Elephant Chess Cup 2 - Everything Thread

[Polkopia]

"Seventh place isn't good enough!" Vakhrušev threw his fists down on the table, resulting in the four other Polkopians in the room jumping back, Khabenskaya nearly falling out of her seat as she did so.

Vakhrušev had ushered the amateur Polkopian chess players to one of the open tables in the convention center after their last match against Moorland, which resulted in a humiliating defeat for two players, a draw for one, and a win for Anton Prazdnikov, the only Polkopian thus far to have won both of his matchups. Nevertheless, Polkopia currently sits tied with Essena for seventh place, who also happens to be their next opponent.

"That first match, brilliant, really. Mattias Makarović, I will say I'm quite surprised you don't know how to counter the old Birds Opening. The more conventional way is playing an e5 From's Gambit, do you know what that is?"

Rusnak shook his head, "I'm afraid I don't, sir."

Vakhrušev sighed, "Well then, I suppose this is the time to learn, eh? I'd advise all of you to pay close attention too, because you could all learn a few things from this. Now, the Birds Opening is a very aggressive opening, which Mattias Makarović found out first-hand, but can easily be baited by following it up with a g5 and g4. Here, watch this."

Vakhrušev reached in his bag and pulled out a large, laminated piece of paper which had been rolled up. He slammed it on the table and unraveled it to reveal that, on the paper, was a large, blank chess board. Vakhrušev also pulled out a couple of dry erase markers and handed one to Rusnak.

"Alright Mattias Makarović, I'll be white in this instance. I'll move my pawn here..."

Vakhrušev drew an X on the board at F4, where he moved his "pawn" to in this hypothetical Birds Opening.

"And you? What say you, Mattias Makarović?" Vakhrušev eyed Rusnak carefully. "Remember what happened the last match and my policy: We learn from our mistakes, we do not repeat them."

Rusnak nodded and drew an X on e5, moving his theoretical pawn to that square.

"Right, so now I'll take the pawn like so," Vakhrušev said, erasing his previous marking and drawing over Rusnak's X with his marker, "and now it's your turn."

Rusnak thought to himself a bit and his teammates were murmuring about themselves, trying to decide which was the best move to take now that Vakhrušev had taken Rusnak's pawn. Rusnak drew an X on the d6 square, diagonal with Vakhrušev's "pawn" that had just taken his own.

"D6? You're willing to sacrifice another pawn, are you, Mattias Makarović? Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Vakhrušev looked up at him.

"Yes," Rusnak whispered.

"Well then, I'll just take this pawn too," Vakhrušev erased his previous pawn's position and drew over Rusnak's d6 pawn. "And now it's up to you on how you'd like to proceed."

Rusnak eyed the board very carefully. He could, theoretically, take this pawn in a number of ways. He could move his pawn from c7 to take his pawn, but then what? He'd have no clear attacking advantage and he'd be short one pawn. He could move his knight to c6 but then what? He immediately tossed that idea out of his head, as his opponent's next move would certainly involve him taking yet another pawn. No, that pawn had to go and he knew it, but how? He surveyed his options until he thought about some of the other pieces in his back line. His bishop... he could move it from f8 to d6 and open up his attack that way.

"Bishop to d6." Rusnak said, erasing the X on the board and replacing it with a B.

"And that's how you do it," Vakhrušev said, putting the cap on his marker and setting it down. "now perhaps we'll win a match next time then, huh Mattias Makarović?"

Rusnak nodded, "Yes, absolutely, sir."

"Good. Because seventh place is simply not good enough and we need each and every one of you to remain competent, patient, and vigilant. Do not mess this next one up or you can say goodbye to every hope that you may have of winning this whole thing, alright?"

---

Forgot to include this in my previous post:

Choose my lineup: Yes
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes (TG me first)
Godmod other events: Yes (TG me first)

[Zug um Zug]

ZENIT ZEITUNG
Traitorous "Round Table Alliance" heralds discord in royal court!

Zeitung exclusive: Anonymous sources report that untold numbers of knights have forsworn the bonds of loyalty and chivalry in favor of a secret "round table" meeting place for jousting and feats of courage. "I was going to be a typical black knight," said the fellow assigned to b8, "but I realized it would be much more fun to disguise myself as red or green or blue or whatever and veil my identity from my fellows."

"I know my liege told me to accompany my neighboring bishop and support him on his attacks," said another inconstant knight. "However, I decided I would rather turn to him for spiritual guidance. Why would I waste my efforts in futile warfare against neighboring realms when I could be off seeking the Holy Grail or something?" The knight added that the bishop's exhortations to the virtue of chastity were "compelling, but unrealistic."

"I'm tired of having my location pinpointed on a square grid," groused the knight formerly known as "the g1 guy." "A round table will allow us all to face each other as equals, with no hierarchy or prejudice. Until someone breaks out the crokinole stones and it all goes to hell."

Will the kings reassert their dominance, or will the queens take advantage of this chaos to conduct clandestine trysts with some of these knights? And what do the bishops think about this anyway? Follow the Zeitung for more looks inside--deep inside--the world of chess.

[Eshialand]

The Same Old Story
The North Polish Union 1½-2½ Eshialand
Eshialand 3-1 Zug um Zug

Date: Friday, December 2^nd, 2022
Time: 1:34 PM

"Something about today just feels so familiar, but I can't put my finger on it..." Jason commented after the match against Zug um Zug.
"What do you mean?" Mary asked him. "We haven't played any of the same teams, so is it just the winning that's familiar?"
"No, it's this odd sort of déjà vu feeling that I can't quite explain..."

Stephanie arrives to join in the conversation, having just won her game against Emily Felstead of Zug um Zug. "Has Alan finished up yet?"

"No, not quite." Jason replied. "We were just talking about this odd feeling I have about the tournament so far..."
"Is Lazlo up to something again?"
"No, nothing of that sort..."
"Is it about me? Has my change of view been bothering you?"
"That's not it either... I just feel like something's off. I don't even know what it could be, but it's off."

A few minutes later, Alan arrives to greet the team, celebrating his draw against Mitchell Kennedy. "That should not have been a draw, I really should've lost. Wait, what's going on Jason? You look like something's wrong..."
"I just have a strange feeling, that's all. Nothing to worry about."
"Oh, okay... well, it looks like the rest of the games are wrapping up, I wonder who we'll get for Round 3..."

5 minutes after that, the last game finishes, and the tournament organizers prepare the fixture list for the next round. When it's unveiled, Jason's jaw hits the floor.

Eshialand - Bollonich/Græntfjall

This was the odd feeling he was getting, and it was a completely justified one. For the second year in a row, this team would be facing the Bollonischian/Græntfjaller joint team in Round 3. Each team sent the same four players as last time, so the boards would be exactly the same as last time. The same day, the same time, the same players, the same colors, and even the same seats as the ones from 524,160 minutes before. Had this ever happened before? Was this a first in ECC history?

Well, barring a scheduling oopsie that saw Arjunnagar play Hebitaka in both Round 3 and Round 8 of the first edition and of course the placement matches that saw rematches aplenty, yes, this was a first. To be precise, this was the first time that two teams would face each other multiple times across multiple editions of the Elephant Chess Cup*... and they both happened in the same round of their respective editions.

All they could do was play their absolute best and hope that all of the sameness stopped short of having the same result...

*OOC: For the sake of not letting storytelling get in the way of odd facts, yes, Norrhem-Atheara will be a rematch of ECC I Round 7. I mean, there's also something poetic about Eshialand and Atheara, of all teams, doing the same odd thing at the same time, but that's beyond the scope of this RP.

The North Polish Union 1½-2½ Eshialand
Severn ½-½ REDACTED
REDACTED ½-½ Nerata
Blaine 1-0 REDACTED
REDACTED ½-½ Jacobson

Eshialand 3-1 Zug um Zug
Evans 0-1 Severn
Nerata ½-½ Withington-Fox
Kennedy ½-½ Blaine
Jacobson 1-0 Felstead

[Graintfjall]

The Pawn

Birkir Knútsson was eating prawn curry; the aromatic smell filled the small room as he shovelled forkfuls into his mouth. The rich flavor was enough to make him briefly rethink his views on immigration! Though that rethink was quickly unrethought as he glanced up at the muted television screen, showing the steady flood of refugees congregating at the Viljan Peninsula border. Hordes of Kitarans, desperately fleeing the civil war; some of the estimates were up to a million seeking refuge in Græntfjall alone. Rather lower were the estimates of the amount of Græntfjallers feeling charitably towards taking in such people, though in few was that resolute opposition as fierce as in Birkir.

The door opened and Aron Fritzson entered; Birkir gestured with his fork for him to close it quickly and shut out the cold draft barreling in from outside. Aron shook snow from the shoulders of his dark jacket; his cheeks were chapped red raw from the stinging ice-wind. “Some summer,” he grumbled. He hung up the coat and then, drawn by the smell, approached Birkir, leaning over and inhaling a great noseful of the savory aroma. Birkir cupped the cardboard container to himself protectively, and Aron chuckled at his colleague’s stinginess. He dug a hand into his pocket and brought forth a handful of coins – that he jangled by Birkir’s ear. Repaying a stolen smell with the sound of money seemed apt. Then he turned to the television and watched.

The news report had moved on from the refugee crisis and was now covering the chess tournament in South Newlandia as part of a feature on improving Græntfjaller–Bollonischian relations. Apparently the joint team had started strong, with two decisive wins; Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði had won both of her games; Reynir Ýrarsson had taken a draw against Ardengard’s Nigella Seale after winning his first game. The next opponents, Eshialand, were predicted to be made of sterner stuff. Aron did not particularly care for chess, nor for Bollonich, nor for elephants, but he watched all the same, absorbing the information with the same sponge-like intensity as he would were he scouring the floorplan of a missile silo or reading through the fine details of a financial report.

“So is this guy legit?”

Aron turned to Birkir and considered the question. “He is. His information? I’m less certain.”

“Remind me why we can’t just drone this girl?” Birkir tossed the box – scraped of the last remnants of curry – into the wastebasket, silently fist-pumped in celebration at making the basketball shot, and then reached for a paper napkin to wipe off his blonde whiskers. “Oh right. The communists in Háttmark won’t go for it.”

If Birkir had his way, they wouldn’t need to bother with trying to isolate her location and would just carpet bomb Nyowani Kitara until they hit something red. Not for the first time, Aron was silently glad Birkir was not in charge of tactical operations.

“A little patience, that’s all that’s needed.”

“And a few million krónor.”

Aron grunted. But it was true: this operation wasn’t cheap. Bribing one of the guards to give up the location meant buying them a new life. After all, if they helped with the assassination of Nafuna Akongo, they’d never be safe in Nyowani Kitara again.

But Aron wasn’t here to discuss that with Birkir. He switched off the television, and instead pulled up the main display screen a copy of the letter. They’d been handed a copy of it by someone in their pay on staff in the Elliptical Office. It made for interesting reading.

To: Max Ulf
CC: FM, JM, CoS, ML, IL*

Mr Chairman,

On behalf of the White Winter Queendom of Græntfjall, I am willing to accept your offer of a transfer of custody of Gustav Isaksson.

As you will be well aware, his act of attempted assassination involved a subterfuge that risked falsely implication the Græntfjaller Intelligence Bureau. As such, our country has an especially keen interest in seeing Gustav Isaksson brought to justice. We are disturbed by reports of summary justice in the current conflict and regard it as a show of good faith on the part of the DFLK to ensure even in this moment that the proper customs of international law are abided by.

As such, I propose to take the following steps:

1. Græntfjall will publicly announce its intention to assert universal jurisdiction, given the severity of Isaksson’s crimes.

2. Græntfjaller police from the specialist War Crimes Team will enter Nyowani Kitara and travel to Isaksson’s detention site where they will confirm his identity and effect a formal arrest. They will return him to Græntfjaller territory where he will be incarcerated pending a trial.

3. During his incarceration, Isaksson will be afforded every right and privilege afforded to him under Græntfjaller and international law, and will be assigned counsel.

4. Græntfjall will, on successful conclusion of the exfiltration, issue a public statement thanking the DFLK for their assistance.

It should be understood that in undertaking this operation, no commitments are being made as to the recognition of the DFLK’s claim of sovereignty, and I continue urge all parties to engage in an immediate ceasefire and negotiate the terms of a lasting and sustainable peace, ahead of a transition to free and fair democratic elections.

Zóphonías Juliusson
Prime Minister

* Foreign Minister, Justice Minister, Chief of Staff, Military Liaison, Intelligence Liaison

[Mertagne]

The Chess Association of Mertagne Presents...

The Mertagnian National Chess Team
For the Elephant Chess Cup 2

The Players

Board One
Name: Dr. Janns Yeoman
Hometown: Blackave, Yethal, Mertagne
Age: 56
Bio: Dr. Janns Yeoman is the Head of the Institute for Computer Science at Mendibeltza University, one of Mertagne's best educational institutions. Having helped immensely in securing Mertagne their 2nd place victory at the first Elephant Chess Cup, he honed his game very much and clinched the first board position this time around, also being appointed team captain. His slow, methodical, and somewhat archaic style of play prove a stumbling block for the younger, zoomier players, and as a result he's often able to grind out a win much to the frustration of the opponent.

Board Two
Name: Mr. Aldreus Tikdannin
Hometown: Dannin, Dannmarsh, Mertagne
Age: 32
Bio: Aldreus Tikdannin is a civil engineer in addition to being a chess player, and is known for playing a defensive style of chess that one sly reporter in the local news described last year as "a building process cautiously keeping within the regulations of local planning permission, until you enter and find that that the welcome mat has been replaced with a snake pit". Tikdannin suffers somewhat from being a bit too overeager to bait someone into a trap, often not realising that he's put his own pieces in a risky or precarious situation if the opponent is clever enough to capitalise on it.

Board Three:
Name: Ms. Saerah Garstern
Hometown: Audsley, Horsehead Island, Dannmarsh, Mertagne
Age: 21
Bio: Lucky enough to be able to dedicate time to chess, Saerah Garstern hails from the affluent city of Audsley. The grand-daughter of natural gas baron Hjemley Garstern, Saerah has a sharp mind that she's been able to apply to the chess game from the age of seven. Favouring a highly attacking strategy, developed from having a cadre of buttling staff she wanted to beat as fast as possible as a child, Saerah continued to eviscerate her opponents with the same ferocity in the first Elephant Chess Cup. However, after a shocking upset in the final games to the eventual victors of Bollonich/Græntfjall, she's learned to mellow out a bit, and perhaps be a bit more collected in considering difficult decisions.

Board Four:
Name: Mr. Robert Eiger
Hometown: Basterra, Freskovia, Mertagne
Age: 22
Bio: Robert "The Boy" Eiger has much to prove in this Elephant Chess Cup, after finally receiving his dream of being called up for the national team. A typically young chess player at heart, Eiger is consistently able to think on his feet (even when in the chess chair) and change the flow of his game to be reactive to the plays of an opponent.

The Permissions

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 if you're planning something big, send me a TG first - maybe we could collaborate?

[South Newlandia]

Cutoff for Matchdays 3 and 4!

Match 3 – Friday, 16:00

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

Eshialand 2½–1½ Bollonich/Graintfjall
Sarzonia 2½–1½ Caribou Island
South Newlandia 1–3 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
Essena 1½–2½ Polkopia
Brookstation/Ardengard 3½–½ Mertagne
Natanians and Nosts 1½–2½ StrayaRoos
The Cordian Isles 3½–½ The North Polish Union
Norrhem 2–2 Atheara
Zug um Zug 2½–1½ The 14 Stars
Untecna 3–1 The Jovannic
Kriegiersien 2½–1½ Arjunnagar
Reformed Alto Tan 1½–2½ Qasden

Table:

P                             Pld    W   D   L     PF     PA    PD   Pts 
 1 Eshialand                    3    3   0   0     8.5    3.5   +5     6
   Sarzonia                     3    3   0   0     8.5    3.5   +5     6
 3 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom    3    3   0   0     8      4     +4     6
 4 Bollonich/Graintfjall        3    2   0   1     8      4     +4     4
 5 Brookstation/Ardengard       3    2   0   1     7.5    4.5   +3     4
   The Cordian Isles            3    2   0   1     7.5    4.5   +3     4
 7 Caribou Island               3    2   0   1     7      5     +2     4
   Polkopia                     3    2   0   1     7      5     +2     4
 9 StrayaRoos                   3    2   0   1     6.5    5.5   +1     4
10 South Newlandia              3    2   0   1     6      6      0     4
   Zug um Zug                   3    2   0   1     6      6      0     4
12 Untecna                      3    1   1   1     6      6      0     3
13 Atheara                      3    1   1   1     5.5    6.5   −1     3
   Norrhem                      3    1   1   1     5.5    6.5   −1     3
15 Essena                       3    1   0   2     6      6      0     2
16 Natanians and Nosts          3    1   0   2     5.5    6.5   −1     2
17 Kriegiersien                 3    1   0   2     5      7     −2     2
18 Mertagne                     3    1   0   2     4.5    7.5   −3     2
   The North Polish Union       3    1   0   2     4.5    7.5   −3     2
20 Qasden                       3    1   0   2     4      8     −4     2
21 The 14 Stars                 3    0   1   2     5      7     −2     1
22 Arjunnagar                   3    0   0   3     4      8     −4     0
   Reformed Alto Tan            3    0   0   3     4      8     −4     0
   The Jovannic                 3    0   0   3     4      8     −4     0

Match 4 Pairings – Friday, 18:00

Eshialand - Sarzonia
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - Bollonich/Graintfjall
Brookstation/Ardengard - The Cordian Isles
StrayaRoos - Caribou Island
Polkopia - South Newlandia
Zug um Zug - Untecna
Atheara - Essena
Norrhem - Natanians and Nosts
Kriegiersien - Mertagne
The North Polish Union - Qasden
The 14 Stars - Arjunnagar
The Jovannic - Reformed Alto Tan




Match 4 - Friday, 18:00

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

Eshialand 1½–2½ Sarzonia
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 1½–2½ Bollonich/Graintfjall
Brookstation/Ardengard 2½–1½ The Cordian Isles
StrayaRoos 2½–1½ Caribou Island
Polkopia 2½–1½ South Newlandia
Zug um Zug 1½–2½ Untecna
Atheara 2½–1½ Essena
Norrhem 2½–1½ Natanians and Nosts
Kriegiersien ½–3½ Mertagne
The North Polish Union 3–1 Qasden
The 14 Stars 1–3 Arjunnagar
The Jovannic 1½–2½ Reformed Alto Tan

Table:

P                             Pld    W   D   L     PF     PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Sarzonia                     4    4   0   0     11     5     +12     8
 2 Bollonich/Graintfjall        4    3   0   1     10.5   5.5   +10     6
 3 Brookstation/Ardengard       4    3   0   1     10     6      +8     6
   Eshialand                    4    3   0   1     10     6      +8     6
 5 Polkopia                     4    3   0   1     9.5    6.5    +6     6
   Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom    4    3   0   1     9.5    6.5    +6     6
 7 StrayaRoos                   4    3   0   1     9      7      +4     6
 8 Untecna                      4    2   1   1     8.5    7.5    +2     5
 9 Atheara                      4    2   1   1     8      8       0     5
   Norrhem                      4    2   1   1     8      8       0     5
11 The Cordian Isles            4    2   0   2     9      7      +4     4
12 Caribou Island               4    2   0   2     8.5    7.5    +2     4
13 Mertagne                     4    2   0   2     8      8       0     4
14 South Newlandia              4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5    −2     4
   The North Polish Union       4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5    −2     4
   Zug um Zug                   4    2   0   2     7.5    8.5    −2     4
17 Essena                       4    1   0   3     7.5    8.5    −2     2
18 Arjunnagar                   4    1   0   3     7      9      −4     2
   Natanians and Nosts          4    1   0   3     7      9      −4     2
20 Reformed Alto Tan            4    1   0   3     6.5    9.5    −6     2
21 Kriegiersien                 4    1   0   3     5.5    10.5  −10     2
22 Qasden                       4    1   0   3     5      11    −12     2
23 The 14 Stars                 4    0   1   3     6      10     −8     1
24 The Jovannic                 4    0   0   4     5.5    10.5  −10     0

Match 5 Pairings – Saturday, 11:00

Sarzonia - Bollonich/Graintfjall
Brookstation/Ardengard - Eshialand
Polkopia - Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
StrayaRoos - Untecna
Atheara - The Cordian Isles
Norrhem - Caribou Island
Mertagne - South Newlandia
The North Polish Union - Zug um Zug
Arjunnagar - Essena
Natanians and Nosts - Reformed Alto Tan
Qasden - Kriegiersien
The 14 Stars - The Jovannic

[Bollonich]

Trade Deal - Another step towards greater collaboration
With the Elephant Chess Cup kicking off this weekend, it will also be an important weekend when it comes to Bollonich-Græntfjall relations going forward. The joint team representing the nations shall not be the only topic of debate as the foreign minister of Græntfjall, Kaija Michaelsdóttir has made her way to Bollonich for a bilateral meeting to discuss various topics from economic development to the hard hitting refugee crisis at Græntfjall’s borders. The Governments of both nations had been trying to pass a free trade agreement which could be the case as such a deal might finally get agreed upon this weekend.

Bollonich’s Foreign Minister speaking in a press conference ahead of this bilateral meeting stressed upon the importance of such a trade deal. The exact contents of the deal is still in doubt however we do have quite a lot of information from the press conference mentioned above. The free trade agreement is supposed to have varied from clauses lowering of tariffs levied in the import of Bollonischian petroleum. It will also aim to lift various trade restrictions in place between both nations since the communist regime of Græntfjall. This trade deal will if adopted have a massive impact on the economy as it will open the door to further collaboration and growth across this mighty border. Economists are mainly in agreement over the benefits such an agreement can do for our nation’s growing economy.

This upcoming move however has not been criticism free. The Socialist-Marxists in line with their usual policy of opposing anything done by a Liberal Government have expressed their disdain for this possible deal. The critics of this deal mainly question the effects of rampant oil trade which could have the possibility of raising the temperatures in the surroundings.
It will be interesting to see in the upcoming days what actually comes of the many possibilities being presented here as it is definitely another step in greater collaboration and harmony between two great Pavolan states.

---

@Hello!Chess Strong performances so far. Only one loss yet. Let’s power on.

@VretonCityJournal Refugee Crisis at Græntfjaller borders worrying signs for Bollonischian Border Control.

@JuliaAnderson Great start to the ECC. The Eshialand match was a close loss, we should expect the same from Sarzonia.

@FootballExtra Managerial Staff has been fired. Joseph Monteudi of Indusse is the frontrunner for the position of manager.

@PoliticsBites Græntfjaller Foreign Minister spearheading talks of a free trade deal with Bollonich.

@SolveIt! White to move

[Sarzonia]

A Casaran system playoff may be undesirable in multiple sports, such as lacrosse, basketball, or especially football, but in a competition like chess, it might be the best way to go.

That point may be debatable, but what hasn't been thus far is the Sarzonian chess team have thus far emerged as the lone undefeated and undrawn team remaining in the competition after four matchdays. They knocked off previously unbeaten Caribou Island 2½–1½ on the third matchday before defeating fellow 3-0-0 sides Eshialand by that same scoreline. Meanwhile, the combined team of Bollonich and Græntfjall knocked out the other 3-0-0 side Zeta Reka and Hugeltadom by that same margin to leave Sarzonia ahead of the 24-team pack with a 4-0-0 record.

Six teams currently sport 3-0-1 records with the joint Bollonichian/Græntfjaller team who will be Sarzonia's next opponents leading that group with a point differential of plus-10. Right on their heels are the joint Brookstation/Ardengard side and Eshialand with plus-8 differentials. Polkopia and Zeta Reka and Hugeltadom round out the rest of the teams on six points with plus-6 differentials. Sarzonia are sporting a plus-12 differential.

With Sarzonia barely clinging to a 2-1 lead after Sarzonia's Lloyd Conway checkmated Jason Severn on Board 1 and Lisa Boudreaux outmaneuvered Mary Nerata on Board 2. Eshialand's Alan Blaine defeated Sarzonian Class A Audrey Tate to set up the fourth match pitting Javier Lopez against Stephanie Jacobson. A victory by Eshialand would keep both teams deadlocked at the top of the 24-team table, but a draw or Sarzonia victory would ensure that the Navy and Silver would remain on top to themselves.

Lopez told himself not to attack too aggressively and open himself to a blindlingly obvious move that would leave him checkmated. Conway paced the room trying to contain his exasperation at Lopez's uncharacteristically conservative play and his taking longer than normal to make moves. That's why I'm a grandmaster and Javy's not even a candidate master," he thought. However, when Lopez emerged from his match against Jacobson with a draw, he realised what Lopez had done. He'd ensured that Sarzonia would remain unbeaten and undrawn. He'd looked at the tables and saw Sarzonia now sitting alone atop the table. It was a heady strategy for the young Lopez, and it made the elder Conway walk up to the young man and shake his hand.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," he said. "That was smart play."

The matchup between Sarzonia and the joint Bollonichian/Græntfjaller side may be new to chess, but battles between Sarzonia and Græntfjall were certainly not new to sporting competitions. As for Bollonich, they may be a relative newcomer to the sport scene, but they're anything but strangers to Sarzonia in multiple competitions.

"It should make for interesting theatre," a relieved Conway said.

[Zug um Zug]

ZENIT ZEITUNG
Unknowns pose stern fifth-round test

After four rounds of the Elephant Chess Cup, Zug um Zug are in a three-way tie for fourteenth place, with two match wins, two defeats, and 7.5 points taken overall from individual games. The vagaries of tiebreakers mean that they will be matched not against the hosts, South Newlandia, but rather against the mysterious side from The North Polish Union. Speculation about the strategies the latter will employ is rife, particularly since we cannot confirm or deny whether they are actually a team of Santa Claus's elves.

"I mean, let's think about it, elves are playful, and they've probably been making chess sets for good boys and girls for hundreds of years," noted Reiner Frintz. "Also, considering the inhuman conditions they work under, they definitely need to have unionized."

"We can expect them to develop lots of pawn chains," groundlessly mused Tabitha Bouton, "symbolizing the interconnectedness of the laborers. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see some knights jumping over other pieces in what seems like magic. I mean, how do those reindeer get everywhere in one night?"

"Elves don't fear time pressure, clearly," said Bruno Eartle. "Which could be bad, because I feel like most of us do. Then again, who am I kidding? It's still Friday and I feel like it's been Friday all week."

[Brookstation]

It was late afternoon and Deepak had returned from his work to the chess academy. He had again sat near his board and stared at the poster which he had been seeing throughout his childhood. The poster read - " A calm mind is the way." He waited for someone to come and play with him. Mr Jones sat on the other side of the board.

" How have you been Deepak ? " , He looked outside through the window. " It sure is hot outside, we are not even into the rainy season yet."

Mr Jones was like a father for Deepak. He was the one who made him play chess and win tournaments at a very young age.

" Jeez, what am I saying. Is the weather all I am concerned about ? <sighs> So lets begin." said Jones

Two hours had passed and the game was still going on. The opening of water bottles were the only noises in the room. Finally Deepak had won the game after three hours of play.

" I see, you've become better. " , said Mr Jones.

Deepak quietly got up and stepped out of the room and walked away. He sat on a bench which was just on the footpath adjacent to the academy. He took out his phone and looked at the messages. It was a message from his sister who wanted him to buy ice cream for her on his way home. Deepak was the eldest of the four children and being the eldest, it was his responsibility to take care of his three sisters. One of his sister was 16 years old, another one 10 years and the youngest was 6 years old.

The moment he came home, his young sisters ran towards him to grab the ice cream.

" Wait already !! These are basic manners , Uditi. "

" Sorry "

They sat on the dinner table to eat dinner, which Deepak had brought. Uditi grabbed the food when Deepak stopped her and asked her to say the prayers before eating. After praying to God, they sat for dinner. While having dinner, Deepak's phone suddenly rang. He picked up the call and went out of the room.

" Hello ?"

" Yes Deepak, this is Bobbie Reyes from the BCF "

" Yes?"

" Brookstation is going for their first international chess tournament along with Ardengard and we need you to come. "

" But you see, I have three......."

" We will pay for them as well , dont worry. You need to come Deepak. Think about it. You can become an international champion. You will be able to have a good life. You need to come to South Newlandia."

" Who else is going ?"

" Kenneth "

" Okay. I will come."

" Great. Your flight is overmorrow . Be prepared."

---

" Sisters, we need to start packing our bags."

" Why what happened ? "

" I have to go to South Newlandia for a chess tournament so you all have to come with me. "

" Are you serious ??! We are flying to a different continent "

" Brother, I have never been on a plane before. How does it feel ?"

" Are we going to stay in a five star hotel ?"

Well Deepak was left with a lot of questions to be answered but he did reach South Newlandia after all.

[Graintfjall]

7 years ago never 4get

The Rook

The blast of the car horn startled the bird, which took flight from the roof of Ólafssandur Castle in a flurry of snow. They watched as its black wings spread wide and carried it like a dark missile through the gray sky.

“I hate crows. Spooky.”

“It was a rook.”

“Yeah. That’s what I said.”

“No, you said it was a crow.”

“A rook is a crow.”

“Here’s the thing. You said a rook is a crow. Is it in the same family? Yes. No one’s arguing that…”

Aron Fritzson left Birkir and Edward in the car to argue, couple of intellectuals that they were. His boots hit the ground with a crunch; the driveway had been iced over when they’d been here a few days ago, but the steady churn of wheels had turned it to slippery mush, which had now been salted over with a pinkish grit that stuck to his soles as he approached the gate and flashed his ID badge. He was ushered swiftly through the yard – between the gate and the main door, he saw at least sixteen soldiers, eight clad in white winter gear, another eight in dark FIBUA kit. They weren’t shuffling forward much more than a pace at a time as they huddled against the bracing wind blowing in over the scoured industrial deathlands that spanned as far as the ice-banked horizon in every direction.

Crown Princess Kassandra welcomed Aron with an embrace and a slightly-less-than-chaste kiss on each cheek. Her breath was rich with wine. Even princesses had to adapt to the modern Græntfjall; her castle was used to host weddings, social gatherings, and conferences. But Græntfjall wasn’t so modern that there wasn’t still room for a little scheming in its old Crusader castles.

“Sergeant Natanaelsson?”

“In the car. Being educated on the finer points of the Corvidae family.”

“I don’t think I know them. Tikariotian, are they?”

“Something like that.”

Aron pulled off his gloves and opened his jacket. An immense fire was blazing in the hearth; the castle still wasn’t exactly warm, but compared to the weather outside he wanted to soak in the welcome heat. They began ascending the right hand of the twin spiral staircases that led up to what had once been royal bedchambers, and were now function rooms and serving areas – and, in one case, a well appointed office with an unusually serious lock on the door, and two guards stationed outside, stony-faced and implacable. They moved aside for the Crown Princess but Aron flashed his badge again all the same.

Commander Gunnlaugur Rikharðsson snapped to his feet as the Crown Princess entered; Aron registered the flicker of her irritation on her face when Hólmgrímur Svavarsson remained seated. “At ease, Commander,” she said. Aron suspected this little pantomime played out every time she entered a room with him – so long as there were witnesses. When they were alone, a very different kind of performance ensued, so the good Commander was no less firmly at attention. Surveillance tape BCOD-9 was of a particular quality, Aron thought; it might have won awards in Quebec.

Aron didn’t want to waste time. The convoy was leaving in a few hours. “Is it…”

“Your chariot awaits,” sneered Hólmgrímur. “Come to ask for gas money?”

Aron met the naked antisemitism with a flat smile of such withering intensity that Hólmgrímur looked away. Then he turned back to Gunnlaugur.

“Plates?”

Gunnlaugur nodded, but didn’t speak. Aron grinned.

“Commander, relax,” he said. “We can speak freely. This place isn’t bugged.” Aron had overseen the installation of the bugs himself, including the ones in the Crown Princess’s bedchamber.

“It’s all tagged up,” Gunnlaugur reluctantly admitted, albeit with a suspicious glance at the wall. Wrong wall, thought Aron. “If anyone’s counting one extra humanitarian supply truck…”

“No one’s counting,” said Aron calmly. “No one’s listening. No one’s watching. No one’s doing anything. We are going to drive that truck over the border. We are going to park our truck outside the building where we’ve been told she’s staying. And we are going to blow that bitch up. And then we are all going to meet again here and toast our success.”

The mention of a toast perked up the Crown Princess, who’d rather drifted off during the operational details. She placed a hand on Aron’s shoulder.

“We’re putting our trust in you,” she said. “I just hope your best men are on it.”

“I have top minds working on it. TOP minds.”

---

“…You said a rook is a crow, which is not true unless you're okay with calling all members of the crow family crows, which means you’d call blue jays, ravens, and other birds crows, too. Which you said you don’t. It’s okay to just admit you’re wrong, you know?”

Aron met up with Birkir and Edward in the castle’s loading bay, and listened as they continued their argument. A white-clad soldier was bringing up the truck. Marked with plates registered to the humanitarian relief mission. And packed full of tons of that most important humanitarian supply, life giving fertilizer.

Ammonium nitrate.

[Eshialand]

A Difficult Position
Eshialand 2½-1½ Bollonich/Græntfjall
Eshialand 1½-2½ Sarzonia

Date: Friday, December 2^nd, 2022
Time: 5:32 PM

"So... those matches happened." Stephanie said as the team walked back to their hotel following the match against Sarzonia.
"I knew we were gonna take an L this afternoon, but if anything I thought it'd be against the Bollonich/Græntfjall team!" Jason replied.
"Hear hear!" Alan agreed.
"Hey, at least it didn't go too badly... we're still in a tie for third, so all and all a good day..." Stephanie said.

Jason then turned to whisper to Mary and Alan. "I'm still not used to her not caring about results..."

"I know?" Alan replied, "I mean, last year, she'd be all over us about not being first! Actually, she was all over us for not being first!"

"Anyway," the three quickly turned towards Stephanie so she wouldn't notice their whispering, "so where do you want to eat dinner tonight?"

---

Date: Saturday, December 3^rd, 2022
Time: 9:56 AM

"Brookstation and Ardengard, I wonder how we'll do against them..." Jason said over breakfast.
"I dunno, they seem to be real surprises this time around..." Mary replied.
"Oh dear," Alan commented, "didn't we say the same thing about Sarzonia?

The group simply look at each other, somewhat worried about the match ahead.

"Meh, it'll be fine!" Stephanie reassured them. "Everything will work out just fine...

Eshialand 2½-1½ Bollonich/Græntfjall
Josep ½-½ Severn
Nerata 0-1 Oliver
Klæðskera-gleði 0-1 Blaine
Jacobson 1-0 Ýrarsson

Eshialand 1½-2½ Sarzonia
Conway 1-0 Severn
Nerata 0-1 Boudreaux
Tate 0-1 Blaine
Jacobson ½-½ Lopez

[South Newlandia]

Cutoff, MD5/6

Match 5 – Saturday, 11:00

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

Sarzonia 2–2 Bollonich/Graintfjall
Brookstation/Ardengard 2–2 Eshialand
Polkopia 2½–1½ Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
StrayaRoos 1½–2½ Untecna
Atheara 2½–1½ The Cordian Isles
Norrhem 1–3 Caribou Island
Mertagne 3–1 South Newlandia
The North Polish Union 1–3 Zug um Zug
Arjunnagar 1–3 Essena
Natanians and Nosts 3–1 Reformed Alto Tan
Qasden 1½–2½ Kriegiersien
The 14 Stars 2–2 The Jovannic

Table:

P                             Pld    W   D   L     PF     PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Sarzonia                     5    4   1   0     13      7     +6     9
 2 Polkopia                     5    4   0   1     12      8     +4     8
 3 Bollonich/Graintfjall        5    3   1   1     12.5    7.5   +5     7
 4 Brookstation/Ardengard       5    3   1   1     12      8     +4     7
   Eshialand                    5    3   1   1     12      8     +4     7
 6 Untecna                      5    3   1   1     11      9     +2     7
 7 Atheara                      5    3   1   1     10.5    9.5   +1     7
 8 Caribou Island               5    3   0   2     11.5    8.5   +3     6
 9 Mertagne                     5    3   0   2     11      9     +2     6
   Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom    5    3   0   2     11      9     +2     6
11 StrayaRoos                   5    3   0   2     10.5    9.5   +1     6
   Zug um Zug                   5    3   0   2     10.5    9.5   +1     6
13 Norrhem                      5    2   1   2     9      11     −2     5
14 Essena                       5    2   0   3     10.5    9.5   +1     4
   The Cordian Isles            5    2   0   3     10.5    9.5   +1     4
16 Natanians and Nosts          5    2   0   3     10     10      0     4
17 South Newlandia              5    2   0   3     8.5    11.5   −3     4
   The North Polish Union       5    2   0   3     8.5    11.5   −3     4
19 Kriegiersien                 5    2   0   3     8      12     −4     4
20 Arjunnagar                   5    1   0   4     8      12     −4     2
   The 14 Stars                 5    0   2   3     8      12     −4     2
22 Reformed Alto Tan            5    1   0   4     7.5    12.5   −5     2
23 Qasden                       5    1   0   4     6.5    13.5   −7     2
24 The Jovannic                 5    0   1   4     7.5    12.5   −5     1

Match 6 Pairings – Saturday, 13:00

Sarzonia - Polkopia
Bollonich/Graintfjall - Untecna
Atheara - Brookstation/Ardengard
Caribou Island - Eshialand
Mertagne - StrayaRoos
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - Zug um Zug
Essena - Norrhem
The Cordian Isles - Natanians and Nosts
South Newlandia - The North Polish Union
Kriegiersien - The 14 Stars
Arjunnagar - Reformed Alto Tan
Qasden - The Jovannic




Match 6 - Saturday, 13:00

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

Sarzonia 1½–2½ Polkopia
Bollonich/Graintfjall 3–1 Untecna
Atheara 2½–1½ Brookstation/Ardengard
Caribou Island 1–3 Eshialand
Mertagne 2½–1½ StrayaRoos
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 2½–1½ Zug um Zug
Essena 2½–1½ Norrhem
The Cordian Isles 3–1 Natanians and Nosts
South Newlandia 1½–2½ The North Polish Union
Kriegiersien 3½–½ The 14 Stars
Arjunnagar 1½–2½ Reformed Alto Tan
Qasden 3–1 The Jovannic

Table:

P                             Pld    W   D   L     PF       PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Polkopia                     6    5   0   1     14.5     9.5    +5    10
 2 Bollonich/Graintfjall        6    4   1   1     15.5     8.5    +7     9
 3 Eshialand                    6    4   1   1     15       9      +6     9
 4 Sarzonia                     6    4   1   1     14.5     9.5    +5     9
 5 Atheara                      6    4   1   1     13      11      +2     9
 6 Mertagne                     6    4   0   2     13.5    10.5    +3     8
   Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom    6    4   0   2     13.5    10.5    +3     8
 8 Brookstation/Ardengard       6    3   1   2     13.5    10.5    +3     7
 9 Untecna                      6    3   1   2     12      12       0     7
10 The Cordian Isles            6    3   0   3     13.5    10.5    +3     6
11 Essena                       6    3   0   3     13      11      +2     6
12 Caribou Island               6    3   0   3     12.5    11.5    +1     6
13 StrayaRoos                   6    3   0   3     12      12       0     6
   Zug um Zug                   6    3   0   3     12      12       0     6
15 Kriegiersien                 6    3   0   3     11.5    12.5    −1     6
16 The North Polish Union       6    3   0   3     11      13      −2     6
17 Norrhem                      6    2   1   3     10.5    13.5    −3     5
18 Natanians and Nosts          6    2   0   4     11      13      −2     4
19 Reformed Alto Tan            6    2   0   4     10      14      −4     4
   South Newlandia              6    2   0   4     10      14      −4     4
21 Qasden                       6    2   0   4      9.5    14.5    −5     4
22 Arjunnagar                   6    1   0   5      9.5    14.5    −5     2
23 The 14 Stars                 6    0   2   4      8.5    15.5    −7     2
24 The Jovannic                 6    0   1   5      8.5    15.5    −7     1

Match 7 Pairings – Saturday, 16:00

Polkopia - Bollonich/Graintfjall
Eshialand - Atheara
Mertagne - Sarzonia
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - Brookstation/Ardengard
Untecna - The Cordian Isles
Essena - Caribou Island
StrayaRoos - Zug um Zug
Kriegiersien - The North Polish Union
Norrhem - South Newlandia
Natanians and Nosts - Qasden
Reformed Alto Tan - The 14 Stars
The Jovannic - Arjunnagar

[Atheara]

Atheara defeated the The Cordian and Brookstation/Ardengard teams both by a scoreline of 2½–1½ to enter into the top 5 of the table. The three grandmasters and international master have been gelling well, as they all had went to a small cafe to take a break and finally get a chance to look around the city of Newport. Devyn was amazed by the more industrialized feel about the city. Aelena was, quite frankly, a bit bored. They were just looking around the city. Dushev was apparently having a text conversation with his former classmates, and Selena was texting her boyfriend.

Carlos Devyn was minding his own bussiness after they were looking around the city, as the four Athearans returned to the hotel. He was taking a quick break by ordering some coffee. That is, until his phone ringed. It was a call from an unknown number. Devyn decided to pick up the call, considering he currently has a good amount of free time for himself, he picks up the call and immediately says "Hello?" A then, feminine yet slightly deep voice replied, "Yes, hello to you too, Mr Devyn." Devyn then asked himself 'How does this woman know my name? Suspicious indeed.'

"I will not speak much, since i am quite the busy person. All i ask is that your team finish higher than last ECC, preferrably top 7. If you do, i shall reward the team 80.000 Arthertas (40.000 NSD)." And then, she hangs the call. Devyn couldn't believe it, 80.000 Arthertas up for grabs if they finish in the top 7. It may be difficult, but it isn't in the realm of impossibility. 'Should i tell everyone else? Yeah, let's do that.' Whilst Devyn was thinking, a waiter appeared with his cup of coffee. "Here is your coffee sire, cold brewed as ordered." The waiter said. "Thank you, here is the money." Devyn replied back and gave the waiter the money. Devyn then opens up his phone and texts the team, "Meet me in my hotel room, 10 minutes tops."

In Devyn's Hotel Room...

"So, you are saying that if we finish in the top 7, we all get 80.000 Arthertas?" Aelena asked. "That is quite the sum to be honest, but who would do that...?" Dushev asked. "All i care about is the money, i mean, who wouldn't?" Selena asked. "Question 1. Yes, we get 80.000 Arthertas, but we split it up between all of us. Question number 2. I don't know, but i have a few odd and large speculations. Question 3. I agree, who wouldn't care about the amount of money offered?" Devyn asked everybody else in the room. This was an interesting turn of events for them.

"We should first speculate why is this happening in the first place. Maybe as a motivator?" Dushev asked everyone. "I agree." Everybody else suddenly said. It was, an odd turn of events indeed. "Alright, we can say that it is to motivate us. Maybe we should start studying for the next match? All i know is that we have Eshialand for our next match." Devyn suddenly surts. Before anyone notices, Aelena and Selena ran out of the room, probably to either Aelena's or Selena's to study. "So, shall we begin studying, my friend?" Dushev asked Devyn. "Sure, we can begin now." Devyn answers Dushev back. This was an interesting day with some interesting events.

[Sarzonia]

The feeling was one that took a long time for this hastily-assembled team to experience, but the Sarzonian chess players became the last team to face the reality of losing.

After Polkopia posted a 2½–1½ victory over Sarzonia on the sixth matchday of the second edition of the Elephant Chess Cup, Sarzonia became the last time to leave the rarefied air of the unbeatens, dropping to 4-1-1 and dropping out of one of the two positions in the final. Prior to their lone defeat, they played to a 2-2 draw against the combined team of Bollonich and Græntfjall, which gave Sarzonia their first-ever blemish after four matchdays gave them four victories.

All of that wasn't enough to dampen the enthusiasm of George Tunney, the accountant based in Corcorran who latched onto the four Sarzonian chess players and was a confirmed fan of the team's. He would soon be joined by others, as Ted in Procurement and Kathie in Human Resources also quickly got excited about the team's progress and its pluckiness.

"They don't have a manager," Kathie said. "I haven't seen any other team without a manager in the competition thus far."

"Lloyd Conway," Ted said. "He's serving as manager."

"He's essentially a player-manager," Tunney said as the three employees sat around the lunch table in the company cafeteria. "Chess Sarzonia haven't picked a manager, so they decided to make the team's grandmaster their manager."

"That's a lot to ask, isn't it?" Ted asked before putting the straw in his cup of Coke into his mouth and sipping. "It's one thing to prepare for your opponent, but it's a whole other thing to set lineups and prepare players. It's incredible he's actually doing it."

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of that," Tunney said. It was a little white lie. He actually had thought about it, but he was keeping his fanaticism under wraps because who actually talks about chess in the accounting firm? Tunney didn't know anyone in his life who was a fanatic about this team to the same extent. The fact that he was even having a conversation about chess at work at all was a surprise to him.

"Hey," Kathie asked Tunney. "You think about applying to manage?"

"What, me?"

"Weren't you a junior champion back in the day?"

"Well, yeah," Tunney said. He'd forgotten he'd mentioned that on his resume amongst other interests, and he'd forgotten that it was Kathie who had processed his resume for Human Resources. "Doesn't mean I'd be any good at it."

"Wouldn't hurt to apply, would it?" she asked.

"They wouldn't hire me!" Tunney exclaimed. He was sure there'd be plenty of people in the pipeline who would want to apply, particularly considering the team's success in the first four matches of the Elephant Chess Cup. He figured someone who made chess their life in a way he stopped doing after he met his now-wife and began a civilian life as a boring accountant would be someone Chess Sarzonia would consider. He had no chance.

Or so he thought. In an attempt to humour his work colleagues, he submitted an application on a lark. A couple of days later, after he came back inside from mowing the lawn, he saw he had a voicemail message on his mobile from a number he didn't recognise. He shrugged and listened to the message with his finger poised over the button he'd tap to delete the message. He hit it quickly but realised it was actually someone from Chess Sarzonia. Fortunately, he then quickly pressed the option to recover messages and then listened to it a second time.

They want me to do a Zoom interview, he thought. They actually want me to interview for the managerial role. I can't believe it!

[Zug um Zug]

ZENIT ZEITUNG
Church social teachings leave bishop pinned

Bishop Tobias Overcroft of the C8 Diocese has released a proclamation on the importance of cultural integration among his parishioners. "While both white and black pieces share rich religious traditions, it is a sobering fact that worship services often have high levels of de facto segregation," he lamented. "How can we truly claim to love our neighbor when we spend our time of fellowship huddling in isolation from our so-called 'enemies' or fearing that we may be 'captured' by those who look unlike us?"

Overcroft and his fellow clergy have struggled in recent years to reach the unaffiliated, and some claim that their overemphasis on pomp may be off-putting. "I'll be the first one to admit I never liked those censers anyway," said Overcroft, "they smell bad. And some of those fancy hats are just too much." However, some changes are still too far. "I like my array of colorful chasubles and I'm going to keep rotating among them depending on the liturgical season. Plain old black and white are boring, never mind stereotypical. Also, I have to keep processing diagonally, even when the aisle of the church isn't really set up for that."

The bishop admits that large-scale reformation may be likely to come through lower-level clergy rather than higher-level officials. "In the past, seminaries focused on training chaplains who were assisting on the front lines, or stationed at the palace to minister directly to royalty. I think today you're seeing the effects of more democratization. Young people aren't interested in the morality of smiting their enemies or the consolation of life beyond the confines of this board, they want someone who will take seriously their concerns about post-partisanship and multicolor relations. And I think as a church, it's our job to address that without losing sight of our fundamental teachings."

At press time, Overcroft was editing a treatise on how attempts at modernizing liturgical music were "merely cringeworthy, not outright heretical."

[Eshialand]

How Did We Get Here?
Brookstation/Ardengard 2-2 Eshialand
Moorland 1-3 Eshialand

Date: Saturday, December 3^rd, 2022
Time: 2:13 PM

"Well, Mary, how did your last game go?" Jason asked at the end of Eshialand's match against Moorland (the nation otherwise referred to as Caribou Island).
"I won!"
"Yes! So we've not only won the match, we won by a fair margin."
"We definitely needed that after that last match against Brookstation and Ardengard..." Alan responded flatly.
"Absolutely. So that puts us at, what, third in the standings? Jason asked.

Lazlo suddenly appeared, giving the team a bit of a fright. "Yes indeed it would. 4-1-1 is definitely not bad."
"AAH! When did you get here?" Mary asked him.
"Oh, I was just out to get coffee. And look, I got donuts for everyone!"
"Oh... okay then."

The team decided to go to a nearby park to enjoy their coffee and donuts, and talk about what the last four rounds might have in store for them.

"So, who do you think we might have in the next match?"
"What do you mean Alan, you didn't check the matchups before we left the hotel?" Jason asked him.
"Did you?"
"Well... no..."
"You see," Stephanie responded, "that's why I brought my phone."

Stephanie opens up her phone to search up "Elephant Chess Cup matchups". What she would see, however, would make her drop that phone.

Elephant Chess Cup II, Round 7
Eshialand - Atheara

"Well, then... I'd suggest you call your friends and family, this'll be one they'll wanna watch."

---

RING! RING! RING!

"Oh, hello Lazlo! How are you today?" the king asked when he picked up the phone.
"I'm doing great William, and yourself?"
"Just fine. So, what are you calling me about?"
"El Recentico."
"Wait, you don't mean..."
"What else could I mean?"
"But you can't be serious..."
"I never kid."
"Impossible."
"Possible."
"No way!"
"Way."
"But..."
"Turn on the TV. You'll believe me soon enough."

William turns on the TV, and indeed, it's real.

Eshialand vs. Atheara, for the sixth time in two years.

Brookstation/Ardengard 2-2 Eshialand
Severn ½-½ March
Singh Topal 1-0 Nerata
Blaine ½-½ Seale
Popoola 0-1 Jacobson

Moorland 1-3 Eshialand
Severn 0-1 Rossedoter
Isason 0-1 Nerata
Blaine 1-0 Sant-Alstair
Jansdoter 0-1 Jacobson

OOC: meme posted with permission.

[Graintfjall]

The Knight

“Horse?”

David Austmannsson dipped the spoon into the wide, flat bowl and brought up a mouthful of steaming stew. He savored the flavor as he tasted it; Kaija Michaelsdóttir wrinkled her brow in quiet disgust.

“Delicacy among the Kamdyr, you know?”

“We’re not among the Kamdyr,” she said. They weren’t, in fact, among anyone: they were totally alone in his spacious kitchen. Since leaving the office of Prime Minister and standing down from the Thing the number of evening visitors had dramatically dropped off, and so when Kaija had called, he’d looked past his surprise to welcome her around. She’d declined to join him for dinner, though, and was playing with the stem of her wine glass as he continued spooning down a stew that smelled disturbingly tempting.

“I shouldn’t imagine Mr Juliusson subjects you to this,” he chuckled. “Dry crust of bread in solidarity with the workers? Or – no, let me guess, vegan ethically sourced organic Akhdari surprise? Hmm, or would that be cultural appropriation?”

Duly reminded of why she hadn’t visited her old colleague in over two years, Kaija’s smile was more a wince of discomfort. She ignored the barbs at the current Prime Minister. “So as I was saying…”

“How was Bollonich?”

She sighed. “It was fine. I was just there to make a speech. You know that. The actual work is done by the negotiators. And then at the end I’ll go back and make another speech.”

“Don’t let them squeeze us on offshore drilling rights. Plenty more kraken in the sea…”

“I’m not here to discuss Bollonich, David.”

He brought another spoonful to his mouth. She had not often called him David; theirs had never been a working relationship as close as hers and Juliusson’s. She hadn’t even invited him to her wedding.

“Nyowani Kitara…”

“Whysoever would you heed my word on that?” he asked, breaking an oyster cracker into his stew with a snap. He stirred it around and studied her face with wry amusement.

“We were always closer on the foreign stuff than the domestic stuff.”

“Mmm. And you and the saintly Mr Juliusson are somewhat further apart?”

“I don’t even… know where he is right now,” she said, sighing. She sat back in the chair and took a sip of the wine. It wasn’t a bad vintage, at all. Destabilizing foreign regimes and picking out a decent white; two things David Austmannsson had always excelled at.

“It’s where my party got it wrong, you know.”

She smirked. His party. The Blue-Greens of today – postering over white nationalism and trying to outdo each other on stringent anti-immigration measures – were barely recognizable from the party he’d led a mere three years prior.

“We predicted that in power Juliusson would be a monster. A grasping socialist tyrant. Using the hammer of the state to bend the public to his will. Power mad and uncompromising. And as it turns out…”

He stirred the oyster cracker fragments, and they dissolved away to nothing. Much like the dreams of comprehensive tax reform and welfare overhaul, of a completely new approach to immigration, of disarmament.

“…that he’s so morally pure he’s become paralysed by indecision.” She completed the thought quietly and, for once, David agreed with her without complaint.

“And now you’re here to… what?”

“To ask you how I should manage this. You’re the ‘Snow Fox’, after all.”

David grinned. “In government with left and right. Using an international crisis to snatch more power at the budget negotiations. Out there taking credit for a trade deal that my administration started. Why, Kaija, you’re becoming quite the Snow Fox yourself.”

“So if I am. As one fox to another…”

“The problem with this is there’s no figurehead. Max Ulf? Some doddering old ex-communist with no mandate and no personality. Malik Akongo? Try selling him to the great unwashed masses.”

“You’re such a snob.”

“I know, isn’t it wonderful?” He dipped another cracker in his stew. “What problem are you trying to solve, right now?”

“The refugees.” She answered immediately. A million or more Kitarans on their border: it was completely untenable, and the deal with Bollonich might repatriate thousands, tens of thousands perhaps – and by the time they were moved on, ten thousand more would have taken their place. The civil war was bad, but whichever side won would have little impact on the Græntfjaller way of life. But a refugee crisis was enough to bring down the government if they didn’t get a handle on it. The main problem was the reluctance of the Græntfjaller public to admit what the tabloids had painted as an army of ethnic outsiders, communists, and race warriors – wholly falsely, but with stunning penetration of public opinion.

“Mmm. You want to take them in, help them, relocate them.”

“And your party wants to rebuild the damned wall.”

“Mmm.” He savored another mouthful. “It really is wonderful, you should try some.”

She shook her head, firmly. There would be no dining on horseflesh for her.

“You need to find someone to galvanize public opinion. Someone who the unwashed masses…”

“The hardworking, conscientious, voting public.”

“…yes, the plebs – someone they’ll identify with. And you stick them in a refugee camp and have them shake a few hands and kiss a few crying babes.”

The cynicism was breathtaking. And not, she thought, wholly wrong.

His spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl. “Know any knights in shining armor, Kaija?”

---

The horse took two paces forward, then one to the side. It lowered its head and began nibbling at a patch of grass, until a jerk on the rains brought its head up sharply.

“It’s not allowed to eat?” asked Jason Þórhallursson skeptically. He reached out with all the uncertainty of a city boy uncomfortable around animals and patted the nose. The nostrils snorted an indignant blast of hot air back.

“Not long grass like this. Doesn’t digest properly, knots in the gut.” The voice that answered from above his head belonged to Princess Jessika. She ruffled some longer hairs around the neck of the horse, who brayed with pleasure. “He has plenty of fresh hay in his stall.”

Jason wasn’t too sure why he’d been summoned here. The Princess had been innocently surprised he’d not ridden a horse before and bemused that he’d rather stay in the farmhouse kitchen than join her for her morning ride. While waiting he’d got so bored that he’d flipped through the news on his phone and ended following a chess match from South Newlandia in the absence of literally any other sport. A little animation showed the piece moving around the board. Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði moving her knight into position to force a win, with a little bit of text commentary reporting that with Reynir Ýrarsson’s draw, that ensured Græntfjall would take the leg against Untecna. Jason had played chess – Emeli Vilbertsdóttir in particular was always breaking out the travel chess games on away legs – but the finer points of strategy were as alien to him as… well, horse riding.

The Princess swung herself off the horse and landed on the muddy grass beside him with a wet plop. From towering above him, she now had to tilt her head back to look up at Jason. A couple of stablehands came over to lead the horse back to its stall and break out that hay it was obviously chomping at the bit for – sorry, champing. The Princess had corrected him on that earlier, too. They began walking in stride to the farmhouse.

“Good ride?” he asked, lamely.

“Sorry for leaving you here. Just assumed you’d know how – and didn’t want to, well…”

“Wait for me to catch up on the nag with training wheels?”

She smiled politely – but affirmatively.

“If you invited me here to ride horses…”

“Didn’t.” She pulled up short of the farmhouse, where serving staff had busied Jason out of the kitchen so they could prepare a lunch of hearty vegetable soup to fend off the bitter early winter air. “You know Kaija Michaelsdóttir?”

Jason was about as good at feigning impassiveness on that one as he was at riding horses. More than the cold wind stung his cheeks red. “I think you know that I do,” he said quietly.

“She came to see me. Wanted a favor.” The Princess had a certain clipped style of speaking, the hallmark of Schutzenphalian boarding schools, that Jason at times found hard to follow. It took a moment for him to process.

“She wanted you to do her a favor?” Jason was no political scholar and his attempt to process the implications of the foreign minister visiting a Princess to ask her a favor left him pining for the life of a horse, with no greater worry than where its next mouthful of dry grass was.

“Unit’s on extended leave. Refitting in dry dock.”

Jason nodded, though he expected not every junior officer had been permitted to retreat to an extensive private country farmhouse to jog around on horseback during this Naval ‘leave’.

“Wanted me to pop down to Nyowani Kitara.”

His eyes widened. “Pop down to…?”

“Well, the border, anyway. The refugee camps. Lot of good work being done there. Rally the troops. Be among the people.”

Several questions swam around in Jason’s mind, about the security situation, the press optics, Kaija’s involvement, the background politics. One rode a riptide to the fore, however. “And you asked me to join you here because…?”

“Thought you might pop along with me.”

That Schutzenphalian habit of Jessika’s, dropping the pronouns. It meant it was unclear whether she or Kaija was the one who had had this ‘thought’. All the same, Jason was pretty sure he understood.

---

Princess Jessika trotted up to Jason. She was clad in white, he in black.

“Are you crazy? You’ll freeze to death!”

They’d both arrived in white, heavy winter coats, down to their knees. Now Jason sported just a black T-shirt; his arms were pink and speckled with goose-pimples.

“It’s fine. We’ll be back in a warm hotel in a couple of hours.” Because of security fears, the visit wasn’t overnight: he, the Princess, a small staff, and a rather larger mass of press photographers, had arrived in the morning, were visiting through the day, and would travel back before sundown. “They’re going to sleeping in a freezing tent.”

He pointed out some Kitaran children. The tallest, a skinny lad possibly on the verge of teenage years, was wearing Jason’s white coat, which went down to his ankles; the two little ones were wearing his woollen jumper and padded thermal top. Several press photographers were busily snapping pictures.

The visit had been pretty successful. There’d been a minor incident with a scuffle, some old KWPC hardliner shouting slogans and being bundled off by security, but in general these refugees were, just as Kaija had said, just families trying to get to safety. The children eagerly coaxed Jason into games of soccer on the frozen ground; Princess Jessika sat and listened to the stories of those recuperating in makeshift medical tents; and all the while the photographers filled their reels with heartbreaking – and heartwarming – images of the celebrities, such as they were, proving these Kitaran refugees were nothing to be afraid of.

There was even some excitement. An aid convoy was rolling through on the road by the refugee camp; the children scrambled up the bank to wave at the huge trucks. They began chanting, counting them off, and Jason and the Princess joined in the sing-song chant. Things got pretty confused, especially given Jason didn’t even speak the language. Were there 37 or 38 aid trucks rolling by? Somewhere in the count, the number got completely lost. Not that it really mattered.

What difference did one extra truck make?

[South Newlandia]

Cutoff for MD7/8!

Match 7 – Saturday, 16:00

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

Polkopia 1–3 Bollonich/Graintfjall
Eshialand 2½–1½ Atheara
Mertagne 1–3 Sarzonia
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 2–2 Brookstation/Ardengard
Untecna 1½–2½ The Cordian Isles
Essena 1–3 Caribou Island
StrayaRoos 1½–2½ Zug um Zug
Kriegiersien 2½–1½ The North Polish Union
Norrhem 1½–2½ South Newlandia
Natanians and Nosts 2½–1½ Qasden
Reformed Alto Tan 1½–2½ The 14 Stars
The Jovannic 1½–2½ Arjunnagar

Table:

P                             Pld    W   D   L     PF       PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Bollonich/Graintfjall        7    5   1   1     18.5     9.5    +9    11
 2 Eshialand                    7    5   1   1     17.5    10.5    +7    11
   Sarzonia                     7    5   1   1     17.5    10.5    +7    11
 4 Polkopia                     7    5   0   2     15.5    12.5    +3    10
 5 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom    7    4   1   2     15.5    12.5    +3     9
 6 Atheara                      7    4   1   2     14.5    13.5    +1     9
 7 The Cordian Isles            7    4   0   3     16      12      +4     8
 8 Brookstation/Ardengard       7    3   2   2     15.5    12.5    +3     8
   Caribou Island               7    4   0   3     15.5    12.5    +3     8
10 Mertagne                     7    4   0   3     14.5    13.5    +1     8
   Zug um Zug                   7    4   0   3     14.5    13.5    +1     8
12 Kriegiersien                 7    4   0   3     14      14       0     8
13 Untecna                      7    3   1   3     13.5    14.5    −1     7
14 Essena                       7    3   0   4     14      14       0     6
15 Natanians and Nosts          7    3   0   4     13.5    14.5    −1     6
   StrayaRoos                   7    3   0   4     13.5    14.5    −1     6
17 South Newlandia              7    3   0   4     12.5    15.5    −3     6
   The North Polish Union       7    3   0   4     12.5    15.5    −3     6
19 Norrhem                      7    2   1   4     12      16      −4     5
20 Arjunnagar                   7    2   0   5     12      16      −4     4
21 Reformed Alto Tan            7    2   0   5     11.5    16.5    −5     4
22 Qasden                       7    2   0   5     11      17      −6     4
   The 14 Stars                 7    1   2   4     11      17      −6     4
24 The Jovannic                 7    0   1   6     10      18      −8     1

Match 8 Pairings – Saturday, 18:00

Bollonich/Graintfjall - Atheara
Eshialand - Polkopia
Sarzonia - Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
The Cordian Isles - Caribou Island
Zug um Zug - Brookstation/Ardengard
Untecna - Mertagne
Kriegiersien - Essena
The North Polish Union - Natanians and Nosts
Arjunnagar - StrayaRoos
South Newlandia - Reformed Alto Tan
The Jovannic - Norrhem
Qasden - The 14 Stars





Match 8 – Saturday, 18:00

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

Bollonich/Graintfjall 2½–1½ Atheara
Eshialand 2½–1½ Polkopia
Sarzonia 2½–1½ Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
The Cordian Isles 2–2 Caribou Island
Zug um Zug 1½–2½ Brookstation/Ardengard
Untecna 1½–2½ Mertagne
Kriegiersien 1–3 Essena
The North Polish Union 2½–1½ Natanians and Nosts
Arjunnagar 1½–2½ StrayaRoos
South Newlandia 2½–1½ Reformed Alto Tan
The Jovannic 1½–2½ Norrhem
Qasden 3–1 The 14 Stars

Table:

P                             Pld    W   D   L     PF     PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Bollonich/Graintfjall        8    6   1   1     21     11    +10    13
 2 Eshialand                    8    6   1   1     20     12     +8    13
   Sarzonia                     8    6   1   1     20     12     +8    13
 4 Brookstation/Ardengard       8    4   2   2     18     14     +4    10
 5 Mertagne                     8    5   0   3     17     15     +2    10
   Polkopia                     8    5   0   3     17     15     +2    10
 7 The Cordian Isles            8    4   1   3     18     14     +4     9
 8 Caribou Island               8    4   1   3     17.5   14.5   +3     9
 9 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom    8    4   1   3     17     15     +2     9
10 Atheara                      8    4   1   3     16     16      0     9
11 Essena                       8    4   0   4     17     15     +2     8
12 StrayaRoos                   8    4   0   4     16     16      0     8
   Zug um Zug                   8    4   0   4     16     16      0     8
14 Kriegiersien                 8    4   0   4     15     17     −2     8
   South Newlandia              8    4   0   4     15     17     −2     8
   The North Polish Union       8    4   0   4     15     17     −2     8
17 Untecna                      8    3   1   4     15     17     −2     7
18 Norrhem                      8    3   1   4     14.5   17.5   −3     7
19 Natanians and Nosts          8    3   0   5     15     17     −2     6
20 Qasden                       8    3   0   5     14     18     −4     6
21 Arjunnagar                   8    2   0   6     13.5   18.5   −5     4
22 Reformed Alto Tan            8    2   0   6     13     19     −6     4
23 The 14 Stars                 8    1   2   5     12     20     −8     4
24 The Jovannic                 8    0   1   7     11.5   20.5   −9     1

Match 9 Pairings – Sunday, 11:00

Bollonich/Graintfjall - Mertagne
The Cordian Isles - Eshialand
Brookstation/Ardengard - Sarzonia
Polkopia - StrayaRoos
Caribou Island - Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
Atheara - Zug um Zug
Essena - The North Polish Union
Norrhem - Kriegiersien
The Jovannic - South Newlandia
Reformed Alto Tan - Untecna
The 14 Stars - Natanians and Nosts
Qasden - Arjunnagar

[Sarzonia]

I can't believe I'm actually doing this.

That was the thought George Tunney had as he stared at the link to the Zoom meeting in his email. It was still 48 hours from the time the interview was scheduled to take place, but the nerves he felt as he started viewing the PDF materials Chess Sarzonia sent him to review only intensified. He'd done some research on his own through the magic of search engines, but could only find so much information about Chess Sarzonia before he decided to broaden his reach.

He realised from following other sports that national team managers don't operate in a vacuum. Sure, they manage their teams, but the have added responsibilities beyond merely deciding which players are on the pitch at any given time, determining which tactics to use, and handling the administrative tasks related to their teams. Whether it's exerting influence on the sport's progress in the nation as a whole or it's setting an example for managers at other levels of the sport to follow, he knew the responsibilities would be much broader than deciding who was on which board and which tactics he wanted for his grandmasters on down.

While a Nathan Hanifer or a Jordan Helms might not have to promote their respective teams or their sports among a lacrosse- and football-mad populace, he decided to study Katie Samspson with the Sarzonian Aussie Rules Football team. She had a sport that was little more than a niche sport, one that hadn't even developed a full-on national league, and she was managing a bunch of players, none of whom had signed contracts to play professionally in Sarzonia, in Baggieland, or in Sylestone. And yet, of the three World Cups that have taken place, Sarzonia stood atop the medal stand after two of them. Obviously, Sampson was doing something right that he needed to emulate.

But how was he going to address this with her? Obviously, he couldn't take it from the perspective of talking about detailed chess moves. He didn't know if she knew a pawn from a rook. He certainly didn't know a centre half-back from a centre, and he'd be lost if he somehow got her to engage in talk about her sport. What he could glean from her was how she managed to take a team that ostensibly had seemingly every disadvantage against an Aussie Rules-mad Baggieland and still managed to not only defeat them three times from four attempts, but also knocked them out of World Cup contention in two of the three knockout round matches they played. Her success at the World Cup led Baggieland's most ardent supporters to begin talk of possibly luring her from Sarzonia and likely to a place with the infrastructure and support to breed future champions.

He'd hit send on the email about 24 hours ago to ask Sampson for her insights into turning her team into a successful one despite their odds. He knew his task would likely be similar. He'd also be influential in the development of a formal chess programme at the youth level. Whether that included primary and secondary education or extra-scholastic programmes, he'd likely be consulted about developing the infrastructure that would hopefully lead to future chess grandmasters and success among the chess-playing nations of the multiverse. Fortunately, the results even without an actual manager were encouraging. After all, Sarzonia sat level with Eshialand with a 6-1-1 record after defeating Mertagne 3-1 and Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 2½–1½. Both teams were two behind the joint Bollonich/Græntfjall team in point differential by two. All three teams are level on 13 points.

So, clearly, Tunney felt he didn't have to start from the ground up. At least not to the same extent as he might have if Sarzonia were competing with The Jovannic for the bottom spot in the 24-team tables. Even so, as he thought about that Zoom meeting link in the email and the fact he still was trying feverishly to study during times when he wasn't at the office, he got more anxious. He felt he could at least come close to mastery of the materials he'd been sent and the basic framework of trying to piece together a national programme. But he felt the insights from Sampson would make a huge difference. They couldn't discuss the inner workings of their respective sports, perhaps. But they could discuss the notion of getting the attention of a sporting public that was otherwise occupied and establishing a framework for success.

He heard the telltale ping of receiving an email. He then tapped back and saw that he'd gotten a response from Schmidt. He tapped, somewhat wary that he'd either get a form response from some underling blowing him off or an email from her blowing her off. Fortunately, it wasn't that at all. He read the email. It was a great response about her efforts to turn a ragtag, motley unit into a champion. As he read, he now had more ideas about the psychology required to turn individual players into a cohesive team and establishing a framework for an actual sporting infrastructure that could lead to future success.

Now we're getting somewhere, he thought.

[Zug um Zug]

ZENIT ZEITUNG
Balanced record technically feasible, certainly worthwhile

The Zug um Zug team sits in an enviable position in this Elephant Chess Cup table: four wins, four defeats, with exactly sixteen points for and against. It's hard to get more symmetric than those powers of two! However, they have at least one more round to play, against Atheara; should this vault them from joint-twelfth to the top eight, they would get to play in a placement match (although the semifinals are probably out of reach). This means that the chances of finishing with a completely neutral record are slim, but nonzero. "This is definitely a goal that's worth aiming for and not something we pulled out of our butts to look cool," says reputable content provider Jessi Gardner.

Zug um Zug defeated StrayaRoos 2.5-1.5; Yuka Nut defeated Wade Evans, but Mitchell Kennedy eked out a draw with Kim Ling, and Georginia Withington-Fox and Emily Felstead defeated Tim Ling and Rue Poa respectively. This lifted them to seventh in the table, with an unsightly (at least if you hate decimal points) 14.5 points. They quickly compensated for this, however, by losing to the Brookstation/Ardengard team. Teenage phenoms Nigella Seale and Kenneth Popoola both defeated their senior counterparts in Kennedy and Felstead, with Evans drawing Dan March and Withington-Fox defeating the hard-working Deepak Singh Topal, thus restoring perfect balance as all things should be.

Meanwhile, StrayaRoos also restored order by winning their eighth game 2.5-1.5, meaning they are again tied with Zug um Zug. They cannot rematch, however, and StrayaRoos have instead been drawn against Polkopia, who may present a stiffer challenge; they are tied for fifth with Mertagne, runners-up in the last edition.

Atheara will be no strangers to the challenge Zug um Zug face; they are sending the same team as they did in the last edition, where they finished ninth: 4-1-4, 18/18. The intricacies of Casaran-system tiebreakers mean they lost the tiebreaker to hosts South Newlandia, who were denied the opportunity to preserve their glorious neutrality by losing the 7th-place playoff to Felinetopia. "We can't be sure whether their minds will be on the statistical history at stake," Gardner said. "But then, I'm pretty sure our own country's players' won't be either. Too bad."

[Polkopia]

"Well, today's the last day for you lot to prove that you have what it takes to bring Polkopia to the semi finals. Really, it is your chance to prove to me that human error wasn't what led to me selecting you for my team in this competition." Vakhrušev said, circling around the table.

Today was Sunday, meaning that it was the last day of the preliminary rounds for the Elephant Chess Cup, and so far, Polkopia has had a decent showing up to this point, but their advancement to the semi-finals lay in jeopardy, with one match being the deciding factor between qualifying and an early ticket back home. Today, Vakhrušev brought his team to the venue hours before the first match was set to begin, as he believed his team needed a lot of practice before they were to play their final match. At this point, the players' well-being was the least of his concern, and winning this match took all priority in his mind.

"I try, I really try to exercise humanity's best virtue when I'm instructing you," Vakhrušev continued, "but one way or another, you lot have continued to let me down and even the most patient man would find himself pulling his hair out in every waking moment of this endeavor. Nikita Anatoliević, you have proven to be the least incompetent one here, but even you have managed to disappoint me. You're too confident early on in your matches, and your late-game suffers the unfortunate fate of being played by a brash and haughty amateur."

Dryagin didn't look up from his seat and continued picking the sides of his fingers with his nails, his eyes never leaving the table that the four chess players sat around. One could see the rage burning inside of him, but everyone knew that speaking out of turn would warrant them being taken out of the tournament, resulting in the nation's disqualification. So he endured this, at least for the time being, and would take every verbal lash at his pride as a badge of honor. He knew he was good, but the mistakes he was making was nothing more than poor judgement calls on his part.

"And you, Mariya Kirillivna, you've won but one of your matches so far," Vakhrušev stopped in his tracks, stopping right behind Khabenskaya, "and I'm fully-convinced by now that enlisting you in this regiment was a mistake that will surely haunt me until my final days, but the unfortunate fact of the matter is that I cannot undo my mistakes, nor can you administer a lobotomy to yourself and play this upcoming match with far more competence than you've displayed thus far, but I think I've come to accept that."

Khabenskaya, like the others, remained silent, but unlike her teammate, Dryagin, her face remained stoic and unwavering, completely free of any apparent emotion, and her eyes too were trained on the deep mahogany wooden surface in front of her.

"As for the other two, I'm afraid if I speak too much longer about my disdain for your plays, I'll become far too angry to make sense of it all, so I'll leave it at that. I've brought you four here to practice, one last time, before your match today. You four will be playing each other over and over again until I see significant growth in your development as players. I also realize that this time is not nearly enough for such growth to be possible, though you surely know that as well, but at this point, any sort of practice you four can have cannot hinder you further, so it's safe to assume that you can only grow from this experience."

Vakhrušev pulled out two hard plastic chess boards and sat them on the table, before filling each board with chess pieces. "The winner of game one will play the winner of game two, and so on, but I want you to observe each others' moves. Everyone here has different strengths and weaknesses that I want you observe and learn from, and I want you to then apply that to this final match, okay?"

The other players said nothing and Vakhrušev sighed. "Fine, go on, play then."

[Brookstation]

BRO-ARG FROM HISTORY TO CHESS

Trent Crimm

After a quite impressive performance by the Ardengard and Brookstation team in the Elephant Chess Cup, a question is most likely to strike you. Why did Brookstation team up with Ardengard ? What's the reason behind this ?

It all started with Bashar Jackson's expedition. Bashar Jackson wanted to build this glorious country. But building a country wouldn't be a piece of cake. He required economic support. That's when Ardengard came into the stage.

Ardengard, officially founded in 1842 is a neighbouring country of Brookstation and more importantly a nation which followed the exact similar ideals of Jackson. Though Ardengard today may be noted for its growing socialist population, it was initially founded on capitalist ideology - a free economy in a country where people had freedom and rights without the fear of discrimination. A country which had a democracy and everyone got to elect their leader. That is more or less the same country Jackson dream of.

Jackson approached the Ardengardian government and spoke to them about his beliefs and the way he wants to proceed. The Ardengardians agreed to provide support to Jackson and thus Ardengard played a major role in laying the foundations of our beautiful country. Thanks to them we are at this stage today.

When it came to selecting a delegation for the second Elephant Chess Cup, Brookstation looked to its top chess players. But considering the relative youth of chess in the nation, the BCF had some trouble picking a 4 - Brook team that could challenge the top nations in the game. Therefore it looked to partner with another nation and send a combined delegation. What could be more poetic than that nation being Ardengard itself.
The two countries' historical relations made the formation of the Brook-Ardengardian delegation a perfect move. Now, the team looks to be a challenger in the tournament - placed fourth ahead of the final match day.

Ardengard has several embassies in Brookstation with their primary one in Dreamland and others in cities like Strange City , Rottenham , Halebid , Norwegian wood , Cosque , Morioh , Essidise.

Following the unexpected death (assassination) of Bashar Jackson, Quavious Marshall became President of Brookstation. Quavious Marshall and Selman Bolton signed a defense pact, known as the Vestrit Agreement.

Bernidite Gratterson and Kartik Singh were particularly close. This friendship led to negotiations of free trade among the countries and the Brook-Ardengardian defense treaty. They were pretty close and often used to play tennis together. Marien Popsin and Zayed Malik worked closely to integrate religious tolerance in both countries and helped in bolstering the technological advancements of the countries. Glenn Maxwell first visited Ardengard in May , 2020 where he spoke in length about extending co-operation between the countries. This led to Maxwell and Yuval Dawkins forming the Brookstation-Ardengard Coordination Council to increase transparency between the countries.

Following the free trade negotiation, trade and commerce has bolstered in the nation. Brookstation is one of the major importer of metals like copper and nickel from Ardengard while it exports fish and wheat to Ardengard.

Both the countries have exceptionally well versed sports relations. The national teams and clubs of both countries often visit each other for tours. Ardengardian clubs have been participating in the Quinto Cricket League. There is an annual badminton tournament where badminton players from both the countries participate to clinch the title and of course not to forget the very chess team for the Elephant Chess Cup which might go down history depending on the performance tomorrow.

Winning against Sarzonia at this stage seems impossible but this win is necessary for our combined team to succeed. At one point of time, making this country seemed impossible to Bashar Jackson but today we have this wonderful country. I believe that again with the help of our friends we will be able to achieve the impossible just as Bashar Jackson once did.

[Eshialand]

The Final Hurdle
Eshialand 2½-1½ Atheara
Eshialand 2½-1½ Polkopia

And with the two 2½-1½ victories to end Saturday, there was only one match left to go before the semifinals.

But did it all really matter? After all, they were going to the semifinals at this point, no doubt about that, so what could their one last match on Sunday morning really do to them? Well, as it turned out, a heck of a lot.

In this tournament, there have been three teams that could really be considered "giants". The combined team from Bollonich and Græntfjall, those defending champions who were poised to repeat, the Sarzonian team, newcomers to chess who nonetheless made a splash in this tournament, and Eshialand, out for revenge for their third-placed finish last time around. All three of these teams were more than capable of beating each other, and all were sitting on a 6-1-1 record, guaranteed to form the top three no matter how the ninth round went.

For each of these teams, the final round was likely going to decide how the rest of the tournament went, as, even though there was no way any of them could miss the semifinals, the final would be where it was at. The final was where they all wanted to be, and whether they got there would be based entirely on these Round 9 matches.

The Bollonich/Græntfjall team would face off against their opponents from the finals of the first Elephant Chess Cup, Mertagne (5^th, 5-0-3), a team just on the outside looking in on this one for no reason other than their point differential, with all the chance in the world to strike and take fourth place. The team from Sarzonia would see a challenge from the team from Brookstation and Ardengard (4^th, 4-2-2), who desperately want the win they need to guarantee themselves passage to the Final Four. Lastly, the Eshian side would be facing the team from the Cordian Isles (7^th, 4-1-3), which likely puts them in the best position out of any of the three giants to pick up points, and hopefully, get the first seed. But why is the first seed so important, anyway?

It's simple, really. If you're third place, you not only have to deal with facing another of the giants in the semifinals, but your opponent will have the advantage of moving on in the event of a 2-2 tie, which is far from an ideal scenario. The team in second place will be on the other side of that conflict, but at least they have the benefit of only having to take a 2-2 tie. But if you're first place, if you finish on top of the table at the end of the tournament, you don't have to face a giant at all. Instead, you simply have to face whoever gets fourth (looking ever-likelier to be either the fourth-placed Brookstation/Ardengard or Polkopia (5^th, 5-0-3), who only have to face the 4-0-4 StrayaRoos in Round 9), get 2 points or more out of the 4, and you have your ticket to the finals. There, you'll have to face a giant, but you'll come out of it with at least a silver, no problem.

These Round 9 matches mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, and if the BOL/GRÆ team can't win against Mertagne, Eshialand's match against the Cordian Isles should prove to be the deciding factor in who gets that coveted first seed in the semifinals.

Eshialand 2½-1½ Atheara
Devyn ½-½ Severn
Nerata 0-1 Akarpovick
Svetrachka 0-1 Blaine
Jacobson 1-0 Mlyawtaski

Eshialand 2½-1½ Polkopia
Khabenskaya 0-1 Severn
Nerata ½-½ Rusnak
Prazdnikov ½-½ Blaine
Jacobson ½-½ Dryagin

[Graintfjall]

The Bishop

“The Archbishop of Háttmark is denying Amanda Guttisdóttir communion.”

Reynir Ýrarsson folded the paper over – he rarely more than skimmed the sports headlines before turning to the crossword puzzle section – but it had been impossible to avoid the news that had been dominating Græntfjaller society for the last couple of weeks. Ever since news had broken in Eura that Amanda Guttisdóttir had obtained an abortion, there had been low rumblings of disquiet in the conservative, Catholic country that still wasn’t entirely sure about allowing women the bodily autonomy necessary to wear trousers in public, and those rumblings had fractured into a storm when Cardinal Jannik Eyjarsson, the Queendom’s leading religious authority, had forcefully condemned her in a sermon.

“Who?”

“The Archbishop of Háttmark. Alrekur Dagnýsson. He’s the one who said climate change was punishment for legalizing gay marriage.” It was true, Archbishop Dagnýsson was considered something of a moderate.

“No, who’s Amanda Whateversdóttir?”

Reynir cocked a startled eyebrow at Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði. He wasn’t the biggest football nut himself, but even he’d heard of one of the country’s most visible celebrities, impossible to avoid advertising everything from shampoo to car insurance. (Although slightly less impossible to avoid having had half a dozen or more endorsements pulled.) He wasn’t sure whether Ánýá was pulling his leg – he could never tell – but she seemed sincere now.

“She’s a footballer. She had an… argument with the Catholic Church.”

Ánýá waggled her eyebrows in a wow, how interesting, now let me get back to watching this paint dry gesture, and Reynir returned to his paper to begin his crossword puzzle. Confused foray takes a second to reveal former baseball competitors, (5, 1)…

Ánýá was studying the board. Her first defeat of the tournament had been handed to her by Eshialand’s Alan Blaine – it had so thrown her that she’d lost her composure and taken draws against Polkopia’s Mariya Kirillivna Khabenskaya and Atheara’s Dushev Akarpovick when she could have pressed for a win on both occasions. Mertagne’s Aldreus Tikdannin was not an opponent she could make that kind of mistake against for a third time. She arranged the pieces, once more exchanging pawns – but she couldn’t see how it could create an opening for her queen. Unless…

Her fingers moved to the bishop that had advanced forwards, and began to move it…

---

“Diagon Alley?”

The KPWC soldier squinted at the papers. Birkir Knútsson stared back impassively through his heavy sunglasses, while Edward Natanaelsson kept his eyes on the road ahead, hands fixed at 10-and-2 on the wheel. Every thirty seconds Edward’s jaw moved, a single chew of gum.

“That’s right. People for the Ethical Treatment of Kitarans. 101, Diagon Alley, Háttmark. I’m Doctor Varmarsson.”

All the paperwork was proper and in order (aside from the trivially minor facts that such a street, organization, and person did not exist), but the soldier, Birkir suspected, simply did not like Græntfjallers and wanted some excuse to start trouble. From the back of the truck, there was a crush, and Birkir noticed a flicker on Edward’s face. Two chews of gum – high stress. It was late at night and one of the soldiers inspecting the truck’s hold yelled that it was too dark. Another lit a flare, igniting a spray of pink-red sparks as the flame burned, and began to move to the back.

“No!” yelled Birkir in Græntfjaller, and then tried again in his best (incredibly bad) Kitaran. “No, we have some flammables there. Please, no flame. Here, let me…”

He reached under the dashboard – for a second he heard a creak as the soldier raised his sidearm – and flicked a switch. Pathetic low halogen lamps in the truck interior switched on, bathing – or at least, lightly sprinkling – the contents in a sullen glow.

“Flammables?”

“Alcohol,” said Birkir, following the script Aron had given him. He had to give the sneaky so-and-so credit, crafty thing that it was: it had the desired reaction. Birkir wet his lips lightly, and then in a sotto voce that wouldn’t melt whale blubber: “Would you like to take a case for inspection?”

Birkir waited until the soldier’s slow grin had fully spread before he risked reaching for his door and jumping down. Guns bristled around but no one moved to intercept him as he walked to the back truck hatch and jumped up. A young soldier inside was poking at a crate; the soldier with the flare was standing close enough that sparks were sizzling against the rear tires. Birkir’s chest was tight: had it been Edward, this might have called for three or even three-and-a-half chews. He reached for the smaller crate and picked it up. The jingle of glass saw further smiles break out.

---

Two hours on from the roadblock inspection point, Edward finally spoke.

“That was close.”

“Not really. Even if they’d poked around in there all they’d have found was fertilizer.”

“And if they’d ‘poked around’ with that flare burning they’d sending us back to our wives in pieces.”

“Well, thanks for all your help. You were a great assistance in dealing with them. Definitely sign me up to have you represent me next time I’m under legal questioning.”

“Better than running my fool mouth. We’re delivering humanitarian supplies, they have no legal right to obstruct us. And you wanted to stay and have a drink with them?”

“I wanted to make sure their radio operator got too drunk to call in our plates. It was tradecraft.”

“Yeah? I can smell the tradecraft on your breath from here, buddy.”

“Don’t call me buddy, guy.”

“Don’t call me guy, friend!”

“Don’t call me friend – look out!”

Edward’s eyes snapped back to the road. The second to last thing that went through his head was that he’d carelessly let the truck drift diagonally into oncoming traffic while arguing. Even as both he and Birkir wrenched the wheel that served only to spin them out of the way of the onrushing car – and to slam straight off the road and down the ravine.

The last thing to go through his head was a guard rail.