge2 Bc5 5. Ng3 d5 6. d3 dxe4 7. Ncxe4 Nxe4 8. Nxe4 Bb6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 f5 11. Nc3 Qh4+ 12. Kd2 Be6 13. Qf3 O-O-O 14. g3 Qf6 15. Kc1 Rhf8 16. Qe2 a6 17. Bg2 Nb4 18. a3 Nd5 19. Rf1 Nxc3 20. bxc3 e4 21. d4 Qf7 22. Bxe4 g6 23. Rb1 c6 24. g4 Qg8 25. gxf5 Bc4 26. Bd3 Bxd3 27. Qxd3 gxf5 28. Kb2 Rd5 29. c4 Ra5 30. Rg1 Qf7 31. Qc3 b6 32. Ka2 Kc7 33. Qb4 Rb8 34. Qc3 Ra4 35. d5 Rc8 36. Qe5+ Kb7 37. Rg7 1-0
Don't Quit in Chess
I read a book on chess some years ago, and there was something I learnt: "It's not over until it is over." It was less than 3 minutes to the end of the tournament, and I could see most players flagging to quit since the time was almost up. I was tempted to do the same too since it was blitz (5+0), and even berserking would leave you with just 2.5 minutes to finish a game, which didn't seem worth it. I chose not to flag, hoping to checkmate my opponent in less than 2 minutes before the competition ended, and I kinda played it out how I wanted.
MIGMAG VS JUST_OLA
I Got Curious After the Competition
I was watching a game during the tournament, it was interesting, but I couldn't see how it ended before the algorithm paired me with my next opponent. So, I decided to see how it ended after the tournament.
Here, Black had the upper hand from the start of the game, and I expected Black to win. But as we all know in chess, things can flip pretty quick. Black made a blunder when he moved his rook to B8, giving White the chance to check Black's king and take the rook. Watch the game here:
TENNY-TRIGAH VS STAYOUTOFTHERZ
And here is the PGN file:
[Site "https://lichess.org/Rd7HAUQV"\]
[White "stayoutoftherz"]
[Black "Tenny-trigah"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Opening "Nimzo-Indian"]
- d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. e3 c5 6. Bd2 Nc6 7. a3 cxd4 8. axb4 dxc3 9. Bxc3 d4 10. Rd1 e5 11. exd4 exd4 12. b5 Qe7+ 13. Be2 dxc3 14. bxc6 cxb2 15. cxb7 Qb4+ 16. Kf1 Bxb7 17. Rb1 Be4 18. Rxb2 Qa3 19. Qc1 O-O 20. Rc2 Qc5 21. Rc3 Rad8 22. Nf3 a5 23. g3 Qc6 24. Kg2 h6 25. Qa3 a4 26. Ra1 Ra8 27. Bd1 g5 28. h3 h5 29. Bc2 g4 30. Bxe4 Qxe4 31. hxg4 hxg4 32. Re3 gxf3+ 33. Rxf3 Ng4 34. Qd3 Qxd3 35. Rxd3 Ne5 36. Rda3 Nxc4 37. Rxa4 Rxa4 38. Rxa4 Ne5 39. f4 Nd3 40. Rd4 Nc5 41. Rd5 Ne4 42. Kf3 Re8 43. g4 Kg7 44. Ra5 Nd2+ 45. Kf2 Ne4+ 46. Kf3 Nf6 47. Rg5+ Kf8 48. Rf5 Ne4 49. Rh5 Nd2+ 50. Kf2 Rb8 51. Rh8+ 1-0
Reminder:
Let's not forget the Liga chess competition happening today! Lets be there to support the blockchain team. Read @stayoutoftherz post for more information:
Thank Your For Reading ❤️
Saturday HiveChess S1R1 Arena
