Multiversal Chess Championships – Season 2 Everything Thread

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Feb 15, 2026 2:40 pm

See also: Signups/OOC Thread | Current Everything Thread | Season 1 Everything Thread

This is the collective Everything Thread for the chess roleplaying tournaments that collectively make up the Multiversal Chess Championships.

Current World Chess Rankings:

P
 1 Johnny B. Goode (MIR) [19/17/3]
 2 Eleanor Rigby (MIR) [22/25/13] (World Champion)
 3 Ziggy Stardust (MIR) [16/13/4]
 4 Ruby Tuesday (MIR) [14/17/3]
 5 Miri Robertson (PDT) [15/17/8]
 6 Charlene Jeannie N. Marceline Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ) [15/17/9]
 7 Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH) [16/15/10]
 8 Rowena Sowards (KAT) [10/19/4]
 9 Maria Deering (KAT) [12/9/5]
 9 Stepon Kyrill (STI) [11/11/4]
11 Julia Willis (KYP) [15/2/8]
12 Marielle Figueroa (STI) [14/5/7]
13 Mark Jensen (KAT) [12/11/8]
14 Michael Radley (KYP) [9/9/2]
15 Brian Bowman (KAT) [12/11/7]
16 Agamemnon (PDT) [6/5/1]
17 Jim (PDT) [9/9/4]
18 Emilia Ziegler (KAT) [10/10/8]
19 Tina Mathieson (KAT) [10/8/6]
20 Anne Christian-Warren (TJU) [17/21/20]
21 Stijn van Dijk (KYP) [7/9/4]
22 Malik Robertson (PDT) [5/8/2]
23 Philomena Keil (CPH) [13/11/14]
24 Warren Doyle (STI) [8/6/6]
25 Christian Joyce (LBG) [5/1/1]
26 Adriana Faith Krystal Venus Kowalski Ela R. Lillian (VEZ) [12/9/12]
27 Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ) [8/15/8]
28 Cassandra Covert (CPH) [9/10/9]
29 Jamie Cartwright (ESL) [7/5/6]
30 Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU) [9/12/9]
31 Margarita Altamiranda (TJU) [10/10/11]
32 Charli Esterson-Relanca (VON) [8/6/8]
33 Aswa Visundu (VON) [4/1/2]
34 David Watts (MIR) [3/1/2]
34 Maggie Golden (LBG) [3/2/1]
36 Lando Powers (VON) [8/6/8]
37 Antonii Gerasimov (ESL) [4/3/3]
38 Priscila Ibarreta (JAL) [2/1/1]
38 Thomas J. Newton (MIR) [2/1/1]
38 Tooraj Kaikhosrov (BKH) [2/1/1]
41 Delbin Kasekende Sr (BUS) [4/5/4]
41 Susanna Casey (LBG) [5/3/5]
43 Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU) [3/2/2]
44 Jason Severn (ESL) [5/8/7]
45 John Roach (KYP) [3/7/4]
46 Delan Sonak (HNT) [4/5/4]
47 Prince Khatoon (SNL) [1/2/1]
48 Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT) [6/6/8]
49 Jacenty Kaminski (NPU) [2/3/2]
50 Albrecht von Wegenfait (CPH) [0/2/0]
51 Shavkat Muradov (BKH) [8/14/12]
52 Juan Salazar Bokerto (HNT) [3/6/4]
52 Kepe Shakirullah Sadakan (HNT) [5/2/6]
52 Sebastian Kabuye (BNJ) [5/2/6]
55 Izaiah Aquino (JAL) [0/3/1]
55 Jolyn Maxine Moira Maxine Wendy H. Maximovna (VEZ) [1/1/2]
55 Lavinia Orlovic (RAS) [1/1/2]
55 Taurino Namata-Talatala (JAL) [0/3/1]
59 Christian Theiss (NPU) [2/2/3]
59 Nigel Sidhu (USD) [1/4/2]
59 Siobhan Gerrity (BMH) [2/2/3]
62 Gideon Irosaea (TJU) [0/1/1]
62 Katharina Fairway (CPH) [0/1/1]
62 Leon Fairway (CPH) [0/1/1]
62 Mary Nerata (ESL) [0/1/1]
62 Naren Ramchai (ARJ) [0/1/1]
62 Tomislav Grnelic (RAS) [0/1/1]
62 Wang Xi (VON) [0/1/1]
69 Lika Berosa (VON) [3/6/6]
70 Belle Macalipay (JAL) [0/2/2]
71 Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL) [10/6/14]
72 Daniil Lvovich Yuliyev (RUS) [2/7/4]
72 Mihai Ion Antonescu (NTN) [4/3/6]
72 Semyon Alekseyevich Bryantsev (RUS) [3/5/5]
75 Jamie Houston (MAR) [1/3/3]
75 John McCurry (MAR) [2/1/4]
77 Daniel Gallagher (BMH) [1/2/3]
78 Noreili Marang (ARJ) [0/0/2]
78 Saimar Vangcha (ARJ) [0/0/2]
78 Salthang Charem (ARJ) [0/0/2]
81 Stephanie Jacobson (ESL) [1/3/4]
82 Ioana Mihaela Pereira (NTN) [3/4/6]
83 Thomas Timberlake (MAR) [1/2/4]
84 Djuruvana Makoani (SAF) [0/3/3]
85 Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH) [9/9/15]
86 Aydar Rakhmanov (BKH) [5/15/12]
87 Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF) [1/1/5]
87 Ramešani Kalewa (SAF) [1/1/5]
89 Elani Jabulan (SNL) [8/9/16]
90 Edita Vukorepac (RAS) [2/6/7]
90 Ivan Habijanic (RAS) [1/8/6]
92 Danijel Paradzik (SRE) [2/4/7]
92 Ksenia Bogdanovich Zyryanova (RUS) [2/4/7]
94 Magnus Carolus Mihailescu (NTN) [1/5/7]
95 Jonathan Rowe (USD) [0/1/6]
96 Christopher Yen (USD) [0/0/7]
96 Conor Murphy (BMH) [0/0/7]
98 Adam Esteban (SNL) [6/7/17]

These rankings will not be used for scorination. Their in-character relevance is up to you. They are the calculated weighted average performance in the most recent MCC competitions.

Please direct any questions to the Signups/OOC Thread. All AI work in roleplays has to be declared, no exceptions.

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Feb 15, 2026 2:42 pm

Welcome to the 2nd South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup, in Newport, South Newlandia!

Signup/Discussion Thread

Format:
The South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup is a chess tournament, contested by individual players. Both players have 60 minutes each to play all of their moves. 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.

55 entrants were placed in six groups of 8 and one group of 7. They will play everyone else in their group once. The winners of each group will be playing in a final stage, where they will meet each of the other six group winners once. The winner of this group is the SN3C champion.

Tiebreakers:
No tiebreakers will be used after points. If two or more players tie for first, they will play a rapid tiebreaker, in which every tied player will play every other tied player twice; once with white and once with black. If players remain tied, an Armageddon tiebreaker will be played.

Groups

Group A
Margarita Altamiranda (TJU) [39]
Elani Jabulan (SNL) [23]
Siobhan Gerrity (BMH)
Jamie Cartwright (ESL) [85]
Nigel Sidhu (USD)
Thomas Timberlake (MAR)
Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH) [60]
Brian Bowman (KAT) [17]

Group B
Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU) [36]
Christian Joyce (LBG)
Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH) [60]
Anne Christian-Warren (TJU) [6]
Jason Severn (ESL) [35]
Stepon Kyrill (STI)
Michael Radley (KYP) [81]
Jamie Houston (MAR)

Group C
Miri Robertson (PDT) [16]
Ramešani Kalewa (SAF)
Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL) [43]
Aswa Visundu (VON)
Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU) [18]
Christopher Yen (USD)
Jim (PDT) [72]
Marielle Figueroa (STI)

Group D
Warren Doyle (STI)
Christian Theiss (NPU) [54]
Adam Esteban (SNL) [69]
Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF)
Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH)
Maria Deering (KAT) [33]
John McCurry (MAR)
Stijn van Dijk (KYP) [10]

Group E
Eleanor Rigby (MIR) [3]
Johnny B. Goode (MIR) [36]
Philomena Keil (CPH)
Cassandra Covert (CPH)
Lando Powers (VON)
Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ) [72]
Tina Mathieson (KAT) [41]
Conor Murphy (BMH)

Group F
Ruby Tuesday (MIR) [59]
Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ) [15]
Charli Esterson-Relanca (VON)
Ziggy Stardust (MIR) [48]
Jacenty Kaminski (NPU) [20]
Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ) [88]
Susanna Casey (LBG)
Jonathan Rowe (USD)

Group G
Shavkat Muradov (BKH) [60]
Julia Willis (KYP) [14]
Maggie Golden (LBG)
Djuruvana Makoani (SAF)
Daniel Gallagher (BMH)
Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT) [38]
Stephanie Jacobson (ESL) [34]

Schedule:
The cut-offs for every scorination will be occurring on Sundays and Thursdays, between approximately 19:00 and 21:00 UTC every matchday.

February 22nd: Group Stage Matches 1 and 2
February 26th: Group Stage Matches 3 and 4
March 1st: Group Stage Matches 5, 6, (7), Tiebreaks if needed
March 5th: Final Stage Matches 1 and 2
March 8th: Final Stage Matches 3, 4, 5, 6, Tiebreaks if needed

RP Information:
You may now start posting in this thread. It is recommended, although not required, that you post a Player Overview for your players to let other roleplayers know a little more about what they’re going up against. You can go into further detail about whatever you want (ages, heritage, club team (if any), play style, favourite openings etc. etc.). Otherwise, you can Roleplay about whatever you like; it doesn’t have to be chess, either. If you do choose to cover chess, you’re not forced to cover all your games either – feel free to go where inspiration strikes!
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:
Roleplay about specific 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. Don’t be intimated by the amount of opponents it may seem like you need to consider simultaneously - you only need to worry about the games you actually want to talk about in-depth.
I am planning to use a newly developed spreadsheet scorinator for this event.

South Newlandia In-character (IC) Information

South Newlandia is an island nation located in Esportiva, somewhere East of Super-Llamaland. It’s home to a population of approximately 4 million people.
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.

Newport has established itself as the place to be for chess in South Newlandia. It’s mainly known as a trading city, located on the Eastern tip of the island. Newport is home to around 350,000 people, and is one of the faster-growing South Newlandian cities.
Newport is a city with many college students, finding space for three different well-known colleges.
The weather forecast for the duration on the SN3C is good, with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius (68°F), and some light rain at most.

What better place to play the World Chess Championship than the Ivory Crown Hotel? The Ivory Crown has hosted seven out of the eleven Elephant Chess Cups played so far, and also played host to a few other international chess events in that time. Indeed, for both players, it is where their MCC journey started. It’s closed to visitors unrelated to the tournament during the event. Players will be able to enjoy the luxury hotel that is commonly considered one of the nicest in the entire country. All players will have their own room to stay in, study, sleep, and relax, and rooms to train with their team are also available. The games will be played in the largest room on the ground floor. It has been redesigned for this purpose, and the board is under the watchful eye of a camera to allow streaming the games in real time. Of course, with this being South Newlandia, the hotel does not feature a gram of actual ivory.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a telegram or message me on discord - I know some of this stuff is confusing, so please ask if anything is unclear!

by **Paradystopia** » Wed Feb 18, 2026 1:55 pm

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Do whatever you wish.

(With the strict exception of having grievous injuries befall my players)

Chess is a rather popular pastime in Paradystopia with a sizable proportion of the population being able to play the game to an adequate beginner level. Despite this being the case, to find those who truly study the subtleties and thus elevate their abilities towards those rarefied airs of the realms of the grandmasters, is a much harder task. Whilst the average Paradystopi can appreciate the skill required to master the art that is chess, for one to declare themselves a 'champion' of chess would be viewed in a somewhat similar manner to pronouncing oneself a maestro at dominoes, or an epic player of snakes-and-ladders.

A small cabal of Paradystopi chess players are hoping to change this perception in the public eye. Hoping that they can demonstrate that the game of chess is more than something you bring out on family holidays to the collective groans of all one's distant relatives.

Something worthy of being viewed a sport in it's own right and not just an overly complicated board game.

Three of these such individuals are

Miri Robertson
(Human, Female (cis), 24 years old)
Multiversal Chess Rank: 16

Miri loves a chaotic attacking battle, though her style of play can sometimes devolve into something kamikaze. She loves to lure opponents into tricky gambits, and thrives on complicating the position. It's not unheard of for her to try unusual openings in an attempt to tear opponents away from their studied opening theory. She can be quite animated at the table too but has been known to play-act to either 'style out' an inaccuracy with assured arrogance, or get frustrated in a position she knows she's winning. A bit of a mistress of the 'dark arts', so to speak, with an arsenal of weapons to add a psychological element to proceedings.

Chirpsijibbers Clambanger
(Pteron, Female (cis), 7 years old)
Multiversal Chess Rank: 38

Paradystopia's premier Pteron (otter) player, Chirpsijibbers (or Chirpsi) is the nation's most recent international champion; the reigning champion of the World Chess Knockouts though she herself is rather bemused at this fact owing to her not really considering herself to be all that good. Chirpsi likes to play a solid defensive game, considered and cautious with any attacking sequences. She actually prefers playing as black because she doesn't particularly do well with the initiative and is much better putting up a stoic defence, accepting draws or capitalising upon an opponent struggling with time pressure trying to work out how to break through her fortifications. You'll be very hard pushed to get her to accept a gambit.

Jim
(Penguin, Male (cis), of unknown age)
Multiversal Chess Rank: 72

Jim is an enigma bundled up in the visage of a penguin. A nationally capped football player and key member of the Paradystopi league's top team on top of being a decent chess player. Whilst Jim seemingly knows how to play chess, one should still expect the unexpected when facing him.
What you can expect, is him to squawk loudly after every move and to fling any taken pieces from the board with wild abandon, potentially disrupting nearly games happening at the same time.

by **Choppyhausen** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 2:38 am

While chess is certainly not Choppyhausen's most popular sport (and its categorization as a sport itself is still heavily contested by some), the Choppyhausenian Chess Club has scoured through the national board game shops and found four chess enthusiasts ready to represent their country in the 12th Elephant Chess Cup in South Newlandia.

They finished in 20th place out of 30 participants.

The overlooking official deemed this performance good enough to stick with his team and now they are back in South Newlandia to compete in the South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup. These are the three members of the Choppyhausenian Chess Club:

Prof. James Huldenberg
(Male, 47 years old, Multiversal Chess Ranking: unranked)

Huldenberg is a professor at the University of Kork (Choppyhausen's most prestigious educational institution) where he teaches Advanced Mathematics. He gained national fame through his regular appearances on the national television quiz show “Knowledge is Power” and is considered one of the most intelligent people in Choppyhausen. ~~He has not yet been seen playing chess, but smart people always know how to play chess, right?~~ He has been seen playing chess during the Elephant Chess Cup and played fine. He compensates for his lack of theoretical knowledge with an impressive gift for foresight, but this often causes him to lose sight of the time available to him.

Philomena Keil
(Female, 32 years old, Multiversal Chess Ranking: unranked)

Philomena Keil is the only player of the CCC who has been playing chess professionally as a sport for more than a decade. While her skills on the board are quite impressive, her prominence is often reduced to the fact ther her younger brother Dominik Keil is a starting player for Choppyhausen's (way more popular) national football team.

Cassandra Covert
(Female, 14 years old, Multiversal Chess Ranking: unranked)

The daughter of coffee shop owner and board game enthusiast Alexander Covert who also competed in the Choppyhausenian Chess Club before. She grew up surrounded by board games at all times and shares her father's love for all kinds of games but chess has always scratched a special itch for her. By the age of six she was able to beat her father in less than twenty moves. Nowadays, she often plays against the regulars at her dad's café.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

by **Vonum** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 6:53 am

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: Yes

The team reach the hotel at which they are staying. Lando POWERS, National Champion and Vonian No.1, leads the team into the hotel. Young and full of talent, he is expecting a good result here in South Newlandia's MCC. Charli ESTERSON-RELANCA, Vonian No.2 and Vonian Junior No.1, aged 17, will represent herself for the first time in an International Tournament. Her result in the Elephant Chess Championships gives her the confidence to win in this tournament. After winning the Maddeloffu Open, this is Aswa VISUNDU's first time representing Vonum internationally. He is excited for his first opportunity to display his talent to his peers, maybe outperform them too!

"Game plan," POWERS explains, gathering the other 2, "We are going to rest up these next few days here in Newport, enjoy everything it has to offer, then beat the crap out of these players! I don't know exactly how strong these players are, but we have played them in the Elephant Chess Championships and we have done exceptional. Let's give everything we've got!"

by **The North Polish Union** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 12:30 pm

The previous Multiversal Chess Championship cycle was one of heartbreak and rocky endings on the part of the North Polish Union. Some of them got off to a hot start in the early tournaments in the cycle before cooling off, and ultimately no Union representatives ended up making it through to the World Chess Championship Qualifier.

To add to that heartbreak were the two team events the nation participated in: in Elephant Chess cup 11 the Union would miss out on advancing from the group on tiebreaks, and in ECC 12's casaran format they would come up short by a single match point in their bid for a playoff spot. Internationally, the narrative for about Union chess has become "always good, but never elite" and they will need to punch above their weight.

Miefodij Ihnatjew - World #18 - Group C
Last time around, the South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup was Ihnatjew's best event as he earned a +4 score. The Grand Casaran wasn't too bad as he finished +2. However, in the ECC11 rapid event, he would suffer some sort of mental break. After a loss to Mawuli Tamandani Ayodele, Ihnatjew alleged that Ayodele was a master hypnotist who had induced him to make a losing blunder using psychological manipulation and was replaced by the reserve for the rest of the tournament. Unfortunately, things would continue to go downhill from there: in the Chess Battle Royale he would be eliminated in the first round, ditto in the World Chess Knockouts, at ECC12 he could only manage an even score playing on Board 4 against what should've been 'lesser' opposition. If he can't mentally reset and regain some confidence, this may be Ihntajew's swansong. His signature style of trying to earn an edge in complicated positions may have served him well as a younger man, but will he still be able to find those continuations when the position is razor-sharp?

Jacenty Kamiński - World #20 - Group F
Unless Ihnatjew regains his form, Kamiński should be considered the strongest of the Union chess players. He has a reputation of being near-impossible to beat, and his +4, =13, -0 record in top-level events bears that out. He's struggled at times in rapid events and tiebreaks but in the CCC format has yet to be beaten. His best event last cycle was the Grand Casaran, where he finished +3; however, as can be inferred from his all-time record, that means that he drew all but one game outside of the Casaran. This fact is Kamiński's weakness: he plays not to lose. In a format like the Multiversal Chess Championships where winning is the top priority, he can't draw all of his games and expect to move into the international elite.

Christian Theiss - World #24 - Group D
Theiss made his debut at the previous South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup at the tender age of 18, and although he had a rocky start there, he got his feet under him and improved with each event, ultimately becoming the last Union player standing in the World Chess Knockout (which included eliminating his countryman Ihnatjew). His flashy attacking style has made him one of the more interesting players to watch. Being in the World Top 25 at such a young age, the question is not really whether or not Theiss can make a breakthrough to the top 10 or so, but at what time this will happen. Get a good start and he could be a Qualifier Candidate before hitting the age of 20.

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

OOC: I am more than happy to work with you to create/analyze a game for RP purposes. See here for an example of what I've done in the past

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 2:44 pm

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

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 3 million+ 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 30 years, only 10,000 players total have 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.

Tshering Gyeltshen

Age: 27
Place of Residence: Trashiyangtse, CEA Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC12 Record: 3-4-2
MCC Ranking: 36th
MCC S1 Record: 6-15-7 (8-20-11 overall)

Another ECC, another disappointment for the Jaguar Knights and now, Tshering returns to MCC play looking to get his shit together and try and produce some magic once more. Returning to Newport for the 2nd SNLC3 has thrown up a scenario where he knows he could have to beat ACW just to make the Final Stage, but that is the thing with the MCC - nationality doesn't matter. In this setting, Anne is just an opponent in his way, and he will not treat her differently to any other opponent.

Anne Christian-Warren

Age: 31
Place of Residence: New Adamstown/Adamstaun, UO Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC12 Record: 5-3-1
MCC Ranking: 6th
MCC S1 Record: 16-27-11 (19-31-13 overall)

The World Chess Championship runner-up was TJUN-ia's best performer at the ECC, who is starting to feel like the new face of TJUN-ian chess in place of the man who is usually on Board #1 for the Knights. The Lesbian Pirate Queen, one of the most badass nicknames in TJUN-ian sport, comes back to Newport to eventually face Tshering one-on-one, with the ultimate goal in her mind of trying to get a rematch with Eleanor Rigby one way or another. She knows Tshering will not treat their contest differently, and neither will ACW.

Margarita Altamiranda

Age: 35
Place of Residence: Ciudad Calamar, UAC Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC12 Record: 2-4-3
MCC Ranking: 39th
MCC S1 Record: 5-16-5 (8-22-8 overall)

The ECC was supposed to be the bounce-back moment for Altamiranda, but a 2-4-3 record means she heads back to Newport with a point to prove as an individual. Group A has paired her with Brian Bowman and Elani Jabulan, so she knows she has to do well in this group if she wants to carry any positive momentum into the new campaign.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: Yes

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 6:28 pm

The Kytlerian representatives at the SN3C
A brief guide

My opponent, should they RP first, may do the following:
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes; I'd also be up for doing a "simulated game" where each of us, with engine assistance, make the moves we think our IC players would (examples from ECC12)
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: No (probably - message me with ideas if you have them though, I may not say no!)

JULIA WILLIS (MCC rank #14)
Who she is: The daughter of a nationally rated Kytlerian chess player and now the face of the Kytlerian chess program. A pretty face, by common consensus, which may not be unrelated - then again, she's also been plenty good enough to warrant the focus, consistently picking up strong results on the second board in the ECC7 and ECC8 triumphs before moving up to the top spot for ECC9 and staying there. Though she had disappointing results in the first MCC cycle and as a result is only the third-ranked Kytlerian (though second-ranked amongst active players now her mentor Prof. John Roach has shifted entirely to behind-the-scenes duties), she can certainly give anyone in the multiverse a tough contest.
What she'll play: 1. Nf3 is her standard opening as white, while as black she usually goes for a symmetrical response to her opponent - though she's been known to play the Sicilian as black too, given the influence of Prof. Roach (known as a Sicilian specialist). In general, her aim is to get her opponent to commit first, trusting to her broad opening knowledge.
How she might beat you: Being ready for whatever you play against her and having the right counterplay.
How you might beat her: Playing the game on your terms and her not having the answer.

STIJN VAN DIJK (MCC rank #10)
Who he is: The reserve at ECC7 (where he stepped in for a concussed Ben Higgins on the final day) and ECC8, van Dijk graduated with a statistics degree from the University of Zube - where his strong performances at the annual Mathematics vs Margaret Institute competition quickly got him into the Scholars fold. He was fourth board at ECC9 and some felt he should have been higher; he's had the second-board role on the ECC team since. That means he is either a one-, two-, or three-time ECC winner depending on if you count by "full-time starter," "played in the final," or "was on the team at all"...
What he'll play: Quite a few things, but usually they involve building a pawn wall at the expense of rapid development, trusting that he can get a structural advantage for after the minor pieces fly off the board.
How he might beat you: Gaining a lasting advantage in the endgame from his early solidity.
How you might beat him: Having quicker development in the opening and making the most of it.

MICHAEL RADLEY (MCC rank #81)
Who he is: Another of the mathematics graduates out of the University of Zube who was taken under Prof. Roach's wing, Radley grabbed attention as a first-year student with an emphatic Mathematics vs Margaret Institute debut - draws against the two Scholars on the Margaret Institute team and wins over everyone else. Was deployed as a surprise player in the Battle Royale, to no effect, but his ECC12 showing was far more impressive. Having completed his PhD, he's now a full-time chess player instead of spending much of his time writing about something to do with "hypergraphs."
What he'll play: As black, he favours the Sicilian Dragon as he's focused a lot on memorisation of those lines, though he's less predictable if players go 1. d4 against him. As white, he reliably starts 1. e4 in the hope of his opponent going for a Sicilian that he trusts his ability to handle; he most often plays Advance Variations against the Caro-Kann or French, or the Ruy Lopez in the event of an Open Game.
How he might beat you: Handling classic complex setups like the Dragon and Ruy Lopez under time pressure and capitalising on mistakes when you don't.
How you might beat him: Putting him in less familiar territory and nullifying his big strength of deep familiarity with his preferred lines.

by **Saint Trimbles Island** » Sat Feb 21, 2026 8:27 am

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Yes
Godmod other events: No (but feel free to ask via TG)

Saint Trimble's Island is comprised of four "constitutents" which differ in culture, you can read more about them here.

Stepon Kyrill--ECB. The best blitz player. Tends towards hypermodernist openings, somewhat defensive.
Marielle Figueroa--CFS. Better acquainted with contemporary technology, will review her games with the help of a computer (which tends to mystify her teammates).
Warren Doyle--PRO. Swashbuckling romanticist, can be distracted with gambits that look pretty but don't amount to much. Will need to be reminded that it's rude to smoke a cigar at a table filled with people from different cultures and sensitivities.

by **Saint Trimbles Island** » Sat Feb 21, 2026 8:55 am

PENGUIN ENTERS CHESS TOURNAMENT

Many observers from across the temporalities expected Saint Trimble's Island emergence into international sport to be a quiet affair, mostly a test run for the hoped-for Winter Olympic delegation. However, the draw for the 2nd South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup has brought much more local excitement than expected. This is not due to any achievement from the STI competitors, however, but rather one of their opponents. Marielle Figueroa has been drawn in Group C, where she will face (among others) Jim of Paradystopia. We are here to bring you the exclusive news that Jim is not only an international association football player, but also a bona fide penguin. Jim is described as male and cis (if you don't know what this means, ask a RAZzer.)

"All of us on Saint Trimble's Island rever the hardiness and endurance of our neighbors the Spheniscidae," said Figueroa. "However, none of our local penguin neighbors have displayed interest in playing chess against us. I am very honored and looking forward to testing my skill against an experienced competitor like Jim."

Stepon Kyrill, the island's reigning champion, has offered unsolicited advice on handling Jim. "From my experience, penguins are easily confused about whose eggs are whose, or whether something is even an egg or just a rock. I would try doubling pawns, in the hope that Jim doesn't realize which one is more dangerous and gets distracted in trying to capture a weak pawn."

"I will honor the spirit of the game and not replace captured pieces with pieces of fish in an attempt to smuggle them back onto the board," Figueroa vowed, noting that "even if Jim didn't notice the difference the arbiters certainly would."

The tournament will take place at the Ivory Crown Hotel in South Newlandia, and players will have the luxury of their own private rooms. "I must say, it will be most pleasant not to be bunking with my comrades, Edgar snores," said Warren Doyle. "Even if I do not employ the curious thinking machines that Miss Figueroa calls upon as a second, I am delighted by the hospitality extended by these Portsiders." At press time, Doyle was trying to make excuses for any poor performance by pointing out that it had been quite some time since he had experienced the "extreme climes" of positive twenty degrees Celsius.

by **Libegeist** » Sat Feb 21, 2026 9:42 pm

BIG SHOT SPORTS!!!

"We are live at Timaz for which the Libegeist Chess Society has sent off their finest for the Multiversal Chess Championships. This is sports correspondent Dudel Zerach with the coverage on Libegeist's first entry into an off-national competition." Dudel Zerach was at a fancy-looking office-themed mahogany anchor desk, though it was meant to reflect the highbrow nature of chess within Libegeist.

"A brief rundown with our competitors that will represent Libegeist." The screen nearby behind the desk showed the three players from the nation.

"Christian Joyce. Aged 32.

Susanna Casey. Aged 23.

Maggie Golden. Aged 24.

All three are part of the Libegeist Chess Society that is centered within Timaz. All three shall duke it out against individuals from other nations with extensive coverage, as covered by Big Shot Sports. Let's see, if we can tune in to another sports correspondent at Las Potros, since the three are arranged for a possible interview at Las Potros airport."

The footage cuts to the middle of a street in Las Potros, to which hundreds of bikes go down the road. The camera pans to a disappointed-looking Paul Fielding on the sidewalk.

"We were unable to get to the airport, since Big Shot Sports have failed to realize that on the same day as the Libegeist chess participants leaving, it was also the same day that the local environmental group Greenleaf has staged a bicycle protest in protest of the nation's car economy." Paul said, as some bikers rang their bells for the cameramen.

"We do not think these protestors will want to talk about chess, so-"

"2 is better than 4! Lower than higher!" a protestor interrupted Paul, to which he looked dejected at the camera.

"I think we go back to you at Timaz."

The footage went back to the studio set up at Timaz.

"Let's go back and see on others' thoughts. Oh, it appears that we are getting a call from one of the residents at Timaz." Dudel got the caller on live broadcast. "Caller, we hear you."
"Yes, this is Stephen Wilkins. I'm glad that one of the first sports that Libegeist is attending to represent themselves to be chess. I did wish to sign up for the Libegeist Chess Society, but I want to prioritize my work."
"There's always next time, Wilkins."
"I do know that, but would Libegeist be interested in a Go championship? Not that I know of any nations that do the board game Go?"
"Isn't Go supposed to be one of the most difficult board games ever conceived?"
"That's the fun of it! Near-endless possibilities. Hours of intense focus. It's a battle of will. Who doesn't love Go?"
"Ok, we are going to have to hang up on you, Wilkins. We do have a request made by one of our chess participants for the Multiversal Chess Championships."
"I wish all three good luck! They are going to need it!" Stephen Wilkins hung up to allow Dudel to continue.

"It looks like Christian Joyce has sent us a request to play a song on Big Shot Sports. Hopefully, some calming music is what helps put our participants at ease."

The song that started playing on the broadcast, much to the bewilderment of the sports channel, was the opposite of everyone's expectations. It turns out that Christian knew how to rock.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: Yes (however, TG for details)

by **Katzeburg** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 6:56 am

With the second season of the Multiversal Chess Championships getting underway, the Katzeburgian Chess Federation is sending a delegation to the South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup for the first time ever, having missed the last running of the competition as the federation forgot to fax their entry before the deadline due to the machine being left unplugged and in a back room normally inaccessible except on Thursday afternoons. This time however, the federation has moved the fax machine into a new room and as a result, has sent the following competitors to nearby neighbours South Newlandia.

Brian Bowman
World Ranking - 17

Brian is the head of the Waldstein Chess Club, one of the more well-known clubs to arise following the Katzeburgian success at the tenth Elephant Chess Cup. Brian, a 38-year-old graphic designer, rules over the club with a bit of an iron fist, with all players who sign up to play under the club needing to commit to a stringent and consistent practice process. It’s a regiment which has proven quite successful to date domestically - but with a mixed bag of results on the multiversal scene. Overshadowed on the scene by his second-in-command Rowena Sowards, Brian has seen his position as Waldstein leader under threat - with things blowing up at the last meeting of the club prior to Sowards heading to the Kytler Peninsulae for the Qualifer at the end of last season. There, Bowman shocked the club by announcing his intention to turn down an invite to the qualifier as an attempt to strand Sowards by herself in Zube - while it did pay off as Sowards crashed out, it has left many in Waldstein's chess scene wondering whether Brian is the man to lead the region into the looming Katzeburgian Chess League.

Brian is deeply analytical about the moves he makes, spending a large chunk of his time away from the boards studying the game and openings. He is known to go really in-depth when scouting his upcoming opponents, even to the point where he has been able to identify players sleep schedules and movements in the lead up to important matches.

Maria Deering
World Ranking - 33

The youngest member of the Waldstein Chess Club, Maria is one of the brightest young talents in the Katzeburgian chess scene, with the 17-year-old rapidly rising up the notoriety ranks during last season's MCC. However, she has often been the largest underperformer on the multiversal level - despite the buckets of raw talent and uncanny ability to trap people by playing on her age and fooling people into thinking they are just taking on a careless and lucky child before twisting the knife in at the perfect time to leave opponents in a trap of their own making - she's yet to break out onto the grand stage with a standout performance of her own. She heads to South Newlandia looking to make a proper name for herself amidst the high-profile Katzeburgians on the scene, and gaining solid elements from those she's played with at Waldstein if she can handle the pressure a bit more - Maria could be on the cusp of a break out on the eve of the new national league.

Tina Mathieson
World Ranking - 41

Tina, a 34-year-old university lecturer, is the last member that makes up the core of the Waldstein Chess Club team, and in direct contrast with the more competitive and focused members of the team, is often described as ‘the fun one’. A lecturer in social care at the University of Waldstein, Tina brings a compassion and care rarely shown by the rest of the club, both in terms of her social approach - a friendly and smiling face no matter the results on the board - and in her playing style - giving her opponents arguably too much room to play and explore the game before making her moves. It's a style which contrasts with a lot of Katzeburgians at the top level, and to her credit it has led to Tina picking up shocking results at key moments - just last season at the MCC level she went all the way to the final of the World Chess Knockouts, even dumping out her Waldstein teammate Rowena Sowards on the run. A friendly face and someone who can relate with a lot of the growing viewing public at the Katzeburgian level, Tina is heading to South Newlandia hoping to lock down a good performance which will impress potential teams looking for a marquee signing for the looming national league.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Please absolutely go ahead, I know close to nothing about the notation and strategy of chess.
Godmod game events: Yes, but please feel free to chat through it with me over TG/Discord!
Godmod other events: Yes, but please feel free to chat through it with me over TG/Discord!

by **Katzeburg** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 8:31 am

OOC Note - Confused as to what the hell is happening below? This and the next few RPs will be the culmination of a storyline which has been lumbering on since the 11th Elephant Chess Cup. If you can't be bothered (and who would blame you!) reading more than 45,000 words of previous context spread across three threads and 12 months+ of time, then please see the below for a quick TL;DR!

Klaus Rothbauer - a core member of the Ynysgard Chess Club during Katzeburg's two Elephant Chess Cup wins - was forced into witness protection in South Newlandia at the end of the 11th Elephant Chess Cup after it emerged that he owed a lot of gambling debt to Katzeburgian crime boss Jack Eulemann. Two other members of the Ynysgard Chess Club - Mark Jensen and Emilia Ziegler - have been working for more than a year to try and bring Klaus back to Katzeburg by taking down Eulemann and his operations.

At the same time, Katzeburgian law firm Darmstadt Oliver Nicholls & Grant - in an attempt to avoid bad PR through some less than ideal client work - is working to establish a national Katzeburgian Chess League of which they are headline sponsors. The firm's communications manager, Josef Brand, was pigeonholed into much of the leg work for the league, including getting a Ynysgard team to take part and was sucked into the Ynysgard Chess Club plot as a result; promising to help Emilia and Mark in return for their support of the upstart league.

Between MCC events, Emilia and Mark have attempted to draw out Eulemann - who operates numerous businesses and a strong financial backing - by baiting him into sponsorship of the Ynysgard team for the league as a way to try and catch him in the act of something illegal. At the same time, Josef has been investigating DONG's involvement in Eulemann's activities, with the firm's general counsel Lee Reynolds being a long-time partner of Eulemann and helping him cover up a murder that Klaus Rothbauer had been a witness to in Katzestadt prior to the 11th Elephant Chess Cup.

This resulted in Brand attempting to bring Rowena Sowards - a fellow high-profile chess player who works at DONG as a lawyer - into the mix to help take Reynolds and Eulemann down from within. Sowards, who had been looked over for progression by Reynolds in the past, agreed to help before being offered progression up the ladder by Reynolds if she was willing to throw Brand under the bus instead.

However, Sowards decided to support the push to remove Reynolds and Eulemann instead and is now waiting for her moment to feed in and support them - but unbeknownst to her, Eulemann and Reynolds are already aware of her plan to support the Ynysgard Chess Club. This is now all culminating in a meeting to sign the sponsorship contract for the Ynysgard KCL team following the club's elimination at the 12th Elephant Chess Cup.

Meeting at the Inverhaven Docks, Mark and Emilia are already on site, with Lee and Rowena already approaching the meeting site. Josef Brand and Jack Eulemann's locations are currently unknown - with both heading towards the dockyards as well. Klaus Rothbauer currently remains in witness protection.

"What the hell are we doing out here?" Mark Jensen was getting itchy - the kind of itch which doesn't force you to scratch every part of your body like a cat with the worst case of fleas that you've ever seen, but the kind which just lays under the skin; radiating nothing but anxiety and the looming sense of danger which can only be found by a meeting held in a quiet part of the industrial docks of Inverhaven. As he tugged his long jacket closer together, Mark scanned the area around him to get his bearings and potentially think of a route to escape should things come to a head. Emilia Ziegler, his Ynysgard Chess Club compatriot and co-conspirator of the long and grand reaching plan to try and flush out elusive crime boss Jack Eulemann, stood shivering beside him; staring at the ground as if she was biding her time or saying a silent prayer away from the gaze of the cosmos above.

The dock yard was unusually quiet for the early morning time in which they were due to have their final meeting with Eulemann and his legal representatives - the only landmark noises being the chirps of the seagulls above and the faint horns blowing from ships passing by in the foggy waters to their north. While this part of the city's dockyards was normally a hub of shipping and movement given its national importance of a huge industrial and import/export port, today the only two people standing amongst the rows of shipping containers were two chess players.

"Out of all the places in the world to have a meeting like this, the place they chose was the dockyards?" Mark continued, almost entirely to himself. "Should I prepare my concrete shoes now or wait until we're provided a pair?" Emilia hushed him, but she knew as well as he did that his joke was coming from a place of half-sincerity. Eulemann was a dangerous figure in Katzeburg's underworld, someone who had been on their radar ever since he forced their former teammate Klaus Rothbauer to go into witness protection over in South Newlandia after he got deeply in debt with the mob boss. Klaus had been gone for more than a year now, and the whole time Emilia and Mark had been trying their best to bring him back home, something which could only be done if Eulemann was out of the picture.

"We're in well over our heads here, Em," Mark said. "None of this is normal, right? I mean, we're a school teacher and a council worker for the cosmos' sake - the fuck are we doing here? It feels like something has gotten horribly out of hand by the mere fact we of all people are here - I mean whoever the hell the writers are for this story, they've really dragged things to the limit of the suspension of disbelief here." Mark was rambling, and if he knew what was good for him, he'd stop before he slid in on the writer any further.

"Now's not the time to get cold feet, Mark," Emilia said quietly. "There's no time left for that to make an impact. Their car is arriving." Emilia pointed to a small black towncar which was driving on the single road ahead of them. The car, much like the teacher and council worker, didn't belong on the docks this early in the morning - its appearance standing out like a sore thumb against the multi-coloured containers which lined either side of the road it was heading down. Mark took a deep breath in and looked up to the skies for a moment. The gulls cawed over head. For a second, Mark could have sworn he heard the cry of a vulture mixed in amongst the sea birds. He at least wished he had got more than a few hours sleep before today of all days.

But there had been little time to stop in recent days, with Emilia and Mark heading straight to Inverhaven after the Ynysgard team had bombed out of the Elephant Chess Cup a few days earlier. The deadline for the finalisation of the teams for the upstart Katzeburgian Chess League was at the end of the week, and without the pull of a financial sponsor to back the team, Ynysgard the village would lose the space in the league entirely and they had no time to lose. This was their route to Eulemann, and this may be their only chance to get to him once and for all.

The towncar slowed to a stop. Doors on both sides of the car popped open and Mark and Emilia saw two people step out and straighten themselves up. They could immediately identify one of the two - Rowena Sowards; another high-profile Katzeburgian chess player who as part of her day job was a high-flying lawyer at law firm Darmstadt Oliver Nicholls & Grant. While she had never been comfortable with the two, Rowena was at least aware to some extent just what had been going on over the course of a few threads which had tangled her into the mix. She had been approached by her firm's communications manager Josef Brand, who himself had been pulled in by the firm's insistence on backing the new domestic chess league and their less-than-legal dealings with Eulemann. But where Sowards lies in terms of allegiances was in the dark - Emilia had heard from Josef that Sowards had by and large thrown him under the bus when it came to their involvement with Eulemann - helping lay on the fact that his assertions regarding the firm higher ups were nothing but the rambling insanities of a man who was in the middle of another nervous breakdown. So when Emilia and Mark spotted Rowena stepping out of the towncar, it was clear to them just whose side she was on, and it wasn't theirs.

The other man, they were less clear about identity-wise. Josef had told them of a man called Lee Reynolds - the general counsel at DONG who had been the long-time legal backer of Eulemann and his business enterprises. Given the purpose of the meeting today was to sign a contract for sponsorship (officially at the very least), it would make sense that Jack's 'lawyer' would be in attendance today, but why would he send two lawyers to do the job here? Emilia didn't have time to think about this further, as the man called out to the two of them.

"You must be Mark and Emilia? I'm Lee Reynolds, Mr. Eulemann's representative when it comes to legal matters," he said while advancing on the two of them with a hand outstretched. Neither Mark or Emilia reached out to shake hands, rather just eyeing this new person suspiciously while occasionally shifting their gaze towards Rowena, who was staunchly refusing to look into the eyes of Mark and Emilia.

"Where is Mr. Eulemann?" Mark said bluntly. "I- We were under the impression he'd be joining us today to sign the contract."

"I'm afraid he is running a little late at the moment," Lee said, pulling his hand away and towards the folder in his other hand. "He's said he's happy for you two to review the contract first before signing to make sure everything is in hand however." Passing the folder to Mark, Lee threw a half-smile across his face. Mark took the folder and opened it, beginning to read the contract.

Emilia's gaze however, had barely shifted from Rowena, who was standing a few feet away. "Rowena," she said. "Good to see you. Wouldn't have thought you'd be here this morning - had no idea you were involved with this getting over the line."

Rowena finally snapped out of her reluctance to look away from what was happening in front of her and caught Emilia's eyes with her own. "Good to see you too Emilia - shame about how you all got on at the Elephant Chess Cup."

"Yeah well, we were quite a different team from the last time we were over there. Hoping that will change soon enough though."

"Oh yeah?" Rowena said with curiosity. "Must have been rough without Rothbauer there to help pick up some wins. Do you guys have any idea where he is?"

Emilia studied Rowena for a second, unsure whether this was a genuine question or bait for something larger. "It's hard to say, really."

A faint click could be heard behind Mark and Emilia. "Well I'm sure as a school teacher Miss Ziegler, you'll be able to find the words to educate us all on that soon enough," said a voice from behind the pair. Her eyes widening at the voice, Emilia spun around on her heels only to be met with the menacing grin of Jack Eulemann and a small pistol which he held in his hand directed straight at her. Emilia held her breath while Eulemann beamed at her.

"How is it said in your sport?" Eulemann said sarcastically. "Oh yes - I believe it's checkmate."

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:44 am

The torch has now been handed over once and for all; despite being the top player amongst the Kytlerian contingent in the first MCC cycle, the only one to make the eight-player tournament at Qizin Studios in Zube for a shot at the championship series, Prof. John Roach has officially ended his playing career to focus entirely on his administrative and academic responsibilities.

"The slower pace of play in classical compared to the faster time controls used in the Elephant Chess Cup made it possible to extend my career over the board, but I believe now that the preparation for me to play would sacrifice the preparation of my compatriots as well as my ongoing academic career at the University of Zube," Prof. Roach noted in his retirement announcement. "Working with Eleanor Rigby (as her lead second in the championship series) made it clear to me that I love being an assistant, love preparing others, more than I do being over the board right now. So it was an easy decision for me to decide what to prioritise."

So the focus turns to Julia Willis and Stijn van Dijk - ranked as top-15 players after the first MCC cycle themselves let's not forget, not to mention the small matter of leading the Scholars to a historic third ECC title - along with the young gun Michael Radley, whose international experience with the long timer is limited to a first-round elimination in the World Chess Knockouts and a one-and-done appearance in a Battle Royale tournament where his very involvement betrayed a certain level of disdain for the entire format amongst the senior Scholars. "It's obviously a different game, but it's still 32 pieces on 64 squares with the same starting position" - an observation that might make one wonder if Radley was inadvertently advocating for a freestyle tournament to enter the mix! - "and all the preparation we've done over the years for the ECC is going to still serve us well here. There's just more time for everyone to make their moves so the play will be more accurate throughout, and we have to be ready to take our time a bit and make doubly sure we don't miss anything."

Radley's 0.5/3 record in those limited appearances last cycle - and subsequent #81 ranking - has ensured he is in possibly the most exciting group of this SN3C, with Anne Christian-Warren - who made that inaugural MCC championship series before losing to Rigby - joined by compatriot Thsering Gyeltshen and Eshialand's Jason Severn. "It'll be a great way to see where I'm at, and I'm sure some of them will feel the same, it's a really fun group. And you can't overlook the debutants either, you never know which of them will come through with surprises and get you."

That goes doubly so for Willis, drawn into the one seven-player group of the opening phase with Eshian Stephanie Jacobson, Paradystopia's World Chess Knockout champion Chirpsijibbers Clambanger, and an unranked trio from which Willis immediately picked out Libegeist's young talent Maggie Golden as a potential threat. "She reminds me of me a little bit in terms of how she's started out, nation's first appearance in international competition of any kind just like we were the first after the Isolation, and there's an energy about all of that delegation which suggests they're going to be really dangerous."

Stijn van Dijk, for his part, was focused on the more obvious challengers in his Group D. "Maria (Deering) is obviously really good, we know how strong the Katzeburg program has been from the moment they emerged, and to get one of the home contingent (Adam Esteban) as a fourth seed was an unfortunate break, those two are always threats to go deep in any competition they enter. But then they'd say the same thing about me, and I was a top seed for a reason and I've got to demonstrate that reason once again every time I take my seat and start a new game."

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 12:48 pm

SN3C2 - South Newlandian player overview

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Roleplay about specific moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: Please ask first
Godmod other events: Please ask first

Chess has a long history in South Newlandia, and used to be considered one of the most important sports of the country. Just a few decades ago, most children would learn at least the basic rules of the game; but in recent years, the popularity of chess has waned. With the Elephants seeing success in various other sports, especially baseball, chess has become increasingly unpopular, and the South Newlandian Chess League is no longer what it was, either. The South Newlandian government is trying to do something about that - this tournament might just be the start. The South Newlandian players still hope to be competitive, but it increasingly seems like the Elephant Island is getting lapped over the board – and so far, that’s been true in the Multiversal Chess Championships. The Grand Casaran in Al-Hilal was the only tournament in the last cycle in which the South Newlandians looked competitive – with Jabulan finishing tied for 6th on +2 and Esteban and van Lundi also both going positive – but even here, they were never a serious threat to win the tournament. After another very mixed ECC, they're looking to start well into the new circuit on home soil, the ever familiar Ivory Crown Hotel in Newport.

Adam Esteban, 34 [69th in World Chess Rankings]
Esteban is the most experienced chess player representing South Newlandia. He’s had a rough time on the board recently, with a pretty dismal MCC circuit that saw him drop well below the other top Newlandians, despite the fact that he’s usually their top option in Classical. He’s a relatively unassuming man that you might easily miss in a crowd, but still plays a rather aggressive style of chess, by the motto “the best defense is a good attack”. In the past, Classical has been his preferred time control, but given how that’s gone lately, that might not be true any longer.
His opening repertoire includes the Sicilian and the Queen’s Gambit Declined with the black pieces, while he has played all of 1. c4, d4, and e4 in the recent past with the white pieces. That said, he likely has worked on some new lines to bring into his game, as he often does.

Khanyisa van Lundi, 25 [43rd in World Chess Rankings]
Khanyisa van Lundi was born with albinism, which means she’s often dressed quite unusually in an attempt to shield her skin and eyes from light exposure. Over the board, she’s struggled during the most recent MCC circuit, usually being better at rapid chess. Still, she might be the best South Newlandian on paper, and is the current national classical champion.
Her MO has always been to play fast, looking to put her opponent under pressure on the clock. Usually, this goes well enough for her, as she’s got quite good chess instincts; but it will also lead to mistakes on occasion. Her opening repertoire is more broad than that of most South Newlandians, but she usually opts for relatively safe lines.

Elani Jabulan, 32 [23rd in World Chess Rankings]
Jabulan is another experienced player, having risen to the top of the national rankings when she was a teenager. Like van Lundi, her instinct and ability to calculate quickly sets her apart from other players, but she proved during the MCC circuit that she can also handle longer time controls; turning in the best results from the South Newlandian delegation, with 23rd at least playing her within the very extended circle of top competitors.
She has become known for dressing more formal than most chess players, so she’s probably hoping she won’t be hit by any penguin-spit-infused bishops during the tournament. In her youth, she was also considered a pioneer of using deep computer analysis to improve her game, and especially her opening repertoire. That’s also a quite varied one, as she likes to research her opponents and choose lines based on their weaknesses. If in doubt, she likes to play the Italian or Caro-Kann.

by **The Martian Independent Republic** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 1:29 pm

RP Perms: Whatever your RP perms are. Be reasonable.

Unlike all other nations, the MIR has sent four people to the SNC3. Here they are.

Eleanor Rigby
World Rank: 3
Elo (MESH*): 2644 (#2)
Home Base: Borealis
ECC12 Performance: 6.5/12 (+1-0=11)
The world champion is just here to have fun, honestly. She's played a bit too much chess a bit too frequently as of late - between the start of the Qualifiers and the end of ECC12, she was away from Mars for over two months - and with multiversal ranking the only thing on the line for her here (unique among the 55 participants, she can't earn a spot in this season's Qualifiers). Still, though, she's not to be underestimated, and finding a victory against her is very difficult. Outside of chess, she's an engineer, although that job title is more nominal than anything else now, and she enjoys watching Borealis Base go about its day from her window. For this tournament, she'll be in Group E, along with her compatriot Johnny B. Goode and various representatives from historically chess-playing nations (such as Valentine Z and Katzeburg) as well as some newcomers (Keil, Covert, and Powers have all competed at past ECCs but never in the MCC, while Conor Murphy is a complete unknown).

Openings, as white: If she knows her opponent won't be playing anything other than e5, e4 and the Italian. You could probably guarantee yourself a draw by playing the Petrov. Otherwise, basic d4 things, like the Colle and the London and the Queen's Gambit and sometimes a weird Catalan with a delayed c4. Also, she knows Alapin theory now? That's relatively new, thanks to John Roach, so you might see some e4 play even knowing the Sicilian is coming, although from what we saw at ECC12, Alapins really drain her. If she really needs to win, there are some English sidelines she's kept quiet for a while. Those probably won't show up here, though.
Openings, as black: The Slav Defense, often going into the Semi-Slav, against a Queen's Gambit. The Pirc and the French sometimes show up against 1. e4, but the Scheveningen is her main weapon there. She's not as variable in her play as Black.
Strengths: Surviving attacks, getting draws when it seems impossible, making you think your space advantage is an actual advantage.
Weaknesses: Playing for a draw too much, even as white sometimes.

Johnny B. Goode
World Rank: 36
Elo (MESH): 2494 (#58)
Home Base: Huygens
ECC12 Performance: 8/12 (+4-0=8)
A comfortable board three for the Spiders in team play, Goode has been doing pretty well as of late, but apart from a good run in the Chess Battle Royale last year, he had nothing to establish him as truly elite. Mostly, he's just known as the f4 guy, for his love of Bird's Opening and the King's Gambit. Once it gets into the middlegame, he's definitely the most aggressive Martian player, which might serve him well here in a format where only one can advance from a group of eight. Of the four players from the MIR here, he's the only full-time chess player. Along with Rigby, he's in Group E.

Openings, as white: The KIng's Gambit if he's feeling defensive. Otherwise, f4 on move 1. This has been countered, especially by carefully-prepped Kytlerians, but even a couple days of study isn't enough to beat this. Also, the Fantasy Variation against the Caro-Kann.
Openings, as black: The Dutch, which confuses a lot of e4 players, and the Rousseau Gambit if he can set it up. He has a strange English setup, but beyond that, he's not great as black. If you can get him into a simple position, you might just be able to press him.
Strengths: Convincing his opponent to fear his attack, making them be in doubt about when they're in danger.
Weaknesses: Defending, knowing when slow play is good.

Ziggy Stardust
World Rank: 48
Elo (MESH): 2483 (#67)
Home Base: Aeolis
ECC12 Performance: 9/12 (+6-0=6)
He's the least consistent player here, but when he's at his best, he could probably beat anyone at least six times out of ten. At the Elephant Chess Cup, his best was on display, although he couldn't quite get a win when it mattered most against the Free Republics. Classical isn't his natural time control - he prefers to play quickly and hope his opponent matches his pace, which may not be the best strategy here. When in Aeolis, he's the frontman for the indie band 'Avoid WebID' - nobody quite knows why it's called that. Stardust is in Group F, along with Ruby Tuesday, two Valentians, the always-scary Jacenty Kaminski, and three true newcomers.

Openings, as white: Pretty regularly the Reti. There are times when he'll play the Danish or the Scotch or other such e4 ... d4 openings, but the Reti is what he's best at, and he knows it. After move two, he varies wildly.
Openings, as black: The Sicilian Dragon or the Stafford Gambit against 1. e4. He wants to trick you into doing something stupid, and those openings help a lot with that. Less of the Stafford Gambit in classical.
Strengths: Crazy tactical finds, knowing theory in very specific lines, getting into those very specific lines.
Weaknesses: Offbeat openings, defending against crazy tactical finds, not using Occam's Razor.

Ruby Tuesday
Multiversal Rank: 59
Elo (MESH): 2503 (#55)
Home Base: Huygens
ECC12 Performance: 7.5/12 (+3-0=9)
The other Huygentian here, Tuesday will be seeing a lot more international play this season, as Rigby's status grants the MIR an extra slot in many competitions. She's a jack of all trades, which means you never really know what to expect from her, although it's best to remember that the second part of that phrase is 'master of none'. As it is, endgames are where she's slightly specialized, and considering of all the Martians here she's the most likely to find herself in one more complicated than just rooks and pawns, it's been rather helpful. A childhood friend of Goode, she, too, likes simple positions - the deepest intricacies of a middlegame are often lost on her - and although she's currently employed as a primary school teacher, she's considering moving to full-time chess. Along with Stardust, she's in group F.

Openings, as white: The English, the Ruy Lopez, and other such slightly-attacking ones. Also, the Evans Gambit often shows up as a nasty surprise.
Openings, as black: The Caro-Kann and the QGD. Beyond that, there's not much else she plays, and it's not too hard to prep for her. [she has also learned the Mikenas Defense, but that's not something anyone else knows]
Strengths: Versatility and unpredictability. There's not much out there about her.
Weaknesses: She doesn't play much international chess, especially not individually, so she's under a lot of pressure here in a way others are not. Also, long-term plans.

* - MESH (Multiversal Elo Standardization & Harmonization) is a ranking that some Martian commentators use to compare players from different nations on one unified scale. It can be found here.

by **South Newlandia** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 2:06 pm

Cutoff!

Been loving all the RPs so far, keep them coming!
Also, because this was pretty complicated, this is going to be more mistake-prone that usual - if anything looks out of the ordinary, please dont be afraid to contact me!

Group A

Margarita Altamiranda (TJU) ½-½ Brian Bowman (KAT)
Elani Jabulan (SNL) ½-½ Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH)
Siobhan Gerrity (BMH) 1-0 Thomas Timberlake (MAR)
Jamie Cartwright (ESL) 0-1 Nigel Sidhu (USD)

Brian Bowman (KAT) ½-½ Nigel Sidhu (USD)
Thomas Timberlake (MAR) ½-½ Jamie Cartwright (ESL)
Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH) ½-½ Siobhan Gerrity (BMH)
Margarita Altamiranda (TJU) ½-½ Elani Jabulan (SNL)

Standings:

P                              Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Nigel Sidhu (USD)              2    1   1   0    1.5
  Siobhan Gerrity (BMH)          2    1   1   0    1.5
3 Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH)          2    0   2   0    1
  Brian Bowman (KAT)             2    0   2   0    1
  Elani Jabulan (SNL)            2    0   2   0    1
  Margarita Altamiranda (TJU)    2    0   2   0    1
7 Jamie Cartwright (ESL)         2    0   1   1    0.5
  Thomas Timberlake (MAR)        2    0   1   1    0.5

Group B

Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU) 1-0 Jamie Houston (MAR)
Christian Joyce (LBG) 1-0 Michael Radley (KYP)
Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH) 0-1 Stepon Kyrill (STI)
Anne Christian-Warren (TJU) 1-0 Jason Severn (ESL)

Jamie Houston (MAR) ½-½ Jason Severn (ESL)
Stepon Kyrill (STI) 1-0 Anne Christian-Warren (TJU)
Michael Radley (KYP) 1-0 Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH)
Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU) 1-0 Christian Joyce (LBG)

Standings:

P                              Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Stepon Kyrill (STI)            2    2   0   0    2
  Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU)       2    2   0   0    2
3 Anne Christian-Warren (TJU)    2    1   0   1    1
  Christian Joyce (LBG)          2    1   0   1    1
  Michael Radley (KYP)           2    1   0   1    1
6 Jamie Houston (MAR)            2    0   1   1    0.5
  Jason Severn (ESL)             2    0   1   1    0.5
8 Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH)      2    0   0   2    0

Group C

Miri Robertson (PDT) 0-1 Marielle Figueroa (STI)
Ramešani Kalewa (SAF) 0-1 Jim (PDT)
Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL) 1-0 Christopher Yen (USD)
Aswa Visundu (VON) 1-0 Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU)

Marielle Figueroa (STI) 1-0 Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU)
Christopher Yen (USD) 0-1 Aswa Visundu (VON)
Jim (PDT) 0-1 Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL)
Miri Robertson (PDT) 1-0 Ramešani Kalewa (SAF)

Standings:

P                           Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Aswa Visundu (VON)          2    2   0   0    2
  Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL)    2    2   0   0    2
  Marielle Figueroa (STI)     2    2   0   0    2
4 Jim (PDT)                   2    1   0   1    1
  Miri Robertson (PDT)        2    1   0   1    1
6 Christopher Yen (USD)       2    0   0   2    0
  Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU)     2    0   0   2    0
  Ramešani Kalewa (SAF)       2    0   0   2    0

Group D

Warren Doyle (STI) ½-½ Stijn van Dijk (KYP)
Christian Theiss (NPU) 1-0 John McCurry (MAR)
Adam Esteban (SNL) 0-1 Maria Deering (KAT)
Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF) ½-½ Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH)

Stijn van Dijk (KYP) 1-0 Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH)
Maria Deering (KAT) 1-0 Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF)
John McCurry (MAR) ½-½ Adam Esteban (SNL)
Warren Doyle (STI) 1-0 Christian Theiss (NPU)

Standings:

P                               Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Maria Deering (KAT)             2    2   0   0    2
2 Stijn van Dijk (KYP)            2    1   1   0    1.5
  Warren Doyle (STI)              2    1   1   0    1.5
4 Christian Theiss (NPU)          2    1   0   1    1
5 Adam Esteban (SNL)              2    0   1   1    0.5
  Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF)         2    0   1   1    0.5
  John McCurry (MAR)              2    0   1   1    0.5
  Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH)    2    0   1   1    0.5

Group E

Eleanor Rigby (MIR) 1-0 Conor Murphy (BMH)
Johnny B. Goode (MIR) ½-½ Tina Mathieson (KAT)
Philomena Keil (CPH) 1-0 Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ)
Cassandra Covert (CPH) 1-0 Lando Powers (VON)

Conor Murphy (BMH) 0-1 Lando Powers (VON)
Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ) ½-½ Cassandra Covert (CPH)
Tina Mathieson (KAT) 1-0 Philomena Keil (CPH)
Eleanor Rigby (MIR) 0-1 Johnny B. Goode (MIR)

Standings:

P                                                    Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Cassandra Covert (CPH)                               2    1   1   0    1.5
  Johnny B. Goode (MIR)                                2    1   1   0    1.5
  Tina Mathieson (KAT)                                 2    1   1   0    1.5
4 Eleanor Rigby (MIR)                                  2    1   0   1    1
  Lando Powers (VON)                                   2    1   0   1    1
  Philomena Keil (CPH)                                 2    1   0   1    1
7 Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ)    2    0   1   1    0.5
8 Conor Murphy (BMH)                                   2    0   0   2    0

Group F

Ruby Tuesday (MIR) 1-0 Jonathan Rowe (USD)
Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ) 0-1 Susanna Casey (LBG)
Charli Esteron-Relanca (VON) ½-½ Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ)
Ziggy Stardust (MIR) 1-0 Jacenty Kaminski (NPU)

Jonathan Rowe (USD) 0-1 Jacenty Kaminski (NPU)
Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ) 0-1 Ziggy Stardust (MIR)
Susanna Casey (LBG) 1-0 Charli Esteron-Relanca (VON)
Ruby Tuesday (MIR) 1-0 Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ)

Standings:

P                                                Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Ruby Tuesday (MIR)                               2    2   0   0    2
  Susanna Casey (LBG)                              2    2   0   0    2
  Ziggy Stardust (MIR)                             2    2   0   0    2
4 Jacenty Kaminski (NPU)                           2    1   0   1    1
5 Charli Esteron-Relanca (VON)                     2    0   1   1    0.5
  Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ)    2    0   1   1    0.5
7 Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ)       2    0   0   2    0
  Jonathan Rowe (USD)                              2    0   0   2    0

Group G

Julia Willis (KYP) 1-0 Stephanie Jacobson (ESL)
Maggie Golden (LBG) ½-½ Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT)
Djuruvana Makoani (SAF) ½-½ Daniel Gallagher (BMH)
Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT) ½-½ Djuruvana Makoani (SAF)
Stephanie Jacobson (ESL) ½-½ Maggie Golden (LBG)
Shavkat Muradov (BKH) 0-1 Julia Willis (KYP)
Daniel Gallagher (BMH) 1-0 Shavkat Muradov (BKH)

Standings:

P                                  Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Julia Willis (KYP)                 2    2   0   0    2
2 Daniel Gallagher (BMH)             2    1   1   0    1.5
3 Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT)    2    0   2   0    1
  Djuruvana Makoani (SAF)            2    0   2   0    1
  Maggie Golden (LBG)                2    0   2   0    1
6 Stephanie Jacobson (ESL)           2    0   1   1    0.5
7 Shavkat Muradov (BKH)              2    0   0   2    0

by **The Republic of the United Marble Tribes** » Mon Feb 23, 2026 6:59 am

Marblelanian Players:

Thomas Timberlake, 36 yrs old~
Experienced Chess Master in Marbleland, known for exceptional knight moves and knight checks.
He will be competing in the 2nd Newlandian Chess Cup and is placed in Group A

"A knight can kill a queen" Thomas Timberlake

Next,

Jamie Houston ~ 20 yrs old
Young but have potential. The rookie has beaten dozens of old uncles in his nearby park and won the recent Maine Chess Championships. He will also be competing in the 2nd Newlandian Chess Cup and is placed in Group B.

"A rookie love its rook, it is a castle, a shelter, a comfort, when things go bad, for example, if someone takes your queen away, but you still got your rook. CHECKMATE. Try it next time, unc, make way for aura farmer boi." Jamie Houston

AND FINALLY!

John McCurry ~ 43 yrs old
Most experienced, careless sometimes but has won more National Championships than any other player, with a total of 26 trophies on his deck.

"I may be old, but I ain't old, chess is. I love old stuff, and I love Chess, cuz we're both apparently considered old. I may be old physically, but young at heart. Watch out Zs, here I come!" John McCurry.

by **Libegeist** » Mon Feb 23, 2026 11:42 am

In every city of a vivarium, there are people. What gets them moving in that ant farm of their isn't by traveling by foot.

It's by planes, trains, and automobiles.

The following that you are about to read is meant to be a series of sorta-unrelated prompts set in the nation that is Libegeist to showcase its aesthetic and atmosphere.

NOW BOARDING...

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Sierra

Play trip hop.

An underground train approaches the station.

Like many trains in the country, people board it and disembark.

Nearby the capital of Libegeist, a plane leaves the runway off to the skies.

In the deserts that surround the mountain that hold Sierra within, nothing but heat scorching the sands and dead trees without water.

On the top of Mt. Sunahara Chotee, some snow cake the top.

You were there at the graveyards. Standing underground within the mountain, underneath the "roof". You had placed several flowers down onto the dirt, where many with their bones and ashes remained.

You drive a 60's styled car, one that has the top down, though you get into traffic. The roads were never as good as anywhere else. Ahead of you, the car ahead of yours is getting their windshield washed from a guy needing some extra cash. Your girlfriend is in the passenger seat, yelling at you. You don't know what she is saying. You just have the radio up, listening to music.

Earlier, before you left, you were in your hovel of an apartment. You had enough to consider it home. That was until that leak from the pipes happened. Dripping onto the rug on the floor. You go for a bucket to collect the water that drips from the pipes. What you didn't know was that your upstairs neighbor had left their bathtub with running water on. A rubber duck themed to the devil was floating in the tub.

When you left, the bathroom floor filled with enough water that the floor above your apartment collapsed. The bathtub was sent into your living room and your apartment was flooded.

You let your girlfriend got out of the car and walk away. You didn't say anything to her, before she left.

You park your car in an empty parking garage near the train station. You meet your friend and his young son. His son is playing with a soccer ball that he got from his game. The two of you talk to each other about the usual. Your friend is a smoker, as he gets his matchbox to lit a match for his cigarette. His son starts playing towards a car that is trying to pass through. Your friend immediately lunges at him to make sure he doesn't get hit. He has to drop a lit match into the back of your car seats to do so. You didn't notice the match and neither does your friend or his son. You hear how your friend warns his son about playing next to moving cars.

You head over to catch your train to leave the city.

Back at the parking garage, your car goes up in flames, when the match ignites the fabric coating the bottom and the seating.

You are at the train station. The station begins to experience some electrical problems. Some lights die and others spark. Minor panic that you don't pay heed to.

You board a train for a game at the National University of Libegeist. After the doors close, you thought you saw your girlfriend just outside of the train, trying to get in. The train moves away from the station. Outside of the train to the desert, you see a dust devil.

You think about a tornado.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Las Potros

Play alternative rock.

"You two know what to do." Peter said to both Mattias and Lars.

The 5 of them were out on the outskirts of Las Potros. They all wanted someplace secluded. Peter remembered seeing those new surveillance monitors that were overhead at the streets. He was waiting until they were vandalized, but the police were against gangs.

Peter raised his hands up.

"Begin."

Mattias and Lars were standing with their backs turned to each other, until they each took 3 steps. Suddenly, the two of them turned to each other with their guns drawn. Two shots rang out in succession. Both of them dropped dead onto the grass field.

"...Shit, man." Richard said, while he was standing by with Marcelo. Talk about being unlucky. Both Mattias and Lars were dead. Dead from another one of the group's "games". Peter turned to Nate, as she liked to be called. Peter liked her style. He liked the basil mint shampoo that she used for her long blond hair. He liked the 70's Cadillac-styled green car she had. He liked how brave she was.

"Alright, Nate. You know what to do?" Peter said, as Nate picked up a large rock. "I brought a friend with me, just in case." she motioned the men to the passenger seat of her car. There was a stuffed toy of a cartoon character from the Ocean Channel from TV. Marcelo gave a laugh.

Nate grabbed the rock, as she hopped into her car. She was setting it up at the accelerator, weighing it down. She was getting the radio on, to listen to something good.

"Remember. If the pigs get you, you keep your mouth shut about us. Ok?" Peter said, as Richard and Marcelo were getting the shovel ready for Mattias and Lars. Nate nodded. "Just watch me. The news will be talking about me."

The road was wet when the group arrived, but the sun was drying up all of the puddles. Still, the three men still alive could only watch, as Nate moved the stick to drive. The car drove away, though the men saw that Nate didn't have her seatbelt on.

"How long do you think she'll last?" Richard asked Peter, watching the car speed up.

"She just needs to get to the town at the end and drive back here." Peter said, as Richard rubbed at the tattoo on his arm. A tattoo that all of the members had.

The sun was getting much hotter. Nate's hair went wild in the hair, while the car sped up. The vehicle went weaving back and forth on the road. A car or two driving on the other side were forced off of the road to avoid a crash. The acceleration had caused the stuffed animal that she kept in her car to fly out, going onto the road. Another car came by and ran it over.

Nate raised her feet to get them onto the steering wheel. She leaned back at her seat, letting her legs drive the car, as the gas pedal was already being weighed down by the rock.

By the time that she got to the town, she had to jerk the steering wheel around to do an U-turn. She ended up on a sidewalk, as people jumped out of the way. She ended up going down the same road that was in the middle of chaos. She traveled down further, seeing the others standing there at the field.

That was until there was a van that was driving at the opposite end towards Nate. She didn't say anything. She stood up in her car, as the others watched.

"Hey, Peter! What the hell is she doing?!" Marcelo said, as Richard also watched on in shock. "She has a death wish or something?!"

Nate was allowing the car to veer towards the van. She glanced briefly to her others that were looking on. The driver and the others in the van were caught off-guard when they saw the car driving towards them. Nate raised her arms out, making a cruciform. She wasn't going to back down.

CRASH!!!

The impact sent Nate flying over the van and out of the car. The other passengers of the van had braced, though Nate didn't. She tumbled and struck the back of the van, as her body ended up on the road.

"Shit! Get over there, quick!" Peter said to Marcelo and Richard. The two men went to check up on Nate, only to be surprised... that she casually sat up on the road. There was blood on her face, but she wiped it off, before standing up completely.

"How did I do?" Nate said with a little smile.

"You crazy bitch..." Richard said to her, as he saw the mangled wreck that was once her car. None of the men, even Nate, had checked to see if anyone in the car was ok. Peter caught up to them, giving them the memo. "We're leaving now. They will be calling it in on the radio." Peter said, while Marcelo and Richard were making sure that Nate could walk right.

The group bailed from the scene, as emergency responders had arrived from Las Potros.

by **Choppyhausen** » Mon Feb 23, 2026 11:49 am

You have 1 unread message from Cassandra

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။|||၊|။‌‌‌‌‌|၊• 2:23
Hey dad, it's nice to hear your voice again! Yes, everything's great here. It's the same hotel as last time – the Ivory Crown – so I actually know my way around here a bit, don’t worry. But there's still so many new things everywhere! Did you know that there's an actual penguin competing in the tournament? I think he’s from Paradystopia… and apparently he actually won one of his games already!

Speaking of winning, do you know who has also won one of his games already? Me! My first championship game and immediately a win? I still can’t believe it! I know, I know, you’ve already watched the games but I still wanted to tell you. Against Powers, after the opening, I felt like I entered some kind of flow state, the right moves just kinda popped into my mind. I analyzed the game again with Philomena today and we noticed that he could’ve probably forced a draw if he had sacrificed his rook just before the queen exchange, so a bit of luck was involved too, I guess. But I’m still really proud.

The second game against Lillian–I’m not 100% sure that’s her last name, these Valentine names are sooo confusing–anyways, that game wasn’t quite as good from my side as the first, I think I missed something in the early game which gave her the advantage. These unpopular openings still get me. Well, I managed to get a draw anyway, she seemed a bit inattentive at the end. And I’m currently first in the table! Although, I’m pretty sure that gonna change soon, so if you actually want to print it out and frame it, you’ll need to do it soon. I don’t think, I can fool Eleanor Rigby the same way I got Powers... I still can’t believe, I’m gonna play the world champion, ahhh!

Anyways, as you’re probably noticing from all my yapping, I’m having a lot of fun here. During my off-chess time, I’m mostly exploring Newport with Philomena, the weather’s been nice the last days and so is the city. It reminds a lot of our visit to Kork last year. The professor came with us at first but yesterday he stayed at the hotel. He’s been a bit grumpy since his loss against van Dijk. Philo and I keep telling him, he’ll be better outside but he won’t listen, I think the results have hurt his ego a bit. He'll get there...

Well, that's it from me at the moment, I think. I hope you’re having a great time too at home, I miss you! Byeee!

by **Saint Trimbles Island** » Tue Feb 24, 2026 5:42 pm

The Midnight Sun: PRO edition

Saint Trimble's Island chess players have made their first forays to South Newlandia, home of the majestic Oliphaunt. Sadly, despite the exquisite luxuries of the Ivory Crown Hotel, visitors are expressly prohibited from proving their manhood by hunting these or other forms of big game. "Elephants are actually very complex creatures with intricate social lives," explained a pleasant but increasingly exasperated local. "You can't do that, it would be like if one of your people tried to...brutally harpoon a whale and harvest its baleen, that would be cruel and senseless." Upon being informed that our plucky naval lads would certainly harpoon whales and harvest their baleen, were any to venture to our inhospitable latitudes, the collegiate lass put her face in her hands and said "okay, but the people from your future have told you you shouldn't actually do that, right."

The Midnight Sun: ECB edition

Saint Trimble's Island chess players have made their first forays to South Newlandia, renowned for its elephant population. "We are very intrigued by the proposition that an elephant never forgets," noted an anonymous source, while studying the real-time camera streams of the chess tournament with fascination. "These could make them excellent intelligence agents. Admittedly, camouflage may be difficult in many locales, but in a setting like this they'd blend right in." Upon being informed that South Newlandia is an incredibly friendly nation that lives at peace with its Esportivan neighbors, the source returned to analyzing the streaming technology with disdain that such amazing technical accomplishment is being wasted on bread and circuses for the bourgeoisie.

by **Katzeburg** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 6:52 am

It had been a few years removed from the day that Mark Jensen found himself on a flight from South Newlandia to Katzeburg which would have ultimately changed the trajectory of his life. The flight, which found itself struggling in mid-air and leaving many people both on the plane and on the ground to worry about the status of it, was a turning point for the former Senior Vice President of Merger Operations for Medium-Size Enterprises and International Affairs at the Bank of Katzeburg.

The epiphany which struck from it would lead him over to Eshialand to reunite with his previously estranged father Rhys Furst and flip his life entirely in a different direction - moving back home to Ynysgard to take up a role with the town's council and become a leading member of the Ynysgard Chess Club - a move which would see him travel all around the multiverse as one of the nation's finest chess players, despite his known hatred of flying.

He would rarely mention to anyone exactly what had happened during that flight - he wasn't the type of person to dump his personal problems and phobias onto other people unless he trusted them deep down. In reality, this meant the only person he had really discussed it with at any viable length was his Ynysgard teammate Emilia Ziegler - but even then he was restrained; giving just enough to let her know there was a problem, but not enough to force her to dwell on it.

But as he stood now in the Inverhaven Docks, staring down the barrel of a pistol held by a man both he and Emilia knew were dangerous, knew was someone they couldn't underestimate, knew had one last trick up his sleeve; for a brief moment he felt like he did on that fateful day travelling from South Newlandia. Everything had frozen in mid air. The birds overhead, previously chirping and nattering as they hunted for early morning feeds, were deathly silent. The fog which stretched out into the Katzeburgian Sea, previously rolling as if it was a breathing beast out beyond the horizon, had stopped - holding its breath to see the outcome. But worst of all was the grimacing smile stretching across the face of Jack Eulemann - frozen for a moment in time and hammering itself into the depths of Mark's mind.

Time however, would march on, and as things snapped back into reality, Mark found himself readjusting his eyesight to the gun which was shifting back and forth between Emilia and himself. "Always lovely to see you two," Jack said. "But you really are starting to get in the way much more than I'd like."

Mark threw his hands up. "Jack, is this really necessary? Having been alongside a few high-profile negotiations in the past, I wouldn't say this is the best way to kick off final talks."

"You can't honestly still think that storyline will hold any water, do you?" Jack spat. "I'm all too aware of what your real gambit has been this entire time. It simply suited my needs to drag things out in this manner to deal with you on my own terms." Jack lifted the gun, pointing it at Mark. "Now. Where is Rothbauer?"

Mark and Emilia shifted their gaze to each other for a moment before looking back at Jack. "We don't know," Mark said. "All we know is he was over in South Newlandia as part of witness protection."

"I. Don't. Believe. You." Jack said, anger rising in his voice. "If that was the case, then why have you been trying so hard to bring him back home? He was just a guy you played chess with."

"He was a team-mate," Emilia said through gritted teeth. "And you don't just leave someone on your team behind."

"Oh please, that's how the modern world works!" Jack said. "You don't think anyone else here would abandon their principles when push comes to shove? Chess playing isn't that noble of a profession. You're not a modern day knight; a fisherman isn't worth being this stupid for."

A tense silence descended on the docks. "What do you want us to say Jack?" Mark asked. "Why do you even want to find Klaus so badly? What could he possibly know that warrants this response?"

Jack chuckled. "You don't know? You really don't know? Surely you can't think I'm that stupid, Mr. Jensen." Jack took a deep breath in. "He, much like you two, is a loose end. And I like to tie up my loose ends into a tight knot."

"Wait!" came a voice from behind Mark and Emilia. "They at least deserve to know why you've gone down this route!" Rowena protested. For a brief moment, the three had forgotten that there were two other people there, with Rowena and Lee Reynolds also frozen in place behind them.

"Now you be quiet, Miss Sowards," Jack snapped. "I'll be dealing with you in a minute. Don't think that your little double agent act hasn't gone unnoticed."

"What are you talking about?" Rowena deadpanned back. "My allegiances are clear - I just think-"

"You just think that we wouldn't know you've been working with that comms manager at the firm? You know that for a lawyer, you really should be a bit more careful with confidential notes; they aren't just for sitting on desks in show of the wider world."

Rowena's mouth dropped open. They had known the whole time that she was still working with Josef. That's why she was here this morning - she wasn't solidifying herself with Lee by closing the deal, she was putting the cement shoes on herself. "I-I- I didn't kno-"

"I expected so much more from you Rowena," Lee said, tutting. "You could have truly been something special in this organisation. But that's all in the past now."

"Indeed it is," Jack said, chuckling to himself once more. "Now, back to business," he said as he returned his focus on a stunned and frozen Mark and Emilia. "You two have been a thorn in my side for over a year, and while I don't like to get my hands dirty often, sometimes it's needed."

"It's needed to kill a couple of chess players?" Emilia said. "None of this is needed!"

"This is what I've been saying the whole time we've been here - this spiralled way too quickly out of control from what should have been a small bit helping Klaus deal with his gambling addiction," Mark said out of the side of his mouth.

"You are right, Miss Ziegler. None of this is needed," Jack said, ignoring Mark entirely. "But the moment you two continued to delve into my affairs it became necessary to remove the cream from the top. Is this what you wanted your legacy to be? A couple of chess players who made names for themselves only to disappear to the cosmos themselves?" Neither Emilia or Mark responded. They both knew that they had finally gone in way over their heads and this time, they might not be able to get out of it.

"It's a shame really," Jack continued as he levelled the weapon at Mark's head. "Klaus was an interesting man who at least knew when to head for the hills when someone was killed in front of him by my men. Instead we've now got three people who didn't know better and thought they could bring everything toppling down. But you come at the Kaiser, you best not miss. I'm going to kill you two now. And bring this entire sloppy charade to an end."

Mark let out an involuntary chuckle, giving Jack just enough pause to raise an eyebrow. "Something funny, Mr Jensen?"

Mark's chuckle began to turn into more solid laughter. "You know," he wheezed between laughs, "I didn't think any of this was actually going to work. You were way too dangerous to openly admit to your crimes in public, I said. You wouldn't tell anyone your plans unless we really annoyed the hell out of you, I said."

Jack's head twitched a little to the side. He had never seen a nervous breakdown before death quite like this. It was a little confusing to him. Even Emilia had turned her head away to glance away from the weapon in front of them to see what her teammate was up to. As Mark's laughing came to a slowing halt, he exhaled and looked up to the early morning Inverhaven sky before yelling into the cold, stale air.

"Did you get all that?"

by **Valentine Z** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 11:18 am

Part 0 – The Roster, oops!

Head Diplomat Charlene Jeannie Natalia Adeline Marceline “완벽한협상가”Celestie Christine Irelle Dv. Arianna Rees Edith Novena Annie Ciara Whitney Esther Iris Bethany Myong Suh-Hyung the leader of the group once again. At first, she wanted to not get into the games themselves due to a little good news event. That is, the Valentians are going to host one of the Chess Cups in their own territory, and as a result, Charlene is at a crossroads. She wants to be the reporter, but also wants to play the game itself, and to be the team’s captain. However, with that only coming up next time and not in this, she once again decided to throw herself into the fray. After all, she simply cannot have her rankings linger on, and figured that she can have a few more wins on her metaphorical cap. This time, however, instead of going for Endgame Technician, she decided to go a little bit into being a Sharp Middlegamer. “The reasoning is, well, it’s a little simple. I think waiting until Endgame, while good for me, I cannot simply do with a lot of the matches. The middlegame is where a lot of things happen, after all. So, yeah, let’s see where it takes me!”

Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc also came back as a Hyper Aggressive player. Despite what others (including herself) have thought of her, she managed to get quite far enough with her plays. There were a lot of moments whereby she would lose pretty quickly, but that is what she likes – she wants to end it quickly. Preferably, she rather that she will end with a victory, but if it is a defeat, she can use that time to hone her skills, or to simply hang out and interact with other players, audience, her fans, the works. “I will need to get back into football as well, but for the time being? Hmm, nothing much to do now. Other than Chess! Let’s have a good one, even with the penguin.”

Zastępca Strażnika Adriana Krystal Desiree “Cudowny Manipulacja Światłem” Venus Kowalski Faith Stanisława Engelse I. Cherise Krystyna Zaborowska Sztormowska Pamela Alina Re. T. Lillian is also back with more data than ever. Other than Shannon Number (1e+120) of chess games and possibilities that she has inside of her data banks, Adriana is also equipped with a double system as androids of Valentine Z has. That is, there is the computational part of her, for storage of data and relatively straightforward tasks, things that need not be too conscious, so to speak. This is in turn complemented by a true AI system via emulation, possible with the computational capacity that Valentians have. Additionally, Adriana is a logical successor and sister of one Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha, the root of the AI development of Valentians. The result – Adriana can do many Dynamic plays. Of course, don’t let the idea of an AI or a robot fool you! Underneath the logic and circuit boards, as well as the hyperspace of storage, Adriana is pretty much human in terms of function. She loves a good hug at the end of the matches, you can give one!

by **South Newlandia** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 2:29 pm

Cutoff (mid-week for the first time!)

Group A

Elani Jabulan (SNL) 0-1 Brian Bowman (KAT)
Siobhan Gerrity (BMH) 0-1 Margarita Altamiranda (TJU)
Jamie Cartwright (ESL) ½-½ Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH)
Nigel Sidhu (USD) ½-½ Thomas Timberlake (MAR)

Brian Bowman (KAT) 1-0 Thomas Timberlake (MAR)
Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH) ½-½ Nigel Sidhu (USD)
Margarita Altamiranda (TJU) 1-0 Jamie Cartwright (ESL)
Elani Jabulan (SNL) 1-0 Siobhan Gerrity (BMH)

Standings:

P                              Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Brian Bowman (KAT)             4    2   2   0    3
  Margarita Altamiranda (TJU)    4    2   2   0    3
3 Nigel Sidhu (USD)              4    1   3   0    2.5
4 Aydar Rakhmonov (BKH)          4    0   4   0    2
  Elani Jabulan (SNL)            4    1   2   1    2
6 Siobhan Gerrity (BMH)          4    1   1   2    1.5
7 Jamie Cartwright (ESL)         4    0   2   2    1
  Thomas Timberlake (MAR)        4    0   2   2    1

Group B

Christian Joyce (LBG) 1-0 Jamie Houston (MAR)
Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH) 0-1 Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU)
Anne Christian-Warren (TJU) 0-1 Michael Radley (KYP)
Jason Severn (ESL) 0-1 Stepon Kyrill (STI)

Jamie Houston (MAR) 0-1 Stepon Kyrill (STI)
Michael Radley (KYP) 1-0 Jason Severn (ESL)
Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU) 0-1 Anne Christian-Warren (TJU)
Christian Joyce (LBG) 1-0 Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH)

Standings:

P                              Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Stepon Kyrill (STI)            4    4   0   0    4
2 Christian Joyce (LBG)          4    3   0   1    3
  Michael Radley (KYP)           4    3   0   1    3
  Tshering Gyeltshen (TJU)       4    3   0   1    3
5 Anne Christian-Warren (TJU)    4    2   0   2    2
6 Jamie Houston (MAR)            4    0   1   3    0.5
  Jason Severn (ESL)             4    0   1   3    0.5
8 Nurgul Zhaksybekova (BKH)      4    0   0   4    0

Group C

Ramešani Kalewa (SAF) 0-1 Marielle Figueroa (STI)
Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL) ½-½ Miri Robertson (PDT)
Aswa Visundu (VON) ½-½ Jim (PDT)
Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU) 1-0 Christopher Yen (USD)

Marielle Figueroa (STI) 1-0 Christopher Yen (USD)
Jim (PDT) ½-½ Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU)
Miri Robertson (PDT) 1-0 Aswa Visundu (VON)
Ramešani Kalewa (SAF) ½-½ Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL)

Standings:

P                           Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Marielle Figueroa (STI)     4    4   0   0    4
2 Khanyisa van Lundi (SNL)    4    2   2   0    3
3 Aswa Visundu (VON)          4    2   1   1    2.5
  Miri Robertson (PDT)        4    2   1   1    2.5
5 Jim (PDT)                   4    1   2   1    2
6 Miefodij Ihnatjew (NPU)     4    1   1   2    1.5
7 Ramešani Kalewa (SAF)       4    0   1   3    0.5
8 Christopher Yen (USD)       4    0   0   4    0

Group D

Christian Theiss (NPU) ½-½ Stijn van Dijk (KYP)
Adam Esteban (SNL) 0-1 Warren Doyle (STI)
Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF) 0-1 John McCurry (MAR)
Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH) 1-0 Maria Deering (KAT)

Stijn van Dijk (KYP) 0-1 Maria Deering (KAT)
John McCurry (MAR) 0-1 Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH)
Warren Doyle (STI) 1-0 Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF)
Christian Theiss (NPU) 1-0 Adam Esteban (SNL)

Standings:

P                               Pld    W   D   L   Pts 
1 Warren Doyle (STI)              4    3   1   0    3.5
2 Maria Deering (KAT)             4    3   0   1    3
3 Christian Theiss (NPU)          4    2   1   1    2.5
  Prof. James Huldenberg (CPH)    4    2   1   1    2.5
5 Stijn van Dijk (KYP)            4    1   2   1    2
6 John McCurry (MAR)              4    1   1   2    1.5
7 Adam Esteban (SNL)              4    0   1   3    0.5
  Beiroja Ladasairi (SAF)         4    0   1   3    0.5

Group E

Johnny B. Goode (MIR) 1-0 Conor Murphy (BMH)
Philomena Keil (CPH) 0-1 Eleanor Rigby (MIR)
Cassandra Covert (CPH) ½-½ Tina Mathieson (KAT)
Lando Powers (VON) 1-0 Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ)

Conor Murphy (BMH) 0-1 Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ)
Tina Mathieson (KAT) 1-0 Lando Powers (VON)
Eleanor Rigby (MIR) ½-½ Cassandra Covert (CPH)
Johnny B. Goode (MIR) 1-0 Philomena Keil (CPH)

Standings:

P                                                    Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Johnny B. Goode (MIR)                                4    3   1   0    3.5
2 Tina Mathieson (KAT)                                 4    2   2   0    3
3 Cassandra Covert (CPH)                               4    1   3   0    2.5
  Eleanor Rigby (MIR)                                  4    2   1   1    2.5
5 Lando Powers (VON)                                   4    2   0   2    2
6 Adriana Faith Kowalski Ela P Re. T. Lillian (VEZ)    4    1   1   2    1.5
7 Philomena Keil (CPH)                                 4    1   0   3    1
8 Conor Murphy (BMH)                                   4    0   0   4    0

Group F

Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ) ½-½ Jonathan Rowe (USD)
Charli Esteron-Relanca (VON) 1-0 Ruby Tuesday (MIR)
Ziggy Stardust (MIR) 0-1 Susanna Casey (LBG)
Jacenty Kaminski (NPU) ½-½ Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ)

Jonathan Rowe (USD) 0-1 Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ)
Susanna Casey (LBG) 1-0 Jacenty Kaminski (NPU)
Ruby Tuesday (MIR) ½-½ Ziggy Stardust (MIR)
Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ) ½-½ Charli Esteron-Relanca (VON)

Standings:

P                                                Pld    W   D   L    Pts 
1 Susanna Casey (LBG)                              4    4   0   0    4
2 Ruby Tuesday (MIR)                               4    2   1   1    2.5
  Ziggy Stardust (MIR)                             4    2   1   1    2.5
4 Charli Esteron-Relanca (VON)                     4    1   2   1    2
  Eveline Valeria Annalise Tieu Xuan Ngoc (VEZ)    4    1   2   1    2
6 Jacenty Kaminski (NPU)                           4    1   1   2    1.5
7 Charlene Jeannie Nat Myong Suh-Hyung (VEZ)       4    0   2   2    1
8 Jonathan Rowe (USD)                              4    0   1   3    0.5

Group G

Maggie Golden (LBG) 1-0 Shavkat Muradov (BKH)
Djuruvana Makoani (SAF) 0-1 Stephanie Jacobson (ESL)
Daniel Gallagher (BMH) 0-1 Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT)
Stephanie Jacobson (ESL) ½-½ Daniel Gallagher (BMH)
Shavkat Muradov (BKH) ½-½ Djuruvana Makoani (SAF)
Julia Willis (KYP) 1-0 Maggie Golden (LBG)
Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT) 0-1 Julia Willis (KYP)

Standings:

P                                  Pld    W   D   L   Pts 
1 Julia Willis (KYP)                 4    4   0   0    4
2 Chirpsijibbers Clambanger (PDT)    4    1   2   1    2
  Daniel Gallagher (BMH)             4    1   2   1    2
  Maggie Golden (LBG)                4    1   2   1    2
  Stephanie Jacobson (ESL)           4    1   2   1    2
6 Djuruvana Makoani (SAF)            4    0   3   1    1.5
7 Shavkat Muradov (BKH)              4    0   1   3    0.5

by **Paradystopia** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 3:54 am

OOC: How I apparently read the OP

South Newlandia wrote:
Schedule:
The cut-offs for every scorination will be occurring on Sundays and absolutely no other days that aren't Sundays whatsoever, ...

Whoops ...

"This sure is hot work, I think we're going to have to take off our shirts ..."

Miri was about offer some form of protestation at the random gaggle of selected buff Paradystopi TV stars, rugby players and firefighters who had stopped her driving between two indistinct locations and insisted on washing her car. Instead, with a coquettish giggle, she had decided to just let them do their thing and merely enjoy the pleasant sight. A young, blonde fireman approached her.

"Excuse me, madam, but I couldn't help but notice that ..."
"Yes? ..."
"... I couldn't help but notice that kwwrrawwkk."
"... Sorry? What? ... "
"... I couldn't help but kwwwrrraaawwwwwkkk."

In an instant the visage evaporated and she was back in bed at the hotel in South Newlandia, Chirpsi snoring lightly in the adjacent twin bed, and the unmistakable sound of a penguin at the door frantically demanding entrance.

Blinking at the alarm-clock radio, she squinted at the figures of 09:04. Throwing a sheet around her shoulders, she shuffled to the door. She had barely unlocked it when an apparently flustered Jim burst in like a cacophonous tornado. Miri began to feel the beginnings of a headache sparking somewhere in her frontal lobe.

"What the fuck, Jim?"
"Kwrawk! Kwrawk! Kwwarwwk!"
"Jim! ... For fuck's sake ..."

The noise and commotion caused consciousness to be very suddenly thrust upon Chirpsi. Been blessed with the Pteron gift of being able to understand penguin, she proffered a response to the seemingly distressed bird.

"But Jim, the matches start in the afternoon. They always start in the afternoon. What do you mean, 'we need to go?'"

With a few dismissive clacks of his beak, Jim waddled towards the table in the room. With little care for the surroundings, he pushed a stack of books on chess theory and an almost completely finished bottle of red wine on to the floor. It was apparent that he was looking for something. Finding the relevant sheet of paper and grasping it up in his beak, he thrust it at Miri.

"'FAO 2nd South Newlandian Classical Chess Cup competitors'? Yeah, I read it already ... What is this about, Jim?"
"Kwark!"

Miri looked to Chirpsi for clarification, who indicated that Miri was being asked to re-read it.

"Hurghh ... Fuck's sake, Jim ... Blah blah blah, welcome to Newport, blah blah, pleasant stay, best of luck, blah blah, matches to begin at 9am prompt ... Wait, what the fuck?! What time is it now?! ... Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit ..."
"Kwwak!"
"I don't know what you said, but regardless it's not helping, Jim ... look, you get down there, and let them know we're on our way ..."

Multiversal Chess Championships – Season 2 Everything Thread

Multiversal Chess Championships – Season 2 Everything Thread

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