First surprise happened in the fourth match, round 2 of group 1: Novag Citrine and Systema Challenge shared a point each, they both won as white! This is despite the 200 CElo (or so) gap in favor of the Citrine...
It is well known they are both on the passive side of the playing style, therefore the games were lengthy ones (80 moves on average). The first game with Citrine as white player is rather balanced until move 50, where the Challenge commits the error that will turn the game to the Citrine's advantage.
The second game with the Systema Challenge (playing as white) is nicely balanced until move 20, even with a slight positional lead by the Challenge who has a stronger hand on the center of the board, to my opinion. On move 21, the Citrine commits an inaccuracy (not sure this can be evaluated as an error, I spent some time analyzing
before understanding the issue with the Citrine's move, and what alternate better moves to play). The Challenge did spot the correct next move, and slowly but safely won. The Citrine stubbornly never resigned
(sometimes it does...)
[Event "The 64-cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.09.29"]
[Round "1-2"]
[White "Novag Citrine (lv at4)"]
[Black "Systema Challenge (Tibono setting lv 50)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2012"]
[BlackElo "1802"]
[EventDate "2023.09.26"]
[ECO "B85"]
[PlyCount "153"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.f4 Nc6 9.Be3 a6 10.Qe1 Qc7 11.Qg3 Bd7 {Out of book} 12.Bd3 Nb4 13.Be2 {Out of book} 13...d5 14.a3 Nc6 15.exd5 exd5 16.Rfe1 Rfe8 17.Bd3 Bc5 18.Nf5 Bxe3+ 19.Nxe3 Ne7 20.Qf3 Bc6 21.Ned1 $6 {prevents the d4 fork threat, but Nf1 was better to keep the Rooks linked and to enable going back to a more center position thru d2 square.} 21...d4 22.Ne4 Bxe4 23.Bxe4 Ned5 24.Nf2 Nxe4 25.Rxe4 Rxe4 26.Qxe4 Nxf4 27.Re1 Ne6 28.Re2 Rc8 29.Nd3 b5 30.Qe5 Qc4 31.Qf5 h6 32.Rf2 Qc7 33.Ne5 Rf8 34.Rf1 a5 35.Rf2 a4 36.Rf1 Qb7 37.Qh5 f6 38.Qg4 Qd5 39.Nd3 Qc6 40.Re1 Re8 41.Nb4 Qc4 42.Qh5 Rd8 43.Qf5 Rd6 44.Re4 Kh8 45.Re1 Nc7 46.Qc8+ Kh7 47.Qf5+ Kg8 48.Qc8+ Kf7 49.Qb7 Qc5 50.Kh1 f5 $2 {loses control on e5 square; after Nd3 attack on the black Queen, the Queen cannot any more escape to c6 square (Ne5 threat).} 51.Nd3 Qxc2 52.Rc1 Qxd3 53.Qxc7+ Ke6 54.Re1+ Kf6 55.Qxd6+ Kg5 56.Qe7+ Kg6 57.Qe2 Qxe2 58.Rxe2 Kf6 59.Re8 d3 60.Rd8 d2 61.Rxd2 Ke6 62.Rd4 h5 63.Rb4 Ke7 64.Rxb5 Ke6 65.Rb6+ Kd5 66.Rg6 Kc4 67.Rxg7 Kb3 68.Rb7+ Ka2 69.Kg1 Kb1 70.b4 Ka2 71.b5 Kxa3 72.b6 Kb4 73.Rc7 a3 74.b7 {Citrine announces mate in 3} 74...Kb3 75.b8=Q+ Ka2 76.Rc1 f4 77.Qb1# 1-0
[Event "The 64-cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.09.29"]
[Round "1-2"]
[White "Systema Challenge (Tibono setting lv 50)"]
[Black "Novag Citrine (lv at4)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1802"]
[BlackElo "2012"]
[EventDate "2023.09.26"]
[ECO "B15"]
[PlyCount "165"]
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 {Out of book} 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Nf3 Bb4+ 7.c3 {Out of book} 7...Bd6 8.Bd3 O-O 9.Be3 Re8 10.Qc2 h6 11.O-O Bg4 12.Bh7+ Kh8 13.Be4 Qe7 14.Nd2 Nd7 15.h3 Be6 16.c4 Rac8 17.Rfe1 Qf8 18.Rad1 Qg8 19.b3 Qf8 20.Qd3 Rcd8 21.Qc2 Bb4 $6 {d5 threat required either Nb8 (freeing an escape for the e6 Bishop) or Rc8 (creating a threat after cxd5).} 22.d5 $1 cxd5 23.cxd5 Bxh3 24.gxh3 Rc8 25.Qd3 Nc5 26.Bxc5 Rxc5 27.Bf3 Rec8 28.Qe3 Rc2 29.a4 Rxd2 $6 {unnecessary quality loss} 30.Rxd2 Rc3 31.Qe2 $6 {Qe8!} 31...Rxf3 32.Qxf3 Bxd2 33.Re2 Bb4 34.Qe3 $6 b6 35.Qe8 $1 Qxe8 36.Rxe8+ Kh7 37.Ra8 a5 38.Rb8 Bc5 39.Rc8 Be7 40.Rc7 Bb4 41.Rxf7 Kg6 42.Rb7 Kf5 43.Rxb6 Ke5 44.Rb5 g5 45.Kg2 f5 46.Kf3 Kd6 47.Ke2 Ke5 48.Kd3 Be1 49.f3 Bb4 50.Rb6 Kxd5 51.Rxh6 Ke5 52.h4 Kf4 $6 53.hxg5 Kxg5 54.Rh7 Kf4 55.Rh4+ $1 Ke5 56.f4+ $6 {RxB wins faster} 56...Kd5 57.Rh5 Ke6 58.Rh6+ Ke7 59.Ra6 Be1 60.Kd4 Bb4 61.Ke5 Bd2 62.Ra7+ Kd8 63.Kxf5 Bc3 64.Ke4 Kc8 65.f5 Kd8 66.Kd3 Bb4 67.f6 Ke8 68.Ke4 Bc3 69.Kf5 Bd4 70.Rxa5 Kf7 71.Ra6 Bc5 72.Rc6 Bb4 73.Rc7+ Ke8 74.Ke6 Kd8 75.Rc4 Bf8 76.b4 Bh6 77.a5 Bg5 78.f7 Bh6 79.b5 {Challenge announces mate in 5} 79...Bf8 80.a6 Be7 81.a7 Bc5 82.f8=Q+ Bxf8 83.a8=Q# 1-0
The scores are now, after two rounds in group 1:
Centaur leads with 4 points; Citrine and Challenge 3 points; Escorter 2.5; Mirage 2; Beluga 1.5; Sensory 8 and Mein erster 0 points.
MfG,
Tibono