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Another somewhat ghoulish event from wartime Berlin. The tournament was one of several Bernhard Kagan-organized events. If the Lasker-Tarrasch match of 1916 had the aim of supporting a war charity, these 1918 events had the more limited and crucial goal of keeping chess masters alive and solvent.

Schlechter was in the last year of his life. He wasn’t yet suffering from malnourishment but was clearly off-form. He played a bit better than he had in his match with Rubinstein in January but clearly wasn’t fully himself. The tournament was one of the early indications of Akiba Rubinstein’s long slow decline - a sad spectacle for a chess fan to play through. At St Petersburg 1914 he struggled to put points on the board. Here, where he finished in dead-last place, two weaknesses became apparent: an unpleasant tendency to miss key tactical points (as in his last-round game with Vidmar and in his loss to Schlechter in their match earlier that spring) and a comparative lack of skill in dynamic positions, which was the main issue in this tournament. He also had the added humiliation of losing in his specialty, a rook endgame, in a game with his ever-problematic-opponent Jacques Mieses.

Rubinstein’s struggles here were directly related to the dramatic introduction of the Budapest Gambit, which is one of the all-time best openings stories. The story is that Milan Vidmar, the tournament’s eventual winner, was preparing to play black against Rubinstein in round three and despaired of having a defense against ‘the high priest of 1.d4.’ At which point the Hungarian player Istvan Abonyi sidled up to him, showed him the idea of the Budapest, and Vidmar, with minutes to spare before the start of the round, chose to adopt it and then gave Rubinstein one of the worst losses of his career - a 24-move shellacking exploiting white’s laggard kingside development. With that, the word was out, and in their turn the other masters lined up to play the Budapest against Rubinstein, much in the way that the Soviet masters at the 1959 Candidates discovered that the Caro-Kann was a chink in Bobby Fischer’s armor.

There’s unfortunately some reason to doubt aspects of the story. The Budapest had been developed by a trio of Hungarian masters (Breyer, Barasz, and Abonyi) in 1916 and it had a healthy theoretical life in the intervening years. Schlechter published analysis of it in the Deutsche Schachzeitung in 1917. It seems somewhat unlikely even with the war that neither Vidmar nor Rubinstein had heard anything about the opening - but let’s not even get into that. Maybe Vidmar had other things on his mind and just hadn’t read the article. In any case, it’s a good story and the essentials of it are more accurate than these stories usually tend to be.

Vidmar was in good form and won easily with his usual precise chess.

Sources: This tournament largely exists in the realm of legend. Books on the Budapest - for instance, by Moskalenko and Martin - have versions of the opening's discovery. Even the most thorough accounts of this era, Donaldson and Minev's Rubinstein biography or introuble2's really terrific blog post on chess during World War I, have very little on this tournament. I haven't been able to find a picture, for instance.

Following the conclusion of seven regional Challengers playoffs, VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin is finally set with 16 of the best Valorant teams in the world competing for VCT circuit points, prize money, and a direct invite to Riot Games’ world championship tournament at the end of the year.

Only Sentinels, Crazy Raccoon, and KRU Esports are returning to the Masters’ stage, while the other 13 teams will be making their international Valorant tournament debuts.

What is VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin?

The tournament is Riot Games’ second-ever international Valorant competition.

For VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin, the game developer decided to up the ante by increasing the number of teams to 16. Previously, VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík featured a total of 10 teams.

VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin schedule and results

The Group Stage starts on September 10 followed by the Playoffs.

All times and days are in GMT+8.

(Last updated September 18)

Playoffs

September 20

September 19

September 18

September 17

Group Stage Matches

September 10

September 11

September 12

September 13

September 14

September 15

September 16

September 17

Group Stage Standings

Format of VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin

The tournament kicks off with the Group Stage where the 16 teams will be split into four groups with four teams each.

They will compete in a double-elimination format, where the top two teams will advance to the Playoffs. All matches will be best-of-threes.

The Playoffs will host eight of the remaining teams in a single-elimination bracket. Except for the best-of-five Grand Final match, all matches will be best-of-threes.

(Update: September 3, 2021)

As a result of Bren Esports not making it to the tournament, the format for the tournament will be modified and Group D, where Bren Esports, was placed, will pivot to a double round-robin, with the two top teams advancing to the Elimination Stage.

Where will VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin be held?

The tournament will take place at the Verti Music Hall in Berlin, Germany, the same location where the League of Legends 2019 World Championship Group Stage was held.

VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin prize pool

Riot Games has yet to release details about the prize pool of the tournament.

What’s confirmed is that the winner will receive a direct invite to the Valorant Champions tournament at the end of the VCT 2021 season.

All teams will also be competing for the lion’s share of the 3,400 VCT circuit points up for grabs. Teams that have the most VCT circuit points at the end of the season will be invited to the Valorant Champions tournament.

Teams competing in the VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin

These are the sixteen teams that qualified from the VCT Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs.

(Update from the Valorant Champions Tour team from September 3, 2021.)

The number one seeded team from Southeast Asia, Bren Esports, was not able to secure the necessary travel visas and will not be able to attend VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin.

Where to watch the VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin?

Valorant fans can watch the matches live on Valorant’s Twitch channel and YouTube page.

READ MORE: 100 Thieves Steel reveals the secret behind their triple initiator agent comp

Going into VALORANT’s Stage 3 Masters: Berlin, the second international tournament in the game’s history, regional rivalries have more questions than answers. Are NA and EU really the two top regions? Is South Korea, represented by Vision Strikers and F4Q at this tournament, going to prove they can contend with NA and EU? Was Brazil’s two early exits in Stage 2 Masters a bad tournament or a sign of a weaker region?

Day 1, unsurprisingly, was not enough to answer these questions fully, but we did see a trend. Across three matches, the NA or EU team won every time.

Group C: 100 Thieves (North America) vs. Havan Liberty (Brazil)

The only NA team playing Friday certainly didn’t disappoint. 100 Thieves smashed Havan Liberty in by far the most lopsided match of the day. After dropping the first two pistol rounds, 100T went on a tear by winning 13 of the next 14 rounds for an easy 13-3 victory. On Havan Liberty’s map pick, the Brazilian squad did slightly better with a score of 13-6, but it was clear they were just fully outclassed in this matchup.

Havan Liberty is Brazil’s second seed in this tournament, so Keyd Stars certainly still could represent the region well, but it seems like Brazil is just a full step behind the other top regions in VALORANT. With the region's strength in CS:GO, that’s a bit surprising, but VALORANT has been a difficult challenge on the international stage for three different Brazilian teams now.

100 Thieves meanwhile made good on their promise that this was a roster made for LAN. Each player seemed to take a turn going off. Spencer “Hiko” Martin was clutching, Josh “steel” Nissan was fragging (and throwing out some trash talk), Ethan “Ethan” Arnold was popping off, and Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella was everywhere the team needed him to be.

Surprisingly, it was Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk who struggled a bit in the first map as the only 100T player to finish with a negative K/D. That seemed to just be a bit of first-LAN jitters. By the second map, he was making incredible plays that NA fans are used to seeing from the talented duelist. He finished that map with a casual 333 ACS. No big deal.

100 Thieves truly could not have asked for a better start to this tournament. With the incredibly experienced roster, this was the environment where 100 Thieves were supposed to thrive. Truly, they looked more at home on the Berlin stage than they did literally playing from their own homes during the online matches.

Steel also deserves a shoutout for showcasing KAY/O once again. He was the only player to pick VALORANT’s newest agent on the first day of action and he showed his ability on the first map. With KAY/O, Steel put up a 248 ACS, second-best on 100T. He has been carrying the KAY/O banner since Challengers Playoffs and believes that some teams may be under picking the agent. With that type of performance, other teams may give KAY/O another look.

With that win, 100T move on to play the winner of Gambit Esports and Crazy Raccoon. Gambit is the EMEA No. 1 seed and the heavy favorite over Japan’s Crazy Raccoon. Assuming Gambit makes good, that matchup will be the true test of 100T’s LAN excellence.

Photo credit: Riot Games

Group D: G2 (EMEA) vs. F4Q (South Korea)

The second match featured a bit of a different schedule as Bren Esports was unable to come to Berlin due to visa issues. That left Group D with just three teams fighting for two spots. With Sentinels also in this group and almost certainly set to lock in one spot, this matchup carried even higher stakes for these two teams.

They will get to play again in a few days, but G2 took the early upper hand with a 2-1 victory here. Each team won their map pick, with G2 taking Haven and Ascent, while F4Q took Bind. For F4Q, the second seed from South Korea behind Vision Strikers, it was a solid performance against a quality team from EMEA (Europe, Africa and Middle East).

F4Q’s Chae “Bunny” Joon-hyuk was particularly impressive for his Raze play during the match. But the MVP had to be G2’s Cista “keloqz” Wassim who played an impressive duelist throughout finishing with a 261 ACS and +15 K/D over the three maps.

The next matchup for both teams will be against Sentinels. It will pose a tough challenge, but if either team can beat the reigning champs, they will immediately become the favorites to move forward. For now, EMEA gets another big win over South Korea which keeps South Korea firmly planted as the third best region in VALORANT.

Photo credit: Riot Games

Group A: Acend (EMEA) vs. SuperMassive Blaze (EMEA)

The opening match of the tournament was the only rematch as Acend and SuperMassive Blaze (SMB) played in the EMEA Challengers Playoffs. SMB is a Turkish team but had to qualify by beating European teams. In that tournament, SMB took down Acend in the upper bracket final, but that was just a seeding match as both teams had locked in a spot in Berlin already at that point.

In Berlin, the game went a bit differently. Acend easily took down SMB 13-5 on Bind, Acend’s map pick. SMB picked Ascent, which is a decision that might be second guessed in hindsight. Acend won that map 13-9 for a clean 2-0. Back at Challengers Playoffs, SMB beat Acend on Haven and Split. Although Split was banned by Acend, Haven was open to pick.

SMB are a Turkish team, but it was Acend who had the best Turkish player in the match. Mehmet “cNed” Yagiz Ipek is one of the most respected players in the world, and he showed why against SMB with a 296 ACS featuring a +17 K/D over just two maps.

This match was a rematch, but it showed why some teams ignore the results in seeding matches. What happens on this stage is really where the best teams prove themselves. SMB will have their work cut out for them now, as Group A appears to be the most difficult of all the groups. Only two out of Acend, SMB and Vision Strikers will get to move on, but SMB still control their own destiny if they win out.

Lead image credit: Riot Games

Upcoming Events

Timothy Wheeler’s family has grown in Berlin — quite literally. The Wheelers have run Indian Head Farm for seven generations. Its mission has varied since its inception, with the most recent focus on small fruits and vegetables.

Berlin — “pronounced like Merlin the magician,’’ not like the capital of Germany, Wheeler noted — has also grown over the years, especially with the arrival of interstates 495 and 290. Interstate 495 runs right through town, while I-290 is just to the south.

“When those two highways were completed . . . it created the possibility of living here and hopping on the highway to go elsewhere,’’ he said. Boston is about an hour away, while Cape Cod and Maine are within 1½ hours, he noted.

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Berlin has seen a moderate amount of development in recent years — more than 30 percent of its tax base is nonresidential, which is unusual for a town of its size, according to Wheeler — with an emphasis on affordable housing and some mixed-use developments. But given the two highways, “we’re surprisingly rural,’’ Wheeler said.

Having such a small population (nearly 3,000) leads to a dedicated cadre of contributors.

“A tremendous number of people have to participate in town government, volunteer, and pull their weight to make this town work,’’ said Wheeler, who sits on the Planning Board and serves on a town management study committee that is considering the creation of a town administrator position.

Given their commitment to the community and the family business, the Wheelers aren’t leaving town anytime soon.

“The cemetery we’ll be laid to rest in used to be part of the farm,’’ Wheeler said. “If we go anywhere, it will be just over the wall.’’

BY THE NUMBERS

1870

The year Berlin’s Town Hall was constructed. The town is retrofitting the building with an elevator. Once the building reopens, it can be rented out for parties, dances, theatrical productions, meetings, and more, with town organizations paying no fee to use it. Although it’s called Town Hall, the town offices are not in this building.

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41,000

The number of bunches of asparagus Berlin’s farmers sent to market in 1885. The town, settled in 1665 and incorporated in 1812, has long been agricultural. During the 19th century, its farmers grew mixed hay grains and raised cattle. By 1940, chickens were producing 83,600 dozen eggs annually, according to the town’s website.

1887

The year in which the former Methodist Episcopal Church in the center of town was built. The Gothic Revival building had fallen into disrepair, but thanks to the work of dedicated volunteers, it was renovated and recently opened as 19 Carter, a nonprofit that operates it as a space for performing arts and community-oriented affairs.

$395,215

The average assessed value of a single-family home in Berlin in 2018, per the state Department of Revenue. There are 787 single-family properties in town, with homes carrying an average tax bill of $5,770.

PROS & CONS

PRO

Take it or leave it

Looking to clean house or acquire new-to-you goods? Jones Road Mall, housed in a barn, is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and offers free donated clothing and home products, including furniture. There is a five-item limit per car but no restriction on the number of things that can be donated. Additional rules apply.

CON

Few large annual events

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Life is quiet in Berlin, with fewer holiday-oriented gatherings than in many towns. That said, churches hold annual fall fairs, 19 Carter hosts events, and a summer Home Day helps bring the community together.

Rachel Lebeaux can be reached at [email protected]. Subscribe to our newsletter at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp.

The CIS giants put up a dominant performance to win VALORANT’s second-ever international LAN tournament.

Gambit have handily defeated Envy in the best-of-five grand final at VCT Masters Berlin, stopping the North American’s surprising run in playoffs and finishing the event as the #1 team in the world. They leave Berlin with another trophy under their belt after taking down Envy 3-0 in the grand final on Sunday (Bind 15-13, Haven 13-11, Split 13-9).

Apart from Gambit, it was also a memorable night for Fnatic, the #2 seed of EMEA. They have now locked into Champions thanks to the CIS side occupying the Berlin winner’s spot and avoiding the Last Chance Qualifier.

ALSO READ: VCT Masters 3: Berlin – Asian Teams Preview

The grand final’s results impacted the VCT campaign of four teams. forZe has officially sneaked into the field for the EMEA LCQ. However, TSM’s campaign has come to an end after Envy’s defeat in today’s Masters Berlin grand finals, statistically eliminating TSM from participating in the NA Last Chance Qualifier. Additionally, 100 Thieves must claw their way back from the LCQ to earn a Champions berth.

Gambit Esports

The Russian side arrived in Berlin as the champions of EMEA Challengers Playoffs together with SuperMassive Blaze, Acend, and G2 Esports as EMEA’s representatives. Gambit were paired alongside NA’s 100 Thieves, Japan’s Crazy Raccoon, and Brazil’s Havan Liberty in Group C. Their first group stage encounter versus Crazy Raccoon showed an apparent disparity between these two teams as Igor “Redgar” Vlasov and co. finished the game in 80 minutes with a 13-1 score on both maps played.

However, many were taken aback by the winner’s match, as they were beaten by 100 Thieves, a team touted by Spencer “Hiko” Martin as a roster built for offline events. “We did build this roster for LAN,” Hiko told Dot Esports. “We [added] some of the most experienced Counter-Strike players in the world that have been in countless big event finals. There’s a lot of experience and knowledge.”

A shaky outcome that also cast doubt on the NA versus EU debate regarding which region is more superior in the long run. Not content with that, a rematch versus Crazy Raccoon in the decider match resulted in a tighter outcome, with the second map being played in overtime. Nonetheless, Gambit Esports emerged victorious and qualified for the playoffs.

Team Envy

Six days before Berlin, Team Envy bring much-needed firepower with the arrival of Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker from Andbox to the roster – arguably one of NA’s brightest and highest-performing players in the scene with his Jett plays – who took the place of Anthony “mummAy” DiPaolo. The third highest-ranked ACS squad among the teams in Berlin entered the second Masters event and was matched with LATAM’s KRÜ Esports, Brazil’s Keyd Stars, and Japan’s ZETA DIVISION. Many saw the group as less explosive, using the moniker ‘Group of Life,’ which proved valid, at least on the North American side. Envy dominated their group’s lower-ranked opponents, advancing to the playoffs without dropping a single map.

VALO2ASIA’s MVP of 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3 – Masters: Berlin

Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin was named the VCT Masters 3: Berlin Most Valuable Player (MVP) by VALO2ASIA after he capped off an impressive tournament by leading Gambit to a 3-0 victory over Envy with an overall 274.6 Average Combat Score (ACS) throughout the event. Additionally, the Cypher main earned the highest headshot average of the ten players on the grand final server – fourth-highest overall, and the highest if three Vision Strikers players are excluded.

Apart from nAts, who was instrumental in Gambit’s win, Timofey “Chronicle” Khromo had one of his finest performances to date, particularly in the grand final with a 275 ACS rating. The 19-year-old also contributed to an unexpected composition of Gambit in the grand final, being just the second player in the tournament to utilize Brimstone on Haven, the first being Crazy Raccoon’s Teppei “ade” Kuno.

VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3 – Masters: Berlin final standings:

For more insights on the Asian VALORANT scene and upcoming content like this, be sure to follow and like VALO2ASIA on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games