Recently, I participated in a chess tournament in the Municipality of San Remigio together with @penflecto. @indayclara Invited me, @penflecto and @kaijen. She offered to sponsor our travel expenses and also a place to stay-in during the 2-day tournament. We thought about the offer for days and prepared for the upcoming tournament. Unfortunately, @kaijen would decline the offer because his mother would not grant him permission to enter the said tournament due to personal reasons and so it came to a conclusion that only me and @penflecto will participate in the tournament.
Photo used with permission from @douceink
THE DAY BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT
We celebrated our annual Christmas Party event with a blast. Probably one of the best, if not the best Christmas party at a school setting that I have ever had.
We had lots of activities prepared for our program. One example is the
"Fold the paper in half" game. I don't really know what it is called but let us just call it at that🤣. We also held a "Macho Gay" contest inside our classroom. My friend, @penflecto participated in this contest and won first place!!
We also had this special moment that I will never forget and shall be stored in my core memory for the rest of my life, with our adviser, @callmesmile. We lined up for the karaoke and sang along to whatever song (even if we do not know the lyrics) that comes up. We then took turns on singing each phrase of that particular song.
After the activities, we ate the food that we prepared for the party and proceeded to the exchanging of gifts after that. I received a body spray and a cologne not bad I guess.
THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED DAY
December 16
We arrived at the venue at 8 o'clock in the morning but the event would eventually start at 10 am. Moreover, when the event started, we weren't able to play right away due to the lack of chessboards and tables. We had to wait until a board was unoccupied. This is mainly because everyone was told to bring their own chessboard or chess mat but not everyone brought their own chessboard or chessmat and so that resulted to the lack of materials.
While waiting for our first match to begin, me and @penflecto roamed the venue and spectated the matches of the fourth district (There were three divisions; elementary, secondary, the one that my friend was in and this one) players. It was during our "Spectating Extravaganza" that I began to feel a bit nervous but also very excited at the same time. I saw lots of very talented players that were miles ahead of us in terms of experience and skills. I get an adrenaline rush when I face strong opponents.
Photos used with permission from @indayclara
The pairings for our match, along with other players that weren't able to play immediately, were eventually announced. We then went to where the flyers for the pairings were posted and buckled up for our first match.
FIRST MATCH
My first game was against a very high-caliber player. This guy would eventually be placed top 8 at the end of the tournament. The game began with e4 and then I played the Sicilian Defense, while my opponent was just trying to occupy the center after that.
(As shown in the picture, my knight is trapped)
It was a close game at first, but I would eventually blunder and lose my knight in the process, leading me to ultimately lose the game.
LUNCH TIME!!!
Atfer two matches, the organizer announced that all players should take their lunch and return at 12:30 PM. We head out to a local restaurant and ordered "Lansiao" or more commonly known as "Soup Number Five" in some places. This is made from a bull's testicles (yes, you read that right) that are boiled to perfection. This tender meat is popular here in Cebu because of its nutty and earthy flavor and gummy and rubbery texture. My friend, @penflecto ordered this without knowing that it's made from a bull's private organs and he did not like it🤣.
We had no time to waste so after eating, we immediately headed back to the venue.
When we arrived, it had not started yet so we roamed for a bit and played a couple of friendly matches first. We took advantage of the free time and practiced each of our own openings and reviewed where we went wrong on our recent games.
(That guy wearing a cap is the champion of the tournament)
The organizers announced the pairing of the remaining 2 games for the 2nd half of the day. It was game time so we buckled up, got ready for the matches and went on.
MY THIRD MATCH
This has got to be the best and most unforgettable match that I've had in my chess life. This match was very intense, it started pretty smooth nothing special. We were equal until the endgame. I was forced into a losing position. I was down 2 pawns but with the right moves I made the position into a "zugzwang" for my opponent. Zugzwang refers to a position in chess where every legal move you have is a bad move and you are forced to do it. Because of that I would eventually force the game into a tie (Only Kings and Bishops were left) when I could have lost that game. It was truly a wonderful game that will be stored in my core memory. There were lots of spectators too, which made that moment more amazing than it already was.
LAST MATCH FOR THE DAY
Nothing special with this match, except for the fact that I got completely obliterated🤣. There was nothing I could do, Sir Jess was on a completely different level. If you were there and spectated our game, you would think and feel like the game was close, but no he was feeding me into a bad position and just waiting to devour what would be his next meal.
I eventually resigned as the two pawns that were raining down and ready to be promoted was unstoppable. This was a cool moment that I had with Sir Jess though. Props to Sir Jess for the sportsmanship that he showed. Believe me, we were just laughing and having fun the whole game.
(Sir Jess has an impressive rating of 1960)
(Official rating of 1683)
(Official rating of 1868)
After all of my matches ended, I spectated the matches of those players that were at the top. I was amazed by their calculations. There were moves that I couldn't predict and comprehend. I also learned a lot watching from their games.
We ended the day, drinking a couple of beers in San Remigio's Lapyahan. We invited @indayclara to go out with us, but saw that she was quite occupied with her work so we went on our own and did not bother her.
That will be all for my blog. Stay tuned for day 2 blog!!!! I hope you all enjoyed reading.
"You will only know you're good,
If people tell you you're good"
I love how the people gathered around you and your opponent this time around. I should have taken some photos as proof. It was amazing to see how you pulled a game worth watching. Anyways, proud of what you achieved here. Hope to see you more in competitions in the future. Be proactive about it and for sure opportunities will come at your doorstep.
Yeah, I forgot to ask @penflecto to take some photos as well because the game was so intense but no worries it's all recorded in my head anyways🤣.
Wow, what a match. I really love to play chess also, I was once a player in our school representing our department and it was a great experienced. I missed playing chess while reading your blog, I wish to play with other great players too. Hope I can joined lot of tournaments in the future. Goodluck with your journey, keep it up.
You should play again. You never know what opportunities are gonna come to you
Yes certainly, maybe not now but in the near future.
You both did a great job! So proud of you.
Thanks for the support @douceink
Congratulations @tomilee!
Thank you ma'am @dehai
It looks like you had a great time. It's great that you were able to compete with such good players.
Have a happy holiday season and a happy new year!
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I truly had a great time even though I kept losing. I had some wins here and there but I think the games that I lost were much better
Great chess tournament reports!
By the way, my family (my wife @kobold-djawa, daughter and I) will move to the Philippines (Tagaytay) soon. Nice that there seem to be a thriving chess community in your country! :)
(My lichess username is also jaki01, so we might play a few games from time to time.)
Wow!! That's great news. Also, great choice for a place to move in. Tagaytay has lots of amazing sceneries. Perfect for tourists
Yes, for tourists ... and I hope for a living, too, hehe.
I wonder if we will also find some chess players in Tagaytay? :)
Oh definitely. Chess has been thriving lately in the philippines.
Anyway, enjoy philippines to the fullest with your family.
Thanks much! :)
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@flquin(1/5) tipped @tomilee
Amazing i love chess is a great tournament
Right? Who doesn't love chess? Jk
Exactly
Great experience there. Cheers!
You could also consider sharing your pictorial experiences as microblogs on the INLEO interface. I'm inviting you to a live engagement on INLEO. It's a conversation you would love.
Thanks @uyobong, I'll think about it.
My homeland San Remigio had already a big changes. I'd remember this basketball court before but for now it was so very nice. For sure you are from SRNHS, nice game.
Actually, I'm not from SRNHS. Apologies if I did not clarify it in my blog but I am from Ilihan Integrated School (IIS). I'm not from San Rem, I only went there for the tournament. But yes their sports complex is really nice
Ah okay, so your from Bogo City. Yes exactly I'd pass that school when I'm going to San Rem.