August OTBS Recap – Redemption, Randomness & a Blitz Crescendo
The 64SQRS Online Team Battle Series (OTBS) isn’t just another online league – it’s Africa’s flagship team chess competitionlichess.org. Each month, squads of five (plus two substitutes) pay a modest entry fee (₦5 000 for Bullet and Freestyle, ₦10 000 for Blitz) to play three two‐hour arenaslichess.org. Points from every arena accumulate toward the monthly leaderboard, and only teams that play all three qualify for the ₦40 000 champion prizelichess.org. After a dramatic July – which saw Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde crowned champions and Thruy Assassins stripped of a Bullet win – August promised bigger prizes (₦40 000 for first, ₦15 000 for second, ₦12 000 for top player, new rivalries and a clean slate. Let’s relive it all.
Bullet Arena (16 Aug) – Thruy’s redemption
The month opened with a 1 + 0 Bullet frenzy: 759 games and 60 538 moves were played. White won 51 % of games, black won 45 %, and just 4 % were drawn 12 % featured berserkers Coming off July’s controversy, Thruy Assassins were hungry. Led by EmperorManuel001 (118 points) and supported by Mystbeast01 and MusaKamalYunus, Thruy amassed 374 points Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde kept pace at 345, with Gmdalods‐16 (114 points) anchoring the board Peelers (335) edged UF Team Brutal (329) thanks to YOuNg_12345’s 111‐point berserk spree Checkmate Syndicate and UF Team Krazy completed the field
Key moments:
- Thruy raced ahead early with EmperorManuel001 stringing 14 wins. Hummingbird’s closed the gap when Gmdalods‐16 rattled off 11 straight, but Thruy’s second boards held firm.
- UF Team Brutal’s kereshady set the tournament high score (123 points) but couldn’t lift his team above fourth
Prize note: With only six teams, Bullet paid prizes to just the top two squads. The 30 k pot was split 70 % to Thruy (₦22 500) and 30 % to Hummingbirds (₦10 000), rounded up to the nearest ₦2 500.
Freestyle/Chess960 Arena (23 Aug) – Brutal’s random mastery
The 2 + 0 Freestyle arena flips the script: the starting position is random, so memory matters less than creativity. Seven teams battled across 593 games. UF Team Brutal seized the day with 267 points, powered by kereshady’s masterful 90‐point run Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde (263) stayed close thanks to Gmdalods‐16 and SaSuKeCheSsS scoring 88 each Peelers (262) were again consistent: ac_adapter scored 83, while osadebeike added 68 The Army of Fire (255) surprised many, with Godhida (76) and NigerianMachine (60) leading Thruy Assassins fell to fifth (252), while UF Team Krazy (216) and Square Hustler’s (162) rounded out the standings
Key moments:
- UF Team Brutal started slowly but surged when kereshady berserked his way through a 10‐game winning streak. His swashbuckling play (sacrificing rooks and queens) became the talk of TwitterSpaces.
- Hummingbird’s tried to close the gap, but unexpected losses on board four kept them just behind.
Prize note: With seven teams, Freestyle again paid only two prizes. The 35 k pot went 70 % to UF Team Brutal (₦25 000) and 30 % to Hummingbird’s (₦12 500), rounded up to ₦2 500 increments.
Blitz Arena (30 Aug) – a breathtaking finale
The 3 + 0 Blitz arena – the first tie‐breaker for the monthly leaderboard – featured eight teams, generating 532 games and 44 680 moveslichess.org. White won 260 games, black 254 and only 18 were drawnlichess.org. The action was electric:
- Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde roared back with 268 pointsl. Gmdalods‐16 top‐scored with 77, FM Linesman39 added 75 and MrSipes 56.
- UF Team Brutal held second on 239 points. NigerianFlash delivered the highest individual Blitz score (81 points, performance 2488); NJA_B (58) and Zlater007 (49) offered vital support.
- Square Hustler’s shocked the arena by finishing third with 226 points, riding BOT‐favour3000’s 63 points and strong contributions from manager clintonsalako (48) and MasterTenTen (42).
- Peelers (211) and The Army of Fire (197) battled for fourth.
- UF Team Krazy (157), Checkmate Syndicate (153) and Thruy Assassins (102) rounded out the list.
Prize note: With eight teams, Blitz paid the top three: 50 % of the 80 k pot went to Hummingbirds (₦40 000), 30 % to UF Team Brutal (₦25 000) and 20 % to Square Hustler’s (₦17 500), all rounded up.
Final standings & stats
Team leaderboard (total points)
| Rank | Team | Points (Bullet + 960 + Blitz) | Main players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde | 876 | Gmdalods‐16, Dakods‐16, MrSipes, Linesman39, Eburu_sanmi |
| 2 | UF Team Brutal | 835 | kereshady, NigerianFlash, NJA_B, Zlater007 |
| 3 | Peelers | 808 | YOuNg_12345, ac_adapter, osadebeike, T-Keller, Hernestly123 |
| 4 | Thruy Assassins | 728 | EmperorManuel001, SaSuKeCheSsS, MusaKamalYunus, Mystbeast01, ThruyReturns |
| 5 | UF Team Krazy | 639 | proudbully, ser_mickey, Ageless_2, Anti-Werey, micfel |
| 6 | Checkmate Syndicate | 465 | MenkoDvirginproducer, DavidTj220, Dotun, Kvngmicky, Iamjosh |
| 7 | The Army of Fire | 452 | jblick, Godhida, olubiz, NigerianMachine, mofire1 |
| 8 | Square Hustler’s | 388 | BOT-favour3000, clintonsalako, MasterTenTen, Donzic, OLUWADUROTIMIl |
Player leaderboard (total points)
| Rank | Player (Team) | Bullet | 960 | Blitz | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gmdalods‐16 (Hummingbirds) | 114 | 88 | 77 | 279 |
| 2 | kereshady (UF Brutal) | 123 | 90 | 0 | 213 |
| 3 | osadebeike (Peelers) | 63 | 68 | 42 | 173 |
| 4 | EmperorManuel001 (Thruy) | 118 | 48 | 0 | 166 |
| 5 | proudbully (UF Krazy) | 75 | 48 | 36 | 159 |
| 6 | Mystbeast01 (Thruy) | 85 | 49 | 21 | 155 |
| 7 | YOuNg_12345 (Peelers) | 111 | 38 | 40 | 149 |
| 8 | ac_adapter (Peelers) | 0 | 83 | 51 | 134 |
| 9 | MusaKamalYunus (Thruy) | 70 | 34 | 26 | 130 |
| 10 | Ageless_2 (UF Krazy) | 65 | 27 | 34 | 126 |
Player of the Month: Gmdalods‐16 (279 points). His precision in Bullet, adaptability in Freestyle and steady Blitz play earn him the ₦12 000 individual award.
Prize distribution & profitability
| Team | Event prizes (Bullet / 960 / Blitz) | Monthly prizes | Total prize | Reg. cost | Profit/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde | ₦12 000 / ₦15 000 / ₦40 000 | ₦40 000 (champion) + ₦12 000 (Player of the Month) | ₦119 000 | ₦20 000 | +₦99 000 |
| UF Team Brutal | 0 / ₦20 000 / ₦25 000 | ₦15 000 (runner‐up) | ₦60 000 | ₦20 000 | +₦40 000 |
| Peelers | 0 / 0 / 0 | – | 0 | ₦20 000 | –₦20 000 |
| Thruy Assassins | ₦18000 / 0 / 0 | – | ₦18000 | ₦20 000 | -₦2 000 |
| Square Hustler’s | 0 / 0 / ₦15000 | – | ₦15000 | ₦15 000 | +₦000 |
| UF Team Krazy | 0 / 0 / 0 | – | 0 | ₦20 000 | –₦20 000 |
| The Army of Fire | 0 / 0 / 0 | – | 0 | ₦15 000 | –₦15 000 |
| Checkmate Syndicate | 0 / 0 / 0 | – | 0 | ₦15 000 | –₦15 000 |
Note: Bullet and Freestyle had fewer than eight teams, so only two prizes were awarded (70 % and 30 % of the pot, rounded up to the nearest ₦2 500). Blitz had eight teams, so three prizes were awarded (50 %, 30 %, 20 %).
Team profiles (meet the squads)
Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde
- Manager: Gmdalods‐16 – the team founder and August Player of the Month
- Players: Dakods‐16, Agelss, Tenny‐trigah, MrSipes, Linesman39, Eburu_sanmilichess.org.
- Motto: Embracing intelligence, beauty, devotion and lovelichess.org.
- August story: They led July and, despite a slow bullet start, stormed back to win Freestyle silver, Blitz gold and the overall title. Every board contributed; their depth was unmatched.
UF Team Brutal
- Manager: Dr Seth
- Players: kereshady, NigerianFlash, NJA_B, Zlater007, Master_Muzan, BOYFEPOSlichess.org.
- Motto: “In heaven and on earth I alone am the honoured one”lichess.org.
- August story: They finished outside the Bullet podium but dominated Freestyle. Blitz pressure forced them into second place overall, but their consistent performance earned runner‐up honours and a tidy profit.
Peelers
- Manager: Meqqit
- Players: YOuNg_12345, osadebeike, T-Keller, small22, Hernestly123.
- August story: The Peelers displayed heart and consistency. They finished third in both bullet and Freestyle, but with only two prizes available, they walked away empty‐handed. A strong Blitz run kept them on the podium overall; they’ll be hungry for September.
Thruy Assassins
- Manager: ThruyReturns
- Players: SaSuKeCheSsS, EmperorManuel001, MusaKamalYunus, Warlock_Dabee, ThruyReturns, Mystbeast01lichess.org.
- August story: Redemption! After July’s disqualification, they won the August Bullet. But they couldn’t adapt quickly enough to Freestyle randomness and finished seventh in Blitz. Still, they netted a small profit and regained dignity.
UF Team Krazy
- Manager: Olamide1001 lichess.org.
- Players: proudbully, ser_mickey, Ageless_2, Anti-Werey, micfellichess.org.
- Motto: They fight and win with relentless energylichess.org.
- August story: They improved each week: a quiet Bullet, better Freestyle and a competitive Blitz. With more depth, they could challenge for prizes in September.
The Army of Fire
- Managers: TheDanielWilliams & ManagerOlu.
- Players: jblick, Godhida, olubiz, NigerianMachine, mofire1.
- Motto: Wit, grit, strength and speed.
- August story: They missed Bullet but impressed in Freestyle and Blitz. Their refusal to give up embodies the OTBS spirit.
Square Hustler’s
- Manager: clintonsalako
- Players: BOT‐favour3000, MasterTenTen, Donzic, OLUWADUROTIMI, Fishymenkolichess.org.
- Motto: Strategy, growth and hustlelichess.org.
- August story: They joined in Freestyle and stunned everyone by finishing third in Blitz, snatching ₦17 500 and bragging rights. Their manager still has a ₦100 k bet with UF’s Seth – if Square Hustler’s ever finishes above both UF squads, Seth pays up
Checkmate Syndicate
- Manager: Kvngmicky
- Players: MenkoDvirginproducer, DavidTj220, Dotun, Iamjosh, oluwammilichess.org.
- August story: They contested Bullet and Blitz but faded. Expect roster changes in September.
The Killjoys
- Manager: KN_Riley
- Players: Linesman39, MasterTenTen, DavidTj220, GMKopanolvsky, clintonsalakolichess.org.
- August story: Absent from August events but famous for July’s community vibes. We hope they return.
Community & storytelling
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What makes OTBS special isn’t just the games; it’s the people. Throughout August:
- TwitterSpaces came alive. Fans debated openings, laughed at 960 blunders (“Where does the king castle again?”) and cheered berserks. Live commentary from Chief Whales kept everyone entertained.
- Bets & banter thrived. Seth’s ₦100 k bet with Clinton Salako continued. Fans speculated whether Peelers would sign a FIDE master, or if Army of Fire would recruit a blitz specialist
- Tributes continued. Players still wore virtual ribbons to honour Emmanuel Iheanacho, a young Nigerian star whose memory fuels the OTBS mission
- New fans joined. Dozens of new users created teams or asked how to register. If that’s you, hop into the comments for help – the community will guide you.
Have your say & see you next month
August’s OTBS edition delivered everything: redemption arcs, surprise upsets and a thrilling Blitz decider. Hummingbird’s Avante‐Garde defended their crown with 876 points, UF Team Brutal proved they’re a powerhouse and Peelers’ consistency kept them on the podium. Gmdalods‐16 became a legend with 279 points and Player‐of‐the‐Month honours.
What’s next?
September arenas start soon. Will a new team rise? Can Square Hustler’s cash in Seth’s bet? Will Thruy Assassins find consistency across all formats? Expect new rules (including a potential transfer window) and even spicier commentary.
Have thoughts, suggestions or favourite moments? Drop them in the comments. OTBS is built for the community, by the community. Share your highlights, propose tweaks and cheer your team – and maybe you’ll see your story in next month’s recap.
For the love of chess,
