Elephant Chess Cup 6 - Everything Thread

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Mar 13, 2023 3:30 pm

Welcome to the sixth Elephant Chess Cup in Newport, South Newlandia

Signup Thread | Fifth edition

Format:
The Elephant Chess Cup is a chess tournament. Teams will be playing in teams of four (although you can also include reserve players into your roster if you want to), on four separate boards. The player on board one will play the player on board one of the other team and so on, for four total matches in a matchup. For every win on a board, the team of the winning player gets one game point, (half a point each for a draw). The team that gains more points across four boards gets two board points for the team (one in the event of a 2-2 draw). The time control for every match is 15+5, meaning that every player has 15 minutes to make all their moves and gains 5 additional seconds after making a move. For more information on the game of chess, here is the Wikipedia article on chess. Chess knowledge is absolutely not required for RPing this tournament, though.

The format used for matchups is called a Casaran (or Swiss) system. The first match will be a completely random draw. After the first match, teams will be ordered in a table, and the top teams will be playing each other for the next match. This process continues for a total of seven matches, although teams will never play a team they already played previously. The top six placing teams will advance to the second stage, the Super Six, where they compete in a round-robin, playing each of the other six teams once. Points from the first stage will carry over into the second stage. The two top teams after the second stage will compete in the final.

There are some available options to automate Casaran/Swiss matchups, however, I haven’t gotten one to work for me (and most do not eliminate rematches, anyway). Therefore, I will be doing matchups “by hand”. For transparency, my system will be to sort teams by the regular tiebreakers (up to Board Points), and break any ties after that by alphabet. Then, I will have the first team play against the second, third against fourth, and so on. If, for example, the 3rd and 4th teams in the standings have already played, the 3rd team will play the 5th one instead, and so on.

Tiebreakers:
The tiebreakers will be, in that order:
Game points
Board points
H2H game points
Buchholz points (total game points by all opponents, to reward teams with tougher schedules)
IC coinflip (scorinated game)
OOC coinflip
If a tie between multiple teams must be broken and one team wins the tiebreaker at any stage, while the remaining teams are still tied, the tiebreakers start at the top of the list again to break the tie between the remaining teams.

Schedule:

The cut-offs for every scorination will be occurring between 20:00 and 21:00 UTC every matchday.
March 24th: First stage MD1 and 2 (Thursday 16:00, 18:00 ICly (in-character))
March 26th: MD3 and 4 (Friday 11:00, 13:00 ICly)
March 28th: MD5 and 6 (Friday 16:00, 18:00 ICly)
March 30th: MD7 (Saturday 11:00 ICly)
April 2nd: Super Six MD1 and 2 (Saturday 16:00, 18:00 ICly)
April 4th: MD3 and 4 (Sunday 11:00, 13:00 ICly)
April 6th: MD5 (Sunday 16:00 ICly)
April 8th: ECC6 Final (Sunday 18:00 ICly)

Super Six Schedule here

RP Information:
You may now start posting in this thread. The best way to do that is by posting a roster, to give your opponents an idea of who they’re going up against. Names should be the minimum, and you can go into further detail about whatever you want (ages, heritage, club team (if any), play style, favourite openings etc.). Otherwise, you can Roleplay about whatever you like; it doesn’t have to be chess, either.
You are also advised to include a Roleplay permissions box in your roster post. An example may look like this:

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Yes/No
Decide board results: Yes/No
Decide moves made: Yes/No
Godmod game events: Yes/No
Godmod other events: Yes/No

This can reduce conflicts between you and your opponent when you both want to RP the same match, but the best plan to do that remains to message your opponent on discord or by telegram.
Otherwise, I, as the host of this competition, ask you to not to inflict any damage to South Newlandian people or property without talking to me first. I generally am okay with stuff like that, but I do not enjoy being blindsided about those things. The same goes for clear proof of an opponent cheating (although accusations and stuff are fine).

Matchups for matchday 1:
(teams listed first have the white pieces on boards two and four)

Kenmoria – Saterun
Huron League – Sannyamathland
Atheara - South Newlandia
Graintfjall - Galordia Minun
Sky Reavers - TJUN-ia
Poafmersia – Eshialand
The Spartan Dominion - Natanians and Nosts
Archalit - Dod Rava

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a telegram or message me on discord!

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Mar 13, 2023 3:30 pm

WELCOME TO SOUTH NEWLANDIA

In a nutshell
South Newlandia is a small Esportivan island with about four million inhabitants, located east of Super-Llamaland. South Newlandia is known for democracy, elephants, regulated capitalism and environmentalism, and the friendly population, happy to help you out if you run into any problems.

Overview
South Newlandians don’t like to be divided into groups, because they believe that it can never do a singular person justice to reduce them to a single feature of them, but occasionally, it’s just necessary. For example, when you talk about South Newlandian places, you need to group the country into some geographical areas to get any idea what is being talked about. In general, you can divide South Newlandia into a Southern and a Northern Part, each consisting of five general areas. Newport is considered part of the Northern part, and belongs to the Eastern subregion. You can reach a Newport directly with an airplane, but you’ll be a bit outside of the main city. Fortunately for you, getting around is easy, with public transport being almost free in South Newlandia, while renting a car can be more expensive.

Travel
The best options to get around in South Newlandia are the multiple high-speed trains that can get you almost everywhere in the country fairly quickly. If you don’t like trains, for some reason, there are also busses and cars to rent, but the streets aren’t always in perfect condition, and are far less convenient, to be honest. Flights inland are banned in South Newlandia. If you want to be mobile within a city, you can rent bikes for free, or you can take the underground if you are in a bigger city and the bus if the city is smaller. There are also busses and rental cars in the bigger cities, but unless you really need to, we wouldn’t advise you to use them. The bus is slower than the underground, and the underground gets you pretty much everywhere within a city. Cars can get very inconvenient because they are banned in many areas, and where they aren’t, there are rarely any parking spots. Seriously, don’t try to drive a car in South Newlandia. Most of the citizens don’t either; many of them don’t even have a license.

Weather
The climate typically stays the same in South Newlandia throughout most of the year, with warm winters and moderate summers. Snow is a foreign concept to everyone not living on the Dragon Island, and extreme heat is similarly uncommon. Weather extremes in general are rare, too; don’t expect any windstorms or floods or anything like that.

Animals
There are some wild animals in South Newlandia, but they will generally don’t disturb you if you don’t disturb them. Basically, just stay on the outlined paths in the forest and don’t do anything to anger animals, and you’ll be fine. Most of South Newlandias wild animals are friendly, like the elephants, for example; in the unlikely event that you meet a bear, probably the most dangerous animal you could meet in South Newlandia, in the woods, you should follow standard bear safety guidelines. In any emergency, you can call or text the number 123 to get immediate help, or the number 321 if you just need less urgent, but still important advice.

Rules and Laws you should be aware of
If you plan to visit South Newlandia, there are a few things you should be aware of beforehand. Laws on imported goods are rather strict, and things you’d expect to not be allowed to take into other countries are usually banned in South Newlandia as well. Examples for this include dead animals, living people unwilling to enter and bombs of any kind. The same regulations will also apply if you go to leave the country again. Special note should be made of South Newlandian drug laws. While all drugs, and this means all drugs, including alcohol and tobacco; are decriminalized in South Newlandia; this does not mean you are allowed to deal drugs. Selling or giving away drugs for any reason is strictly banned; this includes, again, alcohol and tobacco. However, you are allowed to take any drugs you want to without punishment, and are allowed to own any that are only for your own consumption. You are probably going to be treated like an addicted person though, so people might attempt to get you professional help to fight the addiction they perceive you to have. This is rare; most people are aware that different customs exist in other countries. In short, you are allowed to take any drugs into South Newlandia as long as you can convince officials that you aren’t addicted to them and do not intent to sell them. Bribing South Newlandian officials is basically impossible; border control is a very well-paid job in South Newlandia. Otherwise, the South Newlandian legal system is similar to the legal systems of most other civilised places; with the exception that jails and prisons have recently been outlawed.

About Newport

Newport is located on the East coast of South Newlandia, and is the second-biggest city of the country at about 330,000 citizens. It used to be a very industrial city, named after the port that is the biggest in the country today. If anything is getting shipped to South Newlandia, odds are, it arrives in Newport first. In recent years, Newport has been the fastest growing city in the country, as job prospects have quickly attracted people from around South Newlandia and the multiverse.

Sports
Newport has always been an important city for South Newlandian sports. You might be able to attend a baseball game of either the Newport Owls or Newport Dolphins. One of them has been playing really solid baseball in Llamaphant Pro Baseball recently. One thing you won’t be able to attend, but that still exists, are the Newport Rooks, one of South Newlandia’s better chess teams.

Other attractions
Newport has basically everything you’d expect a city to have, including food from around the multiverse, malls, and everything else. Two of the most well-known attractions of Newport are the East-Newport minigolf course, considered the best in the country, and suitable for all ages and skill levels; and the Newport Cineplex, one of the biggest cinemas in the nation, featuring all the currently relevant movies and blockbusters. If you’re more interested in culture, you can visit the highest court of law here, or the Newport College for International Relations, or the Newport Law School, or the Newport Politics Institute…

The people
The citizens of Newport are pretty normal for being South Newlandian, friendly, and commonly welcoming toward foreigners. Of course, many citizens of Newport are immigrants themselves, moving to South Newlandia for job prospects or whatever else. They do have a reputation for being a little bit less open than South Newlandians from other places, but that’s mostly a myth.

The venue
The tournament will take place at the Ivory Crown Hotel, which has been closed to all visitors unrelated to the ECC for the duration of the tournament. It is considered one of the nicest hotels of South Newlandia, frequently winning all sorts of awards, and a common place to stay especially for rich foreigners. The hotel comes with all bells and whistles, including a pool to relax in, all kinds of sporting equipment, and much more. If you try to come up with something you’ve seen in a luxury hotel before, odds are, the Ivory Crown Hotel has it too.
All players will have their own room to stay in, study, sleep, and relax, and rooms to train as a team are also available. The games will be played in various rooms on the ground floor. They have been redesigned for this purpose, and every board is hooked up to all sorts of stuff to allow streaming the games in real time. Every player is also allowed to request a specific chair for comfortable sitting.

Weather forecast
Most likely, the weekend of the tournament should be dry, with relatively cool temperatures around 16 degrees Celsius; but with a coastal city, after the storm is always before the strom.

If any of you need/want additional info about anything, please feel free to ask me!

by **Archalit** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 11:25 am

Strength Scaling System
OOC: this is just equivalent to rapid elo

The strength of Archalitian players are tracked on ww1.chess.arc. The top player will generally rank over 2800 elo, semi-professionals and professionals most often play at over 2000 elo, intermediate and advanced amateur players tend to have over 1000 elo, and hobby or casual players tend to have less than 1000 elo, with the average person having a playing strength of roughly 200-400 elo.

Players
Board One: Bungki Gungo (22 y/o)
Has several redeeming qualities. Including:

- being a chimpanzeeLived with researchers his whole life, and has been playing chess since he was born. Likes playing 1. e4 with white and 1… c5 with black. Has decent tactical knowledge and awareness, won’t outright hang a piece, and is very capable in long-term strategy and making game plans. Slaughters anyone in an endgame with pristine accuracy after the pieces are traded off.
Elo Rating: 2820

Board Two: Evan Kennedy (34 y/o)
Brother of the tennis player Owen Kennedy. Literally doesn’t care. Will probably be seen playing the bongcloud (1. e4… 2. Ke2) at some point in the tournament. Typically plays 1. Nf3 with white or 1… g3 with black. Knows his way around the opening. Known for finding absurd, obscure tactics in the middle of dead lost positions. Will create an exciting game whenever possible.
Elo Rating: 2805

Board Three: Iara Carlson (26 y/o)
Famous in Archalit for the “Carlson” style of chess. She plays a variety of openings, like 1. d4, 1. e4, 1. c4, and sometimes 1. Nf3 to make it harder for opponents to prepare against her. Very aggressive player, and ready to sacrifice material for space or activity. Not interested in delving into opening theory against the opponent, but very strong in the middlegame.
Elo Rating: 2766

Board Four: Octávio Vidal (17 y/o)
Cocky, but with the skills to back it up. Likes playing chess with anyone who offers it, including the players at his school. Studied chess since he was studying basic arithmetic. Knows his way around the 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 system very well. Will confidently walk to the board without any prep.
Elo Rating: 2731

Reserve Player: Angelus Adranos (20 y/o)
Patient player. Very strong defensive skills. Could find defensive resources at any opportunity. Very slow burn, strategic player and very fast in closed positions. Pushes even the toughest opponents in interesting, intricate matches.
Elo Rating: 2702

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Listed
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes
Godmod other events: No

by **South Newlandia** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:11 pm

Elephant Chess Cup 6 – South Newlandian roster

Chess is the 4th-most popular sport in South Newlandia, behind baseball, football, and the other football. Many children learn chess at a young age, and quite a few choose to pursue chess professionally. However, following the success of South Newlandia at the other sports, especially compared to the disappointing results the chess team was able to produce, chess was slipping in popularity further; but in Fermont and Sarim, the team finally was able to showcase their abilities, finishing in a remarkable second place both times, falling short to TJUN-ia in the final. Now, back home, the Elephants are hoping to prove that they can also play good chess on home soil.
All South Newlandians usually feel more comfortable in open positions, which can be a weakness against skilled opponents. The four players know each other well; most of them have played in multiple ECCs already, and with a limited supply of chess players (mostly due to a limited supply of people in general) in South Newlandia, the strongest players tend to keep running into each other. The four are all good friends, and will be fighting for the team above their own score.

Board 1:
Cecilia Blossom, 30
Blossom used to be one of the biggest talents in South Newlandian chess history. Despite her young age, she had been taking the country by storm, including winning several local tournaments and becoming a role model for many South Newlandian children. Ultimately, she didn’t quite live up to her sky-high potential, but she is a very talented chess player regardless. She is easily able to keep calm under pressure, and likes to create chaos on the board, especially when up on the clock. Her opening repertoire includes the Italian with both colours; however, Blossom is also known to create chaos early by playing interesting side-lines.

Board 2:
Adam Esteban, 21
The young talent of the South Newlandian team. He doesn’t have the experience the others on the team have, but he’s extremely talented, a great attacker that still gets carried away in his attacks too often, and finds himself in time trouble frequently. He likes to play really aggressively from the get-go, and you’ll likely see him employ fancy new openings. He’s coming into his own as a player now, with a couple of years of top level experience under his belt, and he’ll likely be the top board in a few short years.

Board 3:
Lisa Morgen, 37
Morgen is one of those players who are really, really fast. She’s not at the very top in Classical, but in the faster time controls, she really excels. She sometimes plays a bit too fast, but it works out well for her. Her favourite openings are the Caro-Kann with both sides, as well as the Slav with Black; she likes to sit back a bit at first and let the opponent come to her.

Board 4:
Robert Kane, 48
Kane is one of the more experienced South Newlandian professionals, and has a solid opening knowledge regardless of the situation. When he was a bit younger, he used to win national titles frequently, and he is still a good player and great mentor. He likes to play the English with white and e6-b6 setups with the black pieces. At 48, he is a bit older than you’d like a player to be, and it sometimes shows up on the board. This will almost certainly be his final Elephant Chess Cup.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Please use the lineup listed above.
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Please consult first
Godmod other events: Please consult first

by **Sky Reavers** » Sun Mar 19, 2023 7:57 am

Chess is a rather popular tabletop game among Sky Reavers, being played at pubs, bars, or other places of entertainment. Some play for money and sometimes, they play strip chess during parties, where the rules are "Lose a piece, lose some article of clothing.", or drunk chess, where taking a piece means, that one has to drink some alcohol, type and quantity of which depends on what piece he has taken. Being a strategic game, where dumb luck decides little, they are popular among military commanders, from green, aspiring battlemasters to seasoned warlords, who use this game to challenge eachother and prove, who is better commander and who will be buying beer and snacks for a chosen platoon of the better commander. There are some folks, who play professionally, but most of the best players are either commanders, bar regulars or wanderers. From such folks, a team, that will represent Sky Reavers on chess tournament has been assembled after qualification matches.

Board 1:
John "Four Fingers" Escobar, 43

John is not only a formidable commander, who gained his rank of Warlord after winning a particulary hard battle while being severely outnumbered, but also one of the best chess players among the high ranking military officers of Sky Reavers. His playstyle is a balanced one, where he doesn't concentrate on anything specific and instead preferes a case-by-case approach, that adapts to the opponent's playstyle. However, the analysis takes time and this can be exploited.

Board 2:
Liam Graham, 28.

An avid traveller and adventurer with many talents, who seeks to engage in some new activity to fight boredom, Graham heared about the assembly of chess team and joined it after qualifying. His playstyle is rather messy, wildcard and yet effective. It focuses more on offense, rather than defense and emphases on speed with aggressive debuts.

Board 3:
Sierra Bercik, 33

One of the most prominent actresses in Sky Reaver lands, Sierra has been plagued with paparazzi, who have been hunting for her naked photos for many years, but each time she gracefully eluded them. As the years passed, she declared, that if someone actually wins a game of strip chess with her, he can take the naked photos of her. For many years, many have tried, but she was almost never defeated. Only two persons have managed to get the photos, one of whom is Liam Navarro long before he became the Overboss. He won and took these photos for rector as a part of his "Twelve labors", twelve favors in exchange for which he would graduate without having to write the thesis. She decided to go to the tournament to have some refreshing change from usual lifestyle (Don't worry, she won't undress here). Her playstyle relies on complicated maneuvers and psychological games, where she makes the position appear more hopeless, or just makes a minor mistake to goad the opponent into relaxing and missing a subtle detail, but her approach somewhat lacks offensive style and if player can see throgh her mind games, the game will become harder for her.

Board 4:
Ivan Turunov, 16.
A young man and a child progidy, who showed good understanding of variety of subjects and almost genial intelligence at very young age of four, the age, when he finally said the first word. Since then, his life was like a living show, where he would be the main actor. Even complex subjects from advanced school programm proved to be easy for him, which sadly made his a bit impatient, as he never had to push through something or study for long. His playstyle is very aggressive, with quick debuts. While he is smart, he is also impatient, which can backfire against him. To gets worse, the longer the game lasts. Generally, like a sprinter, who is fast but exhausts easily.

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: Within reason.
Godmod other events: Within reason

by **Kenmoria** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:29 am

The Kenmorian Team.

Chess did not come quickly to Kenmoria, being slow to take root compared to more physical sports such as football, rugby, and tennis. However, owing to the increasing industrialisation and growing lack of green spaces that plagued the nation in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, more cerebral pursuits have experienced a recent resurgence. Of these, chess is the prime example, being popular particularly among children, where it is often promoted as being a more worthy hobby than mindless ball-chasing and the like.

Because of this, professional players of chess in Kenmoria tend towards juvenescence. They are also concentrated in urban areas, where the lack of other opportunities for recreation leads, alongside videogames and gambling, to chess being a medium of entertainment. The new government of Kenmoria, the People’s Republic, is eager to promote Kenmoria on the global stage by partaking in international sporting tournaments, something rarely achieved at the governmental level by the previous Democratic Kingdom.

The First Board.

Valérie Durand, aged thirty-two is the most senior member of the Kenmorian team, both in terms of her time spent paying and her actual age. A more conservative player, her knowledge of opening theory is strong, coming from a long time spent teaching the Mixon School of Chess, one of the very few educative institutions for chess in Kenmoria. She favours closed positions, having no disagreement with games ending in draws by threefold repetition. However, she has been known to lose on time, even in games with large increments, owing to her desire to not blunder away a piece.

Durand invariably opens with 1. e4 when playing with the white pieces, and opening with the opposing pawn when playing with the black pieces. Her opening repertoire features the traditional four knight’s opening and the Caro Kann defence, with little ability to surprise her opponents by playing something new. Although she does know the theory for a wide variety of variations, she has only a few that she actually plays. Her style is defensive, sometimes disinclining towards pawn breaks even where they might be useful, but her ability to defend a losing position to a draw is unparalleled in Kenmoria.

The Second Board.

Campion Daniau, aged twenty-nine is the next most senior player in terms of age, though he came late towards the game of chess. Originally a player of backgammon and other games of chance, he worked for decades in favour carnivals and fun-fairs across Kenmoria, only within a few years expanding his games to his include chess and go. With chess, he excelled, quickly gaining a reputation in the local area of Northeastern Kenmoria as a skilled hustler. Naturally, he is therefore superb at winning with unusual odds and strange conditions, such as playing upside-down, but that will not be particularly useful in the Elephant Chess Tournament. Only in the last few years did he transition to playing professional chess, though his off-beat, unorthodox strategies remain.

Daniau is a fan of gambits, sometimes playing the Sicilian gambit, the Queen’s gambit, or the Latvian gambit. However, his opening style is strongly varied, and he sometimes plays defensive openings such as the Hungarian defence. Comfortable in a wide variety of positions, his main flaw is his lack of knowledge of theory. He tends to rely more on intuition than calculating many ply into the future, and commonly sacrifices material to gain piece activity or control of the centre, which can disadvantage him where the opponent mama ages to leverage the strong material imbalance. Although he never fully hangs a piece, he can blunder by forgetting to look for the opponent’s attacks, focussing on his own development.

The Third Board.

Lucie Reyer, aged twenty-five is the next player of the Kenmorian team. A firm supporter of the present government of Kenmoria, she was supposedly selected, according to a few pundits, partly for her political positions rather than her ability with chess. A major part of her goals in this tournament is to prove said pundits incorrect, by demonstrating her knowledge of the endgame. Her plan is usually to simplify by any means possible, playing aggressive openings such as the Italian game, the Queen’s gambit exchange variation, and the Sicilian dragon, in order to transition into a game of checkmate early.

Reyer’s dominant ability in chess is to exchange pieces well, taking account of checks and captures in order to force the opponent to trade material on disfavourable terms. When in an endgame, she is difficult to defeat, owing to her strong ability to calculate far into the future. However, her knowledge of middlegames is particularly weak, and she sometimes struggles to create opportunities in closed positions. Her tactic of generating passed pawns by forcing exchanges on the flanks of the boards is effective against weaker players, but stronger opponents can simply entice her into exchanging them, defeating her strategies.

The Fourth Board.

Célestin Roche, aged nineteen represents the young talent of Kenmoria as regards chess. Having rusticated for a year from the Royal University of Mensun, where he was studying mathematics, he has taken to improving his knowledge of chess by travelling to international tournaments. He is a very balanced player, having been playing chess for a while, comfortable in playing a wide range of positions, castling kingside and queenside, and in all three phases of the game. His playing, however, has been called somewhat uninspired, with his plans often obvious and his moves rarely exciting.

Roche likes to play the Ruy Lopez, but is also comfortable in Queen’s pawn openings, playing 1. e4, 1. d4, and even 1. b4 and 1. f4 on occasion. He considers himself too dignified for the bongcloud opening, occasionally employed by Daniau, usually sticking only to mainline variations. His balance of institution and calculation is strong, but he does struggle with opponents who play obscure openings, due to his dislike of long preparation before the game. He also can sometimes rush, rather than utilising the full extent of his time, resulting in disadvantages moves being played against opponents who know hoe to capitalise on them.

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: No, ask me first
Godmod other events: No, ask me first

by **Dod Rava** » Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:20 am

Elephant Chess Cup 6 - Dod Rava's roster

While chess it may not be as mainstream as some other sports or hobbies, there are certainly many people who enjoy playing and following chess, both casually and competitively. In Dod Rava, there are numerous chess clubs, players and tournaments held throughout the year, and the game has even been featured in popular media such as talkshows and other TV shows.

Board 1: Remigiusz "Rezi" Rezowski, 17
A Gorliki native Remigiusz started playing chess at a very young age. He was introduced to the game by his grandfather, who was a skilled player himself. "Rezi" as he is nicknamed in Dod Rava quickly picked up on the game's intricacies and began to develop a prodigious talent for chess. As he got older, he started competing in local tournaments and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming one of the top young players in the country.

Board 2: Maria Rad, 26
Born in Rawa, Maria grew up in a military family, where strategy and tactics were highly valued. She was introduced to chess by her father, a retired army colonel, who saw the game as a way to teach her about strategic thinking and to develop her mind. Maria quickly fell in love with the game and began to develop her own unique style of play. Her ability to think several moves ahead and anticipate her opponent's moves has earned her multipe local and national titles.

Board 3: Pedro Ramos, 57
Pedro Ramos from Malopole is a highly respected chess coach and analyst. He has spent most of his life studying the game, he wrote multipe works about chess theory and strategy. Pedro has coached numerous players to success, including several national title winners including Roman Krakus. Despite his extensive knowledge of the game, Ramos prefers to play quietly and conservatively, focusing on defense and waiting for his opponent to make a mistake.

Board 4: Roman Krakus, 21
Roman born into a wealthy Koronki family and has always had access to the best chess coaches and equipment. His father was a chess player and always encouraged him to play. Roman showed extraordinary talent and his style of play was described as "aggressive and unpredictable". Krakus won multipe awards and he is recognized as one of the best players of his year.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Listed above
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Consult first
Godmod other events: Consult first

by **Galordia Minun** » Tue Mar 21, 2023 5:13 pm

Chess is widely popular in Galordia Minun, mainly played by the rich and upper class. It is one of the Queen's favourite pastimes, and so has permeated popular culture due to her influence.

Board 1: Iván Petrovic
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Pronouns: he/him
Iván Petrovic is a 32 year old chess player from the capital of Arcturus. He started playing at age 12 and quickly rose to being his school's chess champion. He favours an aggressive style, using his pawns to control the center of the board and swooping in on the king to checkmate quickly. Outside of chess he is a keen reader and martial artist, favouring taekwondo.

Board 2: Amela Hadžić
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Pronouns: she/her
28 year old Amela Hadžić hails from Nox, in the north of the country. She got into the game when her father taught her from a young age, and she soon started beating him, and entering into local chess tournaments. Her style is more crafty and cunning, focusing on intricate traps and ploys, which can lead to her being at a disadvantage against a creative player. She is also a hiker, and enjoys playing the guitar.

Board 3: Ivan Horvat
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Pronouns: he/him
The most senior member of the team, Ivan is a 38 year old from Sirius down near the lakes. He was first introduced to chess by his grandparents, who he spent most of his childhood with while his parents served in the military. His style is more strategic and methodical, with his moves being well thought out. He is more traditional, and doesn't like to take risks, preferring a slow and steady build up of advantage.

Board 4: Amir Duraković
Age: 29
Gender: Male (Trans)
Pronouns: he/him

Amir is a fierce competitor also from Arcturus, who's playing style is characterized by a willingness to launch direct attacks on the king. He is good at playing sharp and tactical positions, and his creativity makes him a formidable opponent. He is most famously know for is alternative openings, which can lead to tactical battles later on in the game. When he was 9, his cousins introduced him to the game and he fell in love, studying and learning all he could about it. He is also a keen football fan, supporting Arcturus FC, as his half-sister, Frantiska Kaube, is their top scorer.

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: No
Godmod other events: No

by **Saterun** » Tue Mar 21, 2023 5:32 pm

Official Saterun Chess Team

Board 1:
Sami Karresh, 41
Sami is a very experienced player, and he is the reigning Saterun champion. He has played his entire life, and runs a school of chess in his home city of Fontecoro. He prefers either opening with the Queen's Gambit or the Wayward Queen Opening. As you can tell, he is very fond of using his queen to control the board, and often brings that piece out early. He'll usuually defend with the Sicillian Defense or the Scandinavian defense.

Board 2:
Violet Ingram, 20
Violet is the youngest Gran (Grandmaster) in Saterun, and has taken the Saterun chess community by storm, sweeping the Futsworth State Championships three times over. She showed great talent as a child, and has transfered that over into ability. Her youth makes her second choice to Karresh, but she may soon overtake him as the predominant Saterun player. She prefers offensive moves, and will happily take trades, as she is an endgame master.

Board 3:
Ayla Paloma, 40
Although quite equal in ability, Ayla is the complete opposite of Violet tactically. She prefers to defend and preserve her pieces, and focuses play down the sides of the board, a unique strategy in Saterun chess. Not too fond of castling, you will see her give up strategic middle areas in favor of hemming in the opposition.

Board 4:
Davesh Dassrami, 32
Davesh loves his knights. He almost always play's the King's Knight opening, wiht either color. He thinks far ahead in his matches, whihc sometimes makes him ignore what his opponent does. A brilliant transporter, he can get any piece to the desired position as quick as possible. He prefers to attack with several smaller-value pieces (knight, bishop, and several pawns) be fore getting his queen and rooks involved. This has lead to him executing several unconventional checkmates.

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: No
Godmod other events: No

by **Huron League** » Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:34 pm

ECC6 - Huronian Roster and Information

Chess in Huron League is quite common, but more as a hobby or interest than a passion. However, there are around 20 Huronian Grand Masters and 1000 who play professionally or semi-professionally in the country. Chess has been growing rapidly among youth aged 12-18, yet again, more as a hobby. Hopefully some great talents come out of this boom for Huron League, since the nation’s chess federation has been in need of another poster child for quite some time. This is Huron League’s first international appearance in chess, so many are curious as to how it will pan out. Most Huronians prefer playing open games, and typically come out on the offensive quickly. The ECC will be taking a backseat to the Olympics and Eorld Junior Hockey Championships for the general hockey-crazed Huronian, but about 100,000 people in Huron League say chess is their favorite sport, which should lead to decent viewing rates. Huronian games will be easily available to watch back home, on major streaming services and two widespread cable channels. However, other international games will be harder due to the Olympics and WJHC. Expectations are middling, since few fans expect the team to go too far. They are expected to win a couple rounds, but again, not too many.

BOARD 1
Levi Whitaker - 27 y/o

Whitaker, who is the highest ranked Huronian chess player of all time, likes to play aggressively and use rooks early and often. He likes playing in the middle of the board with an open setup, and tends to avoid the sides except for rooks.

BOARD 2
Mia Gastineau - 44 y/o

Gastineau is the most decorated female chess player in Huron League’s history, although could be surpassed by Luton in the future. Gastineau uses pawns to her advantage, and has been known to checkmate with pawns often. She plays an offensive style of game, and yet keeps a solid defense around her king.

BOARD 3
Lucy Luton - 26 y/o

Luton became Huron League’s youngest female grand master at the age of 17. She is defensive and incredibly smart, shocking her competitors with check or checkmate moves that seem to come out of nowhere. Endgames are her strongest suit, and she has blundered relatively often against world-class opponents like the ones she will be facing in the ECC.

BOARD 4
Adam Greiss - 50 y/o

Greiss, who is surprisingly the newest Huronian chess GM, has played professionally for just 5 years and hit grandmaster status 13 months ago. He has since accelerated massively with his quick, decisive style of play that cuts right to putting the king in great danger. His major downfall is his inexperiencedness.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Listed
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes
Godmod other events: No

by **The Spartan Dominion** » Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:25 am

SPARTAN DOMINION TEAM

Chess in the spartan dominion is the second most loved sport right behind basketball these are the most talented players in the nation. The national team was founded in 2012 two years after the creation of the nation.

Board 1: Elvis Juno, 33

Board 2: Magic bird, 18

Board 3: Herald kemp, 50

Board 4: River Ray, 15

My RP decision,
Choose my lineup: Listed
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes
Godmod other events: No

by **Atheara** » Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:57 am

Elephant Chess Cup VI - Team Atheara

It's been a while since The Republic has enjoyed a bit of international chess, and with the sixth edition of the Elephant Chess Cup being hosted the country thought that it was a good time to refresh their entire roster once again. No player from the previous ECC will be competing in this year's edition as Atheara field an entirely new four player line up. How these players will fare here on the international stage is a whole different question, but we just hope they perform decently. All of that aside, here are those four players representing Team Atheara.

BOARD 1
Kardenthal Van De Lukshion (23 Y/O, M)
Starting out from digital chess on a computer into a real board would be a weird and difficult transition. That's what most people would say, but Kardenthal Van De Lukshion disagrees. He started out playing chess at his younger teenage years, on the computer often against other users on the internet. But his skill level grew and his rating increased, as his grandfather was able to convince him to make the switch onto actual chess boards. At first he struggled, but it didn't last long as he quickly found his footing. These days, Kardenthal is a strong opponent who will adapt to whatever his opponent plays depending on circumstance. He may switch it up once or twice by playing to his own rhythm, but most of the time he'll be the follower to his enemy on the board.

BOARD 2
Srentija Auzivla - Hsotska (42 Y/O, F)
Srentija Auzivla - Hsotska is more known in Atheara by her online alias Sreniau. She often hosts online chess competitions along with several of her friends for people to partake in, with the prizes often being the money that she earns from a flower shop that she owns. With all of that said however when it comes to playing chess herself, Srentija is no slouch. Despite her age she's constantly keeping up with the more younger players and often is able to go toe to toe with any opponent she plays. However, her sometimes short term memory may be the cause of her making a mistake or two. Other than that, she is a really solid player who often plays the long game and just watches as her opponents become frustrated on how she plays her slow and effective chess.

BOARD 3
Tazuya Nikorogi (38 Y/O, M)
Tazuya Nikorogi didn't have the best childhood when growing up, often his parents neglecting him for one reason or another. But the chess board was always there for him and it always kept him company throughout the years. He played chess to gain his parent's attention and when he was winning titles left and right he finally got their recognition. But after that he just... Stopped playing entirely. There were a lot of factors as to why, and one of them being as if there wasn't any purpose for him to continue playing. But almost a decade leaving the game, he had a deep desire to win again and he returned to the game. His playstyle is almost psychotic, unexpectable and impossible to predict. He could sacrifice a piece out of nowhere or even flip the game on it's head. But with a face as stoic as his, you're never able to tell what is inside his mind.

BOARD 4
Nikki Schuvet Telmacher (20 Y/O, F)
Being the emerging star from a region that hasn't produced much chess talent is a certain feeling. This feeling is harboured harder than most by Nikki Schuvet Telmacher, as she hails from the city of Hunvardehm. The city has rarely produced any talented chess players of the highest caliber for domestic standards, and Nikki is looking to prove herself on the international stage that her talent and capability was not some sort of lucky masterstroke. While having a rich background kind of helps, she's learned the game of chess mostly on her own with a personal chess tutor only guiding her when she became confused. She plays a balanced style of chess often assisted by her emotions when making moves and decisions. Which may or may not help.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Yes, feel free to shuffle them around.
Decide board results: Yes, but have Nikki win more often and have Srentija be on the losing end a bit more frequently.
Decide moves made: Yes, openings are up to you.
Godmod game events: Yes, anything goes really.
Godmod other events: Yes, as long as it's nothing too ridiculous.

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:06 pm

Name: TJUN-ia
Trigram: TJU
Demonym: TJUN-ian/Jaguar
Nicknames: Jaguars/Jaguar Knights
Governing Body: TJUN-ia Chess Federation (TCF)

Well well well...here we are again. Chess, a board game that many in the International Community play as a hobby, has quickly become one of TJUN-ia's most successful sports in a way that nobody expected at all when the Jaguar Knights started to play in the Elephant Chess Cup. We entered the last edition as the defending champions, a position not many Jaguars find themselves in, but they would end up defending their crown with such ruthlessness, with the only match they didn't win is the final - a final that was drawn 2-2, had to be replayed and it would be that replay they indeed won. Now, this Gang of 4 has won back-to-back titles (no one has even come close before) and they are looking to try something most would've thought unthinkable not that long ago...a treble. The question is, can they defend the crown once more as the ECC heads back to South Newlandia under the old format?

TCF Rating System (Elo)
Professionals
Grandmaster of the International Community (GIC): 3001+
International Master (IM): 2751-3000
TCF Master (TM): 2501-2750
Candidate Master (CM): 2001-2500
---------------------------------------------------
Semi-Professionals
Class A (CA): 1801-2000
Class B (CB): 1601-1800
Class C (CC): 1401-1600
Class D (CD): 1201-1400
Class E (CE): 1001-1200
---------------------------------------------------
Amateurs
Class F (CF): 801-1000
Class G (CG): 601-800
Class H (CH): 401-600
Class I (CI): 201-400
Class J (CJ): 101-200
Rookie (R): under 100

This is how Chess is organised here in TJUN-ia, with 15 titles and 3 overall Tiers to cover all 500,000+ players who play Chess in TCF-affiliated or run tournaments and leagues. This system was created by the TCF to encourage more professionalism within the game and runs on a simple formula: 2 points per win, 1 for a draw, -1 for a loss and -2 for a loss in 30 or fewer combined moves (or the "15 each" rule). If you take part in any TCF-related event, then you can add to your Rating with 0 given to those making their TCF debuts at any given level. Because this system has only been in effect for about 12 years, only 4000 players total has reached the Professional Tier - with no one so far coming close to attaining the highest title of them all through natural means: Grandmaster of the International Community (GIC). However, it has been decreed that if anyone can claim an ECC for TJUN-ia, they would get GIC status on the spot - which would certainly be an incentive for many in the game. For our participation in any edition of the ECC, the TCF will be using a "3+1" mentality - Three Professionals, One Semi-Pro.

Board 1 - Yevgeny Solovyanenko

Age: 38
Place of Residence: Pivdennyy Kordon/Yuzhnaya Granitsa, NAU Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC5 Record: 5-2-3

One of the more powerhouse regions in the sport is the NAU, which always seems to take a liking to the sport alongside the CSTO and CEA. Yevgeny Solovyanenko is certainly a powerhouse in his own right, a cunning fox of a player who always thinks tactically and plays the game like that as well. He's certainly becoming the shining light of a city that is currently stunned with events over in U1 and U2, with their fellow Russians and Ukrainians engaged in unthinkable prolonged conflict. A majority in PdK-YG are appalled with what is going on and as a Ukrainian himself, you don't need to ask Yevgeny what his opinion is. But still, he has to play on. Ever since claiming his first title, he's thought more and more about his place in the team and in his career as a whole...and his pride in being a Ukrainian TJUN-ian Champion. Now back in Newport, the sight of that first triumph, he'll be looking to make his people proud once again.

Board 2 - Tshering Gyeltshen

Age: 21
Place of Residence: Trashiyangtse, CEA Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC4 Record: 6-1-2

Chess has a knack for not being a sport based on age, where anyone and everyone can become great if they can play the game well enough. That can certainly be shown in our 2nd player, with our 35-year-old Ukrainian being contrasted by...a 20-year-old Bhutanese player. Tshering Gyeltshen is his name and at 21 years old, he's won 4 CEA Championships (he wasn't able to defend it last time due to "personal reasons") in a region usually dominated by players from larger cities like Tiankong and Hindubharat. He's certainly done very very well for someone both so young and from a city like Trashiyangtse, mostly Buddhist and considered one of the happiest places in the entire International Community. With this in mind, many consider this young gun to be Chess' answer to one Joe Katsi - a player who always plays with a smile and plays for the love of the sport. He's certainly been on an adventure since claiming that first crown, including going off on the NSSCRA trail to be with his good mates in Batu Tüvshinbayar and Lam Chow-Cheung, but his first love is still in this sport and he will hope to keep on playing the game that he loves his way. He ended up with the best record of the 4 last time and will be hoping for more success in his young career.

Board 3 - Anne Christian-Warren

Age: 25
Place of Residence: New Adamstown/Adamstaun, UO Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community
ECC4 Record: 4-1-4

Anne Christian-Warren is a very interesting player in her own right - one of the highest-rated female players in the TCF and a rare athlete in any sport from New Adamstown, making her Pitkerner. She certainly likes to be known as someone who represents her heritage and the blood of the HMS Bounty with pride, playing her game like a pirate as well - win no matter what, go for broke and all that jazz. She became a hero back in her home town after winning it all the first time, and her strategy now becoming so famous that it's even included in official Chess strategy guides published in the International Community. The Lesbian Pirate Queen, one of the most badass nicknames in TJUN-ian sport, successfully defended her crown in Poafmersia last time out and while the waters of Newport will certainly be familiar, she still will have no remorse in going for broke in order to keep that crown on her head.

Board 4 - Margarita Altamiranda

Age: 29
Place of Residence: Ciudad Calamar, UAC Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community
ECC4 Record: 6-1-3

Jumping from Class A to GIC is unprecedented in TCF history, but that's what winning that 1st title meant for Margarita Altamiranda. Margarita hails from Cuidad Calamar in the UAC zone - a city and region not really seen as a Chess powerhouse by any means. Despite that, she's certainly a talent and plays with that Latin flair we all expect - quick and powerful at the same time. Being considered a professional for life certainly did wonders for her, especially back home, and she certainly proved in Poafmersia that she deserved to be considered a professional alongside her teammates. Now? She's going to fight to keep that crown, of course!

by **Eshialand** » Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:40 pm

The Eshian National Chess Team

~~Nobody notices copy-pasting if it's been 3 cycles, right? RIGHT???~~

After skipping the previous ECC and performing miserably in the one before that, it's time for the Eshian chess team to make their first honest go at the Elephant Chess Cup since ECC III. Will it end well? Probably not... but they'll stumble head-first into this one anyway.

Board 1: Jason SEVERN
Age: 27
Favorite Openings: Ruy Lopez (White), Sicilian Dragon (Black)
Playstyle: A vibrant attacking style that prioritizes beautiful combinations rather than brute force.

Board 2: Mary NERATA
Age: 36
Favorite Openings: Italian (White), Petroff (Black)
Playstyle: Highly defensive, and unwilling to take too many risks. She'll often offer/accept draws despite being in an unclear position just because it's the safer option.

Board 3: Alan BLAINE
Age: 38
Favorite Openings: Vienna Game (White), Caro-Kann (Black)
Playstyle: Alan's strategy tends to revolve around making the game so complicated that no human can possibly take it apart. In theory, that should work, but in practice, it tends to backfire a lot.

Board 4: Stephanie JACOBSON
Age: 32
Favorite Openings: Ruy Lopez (White), King's Indian (Black)
Playstyle: Stephanie has always believed in the power of knights over bishops, and as such is known for trading away her bishops for her opponent's knights, as well as keeping the game relatively closed in order to show her knights' true potential.

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: Usually yes, but if you think something is ridiculous you can send me a TG/DM.
Godmod other events: Same as above.

In general, I'm always happy to collaborate, so feel free to TG/DM me about anything!

by **Graintfjall** » Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:55 am

Nation name: Græntfjall
Adjective/demonym: Græntfjaller

Ánýá Klæðskera-gleði, a Kamdyr chess prodigy, has competed on the Græntfjaller men’s circuit for a number of years. The Kamdyr are a nomadic people who mostly inhabit, though do not particularly claim affiliation with, Græntfjall. Traditionally, they lived in yurts, migrating with the seasons, herding buffalos, unicorns, reindeer, dragons, and other animals. Today, many Kamdyr, especially the younger generations, have to some extent integrated with Græntfjaller society, getting jobs and apartments, attending schools and universities. All the same, the Kamdyr retain their distinct ethnic heritage; a notable example of this is that they are among the few exempted from the requirement that all Græntfjaller names be patronymic or matronymic.

The 34 year old achieved grandmaster status while studying mathematics at the prestigious University of Waltenberg, where she later pursued postgraduate studies in econometrics. Now an economist by day, she is one of the most accomplished female players in Græntfjall despite never having entered the National Women’s Championship. Regarded as a calm, composed, and defensively-minded player, she is known for her stalwart and effective defence; she is especially adept at rook endgames. She shows little interest in unusual openings, nearly always opening 1.e4 with white, usually with Lárentíus Arnbjörnsson.* She represented Græntfjall at the Garvida Chess Championship.

Reynir Ýrarsson is the current Græntfjaller men’s champion. A former civil servant – he worked in the Ministry of Transport and is considered the nation’s leading expert on potholes – he now competes full-time in chess. He also writes cryptic crosswords (under the nickname ‘Rowan’) for left-liberal Altendalur newspaper Vestrænnblaðið. His interests include opera, ornithology, and real ale. Reynir is a much more aggressive player than Ánýá, more interested in tactical innovation. He favors a 1.d4 opening with white.

Páll Heiðbergsson is a former chess prodigy who is Græntfjall’s blitz chess champion. A very aggressive player who is among the new generation to make use of computer analyses, frequently bringing prepared variations, Páll is sometimes criticized for not playing as well from simple positions. He works as a ticket clerk at the Græntfjaller National Opera, and is one of the relatively few openly gay men to represent Græntfjall in international sport. Páll switches up his openings a lot between 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4 and 1.Nf3, and usually uses prepared variations to promote relentless attack.

Teifion Bradwrsson is a former four-time national champion who was at one time Græntfjall’s youngest ever Grandmaster. Formerly known for his lightning quick style, he has mellowed in his older years and now plays a more balanced style. His unpretentious nature and lack of psychological trickery have made him a popular figure on the chess circuit. A trained electrical engineer by trade, he plays chess professionally now, coaching, and has written four books on chess. A very flexible and adaptable player who switches between 1.e4 and 1.d4 openings almost at whim.

Elína Nathansdóttir is the alternate. The young woman is Græntfjall’s women’s champion (though Ánýá is generally considered the stronger player, she does not compete in the women’s circuit). She holds a postgraduate diploma in the oboe and is a well regarded skier, and her multi-talented approach is reflected in her approach to chess where she favors a balanced style, being neither hyperaggressive nor hyperdefensive. She is somewhat conservative in her openings, nearly always playing 1.e4, but enjoys studying computer variations and can respond to unconventional openings when playing black.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Yes. Players are listed in board order, but you may decide to sub in Elína or mix things up a little otherwise.
Decide board results: Yes.
Decide moves made: Yes.
Godmod game events: No, unless you ask first.
Godmod other events: No, but TG me if you have something in mind. I am open to any RP collaborations.

Not wholly intentionally, I have established a pattern of using Elephant Chess Cups to RP about military events. If this is something you would be interested in collaborating on, send me a DM/TG. If not, feel free to ignore that aspect of my RPing and concentrate on the chess.

* Lárentíus Arnbjörnsson was a priest who wrote the first known book on chess in the Græntfjaller language. A number of common chess terms are expressed differently by Græntfjallers (who have never heard of somewhere called Spain or some guy called Ruy López).

by **Eshialand** » Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:03 am

Election Day

"Hello? Is this thing on?"

"And we're LIVE"

"Hello, my name is Chet Donaldson and welcome to ENN Votes, Eshialand's Election Central. Election Day is Tomorrow, Friday, December 4th, 2026, and we're here to fill you in on absolutely everything you need to know about this vote.

"First up, the who. The two main candidates we've been looking at in this election are the Liberals' Kevin Labbett, and the Conservatives' Robert MacAvoy. There are some third-party candidates, such as the Greens' Tarika Anney and former PM David Peterson running under the new "One Eshialand" ticket, but the polls have spoken, and Labbett and MacAvoy are the ones to watch.

"Speaking of polls, let's take a look at those, shall we? These two candidates really are neck and neck, trading blows on a fair few issues as of late, with the most important one being Eshialand's position in the multiverse. Over the past seven years, since we found out about the world beyond our world, there's always been this looming question about what our position in the multiverse should be. While David Peterson was hesitant to do much, just following the king's lead, and Fiona Reval did everything she could to avoid the world around her and focus on Eshialand itself, the direction we should take over the coming years isn't well-known. MacAvoy has stated he's somewhere between Reval and Peterson on the issue, wishing to keep the nation relatively isolated without ruining what the world has brought us, while Labbett is far more open, similar to the king's stance, not even ruling out the prospect of leaving our isolated corner of the world and moving somewhere nicer, wherever that may be.

"Tomorrow, no matter how the vote goes, will likely a huge turning point in Eshian history, and we'll be here counting every vote and making sure that you, the people of this fine nation, are informed. Remember, when you're going to the polls tomorrow, to make your vote heard! You, yes you, can be the deciding factor that leads us into one of two very different stories."

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:43 pm

Cutoff for the first two matchdays!

In case you're unfamilar with how this works here, I'll be editing this post with the MD1 results and MD2 schedules in a bit, before editing MD2 and MD3 schedules in a short while later. Stay tuned!

Also, I'd like to shout out you guys for a very impressive 13/16 roster rate - that is amazing! For ease of roleplaying, you'll find links to all of them under the spoiler in the first post of this thread.

Also also, I'll be having a baby elephant video for you guys every cutoff: here!

Match 1 – Thursday, 16:00

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

Kenmoria 1½–2½ Saterun
Huron League 2½–1½ Sannyamathland
Atheara ½–3½ South Newlandia
Graintfjall 2½–1½ Galordia Minun
Sky Reavers 2–2 TJUN-ia
Poafmersia 0–4 Eshialand
The Spartan Dominion 2½–1½ Natanians and Nosts
Archalit 2–2 Dod Rava

Table:

P                        Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Eshialand               1    1   0   0     4    0     +4     2
 2 South Newlandia         1    1   0   0     3.5  0.5   +3     2
 3 Graintfjall             1    1   0   0     2.5  1.5   +1     2
   Huron League            1    1   0   0     2.5  1.5   +1     2
   Saterun                 1    1   0   0     2.5  1.5   +1     2
   The Spartan Dominion    1    1   0   0     2.5  1.5   +1     2
 7 Archalit                1    0   1   0     2    2      0     1
   Dod Rava                1    0   1   0     2    2      0     1
   Sky Reavers             1    0   1   0     2    2      0     1
   TJUN-ia                 1    0   1   0     2    2      0     1
11 Galordia Minun          1    0   0   1     1.5  2.5   -1     0
   Kenmoria                1    0   0   1     1.5  2.5   -1     0
   Natanians and Nosts     1    0   0   1     1.5  2.5   -1     0
   Sannyamathland          1    0   0   1     1.5  2.5   -1     0
15 Atheara                 1    0   0   1     0.5  3.5   -3     0
16 Poafmersia              1    0   0   1     0    4     -4     0

Match 2 - Thursday, 18:00

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

Eshialand 2–2 South Newlandia
Saterun 2–2 Graintfjall
Huron League 2½–1½ The Spartan Dominion
TJUN-ia 3–1 Archalit
Dod Rava 4–0 Sky Reavers
Galordia Minun 2–2 Kenmoria
Natanians and Nosts ½–3½ Sannyamathland
Atheara 3–1 Poafmersia

Table:

P                        Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA    PD   Pts 
 1 Huron League            2    2   0   0     5    3    +2     4
 2 Dod Rava                2    1   1   0     6    2    +4     3
   Eshialand               2    1   1   0     6    2    +4     3
 4 South Newlandia         2    1   1   0     5.5  2.5  +3     3
 5 TJUN-ia                 2    1   1   0     5    3    +2     3
 6 Graintfjall             2    1   1   0     4.5  3.5  +1     3
   Saterun                 2    1   1   0     4.5  3.5  +1     3
 8 Sannyamathland          2    1   0   1     5    3    +2     2
 9 The Spartan Dominion    2    1   0   1     4    4     0     2
10 Atheara                 2    1   0   1     3.5  4.5  -1     2
11 Galordia Minun          2    0   1   1     3.5  4.5  -1     1
   Kenmoria                2    0   1   1     3.5  4.5  -1     1
13 Archalit                2    0   1   1     3    5    -2     1
14 Sky Reavers             2    0   1   1     2    6    -4     1
15 Natanians and Nosts     2    0   0   2     2    6    -4     0
16 Poafmersia              2    0   0   2     1    7    -6     0

Match 3 Pairings – Friday, 11:00

Dod Rava - Huron League
Eshialand - TJUN-ia
South Newlandia - Graintfjall
Sannyamathland - Saterun
The Spartan Dominion - Atheara
Galordia Minun - Archalit
Kenmoria - Sky Reavers
Natanians and Nosts - Poafmersia

by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 11:22 am

Hello and welcome to the 6th Elephant Chess Cup, coming to you live from the Ivory Crown Hotel in Newport, South Newlandia! This hotel is certainly very fancy indeed and a beautiful venue to host an international tournament like this one. The Jaguar Knights of TJUN-ia enter this tournament as the back-to-back champions of the sport and with an assured energy that they were the team to beat. The question everyone back in the North Pacific had was pretty simple: Can they do it again? We have a bit of a wacky format here for this tournament, with the Top 6 after the main action going on to a Super 6 stage that will determine who will be in the Final, so getting results on the board will be key.

GIC Yevgeny Solovyanenko (0-0) bt by John "Four Fingers" Escobar
GIC Tshering Gyeltshen (0-0) bt Liam Graham
GIC Anne Christian-Warren (0-0) bt Sierra Bercik
GIC Margarita Altamiranda (0-0) bt by Ivan Turunov

The first game of our 2nd title defence attempt would be at 4 pm on a Thursday against debutants Sky Reavers and oh boy, this was a very interesting matchup to come back to. Both the lovable Tshering Gyeltshen and the Lesbian Pirate Queen Anne Christian-Warren won their matchups, with Tshering's calm pace overcoming the wildcard Liam Graham while chaos theory caused absolute chaos against actress Sierra Bercik. But Yevgeny Solovyanenko and Margarita Altamiranda did not as both John "Four Fingers" Escobar and the inexperienced Ivan Turunov managed to win in the end, resulting in our opening match ending in a 2-2 draw. Not the worse fate, but also not the best.

GIC Yevgeny Solovyanenko (0-1) bt Bungki Gungo
GIC Tshering Gyeltshen (1-0) bt Evan Kennedy
GIC Anne Christian-Warren (1-0) bt by Iara Carlson
GIC Margarita Altamiranda (0-1) bt Octávio Vidal

The late game on Thursday would be up against another team who drew the 1st match in the form of Archalit and this match would end up being a bit more straightforward for us in the end. ACW was the only one to lose here as Iara Carlson's own unique playstyle beat out the chaos but the other 3 came out clutch as they beat out a literal monkey (sorry, chimpanzee), the brother of a tennis player and a player who doesn't like to prep at all. That would be a 3-1 and finally, we were on the board...and things can hopefully only go up from here.

We don't know all of our opponents for tomorrow, but we do know we will start at 11 am against Eshialand, who are ahead of us on PD alone. More than likely, we may end up having a rematch with South Newlandia tomorrow as well as potential matches with the Huron League and Dod Rava, so you don't want to miss a second of the action. GO JAGUAR KNIGHTS!

by **Eshialand** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:52 am

The Final Push
Poafmersia 0-4 Eshialand
Eshialand 2-2 South Newlandia

"Tomorrow, we shall all go to the polls..." Kevin Labbett was making his final speech on Election Night Eve to supporters in his hometown of Yzandria, drumming up some last-minute support. "and while, I know this campaign has been a bit of a bumpy one, not every decision I've made being as popular as I would've hoped... but overall, it's been a good one.

"Tomorrow is where this all comes to a head. It's almost completely between me and Robert, and I'd just like to remind you one last time why this choice should be an easy one. Whether you know it or not, you've been touched by the world around you. Maybe you've got neighbors who've been vacationing in Aleirave. Perhaps your brother left for Atheara, seeking new job opportunities. Perhaps your school has exchange students from nations across the multiverse. No matter who you are, the wider world out there has touched you, and touched most of you for the better.

"Our new society is so much greater than it ever was before. It is one of discovery, diversity, and inclusion. We are in a prime position, now more than ever, to come into this new era with open arms, and together, we can make this possible. It's time for Eshialand to move forward into its new world, instead of hiding in the shadows like MacAvoy would like. Together, we can join a new tomorrow. Together, Eshialand can join the world.

"So now, I leave you all. Tomorrow is the big day, when your votes shall be cast, and we write our own destiny. Together, let's write a wonderful future for our nation, and be who we truly ought to be; a nation enlightened, brought into a wonderful world that's still so mysterious to us. For everyone, for Eshialand!!"

Whether this final rally would have much of an impact would remain to be seen, as, although Labbett's supporters were certainly fired up, those swing voters in the middle would take a lot of convincing to swing either way. Would this be enough? Well, that question would have to be answered at the polls on election day. Until then, voters across the nation would await their chance to be heard, and once they had been heard, a new era would begin in Eshialand... the only question being, who would define that era?

by **Sky Reavers** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 12:18 pm

A senior officer, some guy, actress and a child progidy enter the chess tournament. Sounds like a start of a joke. But was no joke. It was a reality of this chess tournament, where they have played two games. One ended up in a draw. Liam Graham played nice, but his wildcard moves failed him several times and eventually, this loveable amatuer after Tshering declared "Checkmate" after making another move. In the meantime, Bercik lost her game to a pirate queen. Lucky she is, that this wasn't a match for naked photos. Still, she got her share of humiliation. However, John "Four Fingers", has scored a victory against Solovyanenko, thanks to managing to study the style and do a counteroffensive on the other side of the board. The child progidy has also managed to win in a fast paced game with his opening being more successful. 2/2. Not awesome, not bad.

But if four different folks on chess tournament were a start of a joke, then the second game was a punchline. A game against Dod Rava ended up a trainwreck. Four folks have tried to beat them, four folks have made a slip. John Four Fingers got a headache, that distracted him from a game due to a change of weather, Sierra Bercik tried a risky mental game, but opponent didn't buy the bluff. Liam Graham, who smoked a joint before the very first match game, suddenly encountered munchies from weed and intrusive thoughts about food distracted him and made him miss a knight, that targeted his king adn queen. The loss proved to be fatal. As for Ivan... a child in a soul lost a match due to his impatience. His moves in endspiel of a protracted game were rather irrational and looked more like childish tantrum.

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 1:11 pm

Cutoff for games three and four!

ellies

Match 3 – Friday, 11:00

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

Dod Rava 1½–2½ Huron League
Eshialand 1–3 TJUN-ia
South Newlandia 3½–½ Graintfjall
Sannyamathland 2–2 Saterun
The Spartan Dominion 2–2 Atheara
Galordia Minun 3–1 Archalit
Kenmoria 4–0 Sky Reavers
Natanians and Nosts 3–1 Poafmersia

Table:

P                        Pld    W   D   L     PF  PA     PD   Pts 
 1 Huron League            3    3   0   0     7.5  4.5   +3     6
 2 South Newlandia         3    2   1   0     9    3     +6     5
 3 TJUN-ia                 3    2   1   0     8    4     +4     5
 4 Saterun                 3    1   2   0     6.5  5.5   +1     4
 5 Dod Rava                3    1   1   1     7.5  4.5   +3     3
   Kenmoria                3    1   1   1     7.5  4.5   +3     3
 7 Eshialand               3    1   1   1     7    5     +2     3
   Sannyamathland          3    1   1   1     7    5     +2     3
 9 Galordia Minun          3    1   1   1     6.5  5.5   +1     3
10 The Spartan Dominion    3    1   1   1     6    6      0     3
11 Atheara                 3    1   1   1     5.5  6.5   -1     3
12 Graintfjall             3    1   1   1     5    7     -2     3
13 Natanians and Nosts     3    1   0   2     5    7     -2     2
14 Archalit                3    0   1   2     4    8     -4     1
15 Sky Reavers             3    0   1   2     2   10     -8     1
16 Poafmersia              3    0   0   3     2   10     -8     0

Match 4 - Friday, 13:00

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

South Newlandia 2–2 Huron League
TJUN-ia 2½–1½ Saterun
Dod Rava 1½–2½ Kenmoria
Sannyamathland ½–3½ Eshialand
Galordia Minun 3–1 The Spartan Dominion
Graintfjall 1½–2½ Atheara
Archalit 3–1 Natanians and Nosts
Sky Reavers 3–1 Poafmersia

Table:

P                        Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA     PD   Pts 
 1 TJUN-ia                 4    3   1   0    10.5  5.5   +5     7
 2 Huron League            4    3   1   0    9.5   6.5   +3     7
 3 South Newlandia         4    2   2   0    11    5     +6     6
 4 Eshialand               4    2   1   1    10.5  5.5   +5     5
 5 Kenmoria                4    2   1   1    10    6     +4     5
 6 Galordia Minun          4    2   1   1     9.5  6.5   +3     5
 7 Atheara                 4    2   1   1     8    8      0     5
 8 Saterun                 4    1   2   1     8    8      0     4
 9 Dod Rava                4    1   1   2     9    7     +2     3
10 Sannyamathland          4    1   1   2     7.5  8.5   -1     3
11 Archalit                4    1   1   2     7    9     -2     3
   The Spartan Dominion    4    1   1   2     7    9     -2     3
13 Graintfjall             4    1   1   2     6.5  9.5   -3     3
14 Sky Reavers             4    1   1   2     5   11     -6     3
15 Natanians and Nosts     4    1   0   3     6   10     -4     2
16 Poafmersia              4    0   0   4     3   13    -10     0

Match 5 Pairings – Friday, 16:00

TJUN-ia - Huron League
South Newlandia - Kenmoria
Eshialand - Galordia Minun
Saterun - Atheara
Sannyamathland - Dod Rava
Archalit - The Spartan Dominion
Poafmersia - Graintfjall
Sky Reavers - Natanians and Nosts

by **Atheara** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:49 am

When you think of playing in a chess tournament, well when you think of Athearans usually, you may think that we do our preparation then play the game or match up before proceeding to rest, prepare then sleep before doing the cycle once again. But that's where you're wrong... Well, at least when it comes to one of the players on the Athearan Team here for the Elephant Chess Cup. This certain player is just constantly playing chess, doing their every bit to have a glance on a board whether it be from a book, on the phone, or actually playing in the tournament. Kardenthal Van De Lukshion is exactly that. You could say he's a bit of a chess freak, constantly playing until he needed a rest or until whatever set goal of his while playing is completed.

Throughout the first four matches that Atheara has played, he's been relatively consistent and is at this point considered the anchor of the team, seemingly able to do his best and do whatever he wants when it comes to the games. While the rest of the team often studies in a group, Lukshion prefers to do things alone. He's always done things alone, studying chess theory being one of those things. And as of currently, he was exactly doing that. Inside of his room after the fourth match, he was reading a book from his grandfather's library about middle game chess theory and the art of playing to how your opponent plays. This playstyle of his largely comes from the influence of his grandfather who always adapted to how he played whenever the two decided to play against eachother.

As he continued to read, his phone was rining. Lukshion looked and apparently it was his mother calling him. Putting the book down on the table and taking a sip from his cup of coffee, he picked up the phone. "Hey mom." He simply said, listening to his mother speak. It was mainly about his grandfather and whatnot, sometimes a bit of stuff about the house too. But then she brought something up which made Lukshion have a bit of a bitter taste. "Your father wants to see you after the ECC. Can we go visit him? It's been a while since you two saw eachother." The chess player sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want to mom. He hasn't apologized for what he did, no way am I visiting him." The reply was cold and a bit harsh as he could hear his mom sigh as well.

"If you say so. I'll go visit him and try to convince him to apologize." Once his mother said that, she ended the call. Lukshion just started rambling to himself inside of his room, "Who does he think he is? Leaving the family to start a second and ignore his first son and proceeds to have the audacity of wanting to see me-" He stopped his rambling as the door to his room was opened by his fellow teammate in Nikki Schuvet Telmacher. She heard the commotion in his room and decided to check on him. "Was I interrupting something?" The Hunvardehm native asked, to which Lukshion just shook his head. "Nothing too bothering." He said. He needed to take things off his mind, so he looked at Telmacher. "Want to help me study? I rarely ask, so think of this as an opportunity for us to interact more." Lukshion asked, his voive different in tone now.

"Sure, whatever. I was originally going to get you anyways."

by **Archalit** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:28 am

Games Recap
It is Friday of the ECC6 and we are currently just past Match 4. Lets take a look at some of the games our Archalitians have played so far.

Bungki Gungo
In the first match, Bungki Gungo was playing the black pieces against the Dod Ravan Remigiusz Rezowski where they went off into a Taimanov Sicilian. The game was interesting albeit slow until, suddenly, on move 34, hung an incredible checkmate pattern that was spotted by both players. After the first move was played by the chimp, Rezi resigned.

In the second match, Bungki Gungo would once again play into a Sicilian and, this time, it was a Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted with the white pieces against Yevgeny Solovyanenko of TJUN-ia. On just move 8 of this game, Bungki Gungo's inaccurate play led to a winning position for Yevgeny. The game continued on as Yevgeny Solovyanenko got an excellent, active rook and proceeded to bombard Bungki Gungo with an assault. A tactic in the endgame led to a two rooks vs rook and knight endgame where the chimpanzee resigned.

In the third match, Bungki Gungo had white against Iván Petrovic of Galordia Minun. The game developed into a Main Line Mieses-Kotrč Scandinavian Defense with missed opportunities in the position that led to a drawn endgame. That was until a completely disgusting tactic was found by Petrovic on move 57 after the chimpanzee played Bc5+. After Kc6 which seems to hang a knight, there was exf3 and the only way to prevent promotion is Bc5 where Petrovic can play a5+ deflecting the king away. Instead of capturing the knight, Gungo went 58. Bf2 to try to play on but unfortunately, on the 66th move, Nh3 winning the bishop was hung and it was in this position that Bungki Gungo resigned.

In the fourth and most recent match, Bungki Gungo played black against the board one player of Natanians and Nosts. The game was a Caro-Kann Defense in which the players, out of theory on move 4, went into an incredibly messy middlegame. A brilliant rook sac on move 31 led to a forced promotion and it was on move 41 that the opponent resigned and Bungki Gungo won.

Evan Kennedy
In the first match, Evan Kennedy had the pleasure of playing with the white pieces against Maria Rad. I mean, he completely disrespected her by playing 1. a3, the Anderssen Opening, but he was able to play a match. The game went about as expected, where, unfortunately, Evan's careless and inaccurate play led to a mistake on move 11 where Maria was immediately winning. While Maria refused to let go of her advantage, Evan continued to let the advantage slip until, on move 31, Maria found a queen sac that basically won all of Evans pieces and, in this position, Evan resigned.

In the second match, Evan played black against TJUN-ia's Tshering Gyeltshen in which he... played a Borg defense. Honestly, not much to discuss here. Tshering played a good game with an excellent position out of the opening and Evan blundered his knight on move 18. The game was honestly uninteresting and ended in a queen checkmate on move 37 for Tshering Gyeltshen.

In the third match, Evan had the black pieces against the Galordia Minun player Amela Hadžić. The game became a d4 London system in which the players basically played a boring, extremely accurate drawn endgame of bishop knight and four vs two bishops and four.

In the fourth match, Evan had white against the board two player of Natanians and Nosts. Feeling that sort of mood, the game progressed 1. e4 e5 2. Ke2. So, naturally, the game continued 2... Ke7 3. Ke1 Ke8 4. Ke2 Ke7 5. Ke1 Ke8 6. Ke2 Ke7 and the players made a draw by repetition. They had a laugh, shook hands, and Evan moved on.

Iara Carlson
In the first match, Iara had the black pieces against Pedro Ramos of Dod Rava. The unrelenting attacker versus the quiet defender played a Grand Prix Closed Sicilian. Iara had incredible opening accuracy against Pedro Ramos' opening repertoire, and there was actually a very interesting idea that was missed on move 19 in which Iara had the opportunity to trap Pedro's knight. The middlegame was almost winning for Iara until an inaccurate capture on move 45 lost the advantage. The game marched on, developing into a King-Rook-Passed Pawn endgame. The players played a very sharp endgame in which Pedro Ramos sacrificed the rook because the king and pawn were unstoppable and on move 99, the Iara's last rook traded off Pedro's last pawn and the players drew the game.

In the second match, Iara was the white pieces against the Pirate Queen Anne Christian-Warren. It was Pirate vs Pirate on the English battlefield, particularly a Symmetrical Four-Knights English. Off the opening, Iara had a slight advantage but it really wasn't clear as it was Bishop vs Knight. On move 25, Anne Christian-Warren missed gxh3 which simply creates an outside passed pawn that completely reverses the initiative, but a slower Be2 lost the advantage. A mistake on move 37 lost the advantage and the game was about equal until, on move 31, Anne Christian-Warren played Rxf2, hanging a fork of the king and rook, completely losing the game. After a few more moves of play, Anne resigned.

In the third match, Iara had white against Ivan Horvat with black in which they played a Réti Opening. Of course, Ivan is a very classical, traditional player, so it was quite a shock to see him play 1... h5 and 2... h4 immediately off of Iara's opening. Did he have a plan? Probably, considering Iara lost her advantage completely after move 20. In fact, it was Ivan who was building an attack and Iara who was placed on the defensive. However, despite an accurate middlegame holding the advantage, on move 41, Ivan missed the correct move order and Iara successfully converted the game into a drawn King-Rook and Two vs King-Rook and Three endgame. On move 80, the players agreed to a draw.

In the fourth match, Iara had the black pieces against the Natanians and Nosts third board player. After a Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Tarrasch, Iara simply outplayed the Natanians and Nosts player and had an advantage out of the opening. Problems were only exacerbated by her opponent with an inaccurate middlegame in which Iara excellently penetrated through the white defense and on move 39, white resigned.

Octávio Vidal

In the first match, he had white against Roman Krakus and drew an advance Caro-kann.

In the second match, he had black against Margarita Altamiranda and lost an exchange French.

In the third match, he had black against Amir Duraković and lost a classical Spanish.

In the fourth match, he had white against the Natanians and Nosts fourth board and drew an Albin Countergambit.

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:44 pm

Hello and welcome to the 6th Elephant Chess Cup, coming to you live from the Ivory Crown Hotel in Newport, South Newlandia! Day 1 would see the Jaguar Knight head to bed with both a draw and a win to their name but the defending 2-time Champions knew that they couldn't just sit back and relax and they entered Friday hoping to make their presence known in this group. They knew this ECC had some tough teams in it and they also knew they had a massive target on their back, but how would they do before lunch?

GIC Yevgeny Solovyanenko (1-1) bt Jason Severn
GIC Tshering Gyeltshen (2-0) drew with Mary Nerata
GIC Anne Christian-Warren (1-1) drew with Alan Blaine
GIC Margarita Altamiranda (1-1) bt Stephanie Jacobson

We knew entering today that we would be facing Eshialand in the 11 am session and oh boy, was this matchup absolute chaos. Yevgeny Solovyanenko maned to beat Jason Severn, but not after several combinations that certainly threw our Fox off a few times, while Margarita Altamiranda managed to deal with a Stephanie Jacobson who just loved to use the knight to her own detriment. The draws were just chaos though as Tshering Gyeltshen managed to put Mary Nerata in a position where she would just take the draw while the Lesbian Pirate Queen Anne Christian-Warren and Alan Blaine ended up a game so chaotic that no mere mortal could understand and so, a draw was taken. 3-1 in the end and we were up to 3rd.

GIC Yevgeny Solovyanenko (2-1) drew with Sami Karresh
GIC Tshering Gyeltshen (2-1-0) bt Violet Ingram
GIC Anne Christian-Warren (1-1-1) bt by Ayla Paloma
GIC Margarita Altamiranda (2-1) bt Davesh Dassrami

The 1 pm tie would end up being against Saterun and you could certainly tell that things were a little bit tougher. ACW had the ultra-defensive Ayla Paloma and she would just sit back as our Queen blew herself into smitherines. Solovyanenko played an all-time classic with Sami Karresh that seemed fair to end in a tie but we would win the battle in the end as Gyeltshen took down young Violet Ingram and Altamiranda another Knight -loving player in Davesh Dassrami to win the match 2.5-1.5 and move to the top of the table.

We are one of 3 undefeated teams left and with 3 games to go before the Super 6 stage, we need to make sure that spot is locked in as soon as possible. Up next will be one of the surprises of this ECC so far in the form of the undefeated Huron League and that will certainly be an interesting test no matter what happens in the end. See you after lunch! GO JAGUAR KNIGHTS!

Records: YS - 2-1-1/TG - 3-1-0/ACW - 1-1-2/MA - 3-1

by **Saterun** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:21 pm

Ayla Paloma grinned all the way up to her hotel room.

Of course, Saterun as a whole had just lost to TJUN-ia (nothing to be ashamed about, of course), and they sat 8th in the table, but Ayla herself had just beaten a two-time defending World Champion. When two total tactical opposites had clashed, Ayla's more reserved style had seemed to win out. The final king-and-rook checkmate had also been very satisfying. Overall, it had skyrocketed her morale. Of course, she felt bad for Violet and Davesh. Especially Violet. She was so young, and yet had so much pressure on her.

But Ayla had to shake it all off for a while. She wanted to have some fun during her brief time off. She wanted to go see the city. It was her first ever international trip, and she was going to milk every second of it. Plus, Sami had invited the whole team to go downtown, and she wasn't going to miss that. She hurried on to her room.

Once she had changed and was ready to go, she skipped down to the ground floor. Sami and Violet were already there, with Davesh just behind Ayla. Ayla could see it on Violet's face: that look of dissapointment. Especially after such a bright start against Kenmoria, this current streak must way heavy on her. However, as soon a she saw Ayla, she lit up. Violet almost seemed to think of Ayla as a mentor and guider, which Ayla liked. Violet rushed over and hugged Ayla. "Great job on your game." she whispered.

"You too. I know it was a hard loss to take, but you played well." Violet pulled back. She said that she was fine, and, all of a sudden, Davesh was there, Sami was rounding them up, and they were getting on to a train. Ayla would talk to Violet more later. For now, she tried to enjoy the scenery of the city. Beautiful archetecture. It almost reminded Ayla of Tammen, a major city back in Saterun. Only a bit smaller than Tammen. To be honest Tammen, probably had more people than this entire country. But the style was very similar. After about 10 minutes, they stepped of.

"No, Sami, you didn't!" Violet's mouth was agape.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to make this trip special." Ayla looked up. The Crythansium was printed in bright lights. "I know the owner." Sami explained. According to Ayla's guidebook, this was one of the fanciest resteraunts in Newport. Violet ran over to hug Sami.

"I wanted to go here as soon as we landed. Thank you thank you thank you!" Violet ran inside. She was very excited. But, then again, so was Ayla. Davesh headed in after Violet. Just Ayla and Sami were left at the front.

"That was kind of you, Sami. You kew she wanted to go here?" Sami nodded his head. Suddenly, Ayla did something she never thught she would do. She held out her arm to Sami. He seemed surprised. "Well, we should probably get inside." she said. Sami hurridly took her arm, and they walked in together.

This day kept getting better.

Elephant Chess Cup 6 - Everything Thread

Elephant Chess Cup 6 - Everything Thread

Check!: Your Double-Hallers Have Arrived

Check!: A Very Interesting Start

Check!: A Very Quick Rise To The Table Top!

Who is online