The teams were:
(F) Hwa Chong Team 'A'
1. Lisa Chew (7B)
2. Jamie Pang
3. Chua Xin Rong (6H) (C)
4. Zheng Jiahui (6H)
5. Qiu Yonghui (A13)
Hwa Chong Team 'B'
1. Oh Kian Min (first aider)
2. Lim Kia Yee (6H) (astronomer)
3. Myself (bridge player)
4. Norvin Chan (A13) (judoka)
5. Marvin Chua (C) (chess & 'environmentalist'/'green clubber')
(50% SMTP! xD)
Due to some issues, the 'true' chess team with the pro players couldn't take part - hence, apart from the team captains, the rest weren't from chess at all (except maybe Jamie Pang, who used to be in chess in NYGH), but just a random collection of people, some of whom i only met today- Kian Min, Norvin (on Team B, that is).
The event took place at oddly, a primary school, Northland Primary School. (the toilets were, well erm, 'interesting' of course, prompting Norvin to want to take a photo of it)
Prizes available were:
a. Top 3 Teams in each category
b. Top 3 Teams in each Zone for each category
c. Top 3 Girls Team in Open, Secondary Open & Secondary U-14
This was of course, rather silly in certain aspects - some zones only had 1 participating school (eg. East: VJC), and there were only two girls' teams (NYGH & Xin Rong's team) in the Open category. Being such a haphazard collection of random people, we dared not try for being in the top 3 in the category, but aimed at a zonal position(6 schools or so in the West Zone); the girls, cheatingly, were already guranteed a "second-placed" girls' team at the very least.
b. Top 3 Teams in each Zone for each category
c. Top 3 Girls Team in Open, Secondary Open & Secondary U-14
This was of course, rather silly in certain aspects - some zones only had 1 participating school (eg. East: VJC), and there were only two girls' teams (NYGH & Xin Rong's team) in the Open category. Being such a haphazard collection of random people, we dared not try for being in the top 3 in the category, but aimed at a zonal position(6 schools or so in the West Zone); the girls, cheatingly, were already guranteed a "second-placed" girls' team at the very least.
Getting matched up against a relatively highly rated ACS(I) in the first game, all of us (ie team B), who were unrated, got owned 0-4. Team A got owned by some other team too. Next two rounds were slightly better, with 2-2 and 4-0. Then the break for lunch arrived. Went to a nearby coffeeshop to eat instead of at the school canteen, 'course a certain greedy someone complained about the small portions of food that the primary school canteen would probably provide (who later unabashedly asked for a routine 加饭). On the way back, Xin Rong ended up getting pestered by some random shopkeeper promoting some random product or something like that o.0.
Upon arrival back in the hall (the playing area) after some laxing in the canteen, we found that to our horror, a 互相残杀scenario was set in store for us. Team A was up against Team B! The match ups were:
Board 1: Kian Min vs Jamie Pang
Board 2: Kia Yee vs Xin Rong
Board 3: Myself vs Jiahui
Board 4: Norvin vs Yonghui (incidentally, i somehow get the impression that they are a couple or something lol)
of which Team B managed to win 3-1, losing only to Jamie Pang.
Up against RJC next, we were thrashed horribly again. The last round left was the crucial one. Whether or not we manage to get anything worthwhile for today's time & effort (except the experience of course, if ya want to sound politically correct xD) hinged upon the result. It was a rather sad event for me, as I lost for the same reason as I did for the previous two losses - poor handling of the endgame. What was worst that he had offered draw earlier, but thinking that my position was better (indeed it was slightly so), I declined, and proceeded to screw up my endgame. The team thus ended up 2-2. Team A got a BYE for the round (due to odd number of teams), thus getting 2 points. A first-placed girls' team award was in store as long as NYGH got 2 points or below against their opponent. They ended up getting 2.5 points, resulting in a draw with Team A. As to what the final result was, only the tiebreakers could tell.
A conversation that took place during Team A's BYE: "Who's Kia Yee?" "That girly-looking guy." Apparently Marvin got linked to girliness as well.
After some anxious anticipation, the awards ceremony began. Then came the deciding moment - the announcing of the West Zone results: "Third place - (forgot which school)."; having expected to clinch third, we became rather anxious - maybe by a stroke of luck, we got second? "Second place - JJC Team B." A wave of disappointment swept over us. I started feeling really bad about not having accepted the draw, as was Norvin about accidentally stalemating his opponent. If only we had not messed up like that, then perhaps we would have gotten something...
After a moment of mulling over regret & disappointment and Marvin, team captain, saying some encouraging words ... "First - Hwa Chong Team B!" It was a defining moment of shock & excitement - somehow, somehow, we had managed to clinch a totally unexpected first in the West Zone! Team A also won in the tiebreaker to clinch first-placed girls' team. So in a sense, Hwa Chong got double champs! xD
And so we departed, walking towards the interchange/mrt station, except for The Greedy one who went to consume dinner, after having asked umpteen times whether anyone wanted to "eat dinner outside". And so the exciting day concluded with a weird thing occuring on the bus for me. Randomly picking a seat and seating down, I soon felt gusts of hot air. After moments of investigating, the cause was established as ... a hole on the floor! I could see the road through the hole!
Fight
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