UPlympics: An inside look at the chess tournament

Mpho

Mabelesa

The UPlympics took place on 22 April with thrilling events lined up for the day. The events included athletics, indigenous chess and blind chess, which was especially competitive as more than 50 players from the university came to participate and showcase their skills.

Many might be asking, why chess? Well, with the new wave of chess players around the world being drawn to the game, it was an obvious inclusion. This new interest can largely be attributed to the cheating scandal involving international grandmaster Hans Niemann late last year. Furthermore, popular streamers like GothamChess and Hikaru Nakamura provide entertaining commentary that keeps people involved in the world of chess. And the genuine fun that the game can provide has won over many fans.

At the UPlympics competition, the games were timed and lasted for seven rounds.The atmosphere in the playing venue was mysterious and intimidating because no one knew how strong their opponents really were. They had to bring their A game. When you sit down at the table and press the chess clock, the world seems to take a pause, and it is just you and your opponent. It becomes an intense battle of who will make the first blunder because ultimately, chess played perfectly is a draw. With the every movement of a piece, the heart skips a beat, and you wonder whether a fatal mistake has been made. The battle ends when the king has no legal moves and you shout “checkmate”, or when the time runs out. Playing games like these weighs heavily on the brain. Hence, in the tournament, players were listening to music during the games to calm their minds.

There were some dominant performances in the tournament. It concluded with winner achieving 7/7 points. Second place had 6/7 points and finally, third place had 5.5/7. These top three players received their medals, a fantastic way to cap off a wonderful performance in this UPlympic event.