Fischer chess (Chess 960), invented by Bobby Fischer is a variant of chess designed to remove any opening theory advantages. The tournament like all 960 games was very frustrating for the seasoned club player who can talk at length on a number of opening lines. Featuring the very strange sight of extensive thinking on the very first move, the tournament was a challenge even for the most seasoned players.

As the games progressed into bizarre middlegames with multiple pieces lying on awkward squares, the players found themselves straining past their normal strategic thinking to unlock their forces. Numerous upsets occured as players were caught in the swirl of a game that was both familiar to and starkly different to the game that they loved. This was particularly true for the endgame which should have been the most familiar, but instead wound up being a complicated mess with no side being familiar at all with the position that was presented.

In terms of individual results, William Li demonstrated a cool calculating mind, avoiding the usual pitfalls and blunders that are encouraged by such a challenging variant. Constantly placed on the first board, Li was able to demonstrate a competency that resulted in no match losses. Comfortably cruising with 8 points total, he dominated the field to receive first place.

In second place was Edward Chan with 6.5 points, a veteran at the club he demonstrated keen positional understanding.

Third place was won by Kevin Li with 6 points who once again reinforced his honorary title as “mini-stockfish”.

An honorable mention should go to Leslie Tang, our president who in his role as a floater racked up 7 points. Further, a big shout out goes out to Panayioti Tsialas, who was the tournament arbiter but also the photographer for the event and thus ensured the tournament ran smoothly and could be an enjoyable experience.

Finally, we would like to thank all the participants who defied the cold weather and came out to play in the tournament! We are looking forward to seeing you all again in our upcoming events too!