The 2023 Dragon Cup Tournament has come to an end!
The Dragon Cup was a blast to play in and to watch. For those unaware, it was a single elimination tournament open to all and was played over six weeks. We saw some great games at all levels of the tournament and some pretty huge upsets in the bracket. We also saw a new time control being used, with an added 15 minutes once you get to move 35. This was used in the 7×7 Open and the Trans-AtlanTak as well, but I’m still going to call it new.
Some of the notable games and upsets were: rabbitboy84 beating Ally, the 2nd place player in the Tak Championship, in just 10 moves. Klimace beating Tones, the rank #3 player, after just barely competing in a Beginner and Intermediate tournament. And a highlight of the tournament and absolutely wild ride was Klimace and PlutoTheBrave getting a draw on their game and having to replay with swapped colors to determine the winner.
But ultimately, it came down to just two players. Abyss, the rank #2 player at the time of the tournament, and alion02, the current Tak Champion and rank #1 player at the time of the tournament, were in the finals together. It was a bumpy game, with both players struggling on time before the extra time was added at turn 35. Abyss was narrowly in the lead for most of the game until just after the extra time was added, then alion02 was able to take control and win the game on flats.
So congratulations to alion02 and a big thanks to everyone who participated. I know I had a lot of fun playing in and watching the games. alion02 now holds the title of 2022 Tak Champion and The Dragon. Will he pull off the hat-trick and win the Tak Open? Or will you be the one to stop him?
You can see all of the games on the bracket, here. And you will eventually be able to watch all of the Dragon Cup Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals games on this YouTube Playlist once they are released.
This article was written by Simmon.