Elephant Chess Cup 1 - Everything Thread

by **Raspotochje** » Sat Jun 19, 2021 1:40 pm

RASPOTOCHJEAN CHESS FEDERATION WEB SITE

MATCH DAY 1

The Raspotochje national team opened the competition with a 2-2 draw against Mertagne.
A very difficult opponent with great chess players. Points for us were brought by Edita Vukorepac and Ivan Habijanić. But the young forces failed to resist the pressure so Mertagne equalized.

Mertagne 2–2 Raspotochje

Aldreus Tikdannin vs Edita Vukorepac - 0:1
Ivan Habijanić vs Saerah Garstern -1:0
Janns Yeoman vs Tomislav Grnelić - 1:0
Darjan Kninsky vs  Carys Burgess - 0:1

MATCH DAY 2

The second round still brought the expected victory.
Ivan Habijanić and Edita Vukorepac won again, as expected. Darjan Kninsky managed to draw and Tomislav Grnelić was defeated.

Raspotochje 2½–1½ Quemorr Isles

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Eshialand                 2    2   0   0       6      2   +4     4
 2 Bollonich/Græntfjall      2    2   0   0     5.5    2.5   +3     4
 3 South Newlandia           2    1   1   0     5.5    2.5   +3     3
 4 Mertagne                  2    1   1   0       5      3   +2     3
 5 Dotivija/Srednjaci        2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
   Natanians and Nosts       2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
   Raspotochje               2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
   Sylestone                 2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
 9 Felinetopia               2    1   0   1       5      3   +2     2
10 Norrhem                   2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
   Quebec and Shingoryeo     2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
   Shell Shock Troop Clan    2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
   The Grearish Union        2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
14 Newolo                    2    0   1   1     3.5    4.5   −1     1
   Quemorr Isles             2    0   1   1     3.5    4.5   −1     1
16 Atheara                   2    0   1   1       3      5   −2     1
17 Sannyamathland            2    0   1   1     2.5    5.5   −3     1
18 New Jacobland             2    0   0   2       3      5   −2     0
19 Hebitaka                  2    0   0   2       2      6   −4     0
20 Arjunnagar                2    0   0   2     1.5    6.5   −5     0

AFTER THE MEDIA BROADCASTED MATCHES FROM THE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP INTEREST IN CHESS APPEARED IN SCHOOLS chess web site Raspotochje

While we are waiting for the next matches of our chess players, a review and simulation of the matches of our representatives has been introduced in the schools.
The children enthusiastically followed the classes and simulations and at the end of the class they could play chess and copy some of our moves.

"We are very surprised how the children follow chess with enthusiasm. The media in Raspotochje have started to attach importance to this competition and it is something that children follow.
We are glad that chess has entered our schools as an additional elective subject."
said Professor Jasna Diklić.

" Chess helps children develop intellect and critical thinking. Namely, during the simultaneous match of Ivan Habijanić vs Saerah Garstern, the children were completely inside the match. They asked questions and looked for some other possibilities and options." said professor Diklić.

by **Quemorr Isles** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 2:55 am

QUEMORR ISLES NATIONAL CHESS TEAM

TECHNICAL:

RP Permissions: Just as long as it does not include killing or harming the players, or cheating, then godmod away. Pwetty pwease.

Nickname: The Fishies

THE PLAYERS:

Board One: Prawn
The Prawn plays quite a neutral game - neither aggressive nor defensive. At times, it can be subject to frustration, but that only occurs against the very best of its opponents. As you can imagine, the Prawn’s favourite pieces are pawns, but uses them efficiently and wisely for the most part. The Prawn will be difficult to beat in the best of times, but is often subject to the odd mistake or two.

Board Two: Hammerhead Shark
As you can imagine, the Hammerhead Shark is one of the more aggressive players in the side. It is quite a proficient user of knights, using them to weave through its opponents defences, but often leaves its king and queen susceptible if an opponent can find a way to weave in behind it. A very boisterous player - likes bringing light into what is considered a serious game.

Board Three: Dugong
Like the prawn, the Dugong is quite a neutral player. However, unlike the prawn, it is occasionally susceptible to brain lapses and as a result, can give away the advantage. However, it is still a mighty fine player and opponents will be hard-pressed to beat it.

Board Four: Azamon Pink Dolphin
The brainy member of the side, the Azaman Pink Dolphin is by far the most advanced in terms of tactics than any other chess players in the Isles. It ventures from its home in the Azamon to pursue a career in chess and has come a long, long way. Only the very best will be able to beat it.

ALTERNATES:

Alternate One: Piranha
If you thought the Hammerhead Shark was aggressive, think again. The Piranha literally does not care about defence. At all. An easy win if you’re a brainiac but if you’re someone who much prefers to go by a specific tactic for the majority of the time, you’re in trouble. The Piranha also has a habit of eating enemy pieces whenever it loses, so watch out.

Alternate Two: Dumb Gulper Shark
Super stupid, relies mainly on luck. However, somehow, it often gets it through either a mistake from its opponents through unorthodox play or by pure chance. Both happen as often as each other, but not as often as how much this guy loses.

by **Srednjaci** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 4:23 am

CHESS IS POPULAR AGAIN!

ANA BAKOVIĆ :After all the sporting events during this crazy season, chess has once again become popular among spectators. The Srednjaci perform with Dotivia on Elephant Chess Cup.
The victory and the draw in the first two rounds played, give us hope that we can still be far better and more.

MATCH DAY ONE

Atheara 2 – 2 Dotivija/Srednjaci

Carlos Devyn 1 - 0 Danijel Paradžik
Daniel Paradžik started the game surprisingly badly against Carlos Devyn from Atheara. Paradžik made a mistake on the fifth move. He later tried to pull out a draw but Devyn was too careful to fall into that trap. Devyn noticed that Paradžik was struggling and that this was not his day. He took the opportunity and attacked Paradžik. It paid off for him because he brought our Grand Master to a dead end.
Danijel Paradžik realized that there was no reason to continue and gave up the fight. Resignation.

Selena Mlyawtaski 0 - 1 Jelena Tabak

Jelena Tabak saved a part of Srednjaci on the second board. Jelena defeated Selena Mlyawtaski with 1: 0 and thus brought the first victory to our united team. Tabak was more dominant from the beginning to the end of the match and after 54 moves she won with a checkmate.

Dushev Akarpovick 1 - 0 Dinara Ivezić

The Dotivian players also had half the success. Dinara Ivezić was defeated by Dushev Akarpovick with 1: 0. Dinara did not have a great chance against Dushev Akarpovick. She did not concentrate well enough on the board after the taxi in which she was, caused the accident and hit another vehicle. Dinara also had to give a statement to the police and came to the competition 10 minutes before the start.Dushev Akarpovick won after 47 moves by checkmate.

Aelena Svetrachka 0 - 1 Tin Mužinić

Tin Mužinić managed to bring equalization to our team. This is also the first point for the players from Srednjaci and Dotivija.

Atheara 2 – 2 Dotivija/Srednjaci
Carlos Devyn 1 - 0 Danijel Paradžik
Selena Mlyawtaski 0 - 1 Jelena Tabak
Dushev Akarpovick 1 - 0 Dinara Ivezić
Aelena Svetrachka 0 - 1 Tin Mužinić

MATCH DAY TWO

Dotivija/Srednjaci 2½–1½ Newolo

A much better edition of our chess players, we watched in the second round. Danijel Paradžik and Jelena Tabak were convincing in their matches. Tin Mužinić from Dotivija played a draw and Dinara Ivezić recorded another defeat.
However, we are happy with the fact that our and Dotivia's chess players are much better and their games are more stable than in first rund.

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Eshialand                 2    2   0   0       6      2   +4     4
 2 Bollonich/Græntfjall      2    2   0   0     5.5    2.5   +3     4
 3 South Newlandia           2    1   1   0     5.5    2.5   +3     3
 4 Mertagne                  2    1   1   0       5      3   +2     3
 5 Dotivija/Srednjaci        2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
   Natanians and Nosts       2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
   Raspotochje               2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
   Sylestone                 2    1   1   0     4.5    3.5   +1     3
 9 Felinetopia               2    1   0   1       5      3   +2     2
10 Norrhem                   2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
   Quebec and Shingoryeo     2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
   Shell Shock Troop Clan    2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
   The Grearish Union        2    1   0   1       4      4    0     2
14 Newolo                    2    0   1   1     3.5    4.5   −1     1
   Quemorr Isles             2    0   1   1     3.5    4.5   −1     1
16 Atheara                   2    0   1   1       3      5   −2     1
17 Sannyamathland            2    0   1   1     2.5    5.5   −3     1
18 New Jacobland             2    0   0   2       3      5   −2     0
19 Hebitaka                  2    0   0   2       2      6   −4     0
20 Arjunnagar                2    0   0   2     1.5    6.5   −5     0

by **Eshialand** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 6:27 am

Zwischenzug

Date: Friday, December 3rd, 2021
Time: 2:53 PM
Location: Outside the Southern Sportsplex, Cincinnati, Eshialand

RING! RING!
"Who in the world..." King William says before checking the caller ID on his phone. When he does check it, it reads "Annoying Brat".

He picks up the phone. "Hello Michael..."
"Hi King William! How was the big soccer match?"
"Terrible, it was a completely one-sided match, the Siege clobbered Ottawa 5-1..."
"How is that terrible?"
"It's terrible when you want to see competitive soccer! This whole league's gonna be a complete disaster..."
"Well... I know how to cheer you up!"
"How would that be?"
"The chess tournament in Newport!"
"You think chess could cheer me up?"
"When Eshialand's winning it could!"
"What do you mean, 'Eshialand's winning'?"
"I'll text you the standings after two matches!"

DING! The king checks his texts, and finds the Elephant Chess Cup standings, with Eshialand at the top.

"Hold on Michael, this country is good at something?"
"Mmhmm, we have an actual chance! And our next match is going to be a marquee matchup against the Bollonischian/Graintfjaller team!"
"What channel could I watch this on?"
"Probably ENN Sports 2..."
"Many thanks Michael!"

The king hangs up the phone and runs to his hotel, hoping to catch the match. He arrives there at 3:26 and flips on the TV, which is showing a preview of the match to come.

The camera pans from the ENNS2 commentators (Eshian IM David Danielson and Galdanulian GM Hrajko Marinik) to the Eshian team, who have just returned from their lunch break. Jason has his game face on, Alan's relatively relaxed, Mary's a bit stressed, and Stephanie's buried in her phone playing one last practice game.

These 4 players seem so different, but the king can see in their eyes that they're more similar than they think.

by **Mertagne** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 9:13 am

From the "journal" of Arnado Kreene...

I was able to recover the rest of my equipment sucessfully under the cover of darkness at a dock in Newport. The organisation had it shipped over, disguised in a crate of limes. Nobody's buying Mertagnian limes nowadays, so it had remained in the back of a shipping container that must have contained a variety of other Anaian fruits. I felt the squish of Krytenian grapes as I stood by the side of the crate and pried it open with a crowbar I'd snagged from a nearby tool cupboard. Digging through the limes, I was able to retrieve both briefcases and slink out of the ship before any of the dockmen saw me. At least, that's what I believe. If I left blue footprints all over the show due to the grapes, then my cover has probably already been blown.

I woke up early the next morning to a knock on the door from another team mate. It was Aldreus. The civil engineer, and our person on Board 1. He claimed he was nervous for his opening game - against a player from Raspotochje - Edita Vukorepac. Tikdannin claimed that he'd seen his opponent play in a fex exhibition games, and she was fierce. He wasn't sure he'd had her figured out yet, and he apparently needed her figured out before he could play. He asked me if I could play a game or two with him in her style (which he would recount to me for a few moves, and then I was supposed to 'play optimally' for longer stretches). I obliged, begrudingly, and tucked the cases underneath my bed before I joined him in his room, which actually had a chess board set up in it, alongside several chess books and excerpts from magazines. Is this how actual chess players prepare for a match? I'll have to splay the books I brought with me out across the room lest I blow my cover. After about 90 minutes or so, Tikdannin still didn't seem satified, but I claimed he'd do fine against Vukorepac and told him not to worry.

I went downstairs for some breakfast and didn't grab too much - just a banana, a coffee, and a croissant. I needed to prepare for the day's antics. Matchday 1 was upon us, and I had a beautiful 4 hour window to use what I'd gained from the night before to bug the building, as per my mission orders. What exactly I was looking for was yet to be disseminated to me, but as per my brief, any intelligence that would aid the organisation was high priority.

Garstern, the heiress, caught my attention just before I entered my room to sort out the equipment. She was using the telephone, and appeared to be calling her father. As she was in the room next to mine, I raced over to the joining wall and, using a stethescope, attempted to make out the bulk of the conversation. It seems that she wanted some more spending money, as Newport has a lovely market in which fashion from all across Esportiva can be purchased. Apparently Tumbra make some beautiful dressed, and the chance at getting something rare from The Sarian couldn't be passed up. The unique and interesting thing about this conversation is that she didn't get her wish. Perhaps Daddy cut her off? That'll probably help her focus her game for today's matches.

Checking the equipment for the last time before the matches began, I was hopeful that I'd be able to get a good plant in most people's rooms. There were two ways to do this, and I chose the less dangerous way of the two. I'd clocked the uniforms of the cleaning staff over the last few days, and by being a very dumb tourist, I'd managed to get "lost" in the underbelly of the hotel and had stolen one.

While in the underbelly of the hotel, I noticed the telephone switchboard - which connects incoming hotel calls and internet traffic to the outside world. I didn't have time to tap the internet connection - a much more obvious, high tech, and complicated job - but the phone lines were buggable in a hurry before I slunk back off upstairs, aided by a bellhop that was rather flustered when I asked him for directions to several different kinds of restaurants.

Now, while my teammates were setting up a nice international distraction down below, I would be able to pose as a member of the cleaning staff and gain access to everyone's rooms. It's not hard to spoof a keycard when you have the equipment, let me tell you, and while I listened to the play-by-play of matchday one on the radio, I took great care in disturbing nothing as I planted a bug in as many rooms as possible.

I successfully got the network installed, but I was pulled away from my action to join the chess players for a chat after their first two matchdays. It seems, in a shock move, that Mertagne had tied their first matchday against Raspotochje (and that boring man Tikdannin had lost both his games - hah!), but had pulled ahead in a nice 3-1 win against Atheara. Garstern was indeed playing at the top of her game, perhaps fuelled by anger, but it seems she had great skill as she bought her second opponent to resignation in just 56 moves. Apparently that's not a lot, and Yeoman quipped that it took him 49 to force his opponent to resign. Mertagne are doing well here, which may actually be a bad thing for me personally as I'll have to work harder to maintain my role as substitute and general administrator. Nothing "The Boy" Eiger can't do, I suppose.

I'm writing this as I connect to the room bugs for the first time. I will note, handler, that Mertagnian spy equipment can be a bit tempremental sometimes. These listening devices may not all work, and the rooms in this hotel are so large that someone with the proper training (or level of intelligence) could have a conversation entirely out of range of them. I just hope that whatever information I'm able to collect is of sufficient quiality to our mission - which I'm sure will be revealed in due course...

by **Norrhem** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 10:13 am

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

Breaking news have come in from South Newlandia that could spell doom for Norrhem's first participation in international chess. Security officers have refused a broadsword belonging to the Norrhemian delegation to the Elephant Chess Cup entry into the country. Sources close to the delegation have told Norrhem Daily News that the sword belongs to athlete Hjalmar Rönnfors and has been declared part of equipment. Officials have refused to acknowledge that a broad sword is part of chess equipment, so the negotiations are still ongoing.

In the meantime Norrhem have won their first event of the tournament with a 3-1 over the Shell Shock Troop Clan despite the controversy, but lost 1-3 against Eshialand on match day three. Norrhemian officials hope to be able to resolve the issues before today's games against Felinetopia and avoid a major diplomatic falling out between the nations. Norrhem Daily News will keep you updated on any progress.

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 10:30 am

Cutoff number two has arrived! If you're feeling lost in the game of chess, here is a helpful beginner guide to watch while I work on scores.

Match 3 – Friday, 16:00

Results:
(the team listed first has white on boards two and four)

Eshialand 1–3 Bollonich/Græntfjall
South Newlandia 1–3 Mertagne
Dotivija/Srednjaci 2–2 Natanians and Nosts
Sylestone 1–3 Raspotochje
Norrhem 1–3 Felinetopia
Quebec and Shingoryeo ½–3½ Shell Shock Troop Clan
Newolo 1½–2½ The Grearish Union
Quemorr Isles 1½–2½ Atheara
Sannyamathland 2½–1½ New Jacobland
Arjunnagar 3–1 Hebitaka

Table:

P                          Pld    W   D   L     PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Bollonich/Græntfjall      3    3   0   0    8.5    3.5   +5     6
 2 Mertagne                  3    2   1   0      8      4   +4     5
 3 Raspotochje               3    2   1   0    7.5    4.5   +3     5
 4 Felinetopia               3    2   0   1      8      4   +4     4
 5 Shell Shock Troop Clan    3    2   0   1    7.5    4.5   +3     4
 6 Eshialand                 3    2   0   1      7      5   +2     4
 7 Dotivija/Srednjaci        3    1   2   0    6.5    5.5   +1     4
   Natanians and Nosts       3    1   2   0    6.5    5.5   +1     4
   The Grearish Union        3    2   0   1    6.5    5.5   +1     4
10 South Newlandia           3    1   1   1    6.5    5.5   +1     3
11 Atheara                   3    1   1   1    5.5    6.5   −1     3
   Sylestone                 3    1   1   1    5.5    6.5   −1     3
13 Sannyamathland            3    1   1   1      5      7   −2     3
14 Norrhem                   3    1   0   2      5      7   −2     2
15 Arjunnagar                3    1   0   2    4.5    7.5   −3     2
   Quebec and Shingoryeo     3    1   0   2    4.5    7.5   −3     2
17 Newolo                    3    0   1   2      5      7   −2     1
   Quemorr Isles             3    0   1   2      5      7   −2     1
19 New Jacobland             3    0   0   3    4.5    7.5   −3     0
20 Hebitaka                  3    0   0   3      3      9   −6     0

Match 4 Pairings – Friday, 18:00

Bollonich/Græntfjall - Mertagne
Raspotochje - Felinetopia
Shell Shock Troop Clan - Eshialand
The Grearish Union - Dotivija/Srednjaci
Natanians and Nosts - South Newlandia
Sylestone - Atheara
Sannyamathland - Norrhem
Arjunnagar - Quebec and Shingoryeo
Newolo - Quemorr Isles
Hebitaka - New Jacobland

Match 4 – Friday, 18:00

Results:
(the team listed first has white on boards two and four)

Bollonich/Græntfjall 1½–2½ Mertagne
Raspotochje 3–1 Felinetopia
Shell Shock Troop Clan 1½–2½ Eshialand
The Grearish Union 1–3 Dotivija/Srednjaci
Natanians and Nosts 1–3 South Newlandia
Sylestone 2½–1½ Atheara
Sannyamathland 3–1 Norrhem
Arjunnagar 3–1 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Newolo 1½–2½ Quemorr Isles
Hebitaka 1½–2½ New Jacobland

Table:

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
   Raspotochje               4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
 3 Bollonich/Græntfjall      4    3   0   1      10      6   +4     6
 4 Dotivija/Srednjaci        4    2   2   0     9.5    6.5   +3     6
   Eshialand                 4    3   0   1     9.5    6.5   +3     6
 6 South Newlandia           4    2   1   1     9.5    6.5   +3     5
 7 Sannyamathland            4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
   Sylestone                 4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
 9 Felinetopia               4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
   Shell Shock Troop Clan    4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
11 Arjunnagar                4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   Natanians and Nosts       4    1   2   1     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   The Grearish Union        4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
14 Quemorr Isles             4    1   1   2     7.5    8.5   −1     3
15 Atheara                   4    1   1   2       7      9   −2     3
16 New Jacobland             4    1   0   3       7      9   −2     2
17 Norrhem                   4    1   0   3       6     10   −4     2
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     4    1   0   3     5.5   10.5   −5     2
19 Newolo                    4    0   1   3     6.5    9.5   −3     1
20 Hebitaka                  4    0   0   4     4.5   11.5   −7     0

Match 5 Pairings – Saturday, 11:00

Mertagne - Dotivija/Srednjaci
Raspotochje - Bollonich/Græntfjall
Eshialand - South Newlandia
Sylestone - Sannyamathland
Felinetopia - Shell Shock Troop Clan
Arjunnagar - Natanians and Nosts
The Grearish Union - Quemorr Isles
Atheara - New Jacobland
Norrhem - Quebec and Shingoryeo
Newolo - Hebitaka

by **Eshialand** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:03 pm

Blunders
Eshialand 1-3 Bollonich/Græntfjall
Shell Shock Troop Clan 1½-2½ Eshialand

Date: Friday, December 3rd, 2021
Time: 5:00
Location: Inside the Ivory Crown Hotel, Newport, South Newlandia

"So, what just went wrong there for us?" Jason asked after Eshialand's 3-1 loss to the joint team from Bollonich and Græntfjall.
"I'm pretty sure everything went wrong..." Alan replied. "I had Reynir right where I wanted him, but I was so foolish in blundering off my bishop..."
"I should've seen my easy win..." Mary remarked. "I could've easily beaten Ánýá if I wanted to, but no, I foolishly accepted her draw..."
"Well, I don't know what went wrong for me, I was just playing my best game ever and BAM! I lost my rook!" Stephanie said in utter shock.
"Could I throw a theory out there?" Jason asked.
"I'd rather you not..."
"Look, I think you've been taking this tournament way to seriously. You've lost all of the joy of chess!"
"That's simply preposterous! I love chess!"
"I think you're letting the tournament get to you. Try relaxing, maybe that'll help."
"Why should I listen to you?"
"Actually," Alan added, "I agree with him."
"What?! Come on now, all I need to do is practice a bit more..."

Stephanie reaches into her pocket, only to realize that her phone isn't there. "Who the heck took my phone?!"
"You mean this one?" Mary waves a uPhone 11 in front of Stephanie.
"Give it back!"
"No, Jason's right! You need to relax before our next match against Shell Shock Troop Clan!"
"Relaxation is for the weak-minded who don't care enough to invest themselves fully in the game!"
"Or maybe you're the weak-minded one," Jason theorized, "too afraid to face any challenge without far too much preparation."
"A little relaxation might be good for you!" Alan added.

Stephanie walked out of the room to collect her thoughts. She wouldn't return until 5:59 PM, one minute before her game against Shell Shock Troop Clan's Chavela Sabina.

Eshialand 1-3 Bollonich/Græntfjall
Josep ½-½ Severn
Nerata ½-½ Klæðskera-gleði
Ýrarsson 1-0 Blaine
Jacobson 0-1 Oliver

By the time Stephanie returned to the board, she was finding it hard to focus on her game, being so "ill-prepared" in her eyes. How could she play with the sting of that defeat to Felip Oliver still rattling around in her brain, and the knowledge that her own "teammates" didn't take chess as seriously as she did, and didn't even understand why she took it so seriously?

Well, it was too late to think about that. There was only one thing she could do now, and that was play the best game of chess she had ever played. She blacked out the rest of the world and the rest of her thoughts and became one with the 8 by 8 battlefield that sat in front of her.

While it may not have turned out to be the best game she had ever played, it was certainly enough, as she rolled with every punch before emerging on the other side of the fight with a won endgame. Chavela tipped her king, and it was all over.

When Stephanie joined the rest of the team, she was met by Jason telling her "Well done, you've figured it out."
"Figured what out?"
"The art of chess Zen."
"Huh?"
"You relaxed your mind and became one with the board and the game on it! You may not have known it, but you took my advice!"

Stephanie reflected a bit on her game, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out what Jason was talking about.

"You know what? I'm going back to my hotel room..."
"Bye Stephanie!" Jason said as he waved at her.
"I think she might be opening up to the ideas of relaxation and teamwork..." Alan noted, "what do you think Mary?"
"I think Ginés Atocha just beat me in a Bongcloud and I hate it..."
"Wait, you mean..."
"Yes Jason, 1. e4 e5 2. Ke2... it caught me so off-guard that I couldn't think straight for the rest of the game!"
"Well... um... at least nobody else in their right mind would ever try that opening?"
"That's not helping..."

Shell Shock Troop Clan 1½-2½ Eshialand
Severn 1-0 Torres
Atocha 1-0 Nerata
Blaine ½-½ Merino
Sabina 0-1 Jacobson

by **Srednjaci** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:11 am

CHESS PLAYERS LOOK BETTER IN THE TOURNAMENT

ANA BAKOVIĆ : The United Chess Federation Dotivia and the Middle Ages continue with great games at the Elephant Cup. In the next two rounds, our combined players won and drew.
There is a great atmosphere in the team and everyone is very encouraged by the great news and chess games.

Match day 3

Dotivija/Srednjaci 2–2 Natanians and Nosts
Danijel Paradžik vs Ghost 1 - 1:0
Ghost 2 vs Jelena Tabak - 1:0
Dinara Ivezić vs Ghost 3 - 1:0
Ghost 4 vs Tin Mužinić - 0:1

Danijel Paradžik played against a player and won the checkmate with a checkmate. It was hard for him to play against a player he doesn't even see, it's just the clothes in the air that give the outline. However, Danijel Paradžik kept his nerves and nerves cold and managed to win. From the beginning, Daniel imposed his rhythm of the game, his authority, but the spirit on the other side did not give up. However, with the checkmate, the game was over after 52 moves.

Dinara Ivezić managed to register her first victory in the tournament. She defeated a player without a face and a name with 1: 0, a checkmate. Unlike Jelena Tabak and Tina Mužinić, Dinara was not afraid of the spirit against which she played on the board. She managed to concentrate only on the game and won after 47 moves.

Match day 4

The Grearish Union 1–3 Dotivija/Srednjaci
Danijel Paradžik vs Player 1 - 1:0
Player 2 vs Jelena Tabak - 0:1
Dinara Ivezić vs Player 3 - 0:1
Player 4 vs Tin Mužinić - 0:1

In this round, our chess players achieved three victories and one defeat. Dinara Ivezić was the weakest link and while the others achieved convincing victories.
Similar to the previous match, our opponents did not want to give their identity, so it was much harder to play in such circumstances
What makes us happy is the fact that our combined team is undefeated for now in the competition.

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
   Raspotochje               4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
 3 Bollonich/Græntfjall      4    3   0   1      10      6   +4     6
 4 Dotivija/Srednjaci        4    2   2   0     9.5    6.5   +3     6
   Eshialand                 4    3   0   1     9.5    6.5   +3     6
 6 South Newlandia           4    2   1   1     9.5    6.5   +3     5
 7 Sannyamathland            4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
   Sylestone                 4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
 9 Felinetopia               4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
   Shell Shock Troop Clan    4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
11 Arjunnagar                4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   Natanians and Nosts       4    1   2   1     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   The Grearish Union        4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
14 Quemorr Isles             4    1   1   2     7.5    8.5   −1     3
15 Atheara                   4    1   1   2       7      9   −2     3
16 New Jacobland             4    1   0   3       7      9   −2     2
17 Norrhem                   4    1   0   3       6     10   −4     2
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     4    1   0   3     5.5   10.5   −5     2
19 Newolo                    4    0   1   3     6.5    9.5   −3     1
20 Hebitaka                  4    0   0   4     4.5   11.5   −7     0

by **Raspotochje** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:59 am

RASPOTOCHJEAN CHESS FEDERATION WEB SITE

MATCH DAY 3

The Raspotochje chess team continues with great games. Domination on the board, so one can describe the match against Sylestone. Our grandmasters Habijanić and Vukorepac were convincing. Tomislav also won and Darjan lost.

Sylestone 1–3 Raspotochje

Hudson Moore vs Ivan Habijanić - 0:1
Edita Vukorepac vs Mason Hickson- 1:0
Alice Powell vs Tomislav Grnelić - 0:1
Darjan Kninsky vs Alice Powell - 0:1

IVAN HABIJANIĆ played against Sylestone's best player. good resistance from Hudson Moore was expected but it did not happen. Habijanić managed to outwit his opponent with a great and memorable game and inflict defeat on him. Hudson Moore is a great player but in this match he failed to impose himself because Habijanić blocked any possibility of establishing balance on the board. The match ended with chess after 47 moves.

EDITA VUKOREPAC- She didn’t have big problems against the young Sylestone star. Edita immediately began authoritatively on the board. With quick strokes she threw young Mason Hickson out of rhythm. She didn't give him much of a chance and the match was over very quickly after 41 moves with a checkmate. Edita plays great again and shows her great play in ascending trajectory.

TOMISLAV GRNELIĆ : won in a meeting of two young upcoming chess stars. Tomislav was better than Alice Powell in 52 moves with the resignation of Alice Powell. This is a very important victory for Grnelić and for his self-confidence.

DARJAN KNINSKY : scored the only porza in this match for Raspotochje. darjan had no chance against 44-year-old Matilda Pearson. Darjan opened the match well but the cunning and experienced Matilda Pearson very quickly turned the match in her favor and after 43 moves Darjan handed over the match. Matilda Pearson win by resignation.

MATCH DAY 4

Raspotochje 3–1 Felinetopia

Ivan Habijanić vs Begonia Arden- 1:0 
Klaus Santicus vs Edita Vukorepac - 0:1
Lazzlo Moosler vs Tomislav Grnelić - 1:0
Darjan Kninsky vs Mowju Seamster -1:0

IVAN HABIJANIĆ : A very awkward match was played by Ivan Habijanić against the domestic cat Begonia Arden. Begonia Arden had the claws ready but did not use them fortunately for Habijanic. The match broke out on the 26th move when Habijanic pressed Begonia Arden with his bishop and queen. At this point, it was obvious that the players of Begonia Arden lowered the tempo and became more defensively oriented. Habijanić came to victory in the 41st move by resignation of Begonia Arden.

EDITA VUKOREPAC : she had an even tougher opponent, at least in physical form. Klaus Santicus is the cunning Eurasian Lynx. Edita had to play tricks on him, to put herself in a subordinate position so that he would not fall into the trap. Klaus Santicus realized late that Edita had played wiser and led him astray. After Edita performed a quick counterattack the match broke in her favor. After the 45th move, he was a checkmate and Vukorepac won.

TOMISLAV GRNELIĆ : was impressed that he had to play against Bobcat. Lazzlo Moosler took advantage of this and beat young Tomislav after 38 moves.

DARJAN KNINSKY: it’s amazing what happened. Darjan Kninsky was the key player for the win. This is his biggest win of his career. When it all fell on his back he showed that he could be counted on. With a win against Mowja Seamster who is actually Cheetah, darjan recorded his first win of the tournament.

Raspotochje shares the first position with Mertagne. Our grandmasters Habijanić and Vukorepac are pulling two young upcoming stars very well.
This team has the potential to go all the way to the first place.

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
   Raspotochje               4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
 3 Bollonich/Græntfjall      4    3   0   1      10      6   +4     6
 4 Dotivija/Srednjaci        4    2   2   0     9.5    6.5   +3     6
   Eshialand                 4    3   0   1     9.5    6.5   +3     6
 6 South Newlandia           4    2   1   1     9.5    6.5   +3     5
 7 Sannyamathland            4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
   Sylestone                 4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
 9 Felinetopia               4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
   Shell Shock Troop Clan    4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
11 Arjunnagar                4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   Natanians and Nosts       4    1   2   1     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   The Grearish Union        4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
14 Quemorr Isles             4    1   1   2     7.5    8.5   −1     3
15 Atheara                   4    1   1   2       7      9   −2     3
16 New Jacobland             4    1   0   3       7      9   −2     2
17 Norrhem                   4    1   0   3       6     10   −4     2
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     4    1   0   3     5.5   10.5   −5     2
19 Newolo                    4    0   1   3     6.5    9.5   −3     1
20 Hebitaka                  4    0   0   4     4.5   11.5   −7     0

by **Bollonich** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:18 pm

Hello! Chess

Slight hiccup against Mertagne, Raspotochje up ahead

And with the conclusion of the 4th game, the matches to be played on Friday have concluded as we sit in a relatively good position ahead of the 5 matches to come over the period of the next two days. Our team played well and have performed better than expectations being placed 3rd after 4 rounds of games. In the third game on Friday, we were up against the talented players from Eshialand, we knew they would be a challenge as they were the only team to have won their first two games who also had the extremely talented player Stephanie Jacobson who had won each of her games that she played. This game against Eshialand was going to be a tight and challenging game. On the first board was the showdown between Clara Josep and Jason Severn, this was a perfect match up between aggression and even Moree aggression. Severn’s playing style could be seen to match that of Clara as they both were attack minded players. This match between two attacking players would be a spectacle to watch as to who would come out as the player who could counter their opponent’s attacks. This battle between the two aggressors surprisingly ended in a mutually accepted draw which was a surprising and uncharacteristic action for both players. On board two it was a completely different story as Ánýá a calm and composed player came up against Mary Nerata, a player who was as defensive as Ánýá. This game showed stark contrast to the one being played on board one as this was more defensive rather than the attacking minded play that was seen on the first board. They both adopted clever defensive techniques and while the method was vastly the different the result seemed to be the same as the one seen in the first board. They both had fought hard but in the end a draw is what we came out with. Even after two games the score was tied at 1-1 and we needed some results from Reynir as well as Felip. Reynir came up against Alan who like always tried to complicate the game to outsmart their opponent. But little did he realise that Reynir was up to it, and he managed to counter each of his attempts with a bombardment of his own. And in the end Reynir picked up a crucial victory against a talented opponent in Blaine who lost solely due to the backfiring of his own plan and an unlucky blunder. But a victory was a victory and Reynir would take it, as everything came down to Felip. It all rested on the young shoulders of Felip who was up against probably the best player in the Eshian side, Stephanie. This game would be difficult and it was as Stephanie seemed to have a great positional advantage with a rook in an open file and greater pawn structure. But that’s when she made the blunder that cost Eshialand the matchup. Felip managed to take advantage of it giving Bollonich a great win over Eshialand. This meant we would face a competitive side from Mertagne who had 5 points from 3 games while we stood one point above.
However underestimating them due to them being one point below us could be fatal mistake to say the least. Nonetheless another great matchup was on the cards, similar to the last match up against Eshialand. On board one Alfreus Tikdannin of Mertagne came up against Clara. Alfreus by profession is a civil engineer known throughout Mertagne for his cheesing prowess and is also the national chess champion. A naturally defensive player found themselves against the attacking nature of Josep pointing to a great matchup. And for the second game in a row Clara Josep failed win having to settle for a draw. In board two it was Saerah who was up against Ánýá, and it seemed like the players had just swapped places as Sarah was the attacking player while Ánýá usually was calm and composed during games. As the Mertagnian kept attacking Ánýá she kept calm and made sure she didn’t go to a disadvantage. And Ánýá’s plan worked as she kept Sarah at bay however failing to secure the win having to again settle for a draw. Things seemed to get extremely tight as lots of these boards seemed to be easing for draws. In board three it was the 55 year old Mertagnian Dr. Janns Yeoman who faced the Græntfjaller chess player Reynir. Reynir would have been confident as he had just provided Bollonich with the win against Eshialand. But the game against Janns barely went that way as the Mertagnian used their much precious experience against Reynir in what was a truly brilliant game saw him come out with a surprising win over Reynir who didn’t expect it coming. The faith of the team again rested on Felip who had to deliver if we were to come out of this match with any points at all. Felip who was against Carys seemed to be ready to take her on following his win over Stephanie. He seemed ready to win ahead of the endgame but it was a single move that cost him the win. The game ended in a stalemate as a draw was the result which meant, the GCF-BAC joint team had lost their first match up in four Matchdays. This loss would and should be considered a slight hiccup in what has been a great performance from our players and we expect them to keep winning and keep performing in the upcoming matches.

Eshialand 1-3 Bollonich/Græntfjall
Clara Josep (BOL) ½-½ Jason Severn (ESH)
Mary Nerata (ESH) ½-½ Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði (GRÆ)
Reynir Ýrarsson (GRÆ) 1-0 Alan Blaine (ESH)
Stephanie Jacobson (ESH) 0-1 Felip Oliver (BOL)

Bollonich/Græntfjall 1½-2½ Mertagne
Aldreus Tikdannin (MRT) ½-½ Clara Josep (BOL)
Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði (GRÆ) ½-½ Saerah Garstern (MRT)
Dr. Janns Yeoman (MRT) 1-0 Reynir Ýrarsson (GRÆ)
Felip Oliver (BOL) ½-½ Carys Burgess (MRT)

Solve It! Leaderboard

Answer - 1. RxC5 RxC5 2. d7 Rd5 3. Nf5+ Kg4 4. Ne3+

1. Logan Allen (Eshialand) - 10
2. Sandra Elephantson (South Newlandia) - 10
3. Melsiende Elzinga (Bollonich) - 8
4. Teemu Moralez (Maribaya) - 7
5. Timmy Brown (Bollonich) - 4

White to move

by **Dotivija** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:17 pm

DTV Sport News

Dotivijan chess players play great with chess players from Srednjaci. It is a great advantage that they are united because Daniel Paradžik encourages our chess players with his games. Dinara Ivezić and Tin Mužinić are playing better and better as the competition progresses. The Dotivia / Srednjaci Chess Federation is undefeated for now. They belong to the group of only three national teams that do not lose. Raspotochje, Mertagne and our team. Dotivia does not have some great world sports achievements, but it is time for Dotivia to get involved in sports ventures. For now, tennis is the only place where Dotivia is represented.

Dotivija/Srednjaci 2–2 Natanians and Nosts

Dinara Ivezić vs Ghost 3 - 1:0
Ghost 4 vs Tin Mužinić - 0:1

Danara's first win on tournament. This was really strange match against Natanians and Nosts. Our players didnt saw a player, just floating suits.
In that conditions, this is strange result as well.

The Grearish Union 1–3 Dotivija/Srednjaci

Dinara Ivezić vs Player 3 - 0:1
Player 4 vs Tin Mužinić - 0:1

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
   Raspotochje               4    3   1   0    10.5    5.5   +5     7
 3 Bollonich/Græntfjall      4    3   0   1      10      6   +4     6
 4 Dotivija/Srednjaci        4    2   2   0     9.5    6.5   +3     6
   Eshialand                 4    3   0   1     9.5    6.5   +3     6
 6 South Newlandia           4    2   1   1     9.5    6.5   +3     5
 7 Sannyamathland            4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
   Sylestone                 4    2   1   1       8      8    0     5
 9 Felinetopia               4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
   Shell Shock Troop Clan    4    2   0   2       9      7   +2     4
11 Arjunnagar                4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   Natanians and Nosts       4    1   2   1     7.5    8.5   −1     4
   The Grearish Union        4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5   −1     4
14 Quemorr Isles             4    1   1   2     7.5    8.5   −1     3
15 Atheara                   4    1   1   2       7      9   −2     3
16 New Jacobland             4    1   0   3       7      9   −2     2
17 Norrhem                   4    1   0   3       6     10   −4     2
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     4    1   0   3     5.5   10.5   −5     2
19 Newolo                    4    0   1   3     6.5    9.5   −3     1
20 Hebitaka                  4    0   0   4     4.5   11.5   −7     0

[/pre]

by **Shell Shock Troop Clan** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:00 pm

(OOC note: the majority language in Shell Shock Troop Clan is Spanish, so everything in this and my other RPs should be assumed a translation unless stated otherwise. This isn't new or important, just in terms of the "translation" issue here.)

Blurry footage of a luxury hotel room. The camera appears to be upside-down. A little more tinkering with loud noises in the background and Ginés Atocha comes into view.

"Hello my dudes...my bros...lost spectators who are looking for another stream, whoever. I know you have many questions, such as...why did I choose to begin the game with Nerata with Ke2 on the second more. Well...you see...look I'm not gonna lie it was a little of a calculated risk, and by calculated I mean...not entirely calculated. Look, it...has some consequences, you know, it removes your right to castle. So that forces you to make some decisions about how and when you're going to introduce your rooks. But like, it's not necessarily a bad thing, because you don't have to worry about weird pawn formations or your king getting trapped behind those. Also, we all know that the endgame is when the king needs to come out to the center to take a more offensive role, and in rapid style, well, we only have fifteen minutes so you want to accelerate that early, you know?

Um, another question I have received from my loyal fans out there, and I thank you for following this tournament and sending those along, is 'is this opening called the Bongcloud in Spanish.' And...uh...I don't think it actually has a name in Spanish, that I know of? I mean, it's not an opening that has received a lot of study or analysis, if you know what I mean, so maybe there's an opportunity there for someone to dig into the theory and get it named after them. Not me though. Probably. Uh, there are definitely people in Shell Shock Troop Clan who have played openings with bong clouds, I should know. But I don't think they're any more likely to use this opening than any of the others.

And to those of you giving me a hard time, let me remind you that none of my teammates got a win in round 4, so...just gonna leave that there. Round 3, Omar held to a draw by that Quebec or Shingoryeo first board, but the rest of us pulled it out, so you know, that's exciting.

Some of you had questions about what we do after the games, between games on the same day it's mostly hanging around in the ballroom, meeting other players. Now that we're done for the day, obviously as you can see I am taking advantage of this fine occasion to broadcast from suite 521. I think Chavela is probably floating in the pool. Pretty sure Alexis is terrified by the idea of wading in a mixed-sex pool in only his swim trunks...I don't know if he even owns any swim trunks, so maybe he's just inspecting his room to see if there's been any sacred texts left there, who knows. And Omar is ordering a lot of room service, which is a good idea to be honest, I may ask him what's good.

Well, that's all for tonight, thank you for watching, and enjoy your bongclouds...literally or metaphorically...I don't judge. And be sure to follow along with us tomorrow when we play...apparently some cats? Okay maybe I do need sleep, this seems pretty wild."

by **Felinetopia** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:14 pm

"That was rough!" exclaimed Santicus as they exit onto the streets of Newport. "These opponents are tougher than I thought."

"No S***, Santicus," said Begonia. "They wouldn't just send some randos to a multiversal chess tournament. All of them are Grandmasters and the top chess players of their country so of course their tough."

"I thought these chess nerds were going to be as easy as the Grandmasters back home. Oh well. Guess I'll reset my mind for tomorrow. You'll see me winning all 4 matches tomorrow!"

"Sure. Good Luck." Begonia said dismissively, rolling her eyes. "Anyways... I wonder what the cuisine's like here. Hopefully they're an expert on seafood considering that we are in a port city."

"You realize that not all of us are into fish, Begonia," said Mello. "Some of us enjoy the taste of dead cow more than that of dead fish. Perhaps there's a mall or plaza area where we can eat together while getting our preferred meat. I think there's one near down..." Mello then just noticed a couple playing chess near one of the shops they are walking by.

"Wait. Are those cats talking?!" said the blond man.

"Are you sure you'r -- wait a minute. WHY ARE THERE CHEETAHS NEAR ME!" said the black-hair man as he puts the table between him and the cats.

Zane jumps up to the table, carefully avoiding the chess board. "Sorry to frighten you. We're competing at the chess tournament at the Crown Hotel. Don't worry. We're not here to eat you" said Zane.

"Okay." The black-hair man relaxes. "But why can you guys talk?"

"Wait you're assuming that cats don't talk here?"

"Yeah. Most cats don't talk here in South Newlandia. Or maybe I'm dreaming all of this?"

"Nah, your not dreaming at all. You're looking at different felines that can talk. In fact e have talking Cheetahs and talking Lynx within Felinetopia never mind other feline species that can talk."

"Soooo, uh we were arguing about what is the quickest way to checkmate from the opening." said the blond man.

"Oh! Do you mean Fool's Mate? The moves are White to f3, Black to e6, White to g4, and Black Queen to h4 which checkmates the White King. So just two moves for White and Black."

"I guess we're both wrong. I didn't think a mate in 2 was possible from the opening. We both thought it needed more moves than that. Thanks, Kitty!"

"No problem. Hope to see you in the audience tomorrow!"

by **Mertagne** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:22 am

From the "journal" of Arndado Kreene...

My cover here at the Elephant Chess Cup has become increasingly thin. As a result of this, I've decided to take matters into my own hands and increase my presence not only to the Mertagnian team, but to the whole international chess community here in Newport. It turns out, that during an international chess tournament, these people don't just play chess. They are chess. The fact that after two long and gruelling matches each they had the time to sit down, discuss strategies, laugh with each other, and then actually go out and play two more speaks to the mental fortitude of not just the Mertagnians, but everyone at the tournament. It was this that made me consider one of our objectives a bit more - recruitment.

I took it upon myself to fulfill both objectives simultaneously, and sat down in the crowd to not only observe Mertagne's games, but initiate some key conversations to provide a reasonable blanket of cover. I have read about chess as part of this assignment, and as such was able to 'talk shop' with some of the spectators. They did find me a bit loud once the third round started, however. Loud is still a personality trait, and it's a memorable one, so I once again am proud of my continued initiative on what is proving to be a challenging mission. One thing I do know, however, is that tonight will reveal exactly what we're looking for, and all I have to do is keep an ear to the ground and wait for something to come up. Sadly, it seems like this is how Tikdannin plays chess. This is how he managed to grind out a win against South Newlandia's Lisa Morgen. It's been said that she excels at the quick game, and it seems that's what tripped her up, as Tikdannin clearly favours the longer game and was able to exert that. Tikdannin, therefore, clearly a planner, and clearly someone that can see a project through.
Board Two was a tie. It seems that Garstern's hot-headed fury met the mirror against Cecilia Blossom's chaotic yet internally calm style, and didn't emerge out the other side. A disappointing loss, but it looks like Garstern learned an interesting lesson about emotions and how to follow through with them. It's good to use them for your craft, or for your work, but when someone's just so placid to your attacks, especially in a war of attrition like chess, you've got to try and switch tact because you'll never push through. I hope she knows when to quit the next time she comes up against something like this, but I doubt she'll take the loss to heart.
Board Three, then. 'Father' Yeoman. Also a winner in this round, astonishingly, as he also faced somewhat of a mirror match against Robert Kane. Kane's much his younger, about 20 years or so (and is actually closer to my age), but it seems that both felt they'd rather be off the board mentoring the next young thing than sat here grinding a chess match out. I saw on no less than three occasions they each looked at the Garstern-Blossom match. Perhaps a reverie of their younger days. Either way, Yeoman is too old for our purposes. Mertagne's always placed an onus on the younger generation to do the brunt of the work - to give your peak physical and mental fitness to build the nation. I'll go on record to say it's a bold approach that's sometimes backfired - people don't think that Mertagne gives enough back. I've heard people say peace is enough, and that you only have to look at what's north of Euran Oceania Territories to understand*. Having seen it, I agree with them.
Board four, then, let us see the future once again. Carys Burgess handily beating Maria Sally. Sally, I've been told, works well under pressure, and it seems that Burgess used her honed techniques of distraction to ensure that Sally never felt the pressure at all. Mopped her up like Burgess would have done to those poor sods reading the paper and playing chess in Browne Park for lunch money. That's her big story, see. Carys carries that one with her and whips it out to illicit some sort of emotional response. It's clever, to carry a story like that. That's how I see it, anyway. I've said before she'd be a good fit for the organisation, and I'm seeing it more and more throughout this tournament.

Just wrapped up on the games against the Bollonich/Græntfjall team. Thrilling stuff, to the point where I was immersed in the games enough to not spend time journaling a report for it. Who'd had thought it would have been Yeoman that would clean up a win while everyone else tied up? I guess he's on the team for a reason, and experience pays dividends. Probably scored him some brownie points in the 'mentor' world as well, I suppose. It helps to have some games like that under the belt, just to whip out if anyone thinks you're not good enough to do as well as teach. I'll tell you what, though - if the organisation is looking for some serious thinkers, and it doesn't matter if they're Mertagnian - go for people like the Bollonich/Græntfjall chess team. They know what they're doing, and if it wasn't for Yeoman's unexpected victory, they would surpass our best on a better day for them. I can see them going far.

That final match wrapped up Friday's games. There's been a lot to report on and off the board, and it's a good assessment of the state of the international competition here in Newport, South Newlandia. I've been asked to out for dinner this evening, and it actually took a lot of effort to decline. I had to find a good excuse, and claimed that I was both not feeling too well and I had a lot of calls to make now that Mertagne was, after a single day, top of the table and hadn't taken a single match loss. They seemed pleased with the ego boost, so they've gone out to dinner on what is a wonderful Friday night in Newport. I'll keep you posted, handler, if I hear anything about what happens. I think Garstern journals too, so I'll steal hers tomorrow morning and make a not of what I've found.

I tried to order some Cobre food for dinner, but after getting flustered with the person on the front desk who confused me saying "food from Cobrio" with "food from Cocoabos", I decided to just order something from the hotel's menu. And with that, I've plugged in for the evening, and will be listening to Radio Ivory Crown...

*Former heartlands of Mertagne that have since been reduced to a cruel penal colony in Mertagne's international absence.

by **South Newlandia** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:30 am

This is cutoff number three! Good luck, but most important of all, remember this.

Match 5 – Saturday, 11:00

Results:
(the team listed first has white on boards two and four)

Mertagne 2½–1½ Dotivija/Srednjaci
Raspotochje 2–2 Bollonich/Græntfjall
Eshialand 3–1 South Newlandia
Sylestone 1½–2½ Sannyamathland
Felinetopia 1–3 Shell Shock Troop Clan
Arjunnagar 3–1 Natanians and Nosts
The Grearish Union 1½–2½ Quemorr Isles
Atheara 2½–1½ New Jacobland
Norrhem 3–1 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Newolo 3–1 Hebitaka

Table:

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  5    4   1   0      13      7   +6     9
 2 Eshialand                 5    4   0   1    12.5    7.5   +5     8
   Raspotochje               5    3   2   0    12.5    7.5   +5     8
 4 Bollonich/Græntfjall      5    3   1   1      12      8   +4     7
 5 Sannyamathland            5    3   1   1    10.5    9.5   +1     7
 6 Shell Shock Troop Clan    5    3   0   2      12      8   +4     6
 7 Dotivija/Srednjaci        5    2   2   1      11      9   +2     6
 8 Arjunnagar                5    3   0   2    10.5    9.5   +1     6
 9 South Newlandia           5    2   1   2    10.5    9.5   +1     5
10 Quemorr Isles             5    2   1   2      10     10    0     5
11 Atheara                   5    2   1   2     9.5   10.5   −1     5
   Sylestone                 5    2   1   2     9.5   10.5   −1     5
13 Felinetopia               5    2   0   3      10     10    0     4
14 Norrhem                   5    2   0   3       9     11   −2     4
   The Grearish Union        5    2   0   3       9     11   −2     4
16 Natanians and Nosts       5    1   2   2     8.5   11.5   −3     4
17 Newolo                    5    1   1   3     9.5   10.5   −1     3
18 New Jacobland             5    1   0   4     8.5   11.5   −3     2
19 Quebec and Shingoryeo     5    1   0   4     6.5   13.5   −7     2
20 Hebitaka                  5    0   0   5     5.5   14.5   −9     0

Match 6 Pairings – Saturday, 13:00

Mertagne - Eshialand
Raspotochje - Sannyamathland
Bollonich/Græntfjall - Shell Shock Troop Clan
Dotivija/Srednjaci - Arjunnagar
South Newlandia - Quemorr Isles
Atheara - Felinetopia
Sylestone - Norrhem
Quebec and Shingoryeo - The Grearish Union
Natanians and Nosts - Hebitaka
New Jacobland - Newolo

Match 6 – Saturday, 13:00

Results:
(the team listed first has white on boards two and four)

Mertagne 2½–1½ Eshialand
Raspotochje 2½–1½ Sannyamathland
Bollonich/Græntfjall 2–2 Shell Shock Troop Clan
Dotivija/Srednjaci 3½–½ Arjunnagar
South Newlandia 2½–1½ Quemorr Isles
Atheara 1–3 Felinetopia
Sylestone 2–2 Norrhem
Quebec and Shingoryeo 2½–1½ The Grearish Union
Natanians and Nosts 1½–2½ Hebitaka
New Jacobland 2½–1½ Newolo

Table:

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  6    5   1   0    15.5    8.5   +7    11
 2 Raspotochje               6    4   2   0      15      9   +6    10
 3 Dotivija/Srednjaci        6    3   2   1    14.5    9.5   +5     8
 4 Bollonich/Græntfjall      6    3   2   1      14     10   +4     8
   Eshialand                 6    4   0   2      14     10   +4     8
 6 Shell Shock Troop Clan    6    3   1   2      14     10   +4     7
 7 South Newlandia           6    3   1   2      13     11   +2     7
 8 Sannyamathland            6    3   1   2      12     12    0     7
 9 Felinetopia               6    3   0   3      13     11   +2     6
10 Sylestone                 6    2   2   2    11.5   12.5   −1     6
11 Arjunnagar                6    3   0   3      11     13   −2     6
12 Quemorr Isles             6    2   1   3    11.5   12.5   −1     5
13 Norrhem                   6    2   1   3      11     13   −2     5
14 Atheara                   6    2   1   3    10.5   13.5   −3     5
15 New Jacobland             6    2   0   4      11     13   −2     4
16 The Grearish Union        6    2   0   4    10.5   13.5   −3     4
17 Natanians and Nosts       6    1   2   3      10     14   −4     4
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     6    2   0   4       9     15   −6     4
19 Newolo                    6    1   1   4      11     13   −2     3
20 Hebitaka                  6    1   0   5       8     16   −8     2

Match 7 Pairings – Saturday, 16:00

Shell Shock Troop Clan - Mertagne
Dotivija/Srednjaci - Raspotochje
Bollonich/Græntfjall - South Newlandia
Eshialand - Sannyamathland
Felinetopia - Sylestone
Quemorr Isles - Arjunnagar
Norrhem - Atheara
New Jacobland - Quebec and Shingoryeo
Hebitaka - The Grearish Union
Natanians and Nosts - Newolo

by **Norrhem** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 12:54 pm

--==Norrhems Dagliga Nyheter (Norrhem Daily News) ==--

NEWPORT, South Newlandia Norrhem and South Newlandia are deeply enthralled by a saga that has been unfolding in the small Esportivan island nation and has caused widespread movements across the multiverse. Newport, located on South Newlandia's east coast, is the location of the first Elephant Chess Cup, an international chess competition that has attracted delegations from many different nations, including Norrhem's first ever foray into international competitive chess.

At the centre of the controversy is Norrhemian chess athlete Hjalmar Rönnfors and his "good luck charm", a two-handed broadsword named Gunnhildr that has accompanied him to every competition he has been participating in so far. Upon arrival in South Newlandia, however customs had a different idea and refused the sword entry into the city under the South Newlandian Border Protection Act, which does not allow the import of weapons without a specific approval by local authorities. Since then a big debate has sprung up over the treatment of declared "sports equipment" during international travel of sports delegations. According to documentation obtained by Norrhems Dagliga Nyheter the sword has officially been declared as 'sports equipment' as part of the Norrhemian delegation's baggage documentation, but this categorization has been disputed by both the SNBPA as well as other government officials.

An interview request by NDN has been declined by the SNBPA due to the ongoing dispute, but a source close to the Agency has said, under the condition of anonymity, that a sword cannot be accepted as equipment for a chess tournament, a sentiment that has been echoed by several high ranking chess officials, including the president of the South Newlandian Chess Association Julius Harrison, who has made the following announcement:

While the South Newlandian Chess Association is doing everything in its power to give all participating nations and players the best possible environment for a high class tournament, we still have to oblige by South Newlandian laws. We acknowledge that this situation has caused some discord within the tournament's participants and has affected the Norrhemian delegation negatively, however a classification of an actual sword as equipment necessary to participate in this tournament is legally not enforceable.
Julius Harrison - President, South Newlandian Chess Association

While the legal framework is quite clear about the situation, it still has created a surprisingly big stir going far beyond the Chess community. Several Honkr accounts have sprung up in support of Rönnfors' plight, spreading hashtags such as #freethesword or #gunnhildurmatters, as well as a few petitions on change.nrh gathering signatures to overturn the decision.

Norrhemian officials have remained quiet about the ongoing battle, with a high-level executive of the Norrhems Schackförbund only saying that "we are working on an amicable solution to the issue."

Norrhems Dagliga Nyheter will continue to cover what has been dubbed "Gunnhildur's Saga" as more news arise.

by **Eshialand** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:24 pm

Minor Pieces
Eshialand 3-1 South Newlandia
Mertagne 2½-1½ Eshialand

Date: Saturday, December 4th, 2021
Time: 1:46 PM
Location: Inside the Ivory Crown Hotel

"Ughhh... that was a grueling one..." Jason says to the rest of the team, after his game against Mertagne's Aldreus Tikdannin. "93 moves and all it ended in was a big fat draw..."

The match between the Eshian and Mertagnian teams was a tight one, with every single game going past 60 moves and almost all of them ending in a draw, except for Alain Blaine's match against Dr. Janns Yeoman, which saw Alan blunder away a draw that could've seen Eshialand sitting in third on the tournament leaderboard. Instead, they're left tied for fourth with the Bollonischian/Græntfjaller team, which in practice is more like fifth since E comes after B in the alphabet.

"I'm sorry I blew it all for us guys..." Alan says, "I wish there were some way I could make up for it..."
"Relax, it's fine..." Mary replies, "it could've happened to anyone in a game like that. All we can do is hope that our next opponents aren't at the top of the leaderboard..."
"Well, good news about that," Jake notices, "we've got Sannyamathland next. We should be able to beat them relatively handily."
"Never make a prediction like that..." Stephanie advises, "because anything is possible and disappointment is inevitable."
"Yikes, even her mindset is way too serious..." Mary whispers to Alan and Jason.

Meanwhile, outside the Newport airport...

"Many thanks for arranging my flight here, Michael!" King William I says, on a phone call with his assistant.
"No problem! I'm actually surprised you decided to attend in person!"
"Well, it's mostly about coming for the warmer weather... the chess tournament is more of a side thing."
"Ah, I understand, it is pretty nice in South Newlandia right now, especially compared to Eshialand..."
"By the way, how is--"

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

"Hold on, I'm getting a call coming through..."

The king takes the call, and it's none other than Lazlo Herrefur.

"King William?"
"Oh, Mr. Herrefur?"
"I noticed you just arrived in Newport."
"Wait, I didn't tell any--"
"I need your help with something."
"And what would that be?"
"It's a little... hard to explain."
"Well, it had better be good to interrupt my Saturday afternoon..."
"Trust me, it's good."

Eshialand 3-1 South Newlandia
Morgen 1-0 Severn
Nerata 1-0 Blossom
Kane 0-1 Blaine
Jacobson 1-0 Sally

Mertagne 2½-1½ Eshialand
Severn ½-½ Tikdannin
Garstern ½-½ Nerata
Blaine 0-1 Yeoman
Burgess ½-½ Jacobson

by **Natanians and Nosts** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:48 pm

Magnus Carolus Mihailescu - 1st table
Openings:van't Kruijs,Giuoco Piano,Giuoco Molto Piano,Italian
Deffences:French,Englund gambit,Italian game:Two Knights Defence
Only Natanian and Nost to play chess at the Olympics.Started playing chess from childhood at the school,and tought to his siblings.His father,who played in his own infancy,realized that his kids had potential and talent,sought ways he could make his kids grow in chess.His older sister became good really fast and repeatedly defeated him,what incentivized him to become strongr,and he finally beat her when he turned 16.Of his parent's three kids,only his younger sister did not pursue chess profissionalizations,focusing on an academic career instead.He became Natanians and Nosts' Chess Champion,for the first time,at age 20.He also participated at the NationStates Chess Classic in 2015 and regularly plays football with his friends.

Mihai Ion Antonescu - 2nd table
Openings:Trompowski attack,Benko,Portuguese,King's gambit
Deffences:Modern defence,Englund gambit,Fried Fox
Born in N-City,he was taught chess by his grandfather and grew up playing with his siblings.He started playing in competitions for his school and was invited by the then-current champion to train under him on the club he played.He went to college to study biological sciences,and on the year he earned his Barchelor of Sciences degree,he also became Natanians and Nosts' Chess Champion.Tied with Jake Woods (Coldfield) as first-place on blitz at the Natanian Chess Tournament in 2017.

Ion Carolus Petrescu - 3rd table
Openings:Ruy López,King's Indian Attack,Russian game,Hammerschlag
Deffences:King's Indian Defence,Englund gambit,Scheveningens Sicilian
Born 27 years ago,Ion Carolus Petrescu played chess with his relatives whenever his parents took him and his siblings to their grandparent's home.Although chess was only a passion for a great part of his life,during middle and high school,he started to play competitively and fared quite well,right before he enrolled grad school for a M.Sc.,he was vice-champion domestically and was second on blitz at the Natanian Chess Championship,the following year,he managed to become Natanians and Nosts' Chess Champion the following year,during his first year of master's research.

Magnus Mihai Vnuk - 4th table
Openings:Amsterdam attack,van't Kruijs,Bird
Deffences:Sicilian Dragon,Dutch,Alekhine
Respected throughout the nation,he comes from a chess family,where the game is taught generation by generation,although he is only the third to pursue professionalization,and his only daughter is the fifth in the family.Undoubtedly the strongest player in Natanian and Nosts during the 2000's,several times champion;he decided to focus more on coaching and spreading chess through the nation,even though whenever he plays,he does it fiercely.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup:
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: If you want anyone playin the bongcloud,or the double bong cloud as black,it's alright!Other things try to be realistic,or at least plausible but funny.
Godmod other events: Be somewhat realistic

The Natanians and Nost team were not feeling alright,they felt quite unlegitime,quite like ghosts.Ghosts,yes,ghosts,they felt like their opponents treated them like ghosts,beings of no physical presence,although some say could be felt,doing this to another is quite a villainous act,yes villains,that is how their opponents felt to our team,our heroes in this case,I might dare to say.
After the first two matches,Natanians and Nosts managed to be 4,5x3,5.They faced a team comprised of Dotvija and Srednjaci on the third round.And as soon as they sat on the board,they realized that these were the font of the "ghostiness" feeling.So they had go on a journey against the ones who were making them "ghosted".
The team who prepared for this tournament,training hard,even on rainy days,even with cold weather and strong winds,the team who used stones on the wrists to make them stronger and faster,this team,would not allow their foes to defeat them easily;they fought for they and their family's honour.
Powered by the concept of "nakama",the four-man squad fought mentally on the 64 houses of the board.
Magnus Carolus Mihailescu was the first one dead in combat,his Giuoco Piano failed against Paradžik,from Srednjaci,the older player managed to defeat Magnus Carolus Mihailescu after 52 moves;One could easily feel that the older player benefited from his experience in life in general,but it was also clear and easy to feel his arrogance.
Unfortunately,right after him,Ion Carolus Petrescu lost to Dinara Ivezić/the slightly older player defeated the second place in blitz at the Natanian Chess Tournament back in 2017,four years ago,he played 1.Nf3 she responded with 1...e5,and then he proceeded to use the King's Indian Attack (2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2),which gave him a strong start,but he suffered significant material loss by the middle game and was checkmated after 47 moves.
Shortly after that,Magnus Mihai Vnuk defeated Tin Mužinić with the Alapin variation of the Sicilian,Mužinić had ambitious goals from the start and his pretension was clear,the youthful Mužinić imagined it would be an easy win against "just a gost" by the way of his actions,but with the power of nakama,the Natanians and Nost player defeated him on a beautifully executed endgame.
One of the longest matches of the round was the defeat of Jelena Tabak on the hands of Mihai Ion Antonescu,he went for the King's gambit,he accumulated time on the beggining of the game,which paid-off during the middle- and end-games;Jelena Tabak tried to defeat one of our heroes,but was quite shocked on the defeat of Mužinić,and thanks to 仲間 Mihai Ion Antonescu mated Jelena Tabak on move 83,morally defeating the ones who made them feel "ghosted" and brought our heroes back to being widely acknowledged by their competitors as normal humans,again.

by **The Grearish Union** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 11:33 pm

Elephant Cup: Shock!

A notorious hacker group often referred to as the 'Shadow' has reportedly been participating in the Elephant Chess Cup on behalf of the Grearish Union. The Grearish Government have been intimated by the South Newlandian authorities about the group and all public security forces have been mobilised to arrest the wrongdoers. They are named and shamed as follows. Username is followed by the sign-up name that the player used for the tournament.

br4z3nw0lf — White

The user had been compromised by their fellow hackers in a government purge carried out a few years ago. Their weakness for the game of chess has blown their cover time and time again, but they have been very cautious ever since the last exposition. Known to be the ring leader of 'Shadow', they have been instrumental in the group's (mostly illegal) efforts to bring back some sort of part parity in the already very unfair society. The username provided is the last known IRC nickname used by them.

fl4m34c1d — Ace

With charges of scamming industrialists hanging on him, it is believed that fl4m34c1d thinks of themselves as some sort of modern Robin Hood. There is, however, no trace of where the said robbed money went, and one can never be sure of whether they actually lived up to their promise. In the eyes of Grearish law, he is supposed to be a plain criminal and nothing but so. In the eyes of the people...

r4yv1510n — Ray

Apparently an avid music fan, r4yv1510n has been instrumental is piracy of music for the cause of a 'free internet'. Lawsuits had been slapped left and right against them for the same, but could not be enforced for the lack of a real citizen's name against which they can be identified. A music lover's sweetheart, and a musician's devil.

4qu4ph453 — Philo

Loved by some and hated by some for outing politicians' scams and scandals, 4qu4ph4s3 has been more under the radar of political goons than the police itself. The GU being a country where freedom of speech is held in high regard, public prosecution wasn't very concerned about the outings themselves, but more so about the very nude scenes that were shown in TV screens across the country.

If reports are to be believed, it is said that this Grearish team might be allowed to finish the competition before they are arrested in South Newlandia itself so as to not cause international embarrassment for the GU. What might happen later on is a subject of speculation, and is impossible to comment upon in the present situation.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Yes
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes, but no injuries to players, no damages to my country, no induction of any pandemic of any sort. It would be best to TG me before.

by **Raspotochje** » Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:54 am

RASPOTOCHJEAN CHESS FEDERATION WEB SITE

Matchday 5
Just draw against Bollonich / Græntfjall

Raspotochje 2–2 Bollonich/Græntfjall

Clara Josep (BOL) vs Ivan Habijanić - 0:1
Edita Vukorepac vs Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði (GRÆ) - 1:0
Tomislav Grnelić vsReynir Ýrarsson (GRÆ) - 0:1
Felip Oliver (BOL) vs Darjan Kninsky - 1:0

Raspotochje had 2: 0 after the first two boards and everything seemed to be going in some good direction. But then the opponents came back and took the point. Raspotochje must now think carefully about how to proceed as the first place slips out of his hands. Mertagne is moving away in the first place and even today's opponents are not far away.

IVAN HABIJANIĆ (black) brought the expected first point against Clara Josep of Bollonich. Habijanic looked stable from the first move and imposed authority. Our great world grandmaster quickly attacked his opponent. Clara Josep fell into the trap because she accepted that level and speed of the game instead of slowing down a bit and changing the rhythm. After only 22 moves, it was obvious that the player from Bollonich found herself in big trouble. She was getting more nervous and indecisive. The highlight was the loss of important figures in the 28th and 32nd move. That moment was crucial because it stripped Clara Josep’s defense. In the 35th move was the first chess, Clara Josep tries a defensive maneuver to avoid disaster. It didn’t last long because in the 38th move it was checkmate.

" Clara Josep is one of the names that could mark the chess years to come. I had a clear goal and that is not to stay long in the match, not to get too exhausted because the tournament is long. I believe we can get to the very top but we will see." Ivan Habijanić after match.

EDITA VUKOREPAC had an extremely young and talented Ánýá Klæðskera-look for an opponent. This young player from Græntfjall is a great discovery at this championship. A very cheeky player who has no respect but has a lot of success with such an attitude. However, that did not work against Edith. Although the match was demanding, Edita did not lose concentration. The young player from Græntfjall tried to destabilize Edita again with daring attacks. But Vukorepac is still a much more experienced player and such tricks did not work for young Ánýá. Vukorepac kept the rhythm of the game calmly and calmly while the young Ánýá tried to speed up the game with quick maneuvers. The calmness that Edita had irritated Ánýá and she began to more mistake. Edita took her chance. In the 43rd move, Ánýá realized that in the next four moves she would be matted so she surrendered the fight.

" I have to admit even though this is a young girl who is only 17 years old, she pushing me a lot. I had to play carefully and not be in rush because she loves matches like that. However, she lost concentration as the match progressed. She clearly gestured her every mistake. I believe that at this pace she will quickly reach a world-renowned grandmaster. " said Edita Vukorepac

TOMISLAV GRNELIĆ was supposed to bring a lead of at least half a point, however this did not happen. Reynir allrarsson from Græntfjall showed quality in this match and matted our player in the 47th move. The match was well formed by Grnelić and everything was open until the 33rd move. then Grnelić makes a fatal mistake and loses important figures but also the queen.
The Græntfjall player only had to finish the job.

" Unfortunately I failed. this is for me another new experience and a new match in which I learned something new. Reynir Ýrarsson was better and it remains for me to reconsider my moves I made in the match that resulted in defeat. " said Tomislav.

DARJAN KNINSKY is unfortunately the weakest link of our national team. Although he brought us a winning point against Felinetopia, this time it didn’t happen. Felip Oliver is the Bollonich champion in the men's competition. A great player who would be a great addition to our national team. A player of this caliber would definitely strengthen our ranks. Now it remains for the league to find one such player in the crossroads who could change number 3 or number 4. Darjan is not at that level yet. Maybe one day it will be, but we don't see any progress with him. Felip Oliver won the 41st move with a resignation by Darjan Kninsky.

"I'm sorry for didn't play better. This is the first big competition for me and I hope not the last. My opponent is still the champion of one country and that brings with it some knowledge and skills." Said Darjan.

this is one of the great moves of Ivan Habijanic against Clara Josep

Matchday 6 – Saturday, 13:00

Raspotochje 2½–1½ Sannyamathland

Player 1 vs Ivan Habijanić -0:1
Edita Vukorepac vs Player 2 - 1:0
Player 3 vs Tomislav grnelić -0,5:0,5
Darjan Kninsky vs Player 4 - 0:1

Again darjan Kninsky fails to be concentrated from beginning to end. He proved to be the weakest link again. Ivan Habijanić and Edita Vukorepac convincingly won their two opponents. Tomislav Grnelić drew but Darjan failed.
However, pictures from schools across the country show us that they could still have a strong representation in the future. In primary schools, one of the elective subjects is chess. Children love it and want to be active players in their communities. This gives us hope that we will soon have someone new Ivan Habijanić or Edita Vukorepac.

Mertagne is one point away from us for now. It will be very interesting until the very end. Very close to us are Dotivija/Srednjaci, Bollonich/Græntfjall and Eshialand. The next matches will be crucial for all of us at the top. South Newlandia can go up to the top of rankings if they have few good matches. As you can se on this table.

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  6    5   1   0    15.5    8.5   +7    11
 2 Raspotochje               6    4   2   0      15      9   +6    10
 3 Dotivija/Srednjaci        6    3   2   1    14.5    9.5   +5     8
 4 Bollonich/Græntfjall      6    3   2   1      14     10   +4     8
   Eshialand                 6    4   0   2      14     10   +4     8
 6 Shell Shock Troop Clan    6    3   1   2      14     10   +4     7
 7 South Newlandia           6    3   1   2      13     11   +2     7
 8 Sannyamathland            6    3   1   2      12     12    0     7
 9 Felinetopia               6    3   0   3      13     11   +2     6
10 Sylestone                 6    2   2   2    11.5   12.5   −1     6
11 Arjunnagar                6    3   0   3      11     13   −2     6
12 Quemorr Isles             6    2   1   3    11.5   12.5   −1     5
13 Norrhem                   6    2   1   3      11     13   −2     5
14 Atheara                   6    2   1   3    10.5   13.5   −3     5
15 New Jacobland             6    2   0   4      11     13   −2     4
16 The Grearish Union        6    2   0   4    10.5   13.5   −3     4
17 Natanians and Nosts       6    1   2   3      10     14   −4     4
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     6    2   0   4       9     15   −6     4
19 Newolo                    6    1   1   4      11     13   −2     3
20 Hebitaka                  6    1   0   5       8     16   −8     2

by **Bollonich** » Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:58 am

Anguish

The members of the team were seated in the restaurant following their match against Shell Shock Troop Clan.
“Well, that was utter bullshit, I still can’t believe how I blew that.”
“Clara, relax. Frankly I was lucky coming out with the draw as Sabina did have a 7th file Rook.”
“How can I relax? We are 2 points off Raspotochje for God’s sake and now we mess up against Shell Shock Troop Clan.”
Reynir who just arrived from the washroom sat down on his chair and said, “Hey, guys did you see Hello! Chess’s latest Solve It puzzle?”
“Oh yes, this is it right?”

“I couldn’t get it, like what would you play?”
“I was thinking the knight maybe but there seem to be no good moves. Hey Ánýá, could you help us out here?”
Ánýá who had been focusing on an analysis of her game against Atocha seemed to have gotten up from a dream.
“Uh what?”
“Could you help us with this problem?”
“Oh lemme see. HMMMM ah you get Black’s bishop.”
Clara who had previously failed to solve the problem queries, “How?”
“Oh you just play the Queen and then the pawn, it’s pretty simple.”
“Ohhhhh I see it now, great stuff from Hello! Chess, I wonder who these people on the leaderboard are.”
“Whoever they are, they seem to know their chess.”
“And here’s your food, Grilled Salmon, One Medium-Rare Steak….”

by **Shell Shock Troop Clan** » Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:31 pm

The morning match was going well, Josefina thought. Torres and Sabina had drawn against Arden and Steamster respectfully. Despite the thorny closed position, Merino had gotten Moosler into time trouble; the latter had blundered down the exchange, and resigned shortly thereafter. Shell Shock Troop Clan were guaranteed at least a draw, maybe a win depending on Atocha's game. Slowly making her way across the room, she took in the state of the board.

Despite some unconventional openings, a rapid-fire exchange of pieces had simplified the position until it resembled a classical opening, just slightly transposed. However, Atocha was gaining an edge by picking off some of Santicus' underdeveloped pawns. As threats mounted, Santicus had no recourse but to agree to an exchange of rooks, then of queens, thus making Ginés' pawn advantage more significant. At last, Santicus resigned, and Shell Shock Troop Clan had their second win under their belt.

An exultant Ginés promptly rose from the table, no doubt to track down some more snacks. "Ginés," Josefina hissed. "It's polite to shake hands."

"It's a cat."

"A cat that observes the etiquette associated with chess, now be polite. We want to make a good impression."

"Mrrrw," said Klaus.

"Technically," Omar piped up, "he's an Eurasian Lynx. I think."

Ginés warily extended a hand to Klaus, who scratched at it politely but sullenly, no doubt regretting his hasty queenside development. "Please don't bite," Ginés muttered.

"We're halfway through the weekend," Omar pointed out, "if he was crazy he'd have attacked someone by now."

"Easy for you to say! Your opponent was a cute little kitty. Mine is...some kind of freaking jaguar dude."

"Eurasian Lynx."

"Whatever. Do you think they have jaguars?"

"You could ask them."

"I'm not talking to them," Ginés repeated, "they're cats."

Sighing, Josefina paced over to scout their next opponents. Clara Josep and Felip Oliver were reviewing their matches from the previous round. Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði was politely pointing out the errors in a low-tech computer screen that was unable to correctly display most of the special characters in her name. Reynir Ýrarsson waved politely at Josefina. "Good to see you!"

Josefina blinked. "Have we met?"

"No, but I've researched your homeland. Former dictatorship had terrible lash? Lol no, check sport." Seeing Josefina's blank face, he added, "5, 5, 5, 4."

"Uh...maybe you've got me confused with someone else."

"No, no, great country. Much better than frickin' Zwangzug, every time I try a pun about 'in-between capital' my boss is always like, 'we've heard all the Zwischen puns before, even the Eshialand press is using them.'"

"Sure," said Josefina, "fine, whatever. Good luck today."

Reynir did not need much luck to quickly dispense with Merino. Chavela and Ánýá very quickly found themselves in a familiar Ruy Lopez position, and promptly agreed to a draw; the speed at which they progressed might have been suspicious were it not for the fact that both had resolutely stuck to the metaphorical "book" so often. Clara drew with Omar, while Ginés defeated Oliver, who he insisted on referring to as "ChessKing003."

And that, Josefina saw, meant that Shell Shock Troop Clan would take on first-placed Mertagne. Well, to be the best, you had to beat the best. In the meantime, maybe she could find an excuse to bump into Arnado Kreene. He seemed like a kindred spirit...

by **Felinetopia** » Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:50 pm

Zaire and his cub, Ifeanyi, entered the Crown Hotel. The hotel was as fancy as any of the hotels he went to when visiting other nations back in the Feline World. The Leopard Territory Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always set him up in the nicest hotels in the nation. However, this was not a diplomatic trip. This was a trip to spend time with his son who is a major chess fanatic and wanted to cheer on the Cats in South Newlandia. His friend, Zane Plaire, is on the Felinetopian Chess Team as a substitute. They originally met as fellow diplomats while on a diplomatic mission to the Small Cat Alliance. He was then stopped by a ticket checker at the entrance of the hotel.

"Do you have tickets for the Elephant Chess Cup?" said the ticket checker

"Yeah, just a moment," Zaire replied. He got out his bag and looked through his paper folder until he flipped to the tickets. "Here you go. If you need to inspect, go ahead an take the tickets out of the sheet protector but please put it back there after you're done." The ticket checker took the two tickets out to inspect it. They gave a nod and put the tickets back into the sheet protector.

"Here you go. I assume that you're here to watch Felinetopia play?"

"Not a bad guess. I am friends with one of the substitutes, Zane Plaire, and my cub is looking forward to watch the cats play chess against humans."

"Well, the next Felinetopian match against Atheara will be in the Elephant Room which is at the end of the hall on your left. The match starts in ten minutes. Also, sorry if this comes across as rude but can I hold your cub?"

"Sure" Zaire turns to Ifeanyi. " Now don't bite him okay. If he tries to harm you I'll let them know" The ticket checker picks up Ifeanyi.

"Oh my, he's big!" The ticker checker let's Ifeanyi down. The ticket checker breathes heavily. "How old is he and what's his name?"

"Well, his name is Ifeanyi and he's 9 months old,"

"Cool. Well nice to meet you Ifeanyi and have a great day!"

"Thank you!" said both Ifeanyi and Zaire. They turned left and head to the Elephant Room. Down the hall, the doors were open to the Elephant Room with an electronic sign displaying the next match and a countdown until it began. They walked into the room together. The excitement in Ifeanyi's face as they entered the room gave Zaire a smile. In the room, there were four tables spaced two meters apart from each other with streaming equipment surrounding the tables. On each table, was a chess board roughly the same size as the ones they use back home along with a wooden chess clock to the left of white. Off in the far corner of the room, he noticed a couple of cheetahs talking to some other cats sitting on the table. Zaire and Ifeanyi moves over to the cats.

"Hello Zaire!" said Zane. The rest of the cats turned to look at the leopards. "Here for some diplomatic business or you're here to see your old friend play some chess?"

"Wait you're playing today?" said Zaire

"Nah, they're all raring to go. And looks like you're here to just to see your old friend as you have little Ifeanyi here."

"Yeah. Ifeanyi has been excited to see you guys compete here and is so excited to see you guys. Maybe we should catch up later today after all the matches are done and let the other chess players take care of him for the night."

"Are you sure it's okay? You're a high ranking official for the Leopard Territory which makes your cub a prime target for ransomers."

"Nah. Don't your chess players have assigned security detail to prevent them from getting kitnapped?"

"I guess it's alright although you can't be at the hotel because it's not an Elephant Chess Cup related thing alright." The cats get up and Begonia, Klaus, Lazzlo, and Mowju walked over to the boards and seat themselves.

"I guess that is a signal for us to get seated. Perhaps we can meet at the entrance of the hotel and determine where to go then." Zaire, Ifeanyi, Zane, and Mello seated themselves behind the cats playing.

"Sure thing, Pal"

by **Srednjaci** » Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:29 am

FIRST DEFEAT ON TOURNAMENT

Match 5 – Saturday, 11:00

Mertagne2½–1½ Dotivija/Srednjaci
Aldreus Tikdannin vs Danijel Paradžik - ½ : ½
Saerah Garstern vs Tin Mužinić 1:0
Jelena Tabak vs Janns Yeoman 1:0
Carys Burgess vs Dinara Ivezić - 1:0

ANA BAKOVIĆ :Dear viewers, welcome to the chess show. We follow our fans at the Elephant Cup. In this round, we had several great matches, but also two derbies at the top of the table. One top derby is mertagne vs Dotivija/Srednjaci which we unfortunately lost. This is our first defeat at the moment. The second derby was played by Raspotochje and Bollonich / Græntfjall, which was played without a winner. We will of course be based on our match in which we were close to equalizing the results but in the end we failed.

Aldreus Tikdannin vs Danijel Paradžik - ½ : ½
Two grandmasters collide on the first board. Champion Mertagne vs. Champion of Srednjaci. An amazing and exhausting match for both players ended in a draw. Neither of these two players was able to develop their type of game as they successfully eliminated any possibility of opponent domination. From the eye of the observer it would be said that they entered the match with great respect for the opponent. The spectators were able to enjoy the great moves of both players and the amazing tactical solutions.
At the end of a long and exhausting fight, everyone got half a point because it was clear that the game could last indefinitely without a winner.

Saerah Garstern vs Tin Mužinić 1:0
Young Saerah Garstern managed to bring Mertagna’s first win. on the second board She played against tin Mužinić from Dotivija. Tin is a great player but he failed to stand out as an authority to the young player from Mertagna. In the 45th move, Tin Mužinić noticed that his situation was hopeless and extended his hand to his opponent. Resignation.

Jelena Tabak vs Janns Yeoman 1:0
The match for being or not being was played on the third board. Great pressure fell on the back of Jelena Tabak but also on her opponent Janns Yeoman. Janns Yeoman came into the match a little more relaxed because his team had the lead. Tabak, on the other hand, had more desire in their eyes because the Dotivija / Srednjaci team was losing. Janns Yeoman made a mistake on the 32nd move, hoping Jelena wouldn’t notice and tried to divert attention by diverting to the other side of the board. Tabak calmly changed tactics and set chess on the 34th move. Janns Yeoman goes on the defensive as Jelena opens up space for a second attack. The match ended in the 42nd move and Janns Yeoman had to lend a hand to a better opponent today.

Carys Burgess vs Dinara Ivezić - 1:0
On the fourth panel, everything smelled like a draw between Carys Burgess and Dinara Ivezić, but that did not happen. Dinara Ivezić lost and thus the victory went to Mertagne, which is now separated in the first place.

Match 6 – Saturday, 13:00

Dotivija/Srednjaci 3½–½ Arjunnagar
Danijel Paradžik vs Player 1 -1:0
Player 2 vs Dinara Ivezić - 0:1
Tin Mužinić vs Player 3 - ½ : ½
Player 4 vs Jelena Tabak - 0:1

Against Arjunnagar, our team played far better. Much safer and victory was out of the question at any point. The players from Arjunnagar are simply not at that level. It was almost all four victories, but it didn't happen. However after that defeat by Maretagna, the victory came at the right moment and we are at the top again.

P                          Pld    W   D   L      PF     PA   PD   Pts 
 1 Mertagne                  6    5   1   0    15.5    8.5   +7    11
 2 Raspotochje               6    4   2   0      15      9   +6    10
 3 Dotivija/Srednjaci        6    3   2   1    14.5    9.5   +5     8
 4 Bollonich/Græntfjall      6    3   2   1      14     10   +4     8
   Eshialand                 6    4   0   2      14     10   +4     8
 6 Shell Shock Troop Clan    6    3   1   2      14     10   +4     7
 7 South Newlandia           6    3   1   2      13     11   +2     7
 8 Sannyamathland            6    3   1   2      12     12    0     7
 9 Felinetopia               6    3   0   3      13     11   +2     6
10 Sylestone                 6    2   2   2    11.5   12.5   −1     6
11 Arjunnagar                6    3   0   3      11     13   −2     6
12 Quemorr Isles             6    2   1   3    11.5   12.5   −1     5
13 Norrhem                   6    2   1   3      11     13   −2     5
14 Atheara                   6    2   1   3    10.5   13.5   −3     5
15 New Jacobland             6    2   0   4      11     13   −2     4
16 The Grearish Union        6    2   0   4    10.5   13.5   −3     4
17 Natanians and Nosts       6    1   2   3      10     14   −4     4
18 Quebec and Shingoryeo     6    2   0   4       9     15   −6     4
19 Newolo                    6    1   1   4      11     13   −2     3
20 Hebitaka                  6    1   0   5       8     16   −8     2

The next match is against Raspotochje. We asked our best player Danijel Paradžik what to expect. So let's see what he said.

"Raspotochje is a great team. They have two grandmasters in their ranks, two world grandmasters. We have our chances especially on the third and fourth boards. I think we are better there.
We have to deploy forces well and come up with tactics. Raspotochje is a gold candidate here and it will be very difficult match for us. "said Danijel Paradžik.

Elephant Chess Cup 1 - Everything Thread

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