With 64 alternating black and white squares and 32 pieces, each player had power over a whole world and with each move they made, they made a statement, created pathways, started battles and as time progressed, histories were being written on that small little chess board. Hence, it is not surprising that multitudes of chess strategies and openings were displayed amongst the games. The said strategies we speak about would be hard to recognise to any untrained eye. But if one took the time to observe any game, you would find that one does not require a trained eye to appreciate the moves and exchanges happening on the board. As the pieces dance across the board, telling a story, it is hard not to be enraptured by the beauty of the game itself, chess.

The start of each game precariously set the tone for the match. Each player had to choose carefully as the decisions they made on the board determined how many points they gained. After a chess piece was moved and the clock set, players perilously rushed to scribble down their moves on score sheets. Each round was laced with silence and most games ended without an utter of words passing between the players. After a handshake, both participants in a match rearranged the board before they made their way out. This display of respect was one of the many little pleasures that you saw throughout the event.

If you’re wondering what the other little pleasures are, they would certainly pertain to the quirks exhibited by the players. Pairs of eyes always roamed the board looking for moves, mistakes and most importantly weak points in their opponent’s game. On the surface, it is beyond a doubt that most participants had excellent poker faces. Most showed absolutely no reaction, perhaps a lift of the eyebrow at the least or a smile of defeat. However, below the surface, one saw many feet bouncing and shaking from the nerves that their faces didn’t reflect. While many of the older participants contained their emotions, the kids were comparatively more transparent as they did little jumps of glee after a small triumph and waggled and bounced when they were impatient. 

After the second round, everyone had settled, and everything was more vibrant.

As the kids exuberantly ran out of the hall after ruthlessly demolishing their opponent in just a few minutes (certainly leaving their opponents most stupefied), there were several things that kept them occupied till the next round. The Taylor’s Chess Club team were most considerate as they organised many things the participants and their guests could indulge themselves in during the day. Waiting families could occupy themselves with the infamous Netflix show, The Queen’s Gambit, which was set up in one of the large lecture theatres. Local food vendors were invited and satisfied many stomachs. 

However odd it may seem to witness a graceful handshake pass by between a frightfully nervous kid and a warm-looking bald man with a bright scarf, the Ultimate Clash displayed many similar strange interactions amongst the players. The variety of participants in this event was astonishingly surprising as it was pleasing. From experts to amateurs to newbies. From the youngest minds to the oldest. With fathers and sons. To the most nervous to the calmest. Each person represented a hue on the rainbow, making up for the lack of colour the chess boards brought to the event. 

Alongside the strange ones, familiar interactions commenced as well. “These are all familiar faces,” says Muhammed Idris, one of the participants. When asked about his thoughts on the event, he says the following. “It’s comfortable and big. All credits to Emir for the well-thought-out organisation.”

Back on the board, many strategies took place. While many were confident in their skills, others took their time and the board barely changed over the hour. A popular technique was to hold out their opponents as long as one could, for one never knew when the tides could change. 

“My main aim is to mess with my opponent as I play more of a defensive strategy,” says one of the participants. “Other than that, my biggest worry on the board is making blunders.”

Even with eyes set on different corners of the boards, focused on different things, things were more serious. All the scorebooks were closed, and the board captivated all the attention.

If things were serious below the stage, it was certainly more serious on the stage, as the best-ranked participants played against the lowest rank. This may seem a strange arrangement at first and an unfair setup towards those lower ranked. However, it is cleverly arranged in the way that those who garnered the most points are able to play against higher ranked players in the final rounds. The whole event centred around a point system and players were ranked from the points they obtained each game. During the final rounds, if multiple players were to have the same number of points, a tiebreaker game was played. 

Many things contributed to this great event, but one must take a moment to appreciate the effort that went into organising such an event of this scale. When asked about the process and his thoughts at the beginning of the competition, the Taylor’s Chess Club President, Emir Rusyaidi says. 

“It’s been very hap-hazardous as our team stayed up very late to finish up preparations the previous night. However, I am very happy, and it feels very rewarding. We haven’t even properly begun but I think we have already been marked as one of the largest chess events amongst our ranks so far this year.”

With a large title to hold, the event had no excess of sponsors to support it.

“When looking for sponsors, we wanted to find sponsors who could help us provide a variety of prizes to our participants, including a variety of cash, products and vouchers.” The hunt to find a variety of sponsors clearly paid off as the Ultimate Clash 2.0 was found to be sponsored by a range of brands such as Brain Box Chess Academy, Beauty Insider, Taco Bell and many others, including their gold product sponsor, Jantzen.

The last bit of sun peeked over the sky and the last round rolled in. A contender for the final winner, Lye Lik Zang, expresses how he felt before the last round which determined the winners. 

“I’m not nervous. You see, I have been playing chess since I was 13 years old.” Confident in the outcome, he was quite relaxed, as so were most of the participants. All the tension that one sensed priorly had slowly dissipated. For it truly had been a long day. 

One thing that truly made the last round exciting was the prizes the winners were to receive afterwards. And the prizes we speak of were definitely something to look forward to as they were quite inclusive to the diverse array of event participants. While every participant received a certificate, they had more to win as there were prize categories such as ‘Best Veteran player’, ‘Best Female Player’, ‘Best Male Player’, ‘Best Taylor’s Chess Club member’ and a few more including the best in their age categories. And surely one cannot ignore the grand prize of RM1000. Each of these prizes were given out after the final round during a small award ceremony.

At the end of the event, most participants seemed happy and satisfied. Several restless kids were ready to go home and jump into bed with their trophies. Others dreamed of what they would spend their prize winnings on. And there were certainly many that went out to eat and celebrate with their friends and families.

The president, Emir and his team had done an impressive job organising the event and coordinating it wonderfully well throughout the day. The team composed the event of many elements that formed the intricate layers of the event. And if one took just a second more to appreciate these layers, you would see it was quite a spectacular event.

“It is really fun to be directing, tiring but rewarding as we are able to give as much as we can to the participants,”says the President at the end of the day. “Overall, I extend a heartfelt gratitude to my team and friends and families.”

If a 3.0 version of the Ultimate Clash were to take place once again, I would urge anyone with even the slightest experience to participate, as I have no doubt that the board of the Chess Club will make it yet another experience where all you’d want to do ever is just play chess.