Less than 24 hours after delivering the upset of Freestyle Friday, SidAhu returned to the board on Saturday and did something even more remarkable — won the whole tournament. With 4 points from 6 rounds and the highest tiebreak score of 13, SidAhu claimed first place in Saturday Game Night, proving that Friday's heroics were no fluke.
| # | Player | Rating | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SidAhu | 1834 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | sc2222 | 1754 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | sasquatchbgf | 1969 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11.5 |
| 4 | XROL | 1749 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7.5 |
| 5 | magnus_jr14 | 1859 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | skatnobel | 1820 | ½ | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | 6 |
| 7 | FierceGambit | 1817 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Fula_710 | 1636 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | natanim_21 | 1257? | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Bkzgreat | 1850 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
Friday night belonged to cheaven — but the most memorable moment was SidAhu's stunning checkmate that toppled the tournament favourite in the final round. Saturday belonged to SidAhu entirely.
This was standard chess — no random starting positions, no Chess960 surprises. Just theory, preparation, and nerve. And SidAhu had all three, navigating a rollercoaster six rounds that included two early losses before rattling off four straight wins to claim the title on tiebreak.
Four players finished on 4 points — SidAhu, sc2222, sasquatchbgf, and XROL — making this one of the tightest finishes in the community's young history. Tiebreak separated them all.
SidAhu opened with the French Exchange and the game was level through the first ten moves — a symmetrical structure with both sides developing naturally. Then on move 11, sasquatchbgf played cxd4?? instead of the necessary Re8, handing SidAhu a near-winning +4.96 advantage in one move.
SidAhu pounced immediately with Nxd7, winning a piece. When sasquatchbgf recaptured with dxc3?! instead of the better Qxd7, SidAhu replied with the crushing Nxf6+ gxf6, ripping open the kingside. The position was now a forced mate in 6 — and though SidAhu momentarily let it slip with Bh6??, sasquatchbgf walked straight back into it with cxb2??, allowing Qg4+ with inevitable checkmate. Resignation on move 15.
A clinical opening win against an opponent rated 163 points higher — the perfect start.
FierceGambit came out swinging with an aggressive Indian Defense setup, playing Qg4 early to pressure the kingside. SidAhu tried to castle out of danger but the rook on g8 was already in trouble — 5...O-O?! was flagged as an inaccuracy, with Kf8 being the safer option.
FierceGambit built a suffocating position over the next ten moves, deploying bishop to h6, knight to g5, and launching a central pawn storm with d5. By move 17, the evaluation stood at +5.38 for White — a technically won game. The finish was emphatic: Bxf7+ forced a rook recapture, hxg6 tore open the h-file, and Bf6 set up an unstoppable mating net. SidAhu resigned on move 25 with checkmate just moves away.
The most pivotal moment of SidAhu's tournament — and the low point. Playing the Rossolimo against a nearly identically rated opponent, SidAhu held a slight edge through the opening before a critical blunder on move 13 changed everything.
Ne5+?? — giving up the queen for a rook — swung the evaluation from +0.62 to -4.21 in a single move. After 13...Qxe5 14. Rxe5 Nxg4, skatnobel had won the queen and the game was effectively over. SidAhu fought on for 18 more moves before resigning, but the position was never recoverable.
Two losses from three rounds. For most players, the tournament would be over mentally. Not SidAhu.
Needing a response after two consecutive losses, SidAhu played a composed Sicilian Löwenthal and kept the game balanced through the opening. Fula_710 tried an ambitious queenside castle with O-O-O but a critical blunder on move 15 — Rb5?? instead of the necessary a3 — left the queen en prise.
SidAhu took it immediately with 15...Qxc4, winning a queen for a rook. From that point it was technique: a bishop pair, a passed pawn, and relentless pressure along the open files. After 27...Bd4+ — a devastating check with no good response — Fula_710 resigned. The comeback was on.
The shortest game of the tournament — and one of the more unusual results. SidAhu played the Pirc Defense and the position was slightly worse for Black through the early moves, with magnus_jr14 building an Austrian Attack setup with f4 and e5.
But on move 10, magnus_jr14 played Ne4?! instead of the sharper Nxd5, letting SidAhu equalize. After 12...Ne3 — a strong centralizing move — magnus_jr14 ran out of time. The position was still alive and contested, but the clock had the final say.
Three straight wins now. One more needed.
The final round. SidAhu needed a win to claim first place on tiebreak — and delivered one in style. Back to the French Exchange, the same opening that won Round 1, SidAhu built a methodical middlegame before a sharp tactical sequence decided everything.
The game was level for much of the middlegame, with both sides making inaccuracies. Then on move 27, sc2222 played gxh6?? — declining to take the queen with Qxb2 — and walked into a forced mate in 2. SidAhu played 28. Nxh6+ Kh8 and delivered 29. Rh7# — a beautiful rook checkmate with the king trapped in the corner.
"Rh7# — a rook slides to the seventh rank and the king has nowhere to go. The perfect ending to a perfect comeback."
Four wins from the final four rounds. First place on tiebreak. SidAhu had done it.
SidAhu's weekend was extraordinary by any measure. Friday night: a stunning upset against cheaven that shook the tournament. Saturday: two early losses, then four consecutive wins including a checkmate in the final round to take first place on tiebreak.
The ability to recover from adversity — to lose two straight and still win the tournament — is what separates good players from great ones. SidAhu showed that quality in abundance this weekend.
sc2222 and sasquatchbgf both deserve credit for finishing level on points. A tighter tiebreak and either could have been champion. XROL, who also finished on 4 points, continues to be a consistent presence at the top of the field.
The community is growing. The competition is intensifying. And if this weekend is any indication, Saturday Game Night is going to be must-watch chess.
Games analyzed with Lichess computer evaluation. All six games are available at the links above. Saturday Game Night is a weekly standard chess Swiss event on Lichess — next Saturday, new battles begin.