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Elephant Chess Cup X Everything Thread

A battle ground for the sportsmen and women of nations worldwide. [In character]
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Eshialand
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Founded: Apr 03, 2017
Anarchy

Elephant Chess Cup X Everything Thread

Postby Eshialand » Fri Oct 04, 2024 7:30 am

Elephant Chess Cup X
Eshialand City, Eshialand


Welcome one, welcome all to the new Waterview Hotel in downtown Eshialand City for the milestone 10th edition of the Elephant Chess Cup!

24 prospective chess champions have signed up for the tournament, bringing 96 of their best players for the multiverse's premier chess tournament... and now, it's time to see who will be promoted to the title of the multiverse's chess champions!

Our format will be as follows (and as outlined in my host bid): the teams will be split into 4 groups of 6. The top 3 in each group will move on to the knockout stage, with first place going to the quarterfinals, and second and third going to the Round of 12.

Tiebreakers for the group stage will be as follows:
  • Group position (only for determining knockout seeding)
  • Points (2 for winning your match, 1 for drawing)
  • Board points (1 for each player who wins, 0.5 for each player who draws)
  • H2H record
  • IC coinflip (OOC: I will scorinate a tiebreaker game)
  • OOC coinflip

The group stage will be single round robin, with knockouts being double-legged with aggregate score determining the winner (if the teams tie 4-4, there will be a blitz playoff, and if that is tied, the higher seed advances.) All matches will be played in the 15+5 time control (15 minutes per player, with 5 seconds of bonus time for every move played), except blitz tiebreakers which will use 3+2 (3 minutes a side, 2 seconds bonus time per move). One match will be scorinated per cutoff in the group stage, but both legs of each knockout matchup will be on the same cutoff.

Although this tournament does not use ranks, in order to avoid an ECC VIII situation where most of the scary teams are concentrated in one or two groups, all participating former champions (The Kytler Peninsulae and TJUN-ia) and runners-up (Eshialand and South Newlandia) will be seeded into a Pot 1 of sorts, where no two of them can be in the same group. The rest of this tournament will be unseeded.

If you are one of the following 24 nations, you may begin to post rosters and roleplays now!

South Newlandia
Eshialand
Yesopalitha
Tero al Disco
Barkhastan
Crpostran
Valentine Z
The Kaisers Syndicates
The 14 Stars
TJUN-ia
Vonum
The Kytler Peninsulae
Vaishnavaria
Elejamie
The Martian Independent Republic
Schachland
Sky Reavers
Busoga Islands
Nightralia
Farfadillis
Natkr
Natanians and Nosts
Katzeburg
New South Yukon (puppet of the MIR)


Groups

Group A
Valentine Z
The 14 Stars
Katzeburg
The Kytler Peninsulae
Farfadillis
Elejamie

Group B
Sky Reavers
The Kaisers Syndicates
Natkr
TJUN-ia
Vonum
Crpostran

Group C
Busoga Islands
Nightralia
Barkhastan
Eshialand
Tero al Disco
Schachland

Group D
New South Yukon
South Newlandia
Yesopalitha
Vaishnavaria
The Martian Independent Republic
Natanians and Nosts

AI policy: it has come to my attention that a clarification to the AI policy is in order. There are really only a couple use cases for AI on this forum in my view: one of them is image generation. Not all of us are good with graphic design, so using AI to generate images is fine, as long as you state that they were generated by AI. As for the text of your RP, translating an RP from your native language into English with DeepL is fine (although please include the original version in a spoiler tag!) and using AI to brainstorm ideas is also okay. As for AI grammar checking, I don't mind it as long as the text itself was written by you, the human, although bear in mind I really don't mind if your grammar isn't perfect and may be more likely to view an RP without perfect grammar as being "better" than one that was AI-aided. Of course, all uses of AI need to be stated explicitly, or your scorination rank will be reset to zero! Fully AI-generated text, beyond the scope that I've outlined, is also not allowed.

Schedule: (all IC times in EshST [Eshian Standard Time]. All OOC times are 19:00-21:00 EDT [23:00-1:00 the next day UTC])
RoundIC TimeOOC Date
Matchday 1 (1v6, 2v5, 3v4)Thursday, March 6th, 2031, 18:00Friday, October 11th
Matchday 2 (6v4, 5v3, 1v2)Friday, March 7th, 2031, 11:00Monday, October 14th
Matchday 3 (2v6, 3v1, 4v5)Friday, March 7th, 2031, 13:00Wednesday, October 16th
Matchday 4 (6v5, 1v4, 2v3)Friday, March 7th, 2031, 16:00Friday, October 18th
Matchday 5 (3v6, 4v2, 5v1)Friday, March 7th, 2031, 18:00Monday, October 21st
Round of 12Saturday, March 8th, 2031, 11:00 and 13:00Wednesday, October 23rd
QuarterfinalsSaturday, March 8th, 2031, 16:00 and 18:00Friday, October 25th
SemifinalsSunday, March 9th, 2031, 11:00 and 13:00Monday, October 28th
Finals, 3PPOSunday, March 9th, 2031, 16:00 and 18:00Wednesday, October 30th

In each matchup, the first listed team has black on boards 1 and 3, and white on boards 2 and 4.
Last edited by Eshialand on Wed Oct 16, 2024 6:11 pm, edited 9 times in total.
Anything I say is IC unless proven otherwise by a court of law.

(he/him/any/all)

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Eshialand
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Founded: Apr 03, 2017
Anarchy

Postby Eshialand » Fri Oct 04, 2024 7:31 am

Hosting Information
Eshialand City has opened a brand new hotel, the Waterview, right near the beach, and it's opening just in time for the ECC! The nation's capital has long been the home base for everything sports in Eshialand, hosting all but a few of the nation's WCQ home matches as well as all of the matches for the WBC, and now, it's ready to welcome participants from all nations for its first major international competition!

Eshialand City used to be a car-choked city in the days before Eshian unification, but recent efforts have improved local transit to the point where cars are absolutely no longer necessary. Getting from Penrose airport to the heart of downtown is a single 30 minute high-speed subway, and once you're there, you're just steps from anything you'd ever need in town. Feel free to shoot me a DM or a TG to ask about other amenities you'd wish to RP about (seriously, unprompted worldbuilding is not my strong suit >w>).

As for the hotel itself, it's a new state-operated venture, contrary to the capitalistic enterprises of the earlier years. With over 400 rooms and a spacious ballroom designed for hosting events much like the ECC, it's more than ready for an event of this caliber. The Eshian Tourism Board, who are running the hotel at this time, have gone to great lengths to ensure that some of the best chefs in the country will be on-call for the event, as well as triple-checking to ensure that no bedbugs get into the facility this time around.

With Internet now being restored to the whole of Eshialand following last year's major scare, all matches will be available online to spectate at Zwischenzug.esh, the nation's largest chess website, who will be sponsoring the event alongside the Tourism Board. Although there was a fair amount of skepticism surrounding having a corporate sponsor in the hotel that was supposed to usher in a new era of democratic socialism, most of it died down when they reassured everyone that they had nothing to gain from this event other than advertising chess itself to millions.



Friendly reminder, if you need any more information about Eshialand or the venue not included here, don't hesitate to DM or TG me!
Last edited by Eshialand on Fri Oct 11, 2024 4:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
Anything I say is IC unless proven otherwise by a court of law.

(he/him/any/all)

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Valentine Z
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Posts: 14142
Founded: Nov 08, 2015
Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

Postby Valentine Z » Fri Oct 04, 2024 1:55 pm

The Valentians enter the Chess Arena.

For the first time ever, the Valentians have gotten themselves into the first ever international (and interdimensional) chess cup. Just like the other teams, the Valentians are to bring in 4 persons into the fray, and here they are.

Vice Foresittend Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Moira “Неуловимая, Женщина-шпион” Marlene Wendy Lucille Lapis Jill Khorosheva Vin. Zolina łnt. Natasha Vasilisa Helen Ceeta Tescelyn Maximovna. The leading personnel of the four. Jolyn Maxine Moira Wendy Helen Ceeta Tescelyn Maximovna, along with many other names, is a Valentian that is currently serving as the Vice Foresittend (Vice President) of autonomous region that is Victoriaans Nederlands, together with Marcus Alan Ariel Chua Shi Hui who is the Foresittend. Known for her intelligence, prudence, and all-around curiousness, Jolyn has a varying amount of knowledge – from broad but well-informed, to extremely in-depth and extended, in most fields and topics that is found in Valentine Z and even in other worlds. From her starting career as a teacher in a local school, to a budding and very eventful career as a spy and a field agent, and then back to the education system as the Head of the Valentian Ministry of Education, Jolyn’s story is one of action and thrills, along with heartwarming moments as she worked together with her fellow coworkers for the students and children of Valentine Z. Jolyn is also able to speak in a multitude of languages – attitude that started off early in the Pre-Valentian Era as part of her espionage career, but then saw further usage and appreciation in Valentine Z.

Zastępca Strażnika Adriana Krystal Desiree “Cudowny Manipulacja Światłem” Venus Kowalski Faith Stanisława Engelse I. Cherise Krystyna Zaborowska Sztormowska Pamela Alina Re. T. Lillian is the one and only AI / robot that the Valentians are bringing in, provided that the rules allow such a thing. It’s not so much that the Valentians are toeing on the line, and they will indeed look for another player if Adriana is not allowed. Hopefully they might allow her into the fray, since it’s not unheard of for computers to play against humans. Case in point, Adriana will be here for the matches if allowed, and that she’ll be playing fairly just like the rest. Adriana the Polish Robot – she has done Grand Prix, along with NSSCRA, and she is back for more this time in chess. Adriana is filled with every single possible set of chess data, giving her the edge that she will need for the season ahead, but still playing very fair.

Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc is a familiar name to many in World Cup (and by extension, Cup of Harmony). Hailing from the land of Vietnam in Valentine Z, Eveline (no relation to Eveline Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton, who has recently rearranged her name) is good with defensives, especially considering being in a team that is all about the offensives. Other than football, Eveline takes a bit of fun in checkers, playing it often times with other players in Valentian Kittens. Then by extension, she got into chess for a good amount of time, and so much so that she was able to become one of the Top 1000 players of Valentine Z. Had she not pursue the goals of football further, she would have furthered in chess, she pondered. Still, Eveline definitely doesn’t mind being in football, and she only does chess for a bit of fun. She is ready to represent Valentine Z once again on the international-dimensional arena.

Head Diplomat Charlene Jeannie Natalia Adeline Marceline “완벽한 협상가” Celestie Christine Irelle Dv. Arianna Rees Edith Novena Annie Ciara Whitney Esther Iris Bethany Myong Suh-Hyung is a name that might be familiar to many people. In particular, she has been in CE as part of a guest nation deal for karting. As per her (needs to be updated) entry: She’s a journalist without borders. If there is something that needs a dire need of attention and to be reported, Head Diplomat Charlene is the go-to person for such a thing. She is simply unfazed by the danger all around her, preferring to take account of the events and happenings in great detail using her assortment of cameras and video camcorders. Unlike most reporters, however, Charlene usually works alone, preferring to do the filming all by herself, while adding the necessary annotations later on the fly with whatever devices she has at the moment. While Charlene is also into chess, she does not play as much on the national level and tournaments, preferring to film and photograph the events instead. Still, she got the skills, mostly dealing in some pretty decent openings.

(OOC: References for characters are in their respective links - except for one poor Eveline.)

EDIT (2024-10-16): You are more than free to write the moves of my characters, no questions asked. ♥ IF I RP'ed first, I will choose who won and who lost, but you are also free to godmod that. If you did, however, please do let me know (before or after is fine, no need to wait for me).
Last edited by Valentine Z on Wed Oct 16, 2024 8:08 am, edited 3 times in total.
If you are reading my sig, I want you to have the best day ever ! You are worth it, do not let anyone get you down !
Glory to De Geweldige Sierlijke Katachtige Utopia en Zijne Autonome Machten ov Valentine Z !
(✿◠‿◠) ☆ \(^_^)/ ☆

Issues Thread Photography Stuff Project: Save F7. Stats Analysis

The Sixty! Valentian Stories! Gwen's Adventures!

• Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
• World Map is a cat playing with Australia.

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New South Yukon
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Founded: Apr 15, 2021
Iron Fist Consumerists

Postby New South Yukon » Sat Oct 05, 2024 7:38 pm

New South Yukon Roster for ECCX
"Sanity? We don't have that here."

Board 1: Richard Astley
Favorite opening: Bongcloud
He has gotten to board one through sheer stupidity, causing his opponents to greatly underestimate him until he suddenly sacrifices everything for a brilliant attack.
Board 2: Itchard Rastley
Favorite opening: Wrongcloud (1. f3 2. Kf2)
Somehow transformed into a small blue kobold, Itchard has learned to play chess solely from social media, and thus does not know any strategy whatsoever, only memes. That's still somehow good enough for board 2.
Board 3: Rachard Istley
Favorite opening: d-Ongcloud (1. d3 2. Kd2)
Istley is a robot, and has had programmed into his mind that every game, he will play according to one of 30 algorithms from Jim8's RossiWorld*, which include Stockphant, but also 'sacrifice as many pieces as possible', and 'put all of your pieces on white squares'.
Board 4: Irchard Satley
Favorite opening: random.choice(legalmoves)
Irchard only knows how to move the pieces. He just picks at random from the list of legal moves.

Perms: All yes, godmodding appreciated

*Tom7's Elo World, but Arpad Elo doesn't exist and neither does Tom7.

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South Newlandia
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Founded: Jan 18, 2020
Left-wing Utopia

Postby South Newlandia » Sun Oct 06, 2024 4:56 pm

Elephant Chess Cup 10 – South Newlandian roster

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. In particular, Elephant Chess Cup 9 was a gigantic dud, with the South Newlandian team finishing with one of the worst records in the tournament, and their worst ever.
Despite the general trend, this South Newlandian team still hopes to be competitive, which they’ve usually been outside of the Ivory Crown Hotel. This will be the first time the tournament takes place in Esportiva, but not South Newlandia, with the tournament taking place in downtown Eshialand City. I suppose this will reveal if the Chess Elephants get performance anxiety everywhere in Esportiva or only in South Newlandia.

Board 1:
Adam Esteban, 29
Esteban has finally grown into his role as one of the best chess players in the country, and will take charge at the top board for the first time in his career. Once a talented prodigy, he has turned into a great attacker with both colours. He does find himself in time trouble occasionally, but can also blitz out strong moves when needed. You’ll likely see him employ fancy new openings; it’s always interesting to see what Esteban has been working on. Supposedly, he has worked on sidelines of the Sicilian.

Board 2:
Khanyisa van Lundi, 20
The Elephants have a new prodigy, with van Lundi playing her ECC after a string of strong performances first at youth tournaments, and later even taking a shocking victory in the South Newlandian Rapid Championship; the youngest player to ever accomplish that, narrowly beating out her teammate Esteban. She likes to play quite fast and will typically have an advantage on the clock, and despite that, she’s able to make highly accurate moves very quickly. She also has an opening repertoire more broad than most South Newlandian chess players, making her tough to play against; she will pick her battles carefully.

Board 3:
Elani Jabulan, 27
Jabulan has impressed at various youth tournaments throughout South Newlandia. Having grown up in Stuska in Southern South Newlandia, her talent was quickly evident, with a remarkable instinct and ability to calculate quickly, making time pressure no real issue for her. For openings, she frequently finds herself playing most of the major viable variations, making it very difficult to predict what she’s about to play. She will frequently look into her opponents opening database to try and choose something that’ll give her good chances, and is generally a pioneer of deep computer analysis in South Newlandian chess. If there’s a weakness to her game, it is occasionally missing relatively simple (for her level) tactical ideas, but maybe, that’ll come with experience. She performed poorly at the last tournament, but should hopefully bounce back from that experience.

Board 4:
Cecilia Blossom, 38
Blossom did eventually become the player everyone knew she could become as she became older. She’s a fan favourite in South Newlandia, as well as a regular tournament winner on Elephant Island; the international title still eludes her. This is likely going to be her final chance. She is easily able to keep calm under pressure, and likes to create chaos on the board, especially when up on the clock. She is getting older now, and has ceded the top board to Esteban, but she remains a real threat. Her opening repertoire includes the Italian with both colours; however, Blossom is also known to create chaos early by playing interesting side-lines.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes (but feel free to contact me)
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: Yes (funny ones only)
Trigramme: SNL | Nickname: Elephants | Proud member of Esportiva
World Baseball Classic 54, 55 & 59 Champions

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Vonum
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Founded: Oct 07, 2021
Democratic Socialists

Postby Vonum » Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:31 pm

Vonian Line-Up:

Board Number One and Team Captain: Lando POWERS

Lando Powers will take to the stage as Vonian Number One for the first time, with an est. ELO of 2552. Aged just 19, Lando has very quickly risen to the top of Chess and is hoping to bring home some silverware this time. His family are here to cheer him on this time, knowing he can make an impact on and off the board to this game. He is careful, coordinated and aware. Surely he is Vonum's powerhouse?

Board Number Two: Francis ALLESTEA

Francis Allestea, Vonum's Number 3, is a 17-year-old prospect in chess. Born in Maddeloffu, she has always aspired to be a Chess Player. Her enthusiam, even after a loss, is always electric. She is very compassionate and charismatic to all. Her estimated ELO is 2510. This will be her first ever tournament with Vonum.

Board Number Three: Lika BEROSA

30-year-old Lika Berosa will play her 3rd consecutive tournament, despite never fully attending the first one due to a broken wrist. She is Vonian Number 4, with an estimated ELO of 2497. She is feisty, energetic and determined, though she has a temper when she loses.

Board Number Four: Nolan PALOA

44-year-old Nolan Paloa is a former Vonian World Champion, now ranking no.6, before taking a break. He returns, participating with the Vonian National Team. He is aggressive, on and off the board, and often makes statements to throw off his opponents. With an estimated ELO of 2489, can he make any sort of impact on the performance this year?

Reserve Player: Charli ESTERSON-RELANCA

Charli Esterson-Relanca, aged only 15, is Vonum's Junior Vonian Chess Champion and Vonian ranking no. 10. She is the highest ever ranked Vonian Under-18, with an ELO of 2365. She is here to gain experience in International Tournaments. She is normally calm and focused, though she has a silly side too.

A Word From Vonum to ECCX

I'd like to wish you all the best of luck in your campaigns here! I hope you will all succeed, and may the best team win! I have a spectacular present for you all! A king piece, to add to your other King Pieces from us! Take good care!
Last edited by Vonum on Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
>>>>>>
Connor Hazell and Alli Black to represent VESP at the World Proletarian Conference.
2 Dutch Tourists found dead after, as Police believe, "supporting Max Verstappen".
House Pricing set to drop this winter, says Verona.
<<<<<<
Maddeloffu: 23ºC, Rain
Xertæ: 21ºC, Rain
Exeta: 26ºC, Rain
Miami: 28ºC, Rain
Lijkyao: 24ºC, Rain
Craonyao: 20ºC, Rain
Onacita: 21ºC, Rain

National Information: Heavy rain around Vonum, set to stay for a while.

6-time NV Winner

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Sky Reavers
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Posts: 1529
Founded: Nov 18, 2020
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Sky Reavers » Mon Oct 07, 2024 5:41 am

Once again, four brave Sky Reavers take up their chess boards and prepare to jump into the fray, full of trecherous combinations, where every wrong more can seal one's doom and fail the tournament.

Board 1:
John "Four Fingers" Escobar, 43

John is not only a formidable commander, who gained his rank of Warlord after winning a particulary hard battle while being severely outnumbered, but also one of the best chess players among the high ranking military officers of Sky Reavers. His chess playstyle is shaped after Sky Reaver military doctrine, that relies of shock and awe and relentless lightning attacks. It involves decisive openings, where the goal is to make way for as many pieces as possible after initial offesnive, with which he would try to "tie up" opponent's moves. Maybe even going for early checks.

Board 2:
Liam Graham, 28.

A pest exterminator and a famous traveller and adventurer with many talents, who seeks to engage in some new activity to fight boredom. After hearing about the assembly of chess team, he couldn't resist the temptation to join it after qualifying once again. Just as willing to learn new skills, as he is willing to travel, he thinks of all this as a cheerful adventure. His playstyle is rather messy, wildcard and yet effective. It focuses more on offense, rather than defense and emphases on speed with aggressive debuts.

Board 3:
Yevgeny Babayev.

During breaks on a Syndicalist factory, Babayev used to play chess with other workers, using a set made of bolts and nuts. Steady winning streak lead to a creation of a contest "Babayevsky Kubok", where anyone, who manages to win a game with him, gets a crate of beers. Siffice to say, only five people ever got that present. Now, he decided to move from playing with colleagues to the Chess Cup. His playing style appears to be a bit "mechanical" with moves having various patterns and his viewing his pieces as parts of a mechanism with a system.


Board 4:
John Jackson - 67.

John Jackson is a Revolution veteran and owner of "Grey Cow" Saloon, which he gained by winning it in a chess game with it's previous owner. While these claims are sometimes dismissed as a myth, it's true, that he is an expert chess player, who managed to win a large collection of valuable items, his opponents bet during the friendly games of chess with him, including an ornate revolver that became his new favorite gun. His desire for calm life has reflected in his playstyle, making it calm, relaxed and focused on defense rather than offsense.
Last edited by Sky Reavers on Wed Oct 09, 2024 6:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sky Reavers - A rogue superpower, that rides freely and fights against opressors, slavers, drug cartels, terrorists, evil corporations and gangs. Made of bunch of crazy, wild everpartying semi-anarchists, who are resistant to cold, heat and diseases, can can proccess booze like hell. MT/PMT tech. Wanna know more or have a request? It's here: https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=505973

Remember, the fact, that we are semi-anarchy doesn't mean, that ya' can go around and rob random people. We still got law and order, loose as they are.

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Nightralia
Bureaucrat
 
Posts: 61
Founded: May 30, 2023
Left-wing Utopia

Postby Nightralia » Wed Oct 09, 2024 1:22 am

"The Realm of the Night Finally Steps Into the Spotlight"



Four players in Nightralia, each from diverse backgrounds, prepare to take on what might be the biggest challenge of their chess career yet: The Elephant Cup, where all of them will be tested to limits they have previously never faced. This team has been assembled by Raatrani Czoùhan, composed of fresh talent, and one member of each major Nightralian culture, in an attempt to mend the country which had been torn apart by the Ice War between the Sami North and the Sanskrit South, which nearly destroyed the unity and peace which had kept the country together following the eruption.


As a way to reach out to other countries and avoid diplomatic isolation, bordering on hostility which had been faced by Nightralia during the years of the war, the government is sponsoring sports diplomacy, a way to show the world and the people of Nightralia that unity is what's best for the country, and an avenue for the people to express themselves. The team doesn't expect to win first time around, but what it does expect; is to put up the damn best fight it can.



Board 1: Raatrani Czoùhan , age: 72 years
"The Shadow Envoy"

At 72 years, Raatrani Czoùhan doesn't seem like the sort of person to participate in a chess tournament of this scale. Yet, despite her age, she's the youngest of the Elder Nightwalkers; unlike the rest whose life was shaped by the Onyx Eruption that created Nightralia, hers was defined by the war which nearly destroyed it.
Nightralia's High Ambassador to the World Assembly, and the famed diplomat who orchestrated the peace treaty that ended the Ice War. Raatrani is not just a diplomat by profession but one by soul; she's always preferred tact and finesse over headlong rushes.

Known for her calm, composed demeanor at the board and off it, she is often seen employing the King's Indian Defense, a strategy that reflects her love for subtle maneuvers, gradually building up the pressure on the opponent's kingsidebefore launching a fierce counterattack. Off the board, she carries the weight of her nation's hopes and dreams; being the first-ever grandmaster from Nightralia, she's come to represent both chess and diplomacy in the country. As a result, she's the highest-rated among the team, but hasn't played professionally for 32 years, having quit her budding career to focus on the nation.

If there's one weakness she has; it's reticence: her tendency to spin a web around the opponent sometimes causes her to miss out on more immediate opportunities. While formulating an elaborate combination to pierce her opponent's defence, she might accidentally give up a loose pawn due to her laser focus. Despite that, she is by far the most experienced of the team, and any hopes of a Nightralian playoffs qualification shall rest largely upon her performance on Board 1.




Board 2: Yuvraj Kumar, age: 17 years
"Voyager"

Yuvraj Kumar, known as “The Voyager” to a growing legion of adoring fans, isn’t your typical chess player. Coming from a long line of Sanskrit merchants and seafarers, you'd expect him to have inherited the family tradition of navigating the oceans, but his first love wasn’t the waves—it was the ancient game of Chaturanga, over 3 millennia old. He was introduced to the game by his family when he was three and quickly developed a fascination for its complexity. By the age of eight, he was already one of the top ten Chaturanga players in Nightralia, an almost unheard-of achievement for someone so young. It seemed as if a new prodigy was set to take Nightralia by storm.

But as he grew older, Yuvraj’s parents realized that Chaturanga had its limits. It was a niche game, popular only in Nightralia and some of the neighboring sea empires. If Yuvraj was ever going to make a name for himself on the global stage, he would have to switch to the international game: chess. The transition wasn’t easy. For the first couple of years, he was frequently penalized for using Chaturanga rules that didn’t apply to chess, and his muscle memory worked against him as often as it favoured him. But his unique background also gave him an edge. He brought with him a completely different way of thinking about the game, which often took opponents by surprise; set in their ways, having been used to a particular sort of game, facing someone who felt like he played another game entirely was nothing short of herculean.

Yuvraj’s playstyle is nothing short of flamboyant. He’s known for pulling off seemingly reckless combinations that no one understands until it’s too late. His games often look like they’re spiraling out of control, only for him to suddenly turn the tables and completely decimate his opponent. This makes him one of the most exciting players to watch, and also one of the most unpredictable. His favorite opening is the English Defense, which gives him the flexibility to build the game into the type of complex, chaotic battlefield he thrives in. When playing black, he often opts for the Sicilian, a sharp and aggressive response that fits perfectly with his daring style.

However, Yuvraj’s tendency to get lost in his own head can sometimes work against him. He’s easily distracted, and his focus can waver, leading to careless mistakes at critical moments. He once lost the Nightralia Cup final against a much lower-rated opponent when he accidentally fell prey to a Fried Liver Attack, costing him his rook and subsequently the game. This, combined with his aversion to modern computer-assisted preparation, has cost him games against more disciplined and resourceful opponents. While his unconventional strategies have won him many memorable victories, they’ve also led to some frustrating losses.

Despite his flaws, Yuvraj is always a wildcard in any tournament he enters. Currently holding board 2 for Nightralia, "The Voyager" is the dark horse who can shift the momentum of the tournament in an instant. His career so far has been marked by dramatic ups and downs, but there's no question about his talent or his potential. When he’s at his best, Yuvraj Kumar is a force to be reckoned with, as unpredictable and resilient as the stormy sea he grew up in.

Board 3: Freya Laitala, age: 19 years
"The Tempest"

Freya had never thought that one day she would find herself rubbing shoulders with the world's best. And that too, in the foreign game of chess. Just ten years ago, she'd been contently minding her business, herding reindeer, and the only major events in life were the seasonal snowdrifts and the auroras that marked the winter. At the age of twelve, a world away from the bustling cities and frenetic energy of competitive chess, Freya had found solace in the serene rhythms of her Sami homeland. Each day began with the crisp bite of frost in the air and the gentle sound of reindeer hooves crunching through the snow, a lullaby that resonated deep within her soul.

She didn't think anything would change in the future. She had ambitions. She wanted to be like people she heard in the news and so on and so forth. But she knew that it was not to be. That her only destiny was to herd reindeer and eke a living out of the hard tundra. Until suddenly, it wasn't. Freya didn't know about the civil unrest in Skaidirolf and the uprising against Nightralia. But what she did know was that the countryside was her home. The Sami were her people and the snow was her shelter.

And when the foreign tribes, the desperate Ugrians attacked her village, and the cowardly Southern army stood silent in the name of peace, she had no choice but to flee with her family, away from everything she'd ever known and everything she'd held dear. A year later, her life was shattered. Her family was gone. A girl who once strolled in the meadows and threw snowballs, now huddled in a refugee camp at Evernox, wondering when the rations would run out. Life didn't seem worth living without a future. And there were so many times when she thought of ending it all. One winter night, she climbed to the tallest building she had access to, stood on the ledge, looked across the landscape of the once proud city, and prepared to jump.

But just before she took the leap, her hand caught on something. She'd never seen chess figures before in real life, but she'd heard about them. And this one looked oddly like a horse. She knew that this was a game that the southern people who had caused the war played. And she also knew that this might be her ticket, her last hope, at rebuilding her life. From that point onwards, nothing could stop her. You can't break a single-minded force whose ambition is also the only thing keeping it alive.

And she rose quickly, swiftly, like the meteors she used to see as a child, through the ranks of Skaidirolf's chess, and then to the top of Nightralian chess. She caught the attention of by the experienced Raatrani, who was crafting a team, a team for the ages, that would make Nightralia a formidable force to compete with, and show the enemies that the nation stood united; Sami and Sanskrit alike.
And when Freya took the entire chess community by storm, becoming the first-ever unrated player to win a national-level championship, that's when Nightralia really stood up and took notice.

Freya still isn't the ideal chess player. She's rough around the edges. In high-stakes games, she sometimes hesitates, overthinking her strategy, reminiscent of the times she stood frozen in fear when the world around her spun into turmoil, when nothing was secure. She doesn't know much theory. But what she does know is that if you punch her in the face, she will get back up. If you kick her down, no matter how hard, she will stand up. No matter how hard, she will stand up and look you in the eye. Nothing can stop the ferocity of the blizzard which has waited six months for winter to come. And nothing can stop the glaciers which have been drifting for centuries, the tempest that refuses to be quelled. And the stormy night and the joyless blight, it seems, are no match for Freya Laitala.


Board 4: Nishastra Ilmari-, age 247 years
"Nightwing"

Forged in the shadows, born of the night, he was older than time itself, yet younger than the sunrise. Nishastra, the Shadowphoenix, had always known that his future would be anything other than the ordinary. When he was a kid, his life had been turned upside down by the eruption. No longer did he have to hide beneath the shadows of the mighty mountains and sneak away as the rays of sunlight threatened to consume him. He could now wander freely wherever he wanted, untouched by the sun rays, forever basking in the night, the land of perpetual shadow.

However, freedom came with consequences. As the Sami nobles began to assert order in a chaotic world, they began to view shadowphoenixes not as the equivalent kin which they used to in the animistic past, but rather as a status symbol, an animal, a bird unworthy of respect.

And one day, in a shock raid upon his home nest, he was taken by surprise. Unable to put up resistance, the once mighty Shadowphoenix was taken as a pet and dragged to the Governor's house at Evernox. There, he became not only a mute spectator to his miserable life but also to the growing corruption of Nitralian society. He watched as the Governor took bribes from the local folk in exchange for taking their grievances to higher authorities. He witnessed the Governor reject petitions, quell revolts, and void elections simply because they didn’t fit his agenda.

Throughout all of this, his only escape was chess. It was the Governor's favorite game, and he spent hours playing it with friends and foes alike. Soon, Nishastra picked up the nuances of the game and began to understand it better, silently observing the moves. One day, when no one was at the house, he flew down to the Governor's side and began moving the pieces. Astounded by his skill, the Governor began to play matches with his pet—a silent testimony to the fact that the Shadow Phoenix was not just a mute animal but an equal, sentient being. But the Governor refused to acknowledge that fact. Every time Nishastra won, the Governor would take his anger out on the defenseless Shadow Phoenix and blame him for all his follies.

But Nishastra could sense the winds changing. Storm clouds gathered on the horizon. No longer would the Sami nobles be able to work in collusion with the Government and oppress the local society. The noble was called for war, and a contingent of soldiers was placed around his luxurious house to prevent the starving masses from seizing it. As the situation grew more desperate, Nishastra knew that if he did not take action, the opportunity might slip away, and the land of night would remain in the darkness of injustice for centuries to come.

As the leaders of the corrupt, collaborationist government—the ones who had wreaked havoc upon the ordinary citizens, the ones who had stood by while raiders and tribesmen ransacked villages for whatever they could take—, met at the governor's mansion, plotting how to suppress the imminent revolt, Nishastra knew that it was now or never. He burst into flames, bringing down not only the house but the entire edifice of magnificence, false grandeur, and lies upon which the government had been built.

When he awoke, devoid of memories and disconnected from his past physical strength, the first thing he remembered was chess. And as the new government of Skaidirolf continued to treat shadow phoenixes as beneath them, Nishastra began to make the case for equal treatment. Chess, the game he had learned in captivity, became the foundation of his new life, a symbol of equality, strategy, and quiet rebellion.

In the years that followed, the tides of reform began to churn slowly. The war that had drawn away the elites of Evernox had been lost, and with it, the false peace they had imposed. Yet even as the world around him transformed, Nishastra found himself still a prisoner, not of chains, but of perception. To the world, a shadow phoenix was still a creature of myth, something to be feared, caged, or commodified.

But chess—chess was his sanctuary. With every move, every quiet calculation, he forged a new identity, one that transcended feathers and flame. It was not just a game for him; it was an allegory for the battles fought in silence, for the unseen wars raging within every citizen of Nightralia. As his prowess on the board grew, so did his reputation. Whispers of the Shadow Phoenix with the mind of a grandmaster spread through Evernox and beyond, until they reached the ears of the Supreme Court of Nightralia. Nishastra, the once-captive, was now called to testify—not with words, but with action.

His presence before the court was not just about his own freedom, but the freedom of every shadow phoenix in the land. His kind had been written out of history, and now, their return to equality hinged on the decision of a few powerful souls.

The courtroom was packed with observers—skeptics, sympathizers, and those who had long profited from the subjugation of creatures like him. But Nishastra did not flinch. The first move was his. As he stood before the court, he could feel the weight of centuries pressing on his shoulders, but he also felt the fire within him, the indomitable spirit that had survived both war and capture. In this game, there was no room for failure.

It wasn’t enough to speak of his sentience, his intelligence, his right to walk alongside humans as equals. No, his very existence had become the ultimate checkmate, a living testimony to the resilience of those who refused to be silenced. And as the final ruling was passed, as the highest judges of Nightralia declared Shadow Phoenixes equal citizens under the law, the ground beneath Nishastra’s feet seemed to tremble with the weight of history.

For the first time in his long, tumultuous life, he stood as more than a creature born of shadows. He was not just a being forged in fire, but a citizen. And more than that, he was a chess player—a competitor whose mind had earned him a place among the greatest.

He joined the Nightralian chess team soon after, not as a novelty, not as a curiosity, but as an equal. He played the Sicilian Defense masterfully, blazing through opponent after opponent, ripping apart their defense. But his overzealousness frequently got the better of him. In the All-Nightralia qualifying tourney, he almost got eliminated due to his overzealousness, stretching out his pieces and leaving his king vulnerable to a back rank mate. But the future's open to him.
As he sits across from his opponents, the board before him is no longer just a battlefield of kings and pawns—it's the symbol of a world he had helped reshape, one where his people, and all people, could finally claim their rightful place.

OOC: DISCLAIMER: I have used AI, s
namely ChatGPT, only for coming up with the names of one player and the surname of another player. The characters, their stories, playstyles are all my creation and have not used AI in any manner or form. I have only used ChatGPT to correct my grammatical inconsistencies and to smoothen out the tone of my writing.

Also, yeah, I might have gone a bit overboard with the length of the stories, lol. But this is my first time participating in a major sports tournament. So, I hope this is alright.


My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes (but try and TG me if major)
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: Yes (if funny)
Last edited by Nightralia on Wed Oct 09, 2024 5:36 am, edited 3 times in total.
"Veils of twilight unfold to Echoes of Night"
-Celestial Lights
Advanced post-apocalyptic nation based primarily on Night, with a Sanskrit-Sami population and a perpetual light pollution-free night sky.

Former Border Commissar at Community.

Knight of the Legion of Honor at Carcassone

5th in Elephant Chess Cup X (technically)

User avatar
Barkhastan
Secretary
 
Posts: 30
Founded: Aug 16, 2024
Corporate Police State

Postby Barkhastan » Wed Oct 09, 2024 5:22 am

1. Aydar Rakhmonov (21)

Innovative and unorthodox, Aydar hails from a tiny rural hamlet where he learned chess at the table of his grandfather, an illiterate goat herder, yet the humble shepherd boy shot into national attention by becoming national champion as a teenager. He has since passed an unofficial ranking of 2700. Dabbles in hypermodernist approaches, and known for his relentless counterattacking. Hugely popular in Barkhastan, especially among young chess enthusiasts, and credited with being the first hero of the internet age of Barkhastani chess. Mixes irreverent and silly humour in his commentaries. A little callow.

Fun elephant fact: Aydar's chess streams have become very popular with young Barkhastanis (when the country's notoriously poor internet service works); last year he did a 24 hour chess marathon to raise money for a Libesian elephant sanctuary.

2. Shavkat Muradov (33)

Son of Murad Akhmetov, widely considered the greatest Barkhastani chess player of the Soviet era. Shavkat has always been more of a conformist than his father (who died in political exile) and does not quite play with the same flair, but he is still a solid all round positional player. He is very attacking but is also noted for his strong endgame play. Shavkat is also an expert player in the traditional Barkhastani board game of sarbazlar.

Fun elephant fact: Shavkat inherited an elk ivory carved alfil piece used in the medieval courts of Aryavarna from his father, who was gifted the piece during a diplomatic mission in the Soviet era. Shavkat donated the piece to the National Ethnology Museum in Jizkand.

3. Nurgul Zhaksybekova (26)

Already considered the greatest female Barkhastani chess player of all time, eclipsing the great Aigerim "Husband Stabber" Karimova. She played her first public game at age 6 and is the only person to have won the Barkhastani Women's Chess Championship three times in a row, although she has less experience playing against top level male players. Has a very well rounded game with natural attacking instincts tempered by good positional theory. Off the board she is interested in mathematics and logic puzzles. Has not stabbed her husband, yet, but otherwise is generally perceived to have surpassed Karimova's legacy.

Fun elephant fact: Nurgul collected her trophy for Barkhastani women's chess player of the year wearing a giant elephant costume, as a protest against rules requiring women to wear head coverings to the ceremony.

4. Leyla Kairatova (19)

Raised in a family of intellectuals in Terarkand, Leyla is a chess prodigy, whose rapid ascent has seen her reach the finals of the Barkhastani Women's Chess Championship as a teenager. She is not the most attacking player but is already developing a reputation for her exceptional defence and very deep understanding of endgame theory; she is extremely difficult to beat. Leyla is a talented, concert-level flautist and also enjoys long distance running, giving her a more rounded set of interests than some chess players. Her family's history of political dissent means she is habitually shadowed by political officers when at international tournaments, though she herself has thus far established little political profile other than speaking out in favour of women's education.

Fun elephant fact: Leyla's mascot is a small stuffed cotton elephant, Chatur, given to her by her father. When tournament regulations allow, Chatur sits beside the board watching Leyla play.

Reserve: Daler Nurmatov (23)

A highly attacking player with a reputation for unorthodox sacrifices. Barkhastani blitz chess champion, but also capable of patient long game play. Was the leading national challenger to Shavkat until Aydar's rapid ascent.

Fun elephant fact: Reserves are not permitted fun facts, which is a shame because there's something absolutely fascinating about Daler and elephants which would make an amazing addition to the trivia section.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Swap in Daler: Yes
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes
Godmod game events: No, unless it's funny
Godmod other events: No, unless it's funny
Last edited by Barkhastan on Wed Oct 09, 2024 5:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Elejamie
Senator
 
Posts: 3693
Founded: Jan 31, 2009
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Elejamie » Wed Oct 09, 2024 12:08 pm

Image


Only a few weeks ago, the Elejamian Chess Association has announced that it would be competing in its first ever Elephant Chess Cup. There has been a lot of interest in the competition ever since its first competition and the contest has aired on television but for a myriad of reasons, most notably being overshadowed by the Rugby Union World Cup, no team has been sent. However, with the national team boycotting all rugby competitions following the collapse of the NSRB and the drama surrounding it, the ECA has announced that it'd finally participate in the competition. While they aren't expecting a trophy in their inaugural go-around, they aren't even expecting a final four finish, they are hoping to avoid dead last in their group. Perhaps a finish that'd get them into the Round of 12, even if they end up being used to wipe the floor, but avoiding dead last is the main goal here. Fortunately they've managed to select four of the best and brightest chess minds in the nation, plus a little extra person just in case something goes wrong. Let's meet them, shall we.

  • TABLE ONE: Jonathan Troutman - The youngest of the Troutman Brothers as well as the only one still playing chess at the moment thanks to Philip's retirement in 2019 and Adam's death in June 2024 due to colorectal cancer. While he has often been overshadowed by his older brothers, to the point where he was the only one who didn't come away with a gold in the Multiverse Games ten years ago (instead he fell in the Round of 16 to Fareed Khan of Patistan), he has concentrated on perfecting his craft and making sure that he has what it takes to be #1, or at the very least be in contention for it. With an Elo rating of 1875 (and an ELO rating of 1; the only Electric Light Orchestra thing he owns is a CD of Out of the Blue), he's essentially a sort-of captain for the Elejamian chess team. On the board the 45-year-old plays a more methodical game and tends to concentrate more on the endgame, where he really shines.
  • TABLE TWO: Elizabeth Miller - Another Multiverse Games contestant, except she had participated in the chess boxing (where she won her play-in game but also lost in the quarter-finals). She was indeed a former professional boxer but a series of bad losses in her last few matches combined with the growing decline of the sport ultimately meant that she hung up her gloves at the age of 29 and decided to concentrate more on the chess side of things. Having won a few blitz chess tournaments these past few years, this 34-year-old tends to play a rather quick game. On the one hand this means more blunders and rather unconventional approaches, on the other it'd mean the possibility of opponents being thrown for a loop or unable to handle her more speedy approach to games.
  • TABLE THREE: Valentina García Latorre - The youngest of the bunch and the only one born in the 21st century, this 23-year-old is a bit of an up-and-comer despite only taking up chess four years ago. Having won two amateur national championships already and looking to make her way into professional chess, VGL might be a player whose name might be on everyone's lips in the tournament. Combined with her more tactical approach to games and she might just be one of the key pieces the team needs to make it out of the group stage on their first go around. Might, given her relative inexperience in comparison to everyone else on the team there's always the possibility of it blowing up in everyone's faces.
  • TABLE FOUR: Vili Caenirol - Caerinol was quite a big player during the 00s and early 10s but he retired in 2015 citing a series of disappointing matches and a growing sense of ennui when it came to the sport. He returned to his home city of Rosetta and found work in construction, something that helped pass the time and gave him a decent pay while he was at it. However, a part of him wanted to return to chess and, in early 2023 at the age of 38, he announced that he'd be playing chess once again. After competing in a couple of tournaments throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024 to help bring his Elo back up (where it currently sits at a decent 1500), he was confident that he could do a decent job at the Elephant Chess Cup. And given that he tends to play a more defensive game, only really going on the attack when he's absolutely sure he can capture safely or when he's lead the opponent into a trap, he might be able to do just that.
  • RESERVE: Simón Montenegro - That's right, the former Elejamian national ice hockey team coach has joined the fray albeit as a back-up. It may seem like a completely random pick, and it somewhat was, but the 52-year-old has frequently gone on record proclaiming his love of the sport. From playing it in high school, to using it as a coping mechanism following the loss of both of his legs below the knee, to regularly playing it with his team and staff to even playing it online against people, it seems like he's looking for any excuse to have a game. And with him out of a job after stepping down from his post following back-to-back World Cup of Hockey quarter-final exits (and subsequently accusing the WCoH Federation of rigging the tournament because both times it was against the same team), it seems like he'll be needing something to help him pass the time and so why not join in a friendly game of chess.

So there we have it. A motley crew of chess players. Some with a stories history with the sport, some more casual players wanting to take the next step. Some have preferred openers like the Nimzowitch-Larsen Attack (Elizabeth) or the Queen's Gambit Declined (Vili), some prefer to just go with the flow (Simón), and some have an arsenal of moves up their sleeve that they can swap out as necessary (Jonathan and Valentina). And while they face an uphill battle against the likes of The Kytler Peninsulae, who were the bronze medallists from the last tournament over in South Newlandia, everyone else is a complete mystery so far and there's no guarantee that they'll be able to easily storm the group. Still, there's only one way to find out. And that's by taking it to the board.
Elejamie (English); Elejamia (Spanish); Elejam (Iyilim) - Denonym: Elejamian - Pronounced (English): Eh-leh-jah-meh
I INTRODUCED THE NS SPORTS COMMUNITY TO URINATINGTREE AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS SIGNATURE / Я з Україною

OOC: Miserable opinionated hipster.

User avatar
The Kytler Peninsulae
Ambassador
 
Posts: 1314
Founded: Jul 26, 2011
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby The Kytler Peninsulae » Wed Oct 09, 2024 8:37 pm

They now know what it's like to lose...
...and they don't want to do that again...
...THE KYTLERIAN SCHOLARS!


My opponent, should they RP first, may do the following:
Decide if/where my reserve player is used: No
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 ECC9)
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: No (probably - message me with ideas if you have them though, I may not say no!)


Six years ago, the Kytlerians entered the Elephant Chess Cup with hype that began and mostly ended with "the first Kytlerian sportspeople back after isolation," and an assumption that this motley crew of students and lecturers from the University of Zube would be more of a first draft for a successful Kytlerian chess team than one who would immediately be successful themselves.

Well, erm, about that... that team won the whole thing. In dominant fashion at that, as they collectively went 41.5/56 and didn't lose a single match. Then they hosted the next edition of the event (at the University of Zube-run Margaret Hotel and Conference Centre) and only went and won that too, and suddenly the centre of multiversal chess power was back in West Pavola, now more west than ever. (Does Bollonich actually count as West Pavola when it's in Eastern Time rather than Island Time? This is debated amongst Kytlerian scholars of a different kind...)

Anyway, the team's leader Prof. John Roach focused on his organisational role with the team alongside his own academic interests, and the reshuffled team were edged into third at ECC9. Here's the team hoping to bring the title back to West Pavola once again...

Board 1: Julia Willis (26)
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 with her mentor Prof. Roach now solely focused on his organisational leadership role. Speaking of sole focus, Willis became the first of the Scholars to be essentially a full-time chess player, thanks to endorsement deals from office furniture supplier Clarkson-Murphy and sportswear firm Amdani.
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.

Board 2: Stijn van Dijk (25)
Who he is: The reserve at ECC7 (where he stepped in for a concussed 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; now the second full-time chess player on the team, he somewhat fittingly fills the second-board role.
What he'll play: Variations on a theme of "strong pawn structure." He has a relatively broad set of openings he's happy with with both colours, but that remains his consistent focus.

Board 3: Dr. Ben Higgins (29)
Who he is: Junior Lecturer in Sports Analytics at the Margaret Institute, home to internationally regarded research into sport and its culture; his PhD was on the influence of prior international experience on sporting performance, and as he was still writing his doctoral paper when he debuted in ECC7, he was part of his own data. An enthusiastic participant in an array of sports, he has been the national champion at chessboxing.
What he'll play: Simple, solid openings; his chessboxing experience means he's very used to blitz games, and he tends to play rapid like it's blitz too, with the London and Colle Systems being staples of his play as white. In general, most of his losses come from clever traps sprung on him and most of his wins come from his opponents cracking under time pressure.

Board 4: Michael Radley (21)
Who he is: A third-year mathematics student and the latest to fall under the Roach wing. Radley shook himself right into the Scholars mix 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. He went unbeaten in his second and third appearances in the competition too, and has duly been promoted into the main lineup with the semi-retirement of Prof. Hahnea Izorigor.
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.

Reserve: Professor Hahnea Izorigor (45)
Who she is: Professor of Sports Media at the Margaret Institute. Caught the chess bug as a doctoral student there, was not nearly the only one, and a few years later she would start the Mathematics vs Margaret Institute competition (complete with quirky "10+9/3" time controls) that has somehow become the foundation for a team that became back-to-back ECC champions. Izorigor's knowledge and experience of the media has helped the team handle the sudden glare of attention that came with the Scholars becoming the trailblazing first Kytlerian team back in international sports following the Giisost Reopening, and then the inexplicable leading force in the sport. This behind-the-scenes role is now her main one, but she's still a capable (and distinctive!) player who's in the reserve role mostly because she can step in if and when called upon.
What she'll play: Hypermodernism, most likely; she latched onto the idea of the concept early in her chess career and never let go. Frequently plays the King's Indian with both colours and increasingly plays the Catalan as white.
Out of international isolation and... winning things? Huh?

Host: World Lacrosse Championship 13, Baptism of Iron X, 7th World Championships of Babbage Rules Football, and Games of the IX Olympiad.

Won: World Lacrosse Championship 13, Elephant Chess Cup 7, and Memorial Cup. Also top of the medals table at the Games of the IX Olympiad (24 gold, 63 total medals).
World Lacrosse Championship 12 and World Bowl 47 quarter-finalists, World Bowl XV and World Baseball Classic 20 octo-finalists
28 medals, 10 gold, at Games of the VI Olympiad (13th in medal table)
7 medals, 5 gold, at VII Olympic Winter Games (7th in medal table)
26 medals, 10 gold, at Games of the VIII Olympiad (9th in medal table)

User avatar
Schachland
Bureaucrat
 
Posts: 51
Founded: Jun 29, 2023
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

SCHAHLAND CHECKMATERS

Postby Schachland » Wed Oct 09, 2024 10:14 pm

SCHACHLAND CHECKMATERS


SCHACHLAND has always loved chess, after all, its name is based of the sport. First time playing in the Elephant Cup, the Schach have aspired to be part of a chess competition as chess is their national game. The Chess game is played nationwide and Schachland has raised the greatest minds of chess since the start of history. No wonder their name is based on Chess. The style of the Schach players have always been a crucial point in modern day chess. But now, out of thousands of brilliant players, Schachland has listed 5 of the BEST LIVING PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY. May they win fairly and peacefully.

Image
Board 1: Robaart Krist-Nagarajan (31)
Half Schach Half Indian Robaart has loved to play chess since his father Rajesh Nagarajan has taught him since the tender age of 2. His father was also a genius player winning in competitions worldwide, but Robaart was so good as a player that he beat his father at the age of 7. His father recognized his prodigious genius and started nurturing his intelligent mind with classes, mental execises and enrolling in regional and national competitions. He has played in the National Schach Chess Competition and won 1st place in Men's Rapid. His strategizing has always been peak. He graduated from college in flying colours and now is a devoted international grandmaster. Probably the best in Schachland currently.
Robaart has always played 1. e4 as his opening, as he believes that strinking for the center first is always a good idea, to gain power across the board, and plays defensively in the beginning of the game. He always castles his king as soon as possible to avoid any threats with his pawns and rook. He makes sure his important pieces are safe. He unleashes his aggresive attacks in mid-game and makes sure of a strong pawn defense line, and often wins with unusual checkmate techniques like his famous 'smothered mate'.


Image
Board 2: Aanastaasiia Jondott (28)
Jondott has been captivated by the game of chess since she was a child, learning the intricacies of the game from her grandmother at the age of 5. Her natural talent was evident early on, and by age 10, she had already begun competing in local tournaments. Over the years, she honed her skills and developed a reputation for her exceptional tactical play. At 28, she has become a celebrated player in her home country Schachland, known for her innovative strategies and sharp calculations. She won 1st in Women's Classical in numerous competitions.
Aanastaasiia prefers to open with 1. d4, focusing on controlling the center and setting up a solid pawn structure. Her style is characterized by a blend of aggressive tactics and a keen sense of positional play. In the opening phase, she carefully develops her pieces, ensuring they work harmoniously together. As the game progresses into the mid-game, Aanastaasiia unleashes her creative tactics, often catching her opponents off guard with unexpected sacrifices and traps. Her endgame skills are equally impressive, as she demonstrates precise technique to convert advantages into victory. Aanastaasiia's signature move is the "double attack," where she targets two pieces simultaneously, leaving her opponent in a difficult position to defend against both threats.


Image
Board 3: Dimiitri Schahhov (32)
A chess prodigy hailing from the vibrant city of Steicesve, Dimiitri was introduced to chess at the tender age of 4 by his mother, a passionate player herself. His innate talent quickly became apparent, and by the time he turned 12, he was already competing at the national level. Over the years, Dimiitri has established himself as a formidable force in the chess community, winning numerous titles and accolades, including 1st place in Men's Blitz Championship.
His opening choice is 1. Nf3, allowing him flexibility in transitioning between various structures. Dimiitri's playing style is known for its dynamic nature; he often employs aggressive tactics combined with deep positional understanding. In the opening phase, he focuses on rapid development and controlling key squares, seamlessly transitioning into mid-game where he looks to initiate complex tactical battles that exploit his opponent's weaknesses. Dimiitri is also skilled in endgame scenarios, where he leverages his experience to convert small advantages into decisive wins. His signature technique revolves around "forking" multiple pieces, creating double threats that overwhelm his opponents.


Image
Board 4: Professer Gaarino Tovic-Janche (41)
An exceptional chess player who rose from humble beginnings as an orphan to become a notable figure in the chess community, thanks to his dedication and the opportunities provided by classes in Akureyri. Known for his unconventional opening strategies, winning in Men's Classical. Gaarino often surprises his opponents with unexpected moves that challenge traditional play, he is now a well-respected chess professor tutoring many aspiring chess students, Gaarino has proven the impossible that anything is possible when effort is put in.
His style combines creativity and boldness with the Van't Kruijs Opening: Bouncing Bishop Variation, allowing him to seize control of the board early on. With a flair for tactical play, he frequently employs unorthodox tactics that catch his rivals off guard, showcasing his ability to think outside the box. Despite his beginning, Gaarino has already made a name for himself in various tournaments, proving that determination and innovative thinking can lead to success in the competitive world of chess.


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Reserve: Naataleeah Rokarnjovic (39)
A seasoned chess player known for her analytical approach and deep understanding of the game. She began her chess journey at the age of 6, inspired by her grandfather, who was an avid player. Over the years, Naataleeah has participated in numerous national and international tournaments, earning a reputation as a formidable opponent with her consistent performance. She won 2nd in Women's Classical, and 1st in Women's Blitz in many competitions, proving to adapt to many forms of chess timings.
Her opening choice often revolves around 1. d4, which she uses to gain control of the center and create aggressive attacking chances. Naataleeah excels in the mid-game, where she skillfully maneuvers her pieces and sets up complex tactics that put pressure on her rivals. Her endgame technique is particularly noteworthy, as she demonstrates an exceptional ability to convert small advantages into winning positions. With a strong focus on positional play and a knack for exploiting her opponents' weaknesses, Naataleeah remains a prominent figure in the chess community, inspiring many with her dedication and passion for the game.


My opponent, should they RP first, may do the following:
Decide if/where my reserve player is used: No
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes, Simulated Game also allowed
Godmod game events: No
Godmod other events: No


NOTES- Used Grammarly to correct and improve text grammar, AI-Generated Photos
Last edited by Schachland on Sun Oct 13, 2024 2:34 am, edited 7 times in total.
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(The Constitutional Monarchy of Schachland)

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Eshialand
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Posts: 1050
Founded: Apr 03, 2017
Anarchy

Postby Eshialand » Thu Oct 10, 2024 6:55 am

The Eshian National Chess Team

While ECC VIII was proof that Eshialand could find their way back up to the top, ECC IX... was not that. The internal power struggle between Lazlo Herefur and Danny Stehl divided this team from the get-go, and something was just missing for them. By all accounts they should've done better, but they didn't, and the surprise team from Hapilopper ended up taking the gold, with the long-struggling Owls failing to even place.

This time, however, the ECC was coming home, and the mood was completely different. The 10th ECC was also a celebration of 10 years of Eshian sporting, and with that, Eshialand would be hosting their first international competition... with this team right here being the heroes. And, for the first time ever, Eshialand would be entering into their latest attempt with a change on their first four boards: with Jamie Cartwright's rapid improvement as of late, Alan Blaine decided to step aside and let the teenager take his board three. Will this infusion of new talent be enough to make the difference this time around? Or will history keep repeating, with three lost finals matches turning into four?

Board 1: Jason SEVERN
Age: 31
Favorite Openings: Ruy Lopez (White), Sicilian Dragon (Black)
Playstyle: A vibrant attacking style that prioritizes beautiful combinations rather than brute force.

Board 2: Mary NERATA
Age: 40
Favorite Openings: Italian (White), Petroff (Black)
Playstyle: Highly defensive, and unwilling to take too many risks. She'll often offer/accept draws despite being in an unclear position just because it's the safer option.

Board 3: Jamie CARTWRIGHT
Age: 16
Favorite Openings: London System (White), Scandinavian Defense (Black)
Playstyle: What Jamie lacks in experience, he makes up for by throwing the opponent off of their experience and prep. Expect strange novelties right out of the opening if he comes to your board, and never keep your eye off the ball: he's studied lines far weirder than most others have.

Board 4: Stephanie JACOBSON
Age: 36
Favorite Openings: Ruy Lopez (White), King's Indian (Black)
Playstyle: Stephanie has always believed in the power of knights over bishops, and as such is known for trading away her bishops for her opponent's knights, as well as keeping the game relatively closed in order to show her knights' true potential.

Reserve: Alan BLAINE
Age: 42
Favorite Openings: Vienna Game (White), Caro-Kann (Black)
Playstyle: Alan's strategy tends to revolve around making the game so complicated that no human can possibly take it apart. In theory, that should work, but in practice, it tends to backfire a lot.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my lineup: Yes.
Decide board results: Yes.
Decide moves made: Yes.
Godmod game events: Usually yes, but if you think something is ridiculous you can send me a TG/DM.
Godmod other events: Same as above.

In general, I'm always happy to collaborate, so feel free to TG/DM me about anything!
Anything I say is IC unless proven otherwise by a court of law.

(he/him/any/all)

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Vonum
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Posts: 1161
Founded: Oct 07, 2021
Democratic Socialists

Postby Vonum » Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:23 pm

The Team Arrives on the Tuesday, thrilled with this opportunity again. Their greatest finish was in their debut, 2 years ago, where they definitely were the underdogs. They probably still are deemed as the underdogs, though their name is somewhat known here. POWERS settles his team in the large 5-bedroom suite that the Vonian International Chess Committee (VICC) entirely paid for. In fact, they paid for the food, the chess king pieces as tokens to all the nations, and even the team shirts.

"Game plan, folks," announces POWERS, gathering the team around him. ALLESTEA rushes over, as does ESTERSON-RELANCA. BEROSA and PALOA both saunter over. "We're gonna go out there, play aggressive, especially on the wings, but play some defence too. Surprise them with Counter-Attacks, keep them on their toes, make them blunder. If we are safely through, Nolan, you'll give up the last Group Game for little Charli here. Understood?"

PALOA nods, "It seems fair. I'm an old man, and she's a young'n. She has a lot longer left than me."

ESTERSON-RELANCA laughs faintly, "You're only 44!" She then turns back to POWERS, "Are you for real?! You are giving me a shot?"

POWERS nods, "If we can get ourselves through, we'll give you a game. You need the experience."

BEROSA stays quiet. This is her first tournament without her husband, Franco GERHARD, an ECC player who got pulled out last second, as he was unfit to travel with his fractured shoulder blade after a skiing accident in the December of 2030. PALOA stepped up to his place. She appreciated that his recovery was going well, but PALOA was simply too old. She believed younger players, such as the other three, were the way forward with Chess. They had a lot to learn, and she firmly believed that the age of 40, like in most other sports, is the unwritten age of retirement. You begin to lose brain power again. She was going to retire at the age of 40, no doubt.

ESTERSON-RELANCA had just come fresh off the Juniors Chess Champion, and to be here was a mark of honour to her family. Her father, Bruce ESTERSON, is a retired Chess player, now a firefighter, and 2006 Vonian Chess Champion. He married Lilla RELANCA, a model for the magazines, in 2009, and had Charli in 2016. Her older brother, Paulo ESTERSON-RELANCA, aged 18, plays in the Vonian Chess Championships, though rarely makes it out of the group stages. Chess runs in her blood, and she is aware of this. She carries the ESTERSON-RELANCA name with pride.

Nolan PALOA is aware of his luck. He was considering retirement, but after this opportunity, he decided to delay his decision. His main aspiration is to teach ALLESTEA and ESTERSON-RELANCA his techniques a little more, as he has his own, "Throw the opponent off," methods, from muttering, "Are you sure?" to the extreme side of making his opponent cry. While they'll easily surpass him one day, he offers his own tactics to the pair, and sees great potential in them both.

This is Francis ALLESTEA's debut: She knows she must impress the crowd here. A lot of pressure is on her shoulders to secure her place in next year's team. She highly respects POWERS and his play, and perhaps even loves him a little, and is really excited to be on his team this year. She is the inventor of the opening "The Bermuda Triangle Opening". It is designed for Black, as long as a King's Pawn is played, followed by a Bishop to protect it.

Back home in Vonum, the shelves of various supermarket stores are packed with the Vonian Chess Team's Merch: Shirts, Chess Pieces and Boards, Signed Postcards, Autograph books, Shoes, Stationary, Trading Cards of all the players at this year's ECC and even a Video Game. Naturally, 'Lo Rilledeng Vipres' or 'The Wandering Vipers', Vonum's nomadic Sports Fanatics that devote their life following all sporting events Vonum participate in around the world, begin to show up, chanting songs, from the Nation Anthem "Vonia Eternita" to Vonum's Unofficial Sports Song "Green & Gold", the Green for the flag, the Gold for their hopes for it.
Last edited by Vonum on Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
>>>>>>
Connor Hazell and Alli Black to represent VESP at the World Proletarian Conference.
2 Dutch Tourists found dead after, as Police believe, "supporting Max Verstappen".
House Pricing set to drop this winter, says Verona.
<<<<<<
Maddeloffu: 23ºC, Rain
Xertæ: 21ºC, Rain
Exeta: 26ºC, Rain
Miami: 28ºC, Rain
Lijkyao: 24ºC, Rain
Craonyao: 20ºC, Rain
Onacita: 21ºC, Rain

National Information: Heavy rain around Vonum, set to stay for a while.

6-time NV Winner

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TJUN-ia
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Posts: 2653
Founded: Oct 04, 2019
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby TJUN-ia » Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:44 pm

Image

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 500,000+ players who play Chess in TCF-affiliated or run tournaments and leagues. This system was created by the TCF to encourage more professionalism within the game and runs on a simple formula: 2 points per win, 1 for a draw, -1 for a loss and -2 for a loss in 30 or fewer combined moves (or the "15 each" rule). If you take part in any TCF-related event, then you can add to your Rating with 0 given to those making their TCF debuts at any given level. Because this system has only been in effect for about 12 years, only 4000 players total 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.


Board 1 - Tshering Gyeltshen
Age: 25
Place of Residence: Trashiyangtse, CEA Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC9 Record: 4-5-4

Things didn't go to plan again for the player from Trashiyangtse in the CEA he struggled in his 3rd season as the 'leader' of the team (a position he doesn't claim to have). Improvement is seen as a necessity by those who follow the sport - but he will stick to the style we all know too well, a style that loves the game as much as he loves Lam Chow-Cheung. Speaking of LCC, both they and Batu Tüvshinbayar will be in town once more to provide support - whether that helps or not remains to be seen.


Board 2 - Anne Christian-Warren
Age: 29
Place of Residence: New Adamstown/Adamstaun, UO Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC9 Record: 2-4-7

Anne Christian-Warren is a very interesting player in her own right - one of the highest-rated female players in the TCF and a rare athlete in any sport from New Adamstown, making her a Pitkerner. She certainly likes to be known as someone who represents her heritage and the blood of the HMS Bounty with pride, playing her game like a pirate as well - win no matter what, go for broke and all that jazz. She became a hero back in her home town after winning it all twice, with her strategy becoming so famous that it's even included in official Chess strategy guides published in the International Community. The Lesbian Pirate Queen, one of the most badass nicknames in TJUN-ian sport, only won twice all ECC9 and she will be desperate to change that form on Board 2.


Board 3 - Margarita Altamiranda
Age: 33
Place of Residence: Ciudad Calamar, UAC Zone
TCF Rating: Grandmaster of the International Community (N/A)
ECC9 Record: 3-5-5

Margarita hails from Cuidad Calamar in the UAC zone - a city and region not seen as a Chess powerhouse by any means. Despite that, she's certainly a talent and plays with that Latin flair we all expect - quick and powerful at the same time. Being considered a professional for life certainly did wonders for her, especially back home, and while she doesn't have the crown anymore, she certainly has proved that she deserved to be considered a professional alongside her teammates. She faltered to only 3 wins last time out, but the sky is still the limit for Board 3.


Board 4 - Gideon Irosaea
Age: 21
Place of Residence: Kirakira, UO Zone
TCF Rating: Candidate Master (2027)
ECC9 Record: 5-5-3

There was always scepticism of Gideon Irosaea when he was picked to be the replacement for the outgoing Yevgeny Solovyanenko, but the 5-second tactical chess he played in his debut campaign kept those doubters quiet...but not for long in the end. Last time was a definite improvement, a 5-5-3 record that was one of the few bright spots in our campaign at ECC9. He's spent this offseason grinding in the TCF Circuit once more, culminating in wining the TJUN-ian Championships (the best of the Semi-Pros) for the first time and a deserved promotion to Candidate Master, the lowest rung of the Professional Ranks in the TCF Rating System. This does mean that '3+1' has been broken but in the end, no one wants him to go anywhere anytime soon. Board 4 is his domain right now and as a Professional, he hopes to shine once again.
1st: ECC4/5, NSSCRA13, RLWC22, IBS20, EBT3, EIHT2
2nd: NSCF24/26, ARWC4, WC:TOTS, IBC34, IBS17, RUWC33/35, ECC6
3rd: ARWC3, IBC32, ECC3/7, ARWC6, ET20IV
NSSCRA - JR
T1: #07 Michael Stefan (S13 T1 Champ/9W)/#64 Alfonso Mercado (3W)/#03 Maddison Riley-Jones (S10 T2 Champ/2W-T1/3W-T2)
T2: #96 Alice Jepkosgei (3W)/#70 Gongming Gao [NCR] (5W)/#79 Axel Chase

WGPO: #11 Lane Carter (2W)/ #9 Batu Tüvshinbayar (WGP2 S5 Champion/1W)
NSTT: 4 S-Titles (3 RU)/2 D-Titles (6 RU)

UN - U1
TJUN (Ta-Jun) - An organ of the UN that focuses on "international role-play" (i.e. USA = Fang the Sniper) (U2)
TJUN-ia (Ta-Jun-ee-a) - The testing grounds of TJUN members, but operates as an independent nation. (U3)

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Yesopalitha
Minister
 
Posts: 2658
Founded: Sep 01, 2011
Democratic Socialists

Postby Yesopalitha » Thu Oct 10, 2024 8:56 pm

Yesopalithan Chess Team
THE SOLEMN ORDER


ONE.
Lashanaris Va'Hir
Age: 248
Species: Dark Elf
Playstyle: Hyper-aggressive, risk-taking, lightning-fast
History: A Matron of the Dark Elves who is celebrated as one of the best tacticians of the Yesopalithan people. This is a hobby of hers, but she's rather good at it.

TWO.
G'Nor Thom
Age: 37
Species: Orc
Playstyle: Conservative, counterattack, go for the kill at the right time
History: Having had to move away from military service due to an injury that took his left leg, Thom has shifted to the battlefield of the mind. The most reliable of The Solemn Order, Thom's only downside is that he won't take any risks that he deems aren't worth taking.

THREE.
No. 17
Age: ??
Species: ??
Playstyle: Calculated, brutal, clinical, unapologetic
History: Number Seventeen is a biological creation of the Dark Days, having gained sentience after The Freeing by the will of Zaiden. There were thirty, but Number Seventeen is all that remains - and, given its immortal lifespan, it is free to do whatever it wishes. For now, it wishes to devote to playing chess.

FOUR.
Karan Nadathas
Age: 29
Species: Elf
Playstyle: Matchup-specific, countering, sinister
History: Nadathas is a genius - but her downside is that everything has to be done exactly the way she means to. She calculates a plan for every match, and never strays away from it - this has both helped her through thick and thin and also made it very easy to predict her moves. If she has it her way, her opponents will know every move she is going to make and be powerless to stop her anyway.

RP Permissions: No Godmodding of any kind.
Motto: Perseverantia saeculorum Note: I prefer to be known as YSP over YES if you use abbreviations.
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Puppet Nation of Chromatika

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The Martian Independent Republic
Secretary
 
Posts: 31
Founded: Feb 26, 2024
Anarchy

Postby The Martian Independent Republic » Thu Oct 10, 2024 11:34 pm

Martian ECC10 Roster
"The Spiders"

After a horrendous performance at ECC9, the Spiders are back, hoping there's nowhere to go but up. The middling finish has caused a large roster shakeup and some funding cuts, with a new face being added and no reserve sent this time. Will that help them? We'll see over the next few days.

Board 1 - Ziggy Stardust (33, M)
Favorite openings: Grand Prix Attack, Reti Opening, Caro-Kann Defence, Pirc Defense, King's Indian Attack
After leading his team to a ninth place finish at ECC9, Stardust had some explaining to do. He was largely seen as responsible for the losses against teams such as Imporia that could have been avoided. The new-look Spiders now have a much more aggressive style (with one notable exception), fitting in with the trend of other teams over the past few competitions. Stardust himself has focused on keeping positions stable, which was his biggest problem last time round - he often was finding the second-best or third-best move, losing a very slight amount of ground but it added up to a loss in the long term. This tournament, that won't happen.

Board 2 - Johnny B. Goode (23)
Favorite openings: Bird's Opening, Dutch Defense, Grand Prix Attack, Vienna Gambit, French Defense
Goode might've been the only bright spot on the ECC9 Spiders team. He was clearly better than his Board 4 position entailed, and as such has been moved up to board two - where most other teams have their aggressive players. Expect f-pawn chaos and very open games, but also better-quality endgames - there was a notable game where Goode lost a theoretically drawn rook and one versus rook and two endgame, and he's worked on fixing that. The rooks have reached their full potential in Goode's arsenal, and he'll use them to garner points for himself and the Spiders.

Board 3 - Eleanor Rigby (49)
Favorite openings: Closed Sicilian Defense, Slav Defense, English Opening, Berlin Defense, London System, Owen's Defense, Sicilian Defense: Keres Variation
Slowly moving into retirement is Eleanor Rigby, the only player on this team to not be a professional chess player - her generation did not have a competitive chess scene when they were in their early 20s, instead needing to put their energy into survival. She's been focusing more time on her family and her teaching job in a small mining outpost near Olympus Mons, but that doesn't mean she's stopped playing chess. Rigby has learned a new opening, Owen's Defense, but her main strategy is to avoid making mistakes and wait for her opponent to create a weakness, which she's quite good at, instead of going on the attack herself. This, of course, runs the risk of not being able to play for a win in pivotal games, but she's good enough that Board 3s might not be able to push her into a losing position.

Board 4 - Tommy 'Pinball' O'Riley (19)
Favorite Openings: Nimzowitch-Larsen Attack, Owen's Defense, Modern Defense, Sicilian Dragon, Ruy Lopez
From the opposite background as Rigby and thirty years her junior, Tommy O'Riley is from one of the two large bases in all of Mars - Aeolis. He gained the nickname 'Pinball' after setting several records in that game, all while deaf (although neither dumb nor blind, as rumors have it). O'Riley's adamant about bishops being stronger than knights, and often develops them first, against principles, favoring openings like the Nimzo-Larsen, the hypermodern 1. b3, which are slightly inferior. However, a tactic ending in a pin winning the exchange got O'Riley the Aeolis Base Championship over none other than Ziggy Stardust, so who are we here at 64squares to critique him? If he can make full use of his bishops, he'll definitely be a potent weapon for the Spiders.

Next Opponent
Match 1: South Newlandia
The biggest threat in the group, and a loss would not be unexpected - however, the Spiders will be playing for a win, as in the past three matches contested against the Elephants, the Spiders have gone 2.5/3, outscoring them 7.5-4.5. Anything could happen - this match is the first of the tournament, and perhaps the most high-profile Thursday game - a rematch of the 3rd place match at ECC8. We won't get to see the Rigby-Blossom matchup between possibly two of the three most experienced chess players in this tournament (Margarita Altamiranda of TJUN-ia being the other) that's actually never happened, but we will get a battle of the prodigies between Khanyisa Van Lundi and Johnny B. Goode on Board 2 which is sure to bring the fireworks. Expect a tense match, decided by 2.5-1.5 at the very most.
New Eestiball but IC now! Fancy!
By the time next ECC rolls around, you'll see why I picked this nation specifically.

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Eshialand
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Posts: 1050
Founded: Apr 03, 2017
Anarchy

Postby Eshialand » Fri Oct 11, 2024 6:45 am

Homeward

“Ugh, the crowds out there were absolutely awful, I can’t believe that idiot king thought it would be a good idea to go behind my back and–”
“Hi Lazlo! How’ve ya been man?”

Lazlo Herefur’s blood pressure already couldn’t take the crowds descending on Eshialand City, but of all people to show up here, why the hell was it that idiot Danny Stehl? In Lazlo’s eyes, it was Danny, and only Danny, who had thrown away this team’s chances of winning ECC IX over in South Newlandia, and now he was back to throw it all away again, apparently.

“Speaking of idiots who like going behind my back…”
“Oh come on, you have to admit that I had some good ideas in Newport, and I got the team some wins we otherwise wouldn’t have–”
“Danny, I thought I filed a restraining order. What are you even doing here?”

The amateur blogger and professional team meddler flashed what appeared to be a press badge. “I’m working with the Zwischenzug.esh press team for the event! Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair for most of the event, mainly doing commentary and interviews and whatnot.”

“Oh thank Margaret…” Lazlo said in relief. The news that Danny had an actual job to do at this event was some of the best news he could’ve possibly heard. Danny couldn’t be all over his hair if he was busy talking about the matches and doing proper, official business. “Just promise me one thing Danny…”

“Sure, anything!”
“Don’t try to slip notes to my team between rounds, don’t act like you’re a better coach than I am, don’t treat this like your own personal experiment… ideally never touch my team at all.”
“I will do my best but no guarantees!”
“No guaran– wait, come back!!”

Danny would not be coming back. He was gone, off to the press booth and away from Lazlo’s earshot. This was going to be another interesting ECC for sure.



This team was in a bit of an awkward spot after the last ECC. They went into it with high hopes of making it back into the finals after ECC VIII, and instead of doing that… things started exploding.

The pool stage was all good, getting second out of a tough group that featured the surprise return of Bollonich and the out-of-nowhere rise of Hapilopper. Everything went according to plan… until the Super Six.

This stage of the tournament, as always whenever it was in play, was when things went completely off the rails, as the contradictory advice from Danny and Lazlo crippled the team’s ability to focus and they ended up only snagging fourth. One point from making the finals, sure, but close is never enough in a competition such as this. Only the best could make it to the finals, and they were evidently not the best.

Something had to change for this team as the competition found its way home to Eshialand. All of a sudden, the stakes were so much higher with this team playing on home turf, their families and friends all being able to show up to watch them. It would be so easy to crack under the pressure, but they needed to make sure they didn’t… no matter what it would take.

The group draw looked somewhat favorable for the Owls, with all of the other teams in their group being new to the ECC, but being new meant absolutely nothing in a tournament like this, where 4 of the 5* champions the tournament had ever had won the tournament on their very first attempt. Going into their opening match against Barkhastan, the team would have to be very careful not to let the pressure of performing at home get to them...

Even if they did manage to get out of the group stage, the return of the knockout format from ECC VIII meant one misstep after that would be game over... but that was way out on the horizon. For now, they needed to make sure to get top 3 out of this group. As always, there were no guarantees.
Anything I say is IC unless proven otherwise by a court of law.

(he/him/any/all)

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Katzeburg
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Posts: 70
Founded: Jun 10, 2024
Democratic Socialists

Postby Katzeburg » Fri Oct 11, 2024 6:59 am

Image


There’s not much to do up on the small Katzeburgian island of Dragoonspiel. Cut off from the Katzeburgian mainland, the small fishing village of Ynsygard is the sole settlement on the island.

With major sports not yet finding a foothold on the island as of yet - their only real contact with the sport of football was learning about the corruption going on in the Katzeburg Football Federation - the town of just under 3,000 finds other things to fill their time as they wait to catch fish and to navigate the long winter nights.

Naturally, this is where chess has found a natural home in Katzeburg, and the Ynsygard Chess Club gathers for competitive play once a week in the backroom of the Fisherman’s Arms pub, along the village’s high street.

Learning of the Elephant Chess Cup shortly before registrations closed, the club opted to submit an entry under the Katzeburgian banner, mostly because no-one else would be bothered and because it will get some of them off the island for a well-earned break.

Board 1 - Rhys Furst

The 62-year-old leader of the Ynysgard Chess Club has lived on Dragoonspiel his entire life and never stepped a single foot off the island onto another piece of land. As his back began to give way a few years ago due to the toll more than four decades of fishing can take on a man, he turned to chess as a way to pass the time, finding very quickly he had a certain knack to anticipating future moves from his opponents.

Rhys plays very conservatively, often willing to let the opponent think they have the upper hand in terms of board position and pieces left before pulling great strategies together than flip the script in just a few turns.

The creator of the town’s chess club, Rhys has often refused to take a backseat in the day-to-day running of the club despite beginning to approach retirement age and will often take on more than he can chew when it comes to managing all aspects of the club.

Board 2 - Emilia Ziegler

Taking second spot on the chess club team is 29-year-old Emilia Ziegler, a schoolteacher at Ynysgard Primary School who took up the game as a way to distract some of her more unruly students. After a few years of practicing and making numerous reams of children cry upon beating them in a game of chess, Emilia joined the Ynysgard Chess Club to try and better her skills and also play people closer to her own age.

A very well-rounded player, Emilia often spends a lot of time thinking about her move and the next few ahead - often leaving opponents looking at the clock to see how much time she has left. It’s a strategy which keeps her well informed of the game going on, but at the significant risk of running out of time - which is how she often falls to defeat.

Emilia has only lived on the small island for a few years - originally hailing from the north Katzeburg city of Inverhaven - and has often traveled to other parts of Esportiva when given the chance. However, living on a teacher’s salary in what is often called the arse end of Katzeburg means it’s been a long time between trips for Miss Ziegler.

Board 3 - Klaus Rothbauer

The bad boy of the Ynysgard Chess Club (or at least, as bad of a boy you can be given you are playing make-believe battles with little wooden pieces on a board), Klaus is a hot-headed player who came into the game after seeing the club play during a drunken night out at the Fisherman’s Arms.

A local fisherman by trade and a very aggressive player on the board, Klaus will be more than willing to throw one of his own pieces away if it means capturing an opponent’s - often singing to himself ‘trade pieces, trade pieces’ as he completes the move - while his strong smell of fish due to his day job often puts people a little off kilter when they sit down at his board.

Born and raised in Ynysgard, Klaus often likes to make the trip over to mainland Katzeburg to hit the various pubs in the major cities of Konigpool and Lowport, but his participation in the Elephant Chess Cup will mark the first time he has gone fully overseas.

Board 4 - Nora Keller

Rounding off the core team is Ynysgard town councilor Nora Keller, with the 47-year-old picking up the game as a way to secure more votes from locals, who in Ynysgard often vote for whoever they see most recently - and by visiting the Fisherman’s Arms every week, Nora is one of the most recognisable councillors on the island.

Unfortunately, the desire for her constituent’s attention means she views chess as very much an afterthought - often distracted during play and incredibly prone to unforced errors and blunders. When she is fully focused on the game, she can be sneakily good at encouraging opponents to fall into traps of their own making, but her lack of consistency is a major sticking point for her in the team.

Another who has spent her whole life on Ynysgard, Nora has been instrumental in helping secure the club’s transport to the Elephant Chess Cup, utilising her influence on the local council to secure grant funding for the team to travel to the event under the guise of ‘furthering island diplomatic relations’.

Reserve - Kristine Powell

At just 17 years of age, Kristine is the baby of the club, someone who picked up the game as a way to get out of playing after school sport during high school. While she may be there mostly to make up the numbers and provide players with a reserve should they be needed, Kristine is someone who could easily push her way into taking a spot should performances dip.

An aggressive, but clever, player, Kristine aims to push her opponent into making unforced errors with ease through a tight control of overall board position. However, her temperament on the board can often prove her downfall, as she has a tendency to focus too much on causing undue pressure on the opponent which occasionally leaves her wide open to a game-changing move.

Kristine has only been on Ynysgard a short while, moving to the small island from Konigpool after her father landed a job editing the Ynysgard Fisherman, but already yearns to see more of the world than the small island she lives on, and as a result jumped at the chance to head overseas even as a reserve player.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Decide board results: Yes
Decide moves made: Yes, I know very little about the specifics of chess play!
Godmod game events: Yes, but TG me first please!
Godmod other events: Yes
Last edited by Katzeburg on Fri Oct 11, 2024 7:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
KATZEBURG
"Scio potes legere cogitationes meas puer"
An island Federal Republic based in the region of Esportiva.
KNL Champion - Katzestadt AFC | Katzeburgian National Team
Capital City - Katzestadt | TRI - KAT | Population - 39 million
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Tero al Disco
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Democratic Socialists

Postby Tero al Disco » Fri Oct 11, 2024 12:06 pm

TERO AL DISCO ROSTER FOR THE 10th ELEPHANT CHESS CUP
GROUP C FIXTURES:
(all dates in Eshian time)
MD1: vs Nightralia - 6/3 18:00 EshST
MD2: vs Barkhastan - 7/3 11:00 "
MD3: vs Eshialand - 7/3 13:00 "
MD4: vs Schachland - 7/3 16:00 "
MD5: vs Busoga Islands - 7/3 18:00 "

Chess in Tero al Disco doesn't have that much traction. There are mostly two ways that people get introduced to playing chess: for example, it's known that chess is a mandatory subject in some private primary school (although, unlike other private school sports like rugby, chess doesn't have the status of an elitist sport), and on the other hand local chess clubs do have a half-decent turnout. Any way, it's no football, and it's not one of the many so-called "top 2" sports in the country (i.e. basketball, tennis, rugby, hockey, volleyball, etc.), because why should we compare any sport to football. Although chess might have seen better times in the past, with a Terense national team representing the country for the first time in the Elephant Chess Cup, the national chess federation has got a promising crop of young players at hand for their debut campaign (albeit many of them couldn't make the final cut). It's not expected that there'll be much media coverage and support inside the country for the team, unless they pull off a dark horse run to, say, the semifinals, or the finals.

Board 1: Marcos Álvarez (28 years old, M, #1 in Tero al Disco, 2227 Elo)
From what our correspondents (who don't understand a single thing about chess outside the bare minimum, if they can even do that) have learned, Álvarez's playstyle mainly consists of him trying to protect his pieces. When Marcos feels vaguely threatened, or if it doesn't look like it's going well for him, he tends to drag out the match, probably to go for the draw or to find himself a way to hit back. This is mostly a tactic he learned from his father, Augusto, a man who preferred to make his side play like any good Terense football coach does. On the flip side, when he senses blood in his opponent he goes for a swift win. That aggresive part of his style has helped him win the of national youth championships, and then the senior Terense Chess Championships twice. Marcos is known to be prone to rushing whilst making a move, even at the highest levels.

Board 2: Paola Ferri (39 years old, F, #19 in Tero al Disco, 2105 Elo)
When she's not making moves over the chess board, Ferri works as a technology teacher, so the weekend-long tournament will be appreciated (although flying to Eshialand is like flying to god-knows-where if you think about it?). Apart from that, chess seems to be the thing the relaxes her, and she does seem to play like it. Although yes, she is still a cold thinker and does have a tad slow game on her, it doesn't seem like she gets that nervous in the key matches, more likely that she just enjoys playing. Although she started out late (as a twenty-something year old), combined with that interest she has got a lot of talent for precise moves, and that has made her the best female chess player in the country and also be able to compete with men in the highest levels, even though she hasn't brought home an awful amount of silverware.

Board 3: Giuliano Galea (22 years old, M, #2 in Tero al Disco, 2201 Elo)
Giuliano is arguably the best representative of the new generation of Terense chess. Along with his younger brother Exequiel, these two have taken the local chess world by storm, although sadly Exequiel hasn't beaten Marcos Álvarez to the punch for a spot in the ECC. Giuliano's tactics are relatively based off the shorter chess forms (which are gradually gaining a foothold inside the local environment), with an emphasis on quick and direct moves, although all four of the players have those kind of moves as their strengths. The difference is that while Álvarez and Ferri have a more conservative approach, Giuliano Galea is a more risky and more aggresive player with his pieces. One of his more characteristic aspects is that he also tends to whip out an excellent move seemingly out of the hat, which tends to leave his opponents stunned.

Board 4: Giovana Huayramarca (20 years old, F, #24 in Tero al Disco, 2087 Elo)
Although young and an upcoming top female player, Giovana's playstyle is more balanced; she doesn't stick to the stereotype of "the youngins play aggressive and attacking, and the older players play defensive etc.". That's probably it from her? She likes to play whatever is convenient for her, more akin to Marcos Álvarez. She is a patient person who, despite normally taking risks (again, whenever convenient for her) to achieve a checkmate, uses the game clock to its fullest extent, and that does help her pull out some genius moves. Huayramarca can sometimes get distracted when thinking about what she's going to do the next moves in advance, adding to the fact that again she looks to use all the time available. However, outside of that Giovana has got a bit of a backstory, in which her father died at age three. To fill that gap, she started playing chess from a very young age, and when you look at her play she exhibits a lot of passion and a desire to win. She's got a (co-ed) national youth championship under her belt, and in an interview after winning it she expressed her desire to become a professional chess player, of which there are almost none in Tero al Disco; they're all amateurs here.

Reserve/de-facto coach: Renato Gheisari (50 years old, M, #8 in Tero al Disco, 2171 Elo)
Formerly dubbed "the King of Terense chess", with his old age his performance has dropped from the days in which he'd win the Terense chess championships seemingly without effort (a competition which didn't and doesn't see that kind of title wins much), but he's been staying strong in this day and age still. He's been selected as practically the coach of the team, or just to make Ferri, Galea and Huayramarca practice for the Big Tournament with the (ex-)Big Boss.

RP permissions: Do anything you want, just don't kill my players.
country whose culture isn't totally ripped off of argentina, i promise (though there might be some additional stuff)
FOOTBALL: ranked #23 | COH 88 semifinalist - BOF 83 third place - WC 97 round of 16 - U18WC 22 semis
BASKETBALL: IBC 40 round of 16
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Tero al Disco
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Democratic Socialists

Postby Tero al Disco » Fri Oct 11, 2024 3:42 pm

2026 TERENSE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP - PREVIEW

We're back again with the latest edition of the Terense Chess Championship! The premier tournament for Terense chess players is returning for its 109th edition, and this one is a special cycle, because the Terense chess federation will be handing out the four spots for 10th Elephant Chess Cup to be hosted in Eshialand City: the two best men's players and the two best female players will get a spot in the Waterview Hotel in the Eshian capital.

With the end of the international isolation era, and therefore the opening-up to foreign investment, chess in Tero al Disco couldn't avoid getting affected as well. For the sport, this meant the rise in online chess websites and chess streams (although the latter is only in its first steps), and thus it has seen a parallel rise in youth participation. In the years before that, the state of Terense chess was much more modest; as was discussed in the roster introduction, turnout to clubs and tournaments was OK, but interest in the sport was insufficient. For this tournament specifically, there were years when there would be no tournament, or years where two tournaments would be played. This was caused by the long format routinely used for the Championship, which tends to span multiple months. That irregular schedule was one of the reasons that not many people were interested in the national chess scene. Today, it has since risen past that era, and the tournament will go on with a marginally higher amount of media exposure and support; maybe it'll get talked about in a passing news article.

Format
The 2026 Championships will be divided into three phases:

- Qualifying Phase: 17-23 August 2026 @ Club Terense de Ajedrez, Capital
The 132 best players who have been invited to play in the National Championships will go to the capital city of Tero al Disco, with the qualifiers kicking off, or rather, moving the first piece. It will consist of one 6 match long-Swiss group, with the top eight gaining a bye to the Finals, while the players ranked 9-40 will play off for the eight final spots into the round of 16.
- Semifinal Phase: 6-13 September 2026 @ Club Terense de Ajedrez, Capital
The 32 players from the qualifiers will be divided into 4 groups of 8, where they will face off in a round-robin. The top two from each group qualify into the Finals/Round of 16.
- Final Phase: 5 October-29 November 2026 @ Multiple venues
Finally, there's the Finals of the tournament, by far the longest stage out of them all, spanning two months in total. The 16 who qualified would face eachother in a knockout basis. Every round will be decided in a best-of-5 basis; should the series be tied, rapid games will be played until anyone comes out as the winner. Although most editions have had the final match played at the Club Terense de Ajedrez, the Mecca for Terense chess, this edition will have the semis and finals played in the leafy village of Valle Saja. For the record, these are the places that are going to host each round:
  • Round of 16: 5-10 October 2026 @ Círculo de Ajedrez de Cualquiersanto, Cualquiersanto, Parsuha
  • Quarter-finals: 20-25 October 2026 @ Schwartz Hotel, San Miguel, San Miguel
  • Semifinals: 16-21 November 2026 @ Microestadio Racing Sajeño, Valle Saja, Inticuna
  • Finals: 23-29 November 2026 @ Microestadio Racing Sajeño, Valle Saja, Inticuna.

Favourites
#  Player			Elo	Age
1 Marcos Álvarez 2200 28
2 Exequiel Galea 2194 20
3 Giuliano Galea 2187 22
4 Iván Rovira 2182 26
5 Gastón Arceniega 2173 32
6 Renato Gheisari 2169 50
7 Javier Antonio 2167 32
8 Oscar Guardia 2160 41
9 Saúl Hortonio 2152 28
10 Narciso Unamunzaga 2147 18

In an environment dominated by men, the fact there are only two spots available for them (because of the rule from the chess federation which established that 2 men and 2 women would be the ones to go to Eshialand) makes the fight for an ECC spot much, much more competitive. What's expected for the championship itself is that one of Álvarez or the Galea brothers will qualify for the final. Marcos Álvarez, despite being two years removed from a national title, doesn't seem to be willing to relinquish is top-1 spot. In 2025 he reached the final, losing to Iván Rovira (in a match considered a huge upset), and in 2024 he got knocked out of the semis by Oscar Guardia. This goes to show that in those last two years he wasn't screwing around...although, let's face it, those two matches were huge shocks.

Meanwhile, Exequiel and Giuliano may have no titles yet, but they certainly show a hunger of getting one of those when they play, with the two brothers having almost the same playstyle of swift attacks and high-octane, risky moves. For the purposes of the ECC, if Marcos Álvarez does end up qualifying for the final and getting one of the two spots to Eshialand, according to Giuliano, "it'd be a big pity if Exequiel and I ended up not going together there, because you have this...World Cup of chess, and we've been practicing together ever since we took up chess since we were little (...) It's like if you couldn't, in this case, play alongside your best friend, the one you had all your life", adding that, "it'd be a dent to my morale there."

And also, speaking of brothers, or relatives in general, in the top end of the national rankings there seems to be plenty of them: Exequiel and Giuliano Galea, for example. But also 28-year-old Saúl (ranked #9) and 23-year-old Héctor (ranked #15) looking for the glory (although they aren't exactly big favourites to win it, they're expected to go far here). And in addition to that, 18-year-old Narciso Unamunzaga (ranked #10), and his father Gaspar (ranked #16), a 40-something year old man who has risen to the top in the past after winning the 2007 championship. Let's see if Narciso can carry on his father's legacy, with the offensive play style that was a staple of Gaspar's chess.

#  Player			Elo	Age
19 Priscila Zúñiga 2100 23
24 Paola Ferri 2081 39
32 Giovana Huayramarca 2046 20
40 Candela Buruaga 2017 24
46 Guillermina Marín 1990 19
49 Noemí Antúniez 1981 36

On the other hand, it would be a bit impractical to have two women gain a spot as the best players in the tournament, because in a worst-case scenario they can't advance past the semifinal phase, so much so that only a good run in the first stage is enough to warrant them a spot to play with the multiverse's best, because if not we'd be scratching the bottom of the barrel to find a qualifier. But I digress; upsets can always happen after all.

Because of that same aspect, there is much more room for someone to make a surprise qualification out of the blue. It is agreed that one of a youngster like Priscila Zúñiga, or Paola Ferri will get an ECC spot, but let's watch out for Giovana Huayramarca and see what she can do to the other (mostly) men. The deterrent to someone from the bottom end getting among the "best 4 players in Tero al Disco" is the very few amount of female players participating in comparison to the men (only 25 out of 132 participants being female), and therefore the disparity between rankings. Zúñiga, Ferri and Huayramarca have all got a cautious approach to the game. The main differences are that Ferri is very relaxed, which reflects how she likes to play chess more as a hobby, while Giovana likes to use up the time to think thoroughly her future moves, and Zúñiga, in spite of being a fierce, fearful, pin-point attacker, she isn't willing to exploit that strength of hers everytime, and apart from that she's also prone to rushing her moves.
Last edited by Tero al Disco on Fri Oct 11, 2024 3:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
country whose culture isn't totally ripped off of argentina, i promise (though there might be some additional stuff)
FOOTBALL: ranked #23 | COH 88 semifinalist - BOF 83 third place - WC 97 round of 16 - U18WC 22 semis
BASKETBALL: IBC 40 round of 16
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The Kytler Peninsulae
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Postby The Kytler Peninsulae » Fri Oct 11, 2024 4:55 pm

Welcome back, Scholars. For the first time since their improbable debut, they enter an Elephant Chess Cup as something other than reigning champions - beaten into third place in a tournament won by another improbable swashbuckling debutant in Hapilopper. As if they were as shocked as everyone else - and chances are they were - they're not coming back to risk their newly acquired trophy, so this tournament doesn't actually have a defending champion, and the Scholars are again the most recent champions in the competition. They were seeded for the group phase draw as one of the two past champions in it, along with two past runners-up; this has allowed them to escape the likes of TJUN-ia and South Newlandia in the opening phase, but they still face a consensus tough draw with the promising likes of Valentine Z and Katzeburg on deck.

It is the latter that provide the first test for the Scholars here in Eshialand, courtesy of a team that share their origin story of an improbable close-knit group from one local area. For the University of Zube and its Margaret Institute and Department of Mathematics, read Ynsygard on the isolated island of Dragoonspiel, where most major sports barely register as a blip on the radar. And for Professor John Roach as leader of the team both on and (back then) off the board, read 62-year-old retired fisherman Rhys Furst, who founded the Ynysgard Chess Club and has gained a reputation as a fearsome counter-attacking player who can spring traps on many an opponent.

"Obviously they're not the same but they do remind us a lot of us in their own unique way," opined Prof. Roach, who stepped back from over-the-board duties after ECC8 triumph on home soil in Zube's Margaret Hotel and Conference Centre. "And Hapilopper did too, and we know what they did. The multiversal chess scene remains extremely fluid and the accessibility of the sport means you get a lot of players who can emerge quickly as they throw themselves into it - sometimes I'm convinced that the more we think about this game, the more we can doubt our abilities in it, and that can even be self-fulfilling prophecy and maybe that's why experienced international players can fade quickly. Or maybe it's the RPDs, I defer to other people on the team for that information."

Like, presumably, Dr. Ben Higgins, a familiar sight on the University of Zube campus who can be seen as a Sports Analytics lecturer at the Margaret Institute in between his pursuits of chess, boxing, and chessboxing. His doctoral paper was literally on the effect of international experience on sporting performance, in which he found that individual sports and sports with low barriers to entry or relatively low international participation were less likely to have a major experience factor than high-popularity team sports such as soccer or gridiron. "It's a sport that anyone can have a go at, and a lot of people want to try it, so of course you're going to get people emerging quickly in it," mused the good Doctor. "We're fortunate enough now to have an increasingly established infrastructure within the University of Zube at least, and other universities as well are getting more into the sport - the inter-university competitions used to be a battle for second really but we've found that Bay City University and (the University of Roddens are getting increasingly competitive, a couple of the schools in the (Eastern Corridor) Expansion like Garden City University are really on the up too, so at some point I'm sure we'll have a truly national team rather than being just one close-knit club but that's no guarantee we'll get even better. Nothing is guaranteed in this sport and we've just had a wild run to start, and now we know what it feels like to not win and not be in the final, it's made us hungrier to repeat those early glories."

There is still a general sense of bewilderment within this team sometimes. Hopefully for them, that doesn't extend to how they react to the fishermen trying to lure them into defeat when play begins. One thing is for certain - with the TV coverage being heavily advertised by the public-private national broadcaster NBO and the last two ECCs producing very strong ratings for them, an awful lot of Kytlerians are set to be hooked by the action ahead.
Out of international isolation and... winning things? Huh?

Host: World Lacrosse Championship 13, Baptism of Iron X, 7th World Championships of Babbage Rules Football, and Games of the IX Olympiad.

Won: World Lacrosse Championship 13, Elephant Chess Cup 7, and Memorial Cup. Also top of the medals table at the Games of the IX Olympiad (24 gold, 63 total medals).
World Lacrosse Championship 12 and World Bowl 47 quarter-finalists, World Bowl XV and World Baseball Classic 20 octo-finalists
28 medals, 10 gold, at Games of the VI Olympiad (13th in medal table)
7 medals, 5 gold, at VII Olympic Winter Games (7th in medal table)
26 medals, 10 gold, at Games of the VIII Olympiad (9th in medal table)

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South Newlandia
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Left-wing Utopia

Postby South Newlandia » Fri Oct 11, 2024 5:11 pm

Take me down to the Eshialand City, where the cars are fleein’ and the chess is pretty

It’s a new tournament for the South Newlandian team, and they’re bringing one of the best rosters the country has seen in a minute; and they might very well need that, given that the Eshialand City ECC 10 looks like it could be the most stacked event in its history, though sadly missing the defending champions from Hapilopper.

“Some absolutely delightful competition”, tournament veteran Cecilia Blossom told Khanyisa van Lundi, the rookie. “I mean, as an Esportivan, you gotta love the strong orange representation. I’m counting six, a full quarter of the field, and that includes a couple of intriguing rookie squads”. “Gotta love the Katzeburg squad, veteran board ones are always fun”, van Lundi replied. “Let’s hope we can do better against them – if we happen to play them in the knockouts – than our gridball team”, Blossom answered. She’d been watching van Lundi rise through the ranks of South Newlandian youth chess for years – the South Newlandian pro chess scene is a close-knit bunch.

“Sure. Any other rookie squads that immediately jump out to you?”, van Lundi asked. The young South Newlandian had always idolised Blossom; who’s already been playing in Elephant Chess Cups since she was a small child. Eventually defeating the long-time South Newlandian star for the first time at the South Newlandian Rapid Championships was a career milestone for the young South Newlandian, and so was being given the second board for the competition; even though that would also imply some tough matchups. “Multiple”, Blossom answered. “For one, there’s our groupmates, Yesopalitha, I like them, but I think a no-godmod policy is kinda funny with their setup”, she said. “My favourites might be Elejamie? I just like an Elephant team. Can you believe the two nations that use Elephants as nicknames have never played, not in any sport? That’s gotta change at some point. Also, probably the best chess association logo in the competition”, she explained.

“Yeah”, van Lundi replied, “I also have a funny feeling that Barkhastan can make some noise, based entirely on that viral clip of Zhaksybekova. And, I mean, surely there’s no way a country literally named Chessland is bad at this.” “Surely not”, Blossom responded, “and Tero al Disco looks interesting too; love the format they got going for the Terense Chess Championship. I love when associations get creative with those”. “Any notes on any of the favourites? Eshialand, the Scholars, the Jags?”, van Lundi asked. “Not really, I guess? This competition has always been in play for everyone at all times. I have a feeling we could get another newcomer taking this thing home again; probably one no one is expecting. Happens all the time here”.
Trigramme: SNL | Nickname: Elephants | Proud member of Esportiva
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Eshialand
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Anarchy

Postby Eshialand » Fri Oct 11, 2024 5:19 pm

And here it is, your first Elephant Chess Cup X cutoff!

To answer The Kaisers Syndicates' question below: yes, you are still in the tournament. Rostering late is just fine, feel free to participate :) . Also, reminder that OOC questions and comments should go in the discussion thread in the future.


Group A
Valentine Z 1½–2½ Elejamie
The 14 Stars 1½–2½ Farfadillis
Katzeburg 1–3 The Kytler Peninsulae

* Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  Pts 
1 The Kytler Peninsulae 1 1 0 0 3 1 2
2 Elejamie 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
Farfadillis 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
4 The 14 Stars 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0
Valentine Z 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0
6 Katzeburg 1 0 0 1 1 3 0


Group B
Sky Reavers 2–2 Crpostran
The Kaisers Syndicates 1½–2½ Vonum
Natkr 1½–2½ TJUN-ia

* Group B                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  Pts 
1 TJUN-ia 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
Vonum 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
3 Crpostran 1 0 1 0 2 2 1
Sky Reavers 1 0 1 0 2 2 1
5 Natkr 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0
The Kaisers Syndicates 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0


Group C
Busoga Islands 1–3 Schachland
Nightralia 2½–1½ Tero al Disco
Barkhastan 3–1 Eshialand

* Group C                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  Pts 
1 Barkhastan 1 1 0 0 3 1 2
Schachland 1 1 0 0 3 1 2
3 Nightralia 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
4 Tero al Disco 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0
5 Busoga Islands 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
Eshialand 1 0 0 1 1 3 0


Group D
New South Yukon 3½–½ Natanians and Nosts
South Newlandia 2½–1½ The Martian Independent Republic
Yesopalitha 1½–2½ Vaishnavaria

* Group D                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  Pts 
1 New South Yukon 1 1 0 0 3.5 0.5 2
2 South Newlandia 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
Vaishnavaria 1 1 0 0 2.5 1.5 2
4 The Martian Independent Republic 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0
Yesopalitha 1 0 0 1 1.5 2.5 0
6 Natanians and Nosts 1 0 0 1 0.5 3.5 0
Last edited by Eshialand on Fri Oct 11, 2024 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Anything I say is IC unless proven otherwise by a court of law.

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The Kaisers Syndicates
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Democratic Socialists

Postby The Kaisers Syndicates » Fri Oct 11, 2024 5:23 pm

Fu*k I completely forgot about this... So much crap has been going on am I even still in?
Fun Fact about TKS!: can I pick a region that isn't controversial just ONCE!?
As an American I am officially saying we are COOKED!
Also as a COD zombies fan. SCREW THE OLYMPIA! M14 GANG FOR LIFE!
If you’re wondering if I sleep, look at my post history I don’t.
The Hatman’s pretty chill only sometimes though.
my stats were shot down, then stabbed, then shot at point blank range like the Tsar of Russia.
You want my political values? well here you go and some more AND EVEN MOREEEEE I probably need professional help
My nicknames!: Kai, TKS, Kaiser, Syndi

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