Sunday marked Day 2 of three at the first-ever Bridge City Chess Championship in Saskatoon.
The tournament featured nearly 40 participants from outside the province.
“The event actually has attracted a lot of players from different provinces like Alberta and Manitoba,” said club secretary Benny Oracion, who co-founded the Bridge City Chess Club back in 2017.
The tournament format is very similar to American college basketball’s NCAA March Madness, except that players who lose have a chance to get back in — but only by defeating the top-ranked player in their session.
“It’s really important that all players must be able to win against those higher-rated players,” said Oracion.
Players enter the event with ratings or points and compete in specific point categories.
Points are up for grabs during each chess session.
“When you play a game and you win, you gain a point. If you draw, you get a half point. If you lose, you get zero points,” explained participant Tevanio Steadman.
Some of the players are proving to be tough competition.
“I won three points out of three games, and I’m the one with the highest score. I hope it keeps that way,” said second-year chess player Olivia Shi.
For one of the younger players, it’s more than wins and losses.
“You can analyze your game. You learn cool technical stuff like notation, strategies, too, that the masters used,” said 11-year-old Eli Kearly.
The overall experience gained from the event is great.
“You just have a lot of time to focus on your game and basically try to beat the other person and try to fend yourself. It’s awesome. The atmosphere is amazing,” said Kearley.
The fifth and final round takes place on Monday.
The winners received cash prices.
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