[ Chapter XII (12): "BEATING KIDS ARE FUN!" ]
[ "Focus, guys. I think the games are about to start." ] said Michael, which made the other three stop talking and focus.
To look at the small makeshift stage at the front. Where a lady with a microphone on her hand is at the moment preparing to speak, before then she finally did.
[ "Welcome chess enthusiast! Players, and family alike. Look alive!" ] She excitedly welcomed everyone, which was met with little to no applause. Michael being one of those that clapped for formality.
He only ever did it because the lady reminds him of a book he read: The Hunger Games. And the lady that did the lott drawing in that story, known also as the reaping. A yearly event in that story.
[ "The Annual Cabrera Tournament is about to start. Players please gather around in the middle." ]
She pointed in front of the stage, and when she did, some people followed. Before then the others, then Michael's group, and finally, everyone.
[ "Players with number 1-10, please come forward." ]
He heard the announcer said, which was met with confused gazes- but then they remembered, even Michael, the ID which was given to them by entry, which has numbers in the front of it.
[ "That explains why." ] He eyed his ID, which has the number 21 on it. Then at Sue, Flint, and Ben. Which has the number 33, 14, and 3 respectively on their idea.
[ "I think that means you, Ben." ] Sue reminded the older boy, which then remembered, as he then step up.
[ "O-oh yeah." ]
[ "Good luck, Ben." ] Michael, Sue, and Flint cheered him on, as he then made his way to the small crowd of people. Both overly nervous and overly excited..
And when there we're exactly 10 of them, they was then led by someone- most likely the Arbiter, to the farthest table to the top left, wherein they sat. Patiently waiting for further instructions.
[ "Players with number 11-20, please come forward." ] The announcer continued.
[ "I guess... it's my turn then." ] Flint said, as he then stepped forward. To the crowd of peole, but not before he was encouraged good luck by the overly enthusiasthic Sue.
When there we're exactly 10 of them, another arbiter then led them to the long table, this one next to Ben's group.
[ "Players with number 21-30, please come forward." ] The announcer continued.
And this time, Michael sighed, as he made his way to the front of the stage. But not before being cheered on by Sue, as per ritual, it's overly enthusiasthic.
[ "Go Michael!" ]
Which caught the attention of other people, closest around them, making Michael somewhat blush in second-hand embarrasment.
So he pretend not to hear her, or even turn his head around. Though he couldn't lie, the cheering wasn't all that bad.
Michael was about about to smile, dumbly at that, but years of training made him suppress it. Even though he doesn't know exactly why he have too, still, it won.
He stop and stood besides a small brunette girl, probably a year younger than him, which was looking at him weirdly.
[ "Is she...?" ] After a while, the girl seems to have gathered the courage to ask, albeit not full. Which was then instantly shut down.
[ "I have no idea what your talking about." ] Michael replied in a dry tone, as he then looked into her eyes.
Dark brown he noticed, but also her ID, which has the the number 29 on it.
[ "F-fair enough..." ] The girl said in a murmur-like tone, as she then quickly turned away from him. He doesn't know why.
And for a second Michael thought he was scary, or acting scary at the least, which may or may have not in turn made the little girl besides him scared.
Did... I? He thought, before then moving slightly away from her, as to not make her even more uncomfortable.
I think I did, sorry, young child. He thought also, as he then tries to wait for the arbiter to lead them to their table.
[ "Follow me!" ] In which someone did after all 10 of the player had finally gathered together. Michael quietly following along.
He sat on one of the chairs and glanced at Ben nearby, who seems nervous. Then at Flint, who also seems nervous. Personally he doesn't know how to encourage them, so he gave a thumbs up.
Which seems to have made them more nervous, shown as they visibly rub their hands or scratch their heads. Is he really that bad at encouraging, he doesn't know.
Then he glanced at the person sitting in front of him, at the same girl from earlier. Board between them with the pieces laid out, which he then played with; taking a pawn that he then twirled around with.
[ "So... great weather." ] He said, trying his best to make small talk, which might have come off more as an question.
The girl in turn widened in her eyes in hearing that, as she then replied with a nervous laugh. [ "Y-yeah." ]
[ "..." ] Michael wasn't built for this.
Luckily he didn't have to stay in that awkward silence longer, as not far away from him was Sue, which then yelled out for him when she sat.
[ "Michael, I'm here!" ] He doesn't know which one is more awkward, this or that. But Sue at the least takes the initiative.
He smiled at Sue, before then motioning to her to be silent, as there are other people around them. In which she did, doing a zipper motion to her mouth.
Which made Michael relieved both on the inside and outside, as he then mouths a thank you to her. Confusing her.
But his attention was already somewhere else, to be precise back at the announcer talking on the stage behind him. Talking about the rules of the game.
[ "Players will be playing each with 10 minutes on the clock, and whoever runs out of time loses." ] She continued, [ "Other basic rules of chess applies as well." ]
Michael nodded his head in hearing that, 10 plus 10 is 20. In short, a single game could last for 20 minutes at most if given the chance. Pretty unorthodox, because usually in tournaments that he has gotten used to, it would usually last hours for a single match to end. That is classic chess.
But he doesn't disagree with this type of system. From what he heard, this is a tournament not connected to any governing body of chess; either USCF or FIDE. Instead, it is an annual event wherein players could play, and win prices.
[ "The person sitting in front of you will be your first competition," ] She said. [ "And yes, it'll be a single elimination system until finally the ultimate winner could be decided. The last one standing." ]
PRETTY UNORTHODOX. Is what Michael could think of at the moment, as some players murmured something under their breaths. Perhaps thinking the same thing as him. In retrospect, this is the best move, due to the sheer amount of players.
He could have sworn hearing the announcer saying number 61-70 before she announced the rules. In short, there's too many players in this godforsaken room. And normal chess would take long. Try... weeks at the least, or months at most.
[ "Let the Annual Cabrera Chess Tournamet, begin!" ] She annnounced, yelling in the loudest tone she could, before then coughing. [ "Good luck, players...!" ]
Michael rolled his eyes at this display, as he then focused on another matter entirely. At the lady in front of him, and at the papers and pencils being handed to each player. A score sheet, to record his moves.
He took one for himself before then handing them to the person besides him, to be handed to others. Before then focusing on the paper, writing the neccecities.
Event, Date, Round, Board, Section, Black. Except for Opening and White. First he has yet to play a move, thus decide the opening. And second, he doesn't know her name, perhaps later he'll ask, after the match when he finally beat her.
[ "You ready?" ] He asked, in which he received a nod of her head. So as per etiquette, he shook her hand which was somewhat cold, and started the timer for her; as she's playing white, and he's playing black. She having the first move.
And play she did as she started with the e pawn moving it two squares ahead, e4. Michael playing basic placed e5. And so-on and so-forth. He could see multiple ways to end the game after developing his pieces.
Especially because the enemy he's fighting, a literal child, is playing passive. Which shouldn't be, because of many things, like she's playing white, and this is an tournament. She should have initiative.
He hates the way she plays, passive. But he couldn't blame her, nerves have probably hit. And besides, Michael is too playing passive, waiting and developing his pieces just in case she's playing a trap. Or reverse-reverse-reverse psychology.
He wouldn't rule out the possibility of the last one, as he knows how psychotic children could be at times in comparison to adults. Literally scary.
But after a few minutes in the game, with his time still at the 9 minute mark. Michael realized something... This girl actually doesn't know how to play! Sure, she knows the basics and what to do.
But she can't predict, or even know what moves to play after quite a while. And she is instead trying her best to keep a poker face, even though her gaze kept shifting from left-to-right and right-to-left.
He followed that gaze once and noticed her staring at a young-looking couple, possibly in their young 30s. The father holding an camera and cheering her on every step of the way. Which is funny... because it means her lost would be photographed.
[ "Checkmate." ] Michael calmly but ruthlessly said, as he announce his win. Writing his last move on paper and incircling the fact that black won in this game, 0-1!
[ "Good game." ] He added, which seems to have made her more the sadder on the inside, as she seems to look at the board in sadness. Gaze unmovable, with tears threatening to come out... Oops.
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[ FUN FACT: "The fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. The 36-letter word was first used by the Roman poet Horace in the first century BCE to criticise those writers with an unreasonable penchant for long words. It was American poet Aimee Nezheukumatathil, possibly afraid of their own surname, who coined the term how we know it in 2000." ]
[ 12/02/2025 ]
[ 12/02/2025 ]