The Final Move: Reflecting On My Journey Through Hive Chess Season 19

Three months ago, I received a notification from @stayoutoftherz, the host of the Hive chess tourney about the season 19 tournament. Before this time, I had been participating in Hive Chess tourneys but didn't take it seriously as I ought to. Since I was on school break at that time, I decided to participate fully in this season’s tournament. I made a promise to myself to participate in all rounds of this tournament, regardless of whether I played well or not. Whether I am in my worst form, I will play to the end. Whether the network is in its poorest state, I will play till the end. Whether I lose all the games in a round, I will play till the end. These are the promises I made to myself. And I’m so glad that I kept to it. In season 19 of the Hive Chess tourney, we played a total of 12 rounds, and I'm glad I didn't miss any, despite that my conditions were not so favorable.

I played the first 6 to seven rounds when I was on break. That time, I was in a place with a good network. So, I played my games well without interruptions. However, when we crossed half of the tourney, my school resumed and I went back to school, a place where the network can make you lose all your games- “Black didn't move, white is victorious.” or “Black left the game, white is victorious.” One of the challenges I faced in this tourney was dealing with a poor network. I lost quite a few games because my network was not so good. To worsen the whole thing, there were times when I had to play chess outside, in the cold weather. One time, I got drenched. I made these sacrifices because I'd promised to play the tourney till the end no matter what.

No doubt, season 19 has been my best since I started participating in Hive Chess tourneys. One of the things I learned was playing different variations of chess, particularly chess 960. Before this season, I used to think chess960 was wack. However, the tourney made me watch YouTube videos and read about chess960. I learnt about strong openings which helped me in my games against opponents, even stronger ones. Surprisingly, the Justfavour who used to not like chess960 is now very good at it. The last time we played chess 960 (round 11), I lost just one game out of 9. Pretty impressive, right?

Not only did I learn how to play chess960, but this season also helped me learn how to play well against higher-rated players. Severally, I got paired with strong players like Stayoutoftherz, Rosmarly, Tortllan, FcCastro, and many more. Although they won most of the time, I put up a fight against them. I remember the time I played four games against Rosemarly- 1 lost two games and won the other two. The season almost made me realize that even lower-rated players can do wonders. Chess is an impressive game. One moment, you are winning, capturing pieces, and enjoying the euphoria, but a single mistake can turn the tide of war. In this last round, I was on the verge of winning two games when the tides of war turned. In summary, never look down on your opponent no matter what.

Playing this season’s tourney has helped hone and sharpen my chess skills. I understand that I still have so many practices to do, videos to watch, and things to read, but I can boldly say that I am a better chess player than I was 3 months ago and it is all thanks to the Hive chess tourney.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to those who were there to cheer me up throughout this journey. Thanks to @hopestylist, even though she isn't part of the chess team, she was always there to cheer me up. Thanks to @masterswatch, he made this tourney fun for me. Lastly, thanks to @stayoutoftherz, the host, and all the players who made this season memorable.

Here are some of the games I enjoyed playing yesterday:

Note: All images in this post are mine, otherwise stated. Gifs are from my Lichess app.

Thanks for reading.