By Zareth Lim
At Sharjah Culture and Chess Club, Far Eastern Private School (Al Shahba) Chess Team faced off against six other teams in a 5v5 format on November 2, 2022. Each player dueled for victory in each of the seven matches.
The tournament’s first match started shortly after the opening ceremony, with players positioning their pieces and setting up their best gambits and traps. As the game went on, the FEPS Chess Team swiftly took the lead and won 4-1. Following the game, all participants were given time to recuperate.
The second game began and the team’s captain, Neildane Magbanua, produced a remarkable checkmate within the opening five minutes of play. After that, the team won easily, 5-0, to close out the second game.
As the third match began and the team’s momentum was at its highest, the players had plenty of time to consider their errors and determine how to avoid them in future matches. The team kept up their faultless play, winning another game 5-0.
Alden Serrano, flagged his opponent to claim victory in the fourth match, which delivered an unexpected outcome. FEPS (Al Shahba) extended its victory streak with another 5-0 as the competition heats up.
The team suffered a blow when the fifth game ended in a stunning 3-1 with one stalemate. But since the competition was still ongoing, they had no choice but to keep playing because the team was still tied for first and the upcoming game was the deciding factor.
The players gave it everything they had when the sixth game began. Unfortunately, they all fell short as the FEPS Chess Team was defeated with a score of 0-4 and 1 stalemate. Nevertheless, they still had a chance to place second despite this defeat.
Even though the squad took a direct hit, they rallied and still managed to give it their all in the last game, which ended in a 5-0 victory, earning them second place. “I am thrilled and relieved because my team and I worked very hard for this,” team leader Neildane Magbanua said.
This group of students—Neildane Magbanua, Zareth Lim, Xyryx Nulla, Alden Serrano, and Aaqib Mufti—played flawlessly in the great competition. Despite their errors and missteps, the crew earned a new experience and tale to tell.
