Quest for Triumph and A Prideful Journey

Hello, Hive community!!! I am back, but this time with great news. I just joined a chess tournament for the intramurals in our school and guess what? I won first place with an 8-0 record, like can you believe that?. So the reason why I have not posted anything over the past few days is that recently, I have been quite busy preparing for an upcoming chess tournament for the intramurals in our school. Our school marked November 20-21, as our Intramurals Month Celebration. It is a time for the students to showcase their talents and skills in their specific fields of sports and for me it was chess.

PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING GAME
When I heard that there will be a chess competition in the intramurals, I was eagerly excited, I spent days practicing chess openings and theories online and also with my friend, @penflecto since he's also participating in this competition. We surveyed all the chess players in the campus and asked them to play a friendly match with us and they gladly accepted. I found out that there were quite a few that were really good in chess so I was worried that this tournament will be quite challenging.

_{(I did not expect this many people in the crowd)}
_{-Photos used with permission from Mr. Leonel P. Arisgado}

In the morning we did a parade for the opening of the Intramurals with the DLC Band as the highlight of the parade. I was tasked to carry the Philippine Flag and march on with it. I was actually nervous while holding and marching on with the Philippine Flag. I don't know why but maybe because it was quite a big responsibility. I could possibly be executed if I mess up you know (jk).

_{(I accumulated 8 points in total to secure my spot as the first placer of the tournament)}
The time came, November 20, 2023, it was announced days before that the match will begin on 1 o'clock in the afternoon but guess what? I returned to school after lunch at 1:30 in the afternoon. Thankfully it had not started yet when I arrived at the school. The tournaments' system was a Round-Robin system. It is a tournament in which every contestant meets every other contestant in turn and whoever has the most wins in a total of 8 matches per player wins.

-Photos used with permission from @douceink
INAUGURAL CLASH
My first match was against a Grade-10 representative, honestly it was a hard fought battle, but during the mid-game he blundered and so I found a hole in his position. I took advantage of that and a few moves later, I played checkmate. The next 3 matches were quite easy to be honest because I was up against grade 7 representatives and grade 8 representatives. They clearly lack experience and knowledge about the game, however they have vast potential.

A WORTHY OPPONENT
In my fifth match, I played against my friend, @penflecto . This game was the hardest and the best game that I played during the entirety of the tournament because I almost lost to my friend. The game was a close battle, he had an upperhand in the midgame with a two-pawn advantage, however I was in the zone during the endgame phase of this match. I immediately took over once he made a mistake and proceeded to win the match.

FINAL DUEL FOR CHAMPIONSHIP TRIUMPH
In my final match, I played against a Grade-9 representative. This game was a very one-sided game. I just finished a very intense game before this game, so I was on my momentum. I won after several moves and secured my spot as first placer of the tournament.

The first and second placer of this tournament can play in the district meet, but unfortunately due to age restrictions, I will not be able to play so I will act as the second and third placer's coach instead.

HOW I BEGAN MY CHESS JOURNEY
I have always been into strategic and intellectual games but chess never came into my mind. I started playing chess last February when my friends at school were playing it all the time. At the time I was the only one in our circle of friends that does not play chess, and so I thought "Why not give it a try?". When I tried it, I immediately fell in love with the game. I downloaded all kinds of chess tutorial apps, and then I started playing in the official chess app on February 24, 2023. I play all kinds of games but chess has become my favorite game as of now. When I have free time, I play chess with my friends or online.

I never thought that the countless hours invested in learning and refining my abilities would ultimately yield success. This achievement is a testament to my relentless dedication, unwavering focus, and the belief that perseverance in the face of challenges can lead to remarkable outcomes.

This milestone is not an end but a foundation for even greater possibilities.

That will be all. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Stay safe and look forward to my next blog.