The Tournament Essay Example for Free

The Tournament EssayIf you have ever regretted volunteering for a task, but had to continue, notwithstanding this, you will know how I matt-up, as I boarded the coach that would take me to the venue of the chess tournament. It was an all-consuming, unforgettable, always nagging sort of worry that I would bring about my own humiliation as I lost game by game at the prestigious tournament. No. Not a worry but a certainty. For I had not practised once in the past months, date in my prime, it was normal for me to spend a couple of evenings per week at a board, revising combinations. Yes, it was this want of practice that troubled me to the very core, that I would disappoint my team and be humiliated for it. So the odour of the garbage on the coach had little final result on me, as I contemplated the nature of the disgrace that I would bring upon myself.In an attempt to banish these thoughts from my head, I brought out my reading book, which I currently immersed myself in, but t he cheers and chit chat from my team mates as the coach started could not be ignored. As I snapped out of my ponderous trance, I became aware of the true stench of this appalling place where rotten eggs and ham from long forgotten packed lunches lay neatly stacked under the pose and the random splodges of yogurt were spread over the once-fine seat covers. But as the hours passed, none of these were noticed as my nose grew accustomed to the constant whiff, and my eyes remained hard fixed on the pages of my book. It was finally four hours later that we pulled into the drive of the B B where we would stay. Just one more(prenominal) night till I would be a humiliated manMy first match of the next day started and ended badly. I was to play against a boy of no more than 8, who sit down precariously on the very edge of his seat, with legs dangling aimlessly under the table. His age and the innocent gaze gave me hope that I could at least apprehend 1 point for my team. But I was wron g, very wrong. As he made his first moves, I saw he was no novice and despite my best efforts, my fiendish foe struck mercilessly, felling my pieces one by one. It was an uphill struggle, a battle I could not win and yet I tried, while to my annoyance, he squealed with delight after each capture in a childlike manner, though he had the skill of double his apparent age. I thunder mug tell you this was terribly shocking. So there was no surprise when he finally delivered checkmate, though while we did this, I dreaded the teases I would be incontestable to receive as the result of this lost battle, especially due to my opponents age. As I stepped from the room, my fears were confirmed. My humiliation had begun.My next match went just as badly. Still in a daze from the jests endured, my head spinning, as I tried desperately to win against my unsympathetic opponent. But my efforts were to no avail, as I lost, even more swiftly than before. But my thoughts cleared as I left the tournam ent room one round to make a win. One round to repeal disgraceAfter my disastrous rounds, I expected no leang more than another loss from equally capable opponents, knowing my fate for humiliation had been plastered the moment I agreed to come. But my next opponent was not something I could have anticipated given even the high-riskest imagination. Like a giant, he towered over the board, but it was not his height which troubled me but his bulk. His fat bulged in great flabs so that I felt he might stand up and his slow, lumbering walk scarcely surprised me. One could tell clothes were not made to his size the Nike logo on his shirt was stretched into a thin line while his fat writhed under his tight top as he reached out to move his piece.I made no slew in underestimating my opponent this time, however, it was soon clear he was less gifted than the child prodigy I had played the first round. But there was button up something strange about the game play, there was something abo ut the way we played in his shadow that unnerved me, and before long, I once more felt myself sailing against the wind in this battle of mine. But as does a wounded animal strike back, so did I, knowing the fate that would come to me if I lost this match. But then, my silent prayers were answered in the form of the biggest blunder I had ever seen at this level of play, and I pounced upon it, like a hungry wild cat as he throws himself on a mouse. The tide had changed, and I finished him off easily. The victory was mine, no disgrace for me.